The Discourse
Collection
Selected Texts
from the Sutta Nipata
Translated from the Pali by
John D. Ireland
The Wheel Publication No. 82
Copyright (C) 1965,
1983 Buddhist Publication Society
Buddhist Publication
Society
P.O. Box 61
54, Sangharaja Mawatha
Kandy, Sri Lanka
For free distribution
only.
You may print copies
of this work for your personal use.
You may re-format
and redistribute this work for use on computers and computer networks,
provided that you
charge
no fees for its distribution or use.
Otherwise, all
rights reserved.
Contents
Introduction
The Sutta-nipata or "Discourse-collection,"
from which this selection has been compiled, contains some of the oldest
and most profound discourses of the Buddha. The complete text has been
translated at least three times into English, the most recent being by
E.M. Hare under the title "Woven Cadences" (Oxford University Press, London,
1945). The Pali original consists mainly of verse interspersed with some
prose passages and Hare has followed this arrangement by translating it
into English blank verse. However, in the selection appearing below the
aim has been to keep as near as possible to the original, and no attempt
has been made to versify it.
The first discourse shows the distinction
between the mode of conduct of the bhikkhu and the layman, both regarded
as virtuous or good (sadhu). For, as it is said elsewhere:
These two ways of life are
not the same:
that of a householder supporting
a wife
and one without worldly attachments
...
As a peacock never approaches the
swiftness
of a swan, so a householder cannot
imitate a
bhikkhu, a hermit meditating in
the forest.
-- Snp. vv. 220-221
The lay-follower is given the five precepts
of abstaining from killing, stealing and so forth, and then the eight precepts
are observed on special occasions (uposatha, "observance days"). Also perhaps
it is appropriate to commence with Dhammika's praising the Buddha, for
these two, moral discipline and faith in the Buddha, are the basic requisites
for making further progress on the Buddhist path.
The next two discourses (2, 3) deal
with wrong and right conduct, pointing out the results both courses lead
to.
One of the essentials for the practice
of the Buddha's teaching is having "good friends" and the avoidance of
those who hinder one's progress (4). The best friend is "He from whom one
learns the Dhamma" (5) and as such the Buddha is known as the "Good Friend"
to all beings.
The next two (6, 7) give the practical
training and the direction one should tend towards.
Continuous effort is needed to practice
the Dhamma (8) and to inspire one there is no better example than the Buddha's
own struggle (9). Then there are two contemplations on the transience of
life and the futility of sorrowing over the natural course of events in
this world (10, 11).
Two important discourses follow dealing
with the misconception that purity can come from outside without putting
forth any effort (12) and with wrongly holding to views and opinions leading
to contention and suffering (13). These two, together with the rest of
what follows, are regarded as some of the oldest discourses of the Sutta-nipata
and contain much that is difficult to understand.
In the Parayana-vagga, the last chapter
of the Sutta-nipata, sixteen brahmanas -- "famous throughout the world,
meditators, delighting in meditation, and wise ..." (v. 1009) -- come to
the Buddha and ask Him various questions. Five of them are included here
(14, 15, 16, 18, 19).
No. 17 may be compared with the Sakkapanha
Suttanta (Digha-nikaya 21, translated as No. 10 in the Wheel Series), which
contains a closely parallel series of questions and answers.
No. 20 consists of the concluding
verses of a fairly long discourse and indicates the disparity existing
between the realization of the "Ariya," the Buddhas and their disciples,
and the way of thinking usual to the ordinary people of this world.
A note ought to be included on the
term "Dhamma," an important and frequent word in Buddhist literature and
which has, in most cases, been left untranslated below for the reason that
there is no equivalent word in English to cover all its various shades
of meaning. It could be rendered by Law (cosmic and moral), Norm, Teaching,
Doctrine, Scripture, Truth, Nature, practice, method, conduct, causality,
etc., for these are all meanings of the term 'Dhamma'. But they all tend
to fall short of a true definition. The Dhamma is the heart of the Buddha's
teaching and without it Buddhism would be something quite dead, and yet
it is not the exclusive possession of the historical religion. In addition,
it has another set of meanings and is practically always used in this sense
in the plural, as mental (and sensory) objects, ideas, things, phenomena,
elements, forces, states. etc. In this latter sense however it has not
been left untranslated below.
In conclusion I wish to acknowledge
the valuable assistance given by the Ven. Nyanaponika Mahathera in correcting
several errors in the translation of this short anthology and in supplying
much advice and commentarial literature used in formulating the notes.
John
D. Ireland
London,
February 1965.
Dhammika
Thus have I heard. At one time the Lord
was staying near Savatthi in the Jeta Grove
at Anathapindaka's monastery. Now the lay-follower Dhammika
with five hundred other lay-followers approached the Lord. Having drawn
near and having saluted the Lord respectfully he sat down at one side.
Sitting there the lay-follower Dhammika addressed the Lord as follows:
"I ask Gotama[1]
of extensive wisdom this: How acting is a disciple virtuous -- both the
disciple who has gone from home to the homeless state and the followers
who are householders? For you clearly understand the behavior[2]
of the world with the devas and the final release. There is none equal
to you who are skilled in seeing what is profound. You are an illustrious
Awakened One (Buddha). Having investigated all knowledge and being compassionate
towards beings you have announced the Dhamma, a revealer of what is hidden,
of comprehensive vision, stainless, you illuminate all the worlds.
"This Dhamma, subtle and pleasing
and taught so clearly by you, Lord, it is this we all wish to hear. Having
been questioned, foremost Awakened One, tell us (the answer). All these
bhikkhus and also the layfollowers who have come to hear the truth, let
them listen to the Dhamma awakened to (anubuddham) by the Stainless One
as the devas listen to the well-spoken words of Vasava."[3]
(The Lord:) "Listen to me, bhikkhus,
I will teach you the ascetic practice (dhamma dhutam), the mode of living
suitable for those who have gone forth. Do you all bear it in mind. One
who is intent upon what is good and who is thoughtful should practice it.
"A bhikkhu should not wander about
at the wrong time but should walk the village for food at the right time,
as one who goes about at the wrong time is (liable to be) obsessed by attachment,
therefore Awakened Ones do not walk (for alms) at the wrong time.[4]
Sights, sounds, tastes, scents and bodily contacts overwhelm (the minds
of) beings. Being rid of desire for these sense objects, at the right time,
one may enter (the village) for the morning meal. Having duly obtained
food, going back alone and sitting down in a secluded place, being inwardly
thoughtful and not letting the mind go out to external objects, a bhikkhu
should develop self-control.
"If he should speak with a lay-disciple,
with someone else or with another bhikkhu, he should speak on the subtle
Dhamma, not slandering others nor gossiping. Some set themselves up as
disputants in opposition to others; those of little wisdom we do not praise;
attachments bind them and they are carried away by their emotions.[5]
"Having heard the Dhamma taught by
the Sugata[6]
and considered it, a disciple of Him of excellent wisdom should wisely
make use of food, a dwelling, a bed, a seat and water for washing the robe.
But a bhikkhu should not be soiled by (clinging to) these things, as a
lotus is not wetted by a drop of water.
"Now I will tell you the layman's
duty. Following it a lay-disciple would be virtuous; for it is not possible
for one occupied with the household life to realize the complete bhikkhu
practice (dhamma).
"He should not kill a living being,
nor cause it to be killed, nor should he incite another to kill. Do not
injure any being, either strong or weak, in the world.
"A disciple should avoid taking anything
from anywhere knowing it (to belong to another). He should not steal nor
incite another to steal. He should completely avoid theft.
"A wise man should avoid unchastity
as (he would avoid falling into) a pit of glowing charcoal. If unable to
lead a celibate life, he should not go to another's wife.
"Having entered a royal court or
a company of people he should not speak lies. He should not speak lies
(himself) nor incite others to do so. He should completely avoid falsehood.
"A layman who has chosen to practice
this Dhamma should not indulge in the drinking of intoxicants. He should
not drink them nor encourage others to do so; realizing that it leads to
madness. Through intoxication foolish people perform evil deeds and cause
other heedless people to do likewise. He should avoid intoxication, this
occasion for demerit, which stupefies the mind, and is the pleasure of
foolish people.
Do not kill a living being;
do not take what is not given;
do not speak a lie;
do not drink intoxicants;
abstain from sexual intercourse;
do not eat food at night, at the
wrong time;
do not wear flower-garlands nor
use perfumes;
use the ground as a bed or sleep
on a mat.
"This is called the eight-factored observance
made known by the known by the Awakened One who has reached the end of
suffering.
"With a gladdened mind observe the
observance day (uposatha), complete with its eight factors, on the fourteenth,
fifteenth and eighth days of the (lunar) fortnight and also the special
holiday of the half month. In the morning, with a pure heart and a joyful
mind, a wise man, after observing the uposatha, should distribute suitable
food and drink to the community of bhikkhus. He should support his mother
and father as his duty and engage in lawful trading. A layman who carries
this out diligently goes to the devas called "Self-radiant."[7]
-- vv. 376-378, 383-404
Notes
1. Gotama
is the Buddha's clan or family name. [Go back]
2. According
to the commentary, the Pali term "gati" translated here as "behavior" means
either "trend of character" or "the destination of beings after death.
[Go back]
3. "Vasava"
is one of the several names for Sakka, ruler of the devas or gods. This
is a poetical way of saying they should listen very attentively. [Go
back]
4. The
right time for going into the village to collect almsfood is in the forenoon.
If a bhikkhu went about indiscriminately, "at the wrong time," he might
see things or have experiences that would endanger his life of purity and
cause him to revert to the lay life. [Go back]
5. Literally,
"they send the mind far." [Go back]
6. Sugata,
literally "well-gone," sometimes translated as the "Happy One," is an epithet
of the Buddha. [Go back]
7. A class
of heavenly beings (deva). A layman who practices this will, after death,
be reborn as one of them. [Go back]
Wrong Conduct
"The practice of Dhamma,[1]
the practice of continence,[2]
mastery of this is said to be best if a person has gone forth from home
to the homeless life. But if he is garrulous and, like a brute, delights
in hurting others, his life is evil and his impurity increases.
"A quarrelsome bhikkhu shrouded by
delusion, does not comprehend the Dhamma taught by the Awakened One when
it is revealed. Annoying those practiced in meditation, being led by ignorance,
he is not aware that his defiled path leads to Niraya-hell.
Falling headlong, passing from womb to womb, from darkness to (greater)
darkness, such a bhikkhu undergoes suffering hereafter for certain.
"As a cesspool
filled over a number of years is difficult to clean, similarly, whoever
is full of impurity is difficult to make pure. Whoever you know to be such,
bhikkhus, bent on worldliness, having wrong desires, wrong thoughts, wrong
behavior and resort, being completely united avoid him, sweep him out like
dirt, remove him like rubbish. Winnow like chaff the non-recluses. Having
ejected those of wrong desires, of wrong behavior and resort, be pure and
mindful, dwelling with those who are pure. Being united and prudent you
will make an end to suffering."
-- vv. 274-283
Notes
1. Dhammacariya.
[Go back]
2. Brahmacariya,
the divine-life, the practice of purity or chastity. Dhammacariya and Brahmacariya
are two closely related terms. "Dhamma" being used here in the sense of
virtue or good conduct. [Go back]
Right Conduct
"By developing what habit, what conduct,
what actions may man be correctly established in and arrive at the highest
goal?
"He should respect his elders and
not be envious of them. He should know the right time for seeing his teacher.[1]
If a talk on Dhamma has started he should know the value of the opportunity
and should listen carefully to the well-spoken words.[2]
"When the time is right let him go
to his teacher's presence, unassuming, putting aside stubbornness. Let
him keep in mind and practice (what he has learned): the meaning and the
text (of the Teaching), self-control and (the other virtues of) the Holy
Life.[3]
Delighting in the Dhamma, devoted to the Dhamma, established in the Dhamma,
skilled in investigating the Dhamma,[4]
let him not indulge in talk harmful to the (practice of) Dhamma. Let him
be guided by well-spoken truths.
"Abandoning the uttering of laughter
and lamentations; giving up anger, fraud, hypocrisy, longing, conceit,
violence, harshness, moral taints and infatuation; let him live without
pride, self controlled. Understanding is essential (for listening) to a
well-spoken word. Learning and understanding are essential to meditation,
but a man who is hasty and heedless does not increase his wisdom and learning.
"Those who are devoted to the Dhamma
made known by the Noble Ones (ariya) are unsurpassed in speech, thought
and action. They are established in peace, gentleness and concentration,
and have reached the essence of learning and wisdom."
-- vv. 324-330
Notes
1. That is
when needing their advice for dispelling mental defilements. [Go
back]
2. The
phrase "well-spoken" (subhasita) is a technical term in the Pali
Canon. It refers to sayings connected with Dhamma and concerning one's
well-being, happiness and progress on the path. [Go back]
3. The
rendering follows the Commentary. [Go back]
4. Or,
"having discriminative knowledge of the Dhamma." [Go back]
On Friendship
"One who, overstepping and despising
a sense of shame, says, 'I am your friend,' but does not take upon himself
any tasks he is capable of doing, is to be recognized as no friend. One
who speaks amiably to his companions, but whose actions do not conform
to it, him the wise know for certain as a talker not a doer. He is no friend
who, anticipating conflict, is always alert in looking out for weaknesses.[1]
But he on whom one can rely, like a child sleeping on its mother's breast,
is truly a friend who cannot be parted from one by others.
"One who bears the human burden of
responsibility, with it fruits and blessings in mind, he cultivates a cause[2]
of joy and happiness worthy of praise. Having tasted the flavor of solitude
and peace one is free from fear and wrong-doings imbibing the rapture of
Dhamma."
-- vv. 253-257
Notes
1. Such a
person dislikes to be reproved, and when an occasion for this occurs he
would wish to have a weapon with which to retaliate, and therefore, he
takes note of one's weaknesses. [Go back]
2. According
to the Commentary, this joy-producing cause is strenuous effort (viriya).
[Go back]
The Simile of the Boat
"He from whom a person learns the Dhamma
should be venerated, as the devas venerate Inda, their Lord.[1]
He, (a teacher) of great learning, thus venerated, will explain the Dhamma,
being well-disposed towards one. Having paid attention and considered it,
a wise man, practicing according to Dhamma, becomes learned, intelligent
and accomplished by associating himself diligently with such a teacher.
"But by following an inferior and
foolish teacher who has not gained (fine) understanding of the Dhamma and
is envious of others, one will approach death without comprehending the
Dhamma and unrelieved of doubt.
"If a man going down into a river,
swollen and swiftly flowing, is carried away by the current -- how can
he help others across?
"Even so, he who has not comprehended
the Dhamma, has not paid attention to the meaning as expounded by the learned,
being himself without knowledge and unrelieved of doubt -- how can he make
others understand?
"But if (the man at the river) knows
the method and is skilled and wise, by boarding a strong boat equipped
with oars and a rudder, he can, with its help, set others across. Even
so, he who is experienced and has a well-trained mind, who is learned and
dependable,[2]
clearly knowing, he can help others to understand who are willing to listen
and ready to receive.[3]
"Surely, therefore, one should associate
with a good man who is wise and learned. By understanding the meaning of
what one has learnt and practicing accordingly one who has Dhamma-experience[4]
attains (supreme) happiness."[5]
-- vv. 316-323
Notes
1. "Inda"
(Sanskrit "Indra") is another name for Sakka, the ruler of the gods. [Go
back]
2. He has
a character which remains unperturbed by the vicissitudes of life (Comy).
[Go back]
3. Possessing
the supporting conditions for attaining the Paths and Fruits of Stream-winning,
Once-returning, Never-returning and Final Sainthood (Arahatta). [Go
back]
4. One
who has fully understood or experienced the Dhamma by penetrating to its
essence through the practice taught by a wise teacher (Comy). [Go
back]
5. The
transcendental happiness of the Paths and Fruits and of Nibbana. [Go
back]
Advice to Rahula
"Renouncing the five pleasures of sense
that entrance and delight the mind, and in faith departing from home, become
one who makes an end of suffering!
"Associate with good friends and
choose a remote lodging, secluded, with little noise. Be moderate in eating.
Robes, alms-food, remedies and a dwelling, -- do not have craving for these
things; do not be one who returns to the world.[1]
Practice restraint according to the Discipline,[2]
and control the five sense-faculties.
"Practice mindfulness of the body
and continually develop dispassion (towards it). Avoid the sign of the
beautiful connected with passion; by meditating on the foul[3]
cultivate a mind that is concentrated and collected.
"Meditate on the Signless[4]
and get rid of the tendency to conceit. By thoroughly understanding and
destroying conceit[5]
you will live in the (highest) peace."
In this manner the Lord repeatedly
exhorted the Venerable Rahula.
-- vv. 337-342
Notes
1. By being
dragged back to it again by your craving for these things (Comy). [Go
back]
2. The
Vinaya, or disciplinary code of the community of Bhikkhus. [Go
back]
3. The
"foul," or asubha-kammatthana, refers to the practice of contemplating
a corpse in various stages of decay and the contemplation on the thirty-two
parts of the body, as a means of developing detachment from body and dispassion
in regard to its beautiful (or, "the sign of the beautiful," subha-nimitta).
[Go back]
4. The
Signless (animitta) is one of the three Deliverances (vimokkha)
by which beings are liberated from the world. The other two are Desirelessness
(appanihita) and Emptiness (sunnata). The Signless is connected
with the idea of impermanence of all conditioned things (cf. Visuddhi Magga,
XXI 67f). [Go back]
5. The
word "mana" means both conceit and misconceiving. [Go
back]
The Training
"Violence breeds misery;[1]
look at people quarreling. I will relate the emotion agitating me.
"Having seen people struggling and
contending with each other like fish in a small
amount of water, fear entered me. The world is everywhere insecure, every
direction is in turmoil; desiring an abode for myself I did not find one
uninhabited.[2]
When I saw contention as the sole outcome, aversion increased in me; but
then I saw an arrow[3]
here, difficult to see, set in the heart. Pierced by it, once runs in every
direction, but having pulled it out one does not run nor does one sink.[4]
"Here follows the (rule of) training:
"Whatever are worldly fetters, may
you not be bound by them! Completely break down sensual desires and practice
so as to realize Nibbana for yourself!
"A sage should be truthful, not arrogant,
not deceitful, not given to slandering others, and should be without anger.
He should remove the evil of attachment and wrongly directed longing; he
should conquer drowsiness, lassitude and sloth, and not dwell in indolence.
A man whose mind is set on Nibbana should not be arrogant. He should not
lapse into untruth nor generate love for sense objects. He should thoroughly
understand (the nature of) conceit and abstain from violence. He should
not delight in what is past, nor be fond of what is new, nor sorrow for
what is disappearing, nor crave for the attractive.
"Greed, I say, is a great flood;
it is a whirlpool sucking one down, a constant yearning, seeking a hold,
continually in movement;[5]
difficult to cross is the morass of sensual desire. A sage does not deviate
from truth, a brahmana[6]
stands on firm ground; renouncing all, he is truly called 'calmed.'
"Having actually experienced and
understood the Dhamma he has realized the highest knowledge and is independent.[7]
He comports himself correctly in the world and does not envy anyone here.
He who has left behind sensual pleasures, an attachment difficult to leave
behind, does not grieve nor have any longing; has cut across the stream
and is unfettered.
"Dry out that which is past,[8]
let there be nothing for you in the future.[9]
If you do not grasp at anything in the present you will go about at peace.
One who, in regard to this entire mindbody complex, has no cherishing of
it as 'mine,' and who does not grieve for what is non-existent truly suffers
no loss in the world. For him there is no thought of anything as 'this
is mine' or 'this is another's'; not finding any state of ownership, and
realizing, 'nothing is mine,' he does not grieve.
"To be not callous, not greedy, at
rest and unruffled by circumstances -- that is the profitable result I
proclaim when asked about one who does not waver. For one who does not
crave, who has understanding, there is no production (of new kamma).[10]
Refraining from initiating (new kamma) he sees security everywhere. A sage
does not speak in terms of being equal, lower or higher. Calmed and without
selfishness he neither grasps nor rejects."
-- vv. 935-954
Notes
1.Attadanda
bhayam jatam: "Violence" (attadanda, lit.: "seizing a stick"
or "weapons") includes in it all wrong conduct in deeds, words and thoughts.
Bhaya
is either a subjective state of mind, "fear," or the objective condition
of "fearfulness," danger, misery; and so it is explained in the Comy. as
the evil consequences of wrong conduct, in this life and in future existence.
[Go back]
2. Uninhabited
by decay and death, etc. (Comy). [Go back]
3. The
arrow of lust, hate, delusion and (wrong) views. [Go back]
4. That
is, sink into the four "floods" of sensual desire, continual becoming,
wrong views and ignorance. These are the two contrasting dangers of Samsara,
i.e., restless running, ever seeking after sensual delights, and
sinking,
or passively clinging to the defilements, whereby one is overwhelmed by
the "flood." In the first discourse of the Samyutta-nikaya the Buddha says:
"If I stood still, I sank; if I struggled, I was carried away. Thus by
neither standing still nor struggling, I crossed the flood." [Go
back]
5. According
to the commentary these four phrases, beginning with a "whirlpool sucking
down," are all synonyms for craving (tanha) or greed (gedha)
called the "great flood." [Go back]
6. In Buddhism
the title "Brahmana" is sometimes used for one who has reached final deliverance.
The Buddha himself is sometimes called "the Brahmana." [Go
back]
7. Independent
of craving and views. [Go back]
8. "Dry
out" (visodehi) your former, and not your matured kamma, i.e., make
it unproductive, by not giving room to passions that may grow out of the
past actions. [Go back]
9. Do not
rouse in kamma-productive passions concerning the future. [Go
back]
10. Volitional
acts, good or bad, manifesting in deeds of body, speech and mind leading
to a future result. [Go back]
On Vigilance
"Rouse yourself! Sit up! What good is
there in sleeping? For those afflicted by disease (suffering), struck by the
arrow (craving), what sleep is there?
"Rouse yourself! Sit up! Resolutely
train yourself to attain peace.[1]
Do not let the king of death,[2]
seeing you are careless, lead you astray and dominate you.
"Go beyond this clinging,[3]
to which devas and men are attached, and (the pleasures) they seek. Do
not waste your opportunity. When the opportunity has passed they sorrow
when consigned to Niraya-hell.
"Negligence is a taint, and so is
the (greater) negligence growing from it. By earnestness and understanding
withdraw the arrow (of sensual passions)."
-- vv. 331-334
Notes
1. "Peace"
is a synonym for Nibbana, the final goal. [Go back]
2. The
king of death (maccuraja), or Mara (death), is the personification of everything
that binds us to this world and prevents the gaining of deliverance. [Go
back]
3. This
clinging to pleasures of the senses. [Go back]
The Buddha's Great Struggle
"When, near the river Nera?jara,
I exerted myself in meditation for attaining to security from bondage,[1]
there came Namuci[2]
speaking words of compassion:
"'You are emaciated and ill-looking,
you are near to death! A thousand parts of you belong to death and only
a fraction of you is alive. Live, good Sir! It is better to live. Living
you may perform meritorious deeds. From practicing celibacy and tending
the sacrificial fire much merit is made, but what is obtained from striving?
It is difficult to enter the path of exertion, it is difficult to do, difficult
to maintain.'"
Mara spoke these
words whilst standing in the presence of the Awakened One. To Mara speaking
thus, the Lord replied:
"You who are the friend of the negligent,
O Evil One, for what reason have you come here? Those who still have use
for merit Mara may consider worthwhile addressing. I have faith and energy
and wisdom. Being thus bent on striving why do you ask me to live? This
wind will wither the currents of the rivers, why should not my exertion
dry up even the blood? When the blood dries up, the bile and phlegm wither.
On the wasting away of the flesh the mind becomes more and more serene
and my mindfulness, wisdom and concentration are established more firmly.
In me, who abides enduring such an extreme experience, the mind does not
long for sensual pleasures. See the purity of a being!
"Sensual desire is your first army,
the second is called discontent, the third is hunger and thirst, the fourth
craving, the fifth sluggishness and laziness, the sixth fear, the seventh
indecision, and the eighth disparagement of others and stubbornness: gain,
fame, honor, prestige wrongly acquired and whoever praises himself and
despises others -- these, Namuci, are your armies, the Dark One's[3]
striking forces. A lazy, cowardly person cannot overcome them, but by conquering
them one gains bliss.
"I wear mu?ja-grass![4]
Shame on life here in this world! It is better for me to die in battle
than to live defeated. Some recluses and brahmanas are not seen (exerting
themselves) here, so immersed are they (in worldliness). They are not aware
of that path by which those of perfect conduct walk.
"Seeing the surrounding army ready
and Mara mounted (on his elephant), I am going out to fight so that he
may not shift me from my position. This army of yours which the world together
with the devas is unable to subdue, that I will destroy with wisdom, like
an unbaked clay-bowl with a stone. Having mastered the mind and firmly
established mindfulness I shall wander from country to country guiding
many disciples. And they will be diligent and energetic in practicing my
teaching, the teaching of one without sensual desire, and they will go
where, having gone, one does not grieve."
Mara: "For seven years I followed
the Lord step by step but did not find an opportunity to defeat that mindful
Awakened One. A crow flew around a stone having the colour of fat: 'Can
we find even here something tender? May it be something to eat?'
"Not finding anything edible the
crow left that place. As with the crow and the stone, we leave Gotama,
having approached and become disheartened."
Overcome by sorrow his lute fell
from his arm and thereupon the unhappy spirit disappeared from that place.
-- vv. 425-449
Notes
1.Yogakkhema,
a name for Nibbana. [Go back]
2. Namuci,
meaning "He who does not let go" (his hold over beings easily) is a name
for Mara, the Evil One. [Go back]
3. The
"Dark One" or Kanha (Sanskrit: Krishna), is another name for Mara. He is
the Indian Cupid (Kamadeva) and personifies sensual passions. He carries
a lute (vina), mentioned at the close, with which he captivates
beings by his playing. His other equipment includes a bow, arrows, a noose
and a hook. [Go back]
4. Indian
warriors used to wear a tuft of a certain grass, called mu?ja, on
their head or headgear, for indicating that they were prepared to die in
battle and determined not to retreat. [Go back]
On Decay
"Short indeed is this life, this side
of an hundred years one dies; whoever lives long even he dies from old
age. People grieve for things they are attached to, yet there exist no
permanent possessions but just a state of (constant) separation. Seeing
this one should no longer live the household life. That which a man imagines
to be his will disappear at death. Knowing this a wise man will have no
attachment (to anything).
"As a man awakened from sleep no
longer sees what happened in his dream, similarly one does not see a loved
one who is dead. Those people who were seen and heard and called by their
names as such and such, only their names remain when they have passed away.
Those greedy for objects of attachment do not abandon sorrow, grief and
avarice, but sages having got rid of possessions, live perceiving security.
For a bhikkhu with a detached mind, living in a secluded dwelling, it is
right, they say, that he no longer shows himself in the abodes (of existence).[1]
"A sage who is completely independent
does not make close friends or enemies. In him sorrow and selfishness do
not stay, like water on a lotus leaf. As a lotus is not wetted by water,
so a sage is not affected by what is seen or heard, nor by what is perceived
by the other senses. A wise man is not deluded by what is perceived by
the senses. He does not expect purity by any other way.[1]
He is neither pleased nor is he repelled (by the six sense-objects)."
-- vv. 804-813
Notes
1. There
is a play on words here: "bhavana," besides meaning "an abode of existence"
also means "a house". So as well as saying, he is not reborn into any realm
of existence, the passage also indicates, he lives secluded and does not
associate with people in the village. [Go back]
2. By
any way other than the Noble Eightfold Path (Comy). [Go
back]
The Arrow
"Unindicated and unknown is the length
of life of those subject to death. Life is difficult and brief and bound
up with suffering. There is no means by which those who are born will not
die. Having reached old age, there is death. This is the natural course
for a living being. With ripe fruits there is the constant danger that
they will fall. In the same way, for those born and subject to death, there
is always the fear of dying. Just as the pots made
by a potter all end by being broken, so death is (the breaking up) of life.
"The young and old, the foolish and
the wise, all are stopped short by the power of death, all finally end
in death. Of those overcome by death and passing to another world, a father
cannot hold back his son, nor relatives a relation. See! While the relatives
are looking on and weeping, one by one each mortal is led away like
an ox to slaughter.
"In this manner the world is afflicted
by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature
of the world. You do not know the path by which they came or departed.
Not seeing either end you lament in vain. If any benefit is gained by lamenting,
the wise would do it. Only a fool would harm himself. Yet through weeping
and sorrowing the mind does not become calm, but still more suffering is
produced, the body is harmed and one becomes lean and pale, one merely
hurts oneself. One cannot protect a departed one (peta) by that
means. To grieve is in vain.
"By not abandoning sorrow a being
simply undergoes more suffering. Bewailing the dead he comes under the
sway of sorrow. See other men faring according to their deeds! Hence beings
tremble here with fear when they come into the power of death. Whatever
they imagine, it (turns out) quite different from that. This is the sort
of disappointment that exists. Look at the nature of the world! If a man
lives for an hundred years, or even more, finally, he is separated from
his circle of relatives and gives up his life in the end. Therefore, having
listened to the Arahant,[1]
one should give up lamenting. Seeing a dead body, one should know, "He
will not be met by me again." As the fire in a burning house is extinguished
with water, so a wise, discriminating, learned and sensible man should
quickly drive away the sorrow that arises, as the wind (blows off) a piece
of cotton. He who seeks happiness should withdraw the arrow: his own lamentations,
longings and grief.
"With the arrow withdrawn, unattached,
he would attain to peace of mind; and when all sorrow has been transcended
he is sorrow-free and has realized Nibbana.
-- vv. 574-593
Note
1. The Perfect
One, i.e., the Buddha. [Go back]
On Purity
"'Here I see one who is pure, entirely
free of sickness. By seeing him a man may attain to purity!'
"Convinced of that and thinking it
'the highest,' he believes it to be knowledge when he contemplates 'the
pure one.'[1]
But if by sights man can gain purification or if through such knowledge
he could leave suffering behind, then, one who still has attachments could
be purified by another.[2]
However, this is merely the opinion of those who so assert.
"The (true) brahmana[3]
has said one is not purified by another, nor by what is seen, heard or
perceived (by the other senses), nor, by the performance of ritual observances.
He (the true brahmana) is not defiled by merit or demerit. Having given
up what he had (previously) grasped at, he no longer engages in producing
(any kamma). Having left a former (object) they attach themselves to another,
dominated by craving they do not go beyond attachment. They reject and
seize, like a monkey letting go of a branch to take hold of another.
"A person having undertaken a ritual
act goes this way and that, fettered by his senses. But one with a wide
wisdom, having understood and gone into the Dhamma with his experience,
does not go this way and that. For a person indifferent towards all conditions,
whatever is seen, heard or cognized, he is one who sees it as it really
is and lives with clarity (of mind). With what could he be identified in
the world?
"They do not speculate nor pursue
(any notion), they do not claim perfect purity. Loosening the knot (of
clinging) with which they are bound, they do not have longing anywhere
in the world. The (true) brahmana who has gone beyond limitations, having
understood and seen there is no longer any assumption for him, he is neither
disturbed by lust nor agitated by revulsion. For him there is nothing upheld
as 'the highest.'"
-- vv. 788-795
Notes
1. This refers
to the old Indian belief in "auspicious sights" (dittha-mangala),
the belief that by merely beholding something or someone regarded as a
holy object or person, purity, or whatever else is desired, may be gained.
[Go back]
2. By
another method, other than that of the Noble Eightfold Path (Comy.); but
it could also mean, "by the sight of another person." [Go
back]
3. I.e.,
the Buddha. [Go back]
On Views
"A person who associates himself with
certain views, considering them as best and making them supreme in the
world, he says, because of that, that all other views are inferior; therefore
he is not free from contention (with others). In what is seen, heard, cognized
and in ritual observances performed, he sees a profit for himself. Just
by laying hold of that view he regards every other view as worthless. Those
skilled (in judgement)[1]
say that (a view becomes) a bond if, relying on it, one regards everything
else as inferior. Therefore a bhikkhu should not depend on what is seen,
heard or cognized, nor upon ritual observances. He should not present himself
as equal to, nor imagine himself to be inferior, nor better than, another.
Abandoning (the views) he had (previously) held and not taking up (another),
he does not seek a support even in knowledge. Among those who dispute he
is certainly not one to take sides. He does not [have] recourse to a view
at all. In whom there is no inclination to either extreme, for becoming
or non-becoming, here or in another existence, for him there does not exist
a fixed viewpoint on investigating the doctrines assumed (by others). Concerning
the seen, the heard and the cognized he does not form the least notion.
That brahmana[2]
who does not grasp at a view, with what could he be identified in the world?
"They do not speculate nor pursue
(any notion); doctrines are not accepted by them. A (true) brahmana is
beyond, does not fall back on views."
-- vv. 796-803
Notes
1. I.e.,
the Buddhas and their disciples who have realized the goal. [Go
back]
2. I.e.,
a perfected one. [Go back]
Ajita's Questions
The Venerable Ajita: "By what
is the world enveloped? Because of what is it not known? With what do you
say it is soiled? What is its great fear?"
The Lord: "The world is enveloped
by ignorance, Ajita. Because of wrongly directed desire and heedlessness
it is not known (as it really is). It is soiled by longings and its great
fear is suffering."
Ajita: "Everywhere flow the
streams.[1]
What is the obstruction for the streams, tell me the restricting of them,
by what are they cut off?"
The Lord: "Whatever streams
are in the world, it is mindfulness that obstructs them and restricts them,
and by wisdom they are cut off."
Ajita: "It is just wisdom
and mindfulness. Now mind-and-body, sir, explain this: where does it cease?"
The Lord: "This question you
have asked, Ajita, I will answer for you: where mind-and-body completely
cease. By the cessation of consciousness they cease."[2]
Ajita: "Those who have fully
understood the Dhamma, those who are training and the other individuals
here,[3]
explain their (rule of) conduct."
The Lord: "Not craving for
sensual pleasures and with a mind that is pure and tranquil[4]
a bhikkhu should mindfully go forth, skillful in all situations."
-- vv. 1032-1039
Notes
1. "The streams"
are cravings flowing out towards pleasurable and desirable objects in the
world. [Go back]
2. This
question and answer refers to the doctrine of dependent-arising (paticca-samuppada).
Where rebirth-consciousness (pati-sandhi-vinnana) does not arise
there is no establishment of an individual (mind-and-body, namarupa)
in a realm of existence, nor the consequent appearance of old age and death
and the other sufferings inherent in life. [Go back]
3. "Those
who have fully understood" are Arahants (perfected ones) who have reached
the highest goal. "Those who are training" are those noble beings (ariya)
who are working towards and are assured of that goal. The other individuals
are ordinary beings (puthujjana) who have not yet reached assurance.
[Go back]
4. The
word anavilo means pure, clear, tranquil, unagitated, unmuddied,
etc. In the Dhammapada
v. 82, the wise are compared to a deep lake with this quality. [Go
back]
Punnaka's Questions
The Venerable Punnaka: "To him
who is free from craving, who has seen the root (of things)[1]
I have come with a question: for what reason did sages, warriors, brahmanas
and other men prepare, here in this world, various sacrificial gifts for
the gods (devata)? I ask the Lord this, let him tell me the answer."
The Lord: "Whatever sages,
warriors, brahmanas and other men, Punnaka, prepared various sacrificial
gifts for the gods, they did so in the hope of this or that (future) existence,
being induced by (the fact of) old age and decay."
Punnaka: "By preparing various
sacrificial gifts for the gods, being zealous in sacrificing, do they cross
beyond birth and decay, Lord?"
The Lord: "They hope and extol,
pray and sacrifice for things of the senses, Punnaka. For the sake of such
reward they pray. These devotees of sacrifice, infatuated by their passion
for existence,[2]
do not cross beyond birth and decay, I say."
Punnaka: "If these devotees
of sacrifice do not cross beyond birth and decay through sacrifice, Sir,
then by what practice does one cross beyond birth and decay in this world
of gods and men?"
The Lord: "He who has comprehended
in the world the here and the beyond, in whom there is no perturbation
by anything in the world, who is calm, free from the smoldering fires,[3]
untroubled and desireless, -- he has crossed beyond birth and decay, I
say."
-- vv. 1043-1048
Notes
1. "The root
of unwholesome actions, etc." (Comy). There are six roots or basic conditions
in a person leading to the performance of unwholesome (unskilled) and wholesome
(skilled) actions: greed, aversion, delusion, non-greed (renunciation,
detachment), non-aversion (love) and non-delusion(wisdom). The Buddha has
seen and understood this as it really is. [Go back]
2. Or,
"burning with lust for life." [Go back]
3. The
three "fires" of greed, aversion and delusion. This is a punning reference,
also to be seen in the previous note, to the brahmana's sacrificial fire.
[Go back]
Mettagu's Questions
The Venerable Mettagu: "I ask
the Lord this question, may he tell me the answer to it. I know him to
be a master of knowledge and a perfected being. From whence have arisen
these many sufferings evident in the world?"
The Lord: "You have asked
me the source of suffering. Mettagu, I will tell it to you as it has been
discerned by me. These many sufferings evident in the world have arisen
from worldly attachments. Whoever ignorantly creates an attachment, that
stupid person comes upon suffering again and again. Therefore a man of
understanding should not create attachment, seeing it is the source of
suffering."
Mettagu: "What I did ask you
have explained, now I ask another question. Come tell me this: how do the
wise cross the flood, birth and old age, sorrow and grief? Explain it thoroughly
to me, O sage, for this Dhamma has been understood[1]
by you."
The Lord: "I will set forth
the Dhamma, Mettagu, a teaching to be directly perceived,[2]
not something based on hearsay, by experiencing which and living mindfully
one may pass beyond the entanglements of the world."
Mettagu: "I rejoice in the
thought of that highest Dhamma, great sage, by experiencing which and living
mindfully one may pass beyond the entanglements of the world."
The Lord: "Whatever you clearly
comprehend, Mettagu, above, below, across and in between, get rid of delight
in it. Rid yourself of habitual attitudes[3]
and (life affirming) consciousness.[4]
Do not continue in existence. Living thus, mindful and vigilant, a bhikkhu
who has forsaken selfish attachments may, by understanding, abandon suffering,
birth and old age, sorrow and grief, even here in this life."
Mettagu: "I rejoice in the
words of the great sage. Well explained, O Gotama, is the state of non-attachment.[5]
The Lord has surely abandoned suffering as this Dhamma has been realized
by him. They will certainly abandon suffering who are constantly admonished
by you, O Sage. Having understood, I venerate it, Noble One. May the Lord
constantly admonish me also."
The Lord: "Whom you know as
a true brahmana, a master of knowledge, owning nothing, not attached to
sensual (-realm) existence, he has certainly crossed this flood. Having
crossed beyond he is untainted and freed from doubt. One who has discarded
this clinging (leading) to renewal of existence is a man who has realized
the highest knowledge. Free from craving, undistressed, desireless, he
has crossed beyond birth and old age, I say."
-- vv. 1049-1060
Notes
1. The Pali
word "vidito" also means, found out, discovered. [Go back]
2. Ditthe
dhamme: to be seen for oneself in this life or here and now. It is an expression
used of Nibbana. [Go back]
3. Or,
"fixed views." [Go back]
4. Or,
"kamma-producing consciousness." [Go back]
5. I.e.,
Nibbana. [Go back]
Further Questions
"From what arise contentions and disputes,
lamentations and sorrows, along with selfishness and conceit, and arrogance
along with slander? From where do these various things arise? Come tell
me this."
"From being too endeared (to objects
and persons) arise contentions and disputes, lamentations and sorrows along
with avarice, selfishness and conceit, arrogance and slander. Contentions
and disputes are linked with selfishness, and slander is born of contention."
"What are the sources of becoming
endeared in the world? What are the sources of whatever passions prevail
in the world, of longings and fulfillments that are man's goal (in life)?"
"Desires are the source of becoming
endeared (to objects and persons) in the world, also of whatever passions
prevail. These are the sources of longings and fulfillments that are man's
goal (in life)."[1]
"Now what is the source of desire
in the world? What is the cause of judgements[2]
that arise; of anger, untruth, doubts and whatever other (similar) states
that have been spoken of by the Recluse (i.e., the Buddha)?"
"It is pleasant, it is unpleasant,"
so people speak in the world; and based upon that arises desire. Having
seen the appearing and disappearing of material things a man makes his
judgements in the world.[3]
Anger, untruth and doubts, these states arise merely because of the existence
of this duality.[4]
Let a doubter train himself by way of insight to understand these states
as taught by the Recluse."
"What is the source of thinking things
as pleasant or unpleasant? When what is absent are these states not present?
What is the meaning of appearing and disappearing? Explain the source of
it to me."
"The pleasant and the unpleasant
have their source in sense-impression. When this sense-impression is absent,
these states are not present. The idea of appearing and disappearing is
produced from this, I say."
"What is the source of sense-impression?
From what arises so much grasping? By the absence of what is there no selfish
attachment? By the disappearance of what is sense-impression not experienced?"
"Sense-impression is dependent upon
the mental and the material. Grasping has its source in wanting (something).
What not being present there is no selfish attachment. By the disappearance
of material objects sense-impression is not experienced."
"For whom does materiality disappear?
How do pleasure and discomfort cease to be? Tell me how it ceases so that
I may be satisfied in my mind that I have understood it."
"His perception is not the ordinary
kind, nor is his perception abnormal;[5]
he is not without perception nor is his perception (of materiality) suspended.[6]
-- to such an one immateriality ceases.[7]
Perception is indeed the source of the world of multiplicity."
"What we asked, you have explained.
We now ask another question. Tell us the answer to it. Do not some of the
learned declare purification of the spirit[8]
as the highest state to be attained? And do not others speak of something
else as the highest?"[9]
"Some of the learned do declare purification
of the spirit as the highest. But contrary to them some teach a doctrine
of annihilation. Those clever ones declare this to be (final liberation)
without basis of life's fuel remaining. Knowing that these (theorists)
rely on (mere opinions for their statements) a sage investigates that upon
which they rely. Having understood and being free (from theories) he will
not dispute with anyone. The wise do not enter into any existence."
-- vv. 862-877
Notes
1. Man's
longings, hopes and aspirations and their satisfaction are his refuge giving
him an aim in life. [Go back]
2. Judgements
or evaluations of things motivated by craving for them or by opinions of
them as being desirable or otherwise. [Go back]
3. The
"appearing" of the pleasant and the "disappearing" of the unpleasant is
judged to be "good." The "appearance" of the unpleasant and the "disappearance"
of the pleasant is judged to be "bad." [Go back]
4. I.e.,
of the pleasant and the unpleasant. [Go back]
5. He
is neither insane nor mentally disturbed (Comy). [Go back]
6. He
has not attained the state of cessation of perception and feeling (sanna-vedayita
nirodha) nor the immaterial absorptions (arupajjhana) (Comy).
In the former perception completely ceases, but in the latter there is
still the perception of an immaterial object. [Go back]
7. According
to the commentary what remains after these four negations is the state
of one who has reached the highest of the fine-material absorptions (rupajjhana)
and is in the process of attaining the first immaterial absorption. This
answers the question "for whom does (the perception of) materiality disappear?"
And as "pleasure and discomfort" have previously been stated to "have their
source in sense-impression," in other words, the Perception of material
objects, the second question is answered too. [Go back]
8. The
term "spirit" (yakkha) is equivalent here to "being" or "man." [Go
back]
9. An
alternative rendering of this sentence could be: "Do not some of the learned
declare (the immaterial attainments) as the highest state, as man's purification?"
[Go back]
Mogharaja's Question
The Venerable Mogharaja: "Twice
have I asked Sakka[1]
but the Seeing One has not answered me. I have heard a divine sage replies
when asked a third time. I do not know the view of the greatly famous Gotama
concerning this world, the next world and the Brahma-world with its deities.
To him of supreme vision I have come with a question: how should one regard
the world so that one is not seen by the King of Death?"
The Lord: "Look upon the world
as empty,[2]
Mogharaja, ever mindful; uprooting the view of self you may thus be one
who overcomes death. So regarding the world one is not seen by the King
of Death."
-- vv. 1116-1119
Notes
1. The name
"Sakka" is used here as a title for the Buddha. It means, "a man of the
Sakya clan." The Buddha is also sometimes called Sakyamuni, "the sage of
the Sakyas." [Go back]
2. In
the Samyutta-nikaya (vol.
iv, p. 54) the Venerable Ananda asks: "How is the world empty, venerable
sir?" And the Lord replies: "Because, Ananda, it is empty of a self or
what belongs to a self, therefore it is said, 'the world is empty.'"
The "world," here and elsewhere,
is not to be understood in the way we usually think of it, but is defined
as the five aggregates (khandha) of material form, feeling, perception,
activities and consciousness, or as the eye and visible objects, the ear
and sounds, etc., that is to say, the whole of our subjective and objective
experience. [Go back]
Pingiya's Request
The Venerable Pingiya: "I am
old and feeble, the comeliness of youth has vanished. My sight is weak
and I am hard of hearing. I do not wish to perish whilst still confused.
Teach me the Dhamma by understanding which I may abandon birth and decay."[1]
The Lord: "Seeing heedless
people afflicted and suffering through their bodies, Pingiya, you should
be heedful and renounce body so as to not come again to birth."
Pingiya: "In the ten directions
-- the four quarters, four between, and those above and below -- there
is nothing in the world not seen, heard, sensed or understood by you. Teach
me the Dhamma by understanding which I may abandon birth and decay."
The Lord: "Seeing men caught
in craving, Pingiya, tormented and afflicted by old age, you should be
heedful and renounce craving so as to not come again to birth."
-- vv. 1120-1123
Note
1. Jara:
decay, decrepitude, old age. [Go back]
The Noble One's Teaching
"See how the world together with the
devas has self-conceit for what is not-self. Enclosed by mind-and-body
it imagines, 'This is real.' Whatever they imagine it to be, it is quite
different from that. It is unreal, of a false nature and perishable. Nibbana,
not false in nature, that the Noble Ones[1]
know as true. Indeed, by the penetration of the true, they are completely
stilled and realize final deliverance.
"Forms, sounds, tastes, scents, bodily
contacts and ideas which are agreeable, pleasant and charming, all these,
while they last, are deemed to be happiness by the world with its devas.
But when they cease that is agreed by all to be unsatisfactory. By the
Noble Ones, the cessation of the existing body[2]
is seen as happiness. This is the reverse of the outlook of the whole world.
"What others call happiness, that
the Noble Ones declare to be suffering. What others call suffering, that
the Noble Ones have found to be happiness. See how difficult it is to understand
the Dhamma! Herein those without insight have completely gone astray. For
those under the veil (of ignorance) it is obscured, for those who cannot
see it is utter darkness. But for the good and the wise it is as obvious
as the light for those who can see. Even though close to it, the witless
who do not know the Dhamma, do not comprehend it.
"By those overcome by attachment
to existence, those who drift with the stream of existence, those in the
realm of Mara, this Dhamma is not properly understood.
Who other than the Noble Ones, are fit to fully understand that state,
by perfect knowledge of which they realize final deliverance, free from
defilements?[3]
-- vv. 756-765
Notes
1. The Noble
Ones or ariya are the Buddhas and their disciples. [Go
back]
2. The
"existing body" (sakkaya) is a term for the five aggregates as objects
of grasping. [Go back]
3.Anusava;
the defilements or asava, literally "out-flows," are dissipations
of energy in the form of sensual desire, becoming (the perpetuation of
existence), views and ignorance and are the same as the four "floods" mentioned
earlier. One who has destroyed the defilements (khinasava) is another
name for an Arahant or Perfected One. [Go back]
The Buddhist Publication Society
The Buddhist Publication
Society is an approved charity dedicated to making known the Teaching of
the Buddha, which has a vital message for people of all creeds.
Founded in 1958, the
BPS has published a wide variety of books and booklets covering a great
range of topics. Its publications include accurate annotated translations
of the Buddha's discourses, standard reference works, as well as original
contemporary expositions of Buddhist thought and practice. These works
present Buddhism as it truly is -- a dynamic force which has influenced
receptive minds for the past 2500 years and is still as relevant today
as it was when it first arose.
A full list of our
publications will be sent free of charge upon request. Write to:
The Hony. Secretary
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
P.O. Box 61
54, Sangharaja Mawatha
Kandy
Sri Lanka
or
Barre Center for Buddhist
Studies
149 Lockwood Road
Barre, MA 01005 USA
Revised: 9 November 1998
http://world.std.com/~metta/lib/bps/wheels/wheel082.html
Update: 01-04-2001