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[211] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who are first to garner lots is Kundadhano.
[pathamam salakam ganhantanam. I find this phrase interesting: pathamam meaning first from "earth"; salakam (not impossibly etymologically related to OE hlot)meaning "lot", from arrow or pointed stick or needle because it was made from a slip of wood -- OED: any of a set of objects used in a method of random selection to secure a decision in deciding disputes, dividing goods, choosing people for an office or duty, etc., by an appeal to chance or the divine agency supposed to be concerned in the results of chance. Meaning, in this case, what is usually translated "Food Tickets." Householders, arranging together to prepare food for so and so many beggars, not wishing to waste food or to be overwhelmed with Beggars, would pass out "tickets" letting it be known that whoever came with such a ticket would be fed.]
(DPPN: He came of a brahmin family of Savatthi and his name was Dhana. He knew the Vedas by heart, and when advanced in years, heard the Buddha preach and joined the Order. From that day, however, in all his movements the form of a young woman followed him wherever he went, though he himself could not see the figure. This caused great merriment and evoked many sarcastic remarks, which he could not understand. When he went for alms women would put into his bowl two portions of food, saying, "One is for your Reverence and the other for your friend, the young lady, your companion." In the monastery the novices and young monks would point at him and say: "Look, our venerable one has become a konda" [DPPN says: "(gallant?)"; PED: Kunda: bent, crooked; kontha, crippled; konta, one of dirty habits; MOZPALI: k>ka = shit, o = out, on = out and down, da = that > given, bound, so: shit out and down giver or, my guess, "one who ejaculates"] . . . Driven to distraction by this teasing, he became abusive and was reported to the Buddha, who bade him be patient as he was only being pursued by the remnant of an evil kamma. Pasenadi, king of Kosala, hearing of Kundadhana, was interested, and being satisfied by personal investigation that the Elder was blameless, provided him with all necessaries, so that he need no longer go round for alms. This enabled him to concentrate his mind, and he became an arahant. Thereupon the figure of the woman disappeared.
[The Jataka (rebirth) story revealing the cause of Kundadhana’s female companion is summarized by DPPN as follows:] He was an earthbound sprite in the time of Kassapa Buddha. Seeing two monks, firm friends, on their way to the uposatha (Sabbath) held by the Buddha, he had a mischievous desire to test their friendship, and when one of the monks retired into the forest leaving the other on the road, he followed the former, unseen by him, assuming the form of a woman arranging her hair, adjusting her garments, and so on. The second monk, seeing his friend return and shocked by his apparent misdemeanor, left him in disgust, refusing to perform the uposatha with him. Realizing the effect of his practical joke, the sprite did all he could to make amends, but the friendship of the two monks was forever spoilt. The sprite suffered the fears of hell for a whole Buddha-era, and even in his last birth as Kundadhana his evil kamma pursued him. . .]
His verses in the Psalms:
Five cut thou off; Five leave behind, and five beyond all cultivate
He who the Fivefold Bond transcends -- a Brother Flood-crossed is he called
[212] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who toss off witty repartee is Vangiso.
From the Psalms:
Reborn in this Buddha age at Savatthi, in a brahmin family, he was named Vangisa, and was taught the three Vedas. And he won favor as a teacher by tapping on skulls with his finger-nail, and discovering thereby where their former occupants were reborn. The Brahmins saw in this a means of gain, and taking Vangisa toured about in villages, townships and royal residences. . . Now he heard of the Master’s virtues, and wished to visit him, but the Brahmins objected, saying: ‘Gotama the recluse will pervert you by his craftiness.’ But Vangisa heeded them not and went, seating himself at one side. The Master seeing him asked: ‘Vangisa, do you know any art or craft?’ ‘Yes, Master Gotama, I know the skull-spell. By that, tapping on a skull with my finger-nail, have I, for three years past ascertained where rebirth as taken place.’ The master let him be shown the skulls of individuals reborn in purgatory, as man, as god, and of one who had passed utterly away [attained NIBBANA]. Divining concerning all but the last, of that he could make nothing. Then the Master: ‘Art not able, Vangisa?’ ‘Let me make quite sure, said Vangisa, and he turned it round again and again till the sweat stood on his brow -- for how will he know the going of the arahant? And he stood there silent and shamed. ‘Art tired, Vangisa?’ ‘Ay, Master Gotama, I cannot find out where this one has been reborn. If you know, tell it.’ ‘Vangisa, both this I know, and I know more than this:
He who of every creature knoweth well
Whence they decease and where they come to be,
Enlightened, well come, freed from every tie: --
Him call I brahmin.
Whose destiny nor angel, god, nor man
Doth know, the arahant, sane and immune:--
Him call I brahmin.’
Then said Vangisa: ‘Well then, Master Gotama, give me this hidden lore.’ And doing obeisance, he seated himself as the Masters pupil. But the Master said: ‘Let us give you the marks of a recluse.’ Then Vangisa thought: ‘I must at all costs learn this spell.’ And he said to his fellow-Brahmins: ‘Do not think it amiss if I take orders. When I have learned this spell, I shall be first in all India, and that will bring you good fortune.’ So he asked for ordination and the Exalted One commanded Nigrodhakappa Thera, who stood near, to ordain Vangisa. The Thera did so, and then saying: ‘You must first learn the accessories of the spell, gave him the exercise of the thirty-two constituents of the body and one on insight. Rehearsing the former, he established the latter faculty. And when Brahmins came to ask whether he had acquired the art, he replied: ‘What art-acquiring? Go ye hence; I have no more to do with you.’ The Brahmins said: ‘There! he too has got into the power of Gotama the recluse, perverted by craftiness. What have we to do with you as teacher?’ And they went away. But Vangisa realized arahantship.
DPPN: He then visited the Buddha again and praised him in various verses, full of similes and metaphors. This brought him reputation as a poet . . .
Selections From: PTS, Book of the Kindred Sayings I, Mrs. Rhys Davids, trans, The Vangisa Suttas, pp234ff
Thus have I heard: -- The venerable Vangisa was once staying near Alavi. . . Then a number of women, gaily adorned, came into the pleasance to see the Vihara. And seeing those women, disaffection in consequence arose in the venerable Vangisa, and lust harassed his heart . . .
Alas! That now when I am gone from home
Into the homeless life, these wanton thoughts
Sprung from the Dark should flit about my mind!
Were high-born warriors, mighty archers, trained
In champion bow-craft, such as never flee,
A thousand, shooting arrows round about --
But women! . . . well, far more than these may come,
Yet shall they never wreck my peace of mind.
Firmly established in the Norm I stand.
For even in his presence have I heard
The Buddha of the sun’s high lineage tell
About the Path that to Nibbana goes,
And there the love of all my heart is given.
Now that I always in such mood abide,
Dost think, vile one, thou canst draw nigh to me;
Then shall I act in such wise, Death, that thou
Wilt ne’er discover which the way I take.
On another occasion, at the same place, the venerable Vangisa was despising amiable brethren because of his skill in improvisation. Then blaming himself for such conduct, he of himself repented and in that hour uttered the verses: --
Renounce conceit, thou Gotama’s disciple!
Wholly from path of pride remove thy foot,
Since with that path some time infatuated
Long ere to-day thou truly didst repent.
By self-deceit deceived this generation.
Destroyed by vanity, is doomed to woe.
For many an age in purgatory
Will folk eaten by pride lament their doom.
He weepeth not at any time, that brother,
Path-victor, who the highest hath achieved.
Both fame and happy conscience he enjoyeth.
With truth they call him Seer of the Norm.
Hence in this life, strenuous, unimpeded,
Dispelled all hindrances, and purified,
Renouncing pride and vanity entirely,
Calm and with knowledge, doth he make an end.
On one occasion, when he was at the Jeta Vana, the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying: ‘Bhikkhus!’ ‘Yea, lord,’ they said responsive. And he spake: ‘Possessed of four qualities, Bhikkhus, is the speech that is well and not ill spoken, faultless and not blamable by the wise. Of what four qualities? Here, Bhikkhus, if a brother speak well and not badly, speak righteously and not unrighteously, speak affectionately and not unkindly, speak truth and not falsehood, his speech having these four qualities, is well spoken, faultless, and not blamable by the wise.’ . . .
Then the venerable Vangisa, rising from his seat, and draping his outer robe over one shoulder, stretched forth his hands saluting, to the Exalted One, and said: ‘It is revealed to me, Exalted One, it is revealed to me, Blessed One!’
The Exalted One said: ‘Be it revealed to thee, Vangisa!’
Then the venerable Vangisa extolled the Exalted One in his presence in suitable verses: --
Whoso can speak a word whereby he works
No torment to himself, nor causeth harm
To fellow-men, that word is spoken well.
Whoso can speak a kindly word, a word
That’s grateful to the ear, and lays not hold
Of other’s faults, that word is kindly spoke.
Truth is ambrosial speech; of saints of old
This was the ancient Norm; on Truth and good
And Norm, ‘t is said, the saints do firmly stand.
The Word which the Awakened speaketh, sure
Safe guide to make Nibbana ours, to put
An end to Ill: -- that is the Word Supreme.
[On another occasion, after a similar recitation of verses ‘revealed to Vangisa’ the Potter asked:]
‘Say now, Vangisa, were these verses thought out by thee beforehand, or have they been revealed to thee just on the spot?’
‘Nay, lord, these verses were not thought out by me beforehand; they were revealed to me just on the spot.’
[213] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who’s very sight is calming [samantapasadikanam] is Upaseno Vangantaputto.
(DPPN: He was born in Nalaka as the son of Rupasari, the brahminee, his father being Vanganta. He was the younger brother of Sariputta. When he came of age, he learnt the three Vedas, and, having heard the Buddha preach, entered the Order. When his ordination was but one year old, he ordained another bhikkhu, to increase the number of holy ones, and went with him to wait upon the Buddha. The Buddha roundly rebuked him for this hasty procedure, and Upasena, wishing to earn the Master’s praise on account of the very cause of this rebuke, practiced insight and became an arahant. Thereafter he adopted various dhutangas [austerities] and persuaded others to do likewise. In a short time he had a large retinue, each member of which was charming in his way, and the Buddha declared Upasena to be the best of those who were altogether charming (samantapasadikanam). Buddhaghosa says that Upasena was famed as a very clever preacher and many joined him because of his eloquence.
One day, while Upasena was sitting after his meal in the shadow of [his residence in a cave] fanned by the gentle breeze, mending his outer robe, two young snakes were sporting in the tendrils overhanging the cave. One fell on his shoulder and bit him, and the venom spread rapidly throughout his body; he called to Sariputta and other monks who were near, and requested that he might be taken outside on a couch, there to die. This was done, and his body "was scattered there and then like a handful of chaff." [S.iv.40f.]
From the Psalms:
[one time] he was asked [by some bhikkhu] . . . what was to be done during the dissentions and the schism [at Kosambi -- Vin ii,312; M., i. 320 ff]. Upasena taught him thus:
Lonely the spot and far away where noise
Scarce comes, the haunt of creatures of the wild:
‘Tis there the Brother should his couch prepare
For purposes of studious retreat.
From rubbish-pile, or from the charnel-field,
Or from the highways let him take and bring
Worn clothes and thence a cloak of patchwork make,
And in such rough apparel clothe himself.
In lowliness of mind from house to house,
In turn unbroken [not picking and choosing which house--mo] let the Brother fare
Seeking his alms, sense guarded, well controlled;
With any fare content rough though it be,
Nor fain for other than he gets, or more,
For if he once indulge in greed for tastes,
Ne’er can his mind in jhana take delight.
In great content, with very sparse desires,
Remote, secluded: so the sage should live,
Detached from housefolk and the homeless, both.
Let him so show himself as he were dull
And dumb, nor let the wise man speech prolong
Unduly, when in midst of gathered folk.
Let him not any man upbraid; let him
Refrain from hurting; let him be in rule
And precept trained, and temperate in food.
Let him be one who concentrates upon
The symbol, skilled in genesis of thought.
To practice Calm let him devote himself,
And Intuition also in due time.
With energy and perseverance armed,
Let him be ever to his studies yoked;
Nor till he have attained the end of Ill,
Let the wise man go forth in confidence.
Thus if the Brother, fain for purity
[Of knowledge and of vision] shall abide,
The working of th’ Intoxicants shall cease,
And he shall reach and find Nibbana’s peace.
["Let him be one who concentrates upon
The symbol, skilled in genesis of thought."
Although I do not have the Pali for this, my assumption is that "The Symbol" is "nimmita", mark, or sign; which would be, ultimately, although perhaps through a "concentration device", "change," "not selfness," and "Pain," observing how reactions to the sensations produced by these phenomena started up grasping thoughts.]
[214] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who assigns sleeping and sitting quarters is Dabbo Mallputto [he was also in charge of food distribution].
(DPPN: He was born at Anupiya in a family of the Mallas. As a child of seven he saw the Buddha who was visiting in the Malla country, and he asked his grandmother (his mother having died at his birth) if he might join the Order under the Buddha. She brought him to the Buddha and the boy became an arahant in the Tonsure hall. He returned with the Buddha to Rajagaha where, with the Buddha’s sanction, and wishing to be of service to the Order, he took upon himself the task of appointing night’s lodgings to traveling monks and of directing them to meals. He performed his duties most diligently and with great intelligence, and his fame spread far and wide. Monks coming from afar, wishing to witness his skill, would deliberately arrive late and ask for lodgings in some place remote from Rajagaha; Dabba would "burst into flame" and walk ahead of them, with his finger burning to light them on the way [Any one see any resemblance to ET?].
[Dabba was the subject of personal harassment and slander from a group following two beggars called Mettiya and Bhummajaka (The Group of Six -- a group of Beggars who systematically contrived to commit every conceivable variation of offence that was not yet the subject of a rule -- first offenders [that is, those who committed an offense that was the cause of the origin of a rule] were routinely pardoned in this Discipline). Since they were of poor reputation among the townsfolk, they received poor food and lodgings and they blamed this on Dabba. In retaliation, they did things like name a male goat Dabbo and after observing it copulating, spread rumors that Dabbo was seen copulating. Dabbo was cleared of all charges.]
From the Psalms:
. . . after the baseless calumny . . . had been condemned by the Order . . . the Brother, conscious of his virtuous compassion for others, uttered this verse:
Once hard to tame, by taming tamed is now
Dabba, from doubts released, content, serene.
Victor is Dabba now, and void of fears;
Perfected he and staunch in steadfastness.
[215] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who is well regarded as a friend of the gods is Pilinda-vaccho
[devatanam piyamanapanam, PIYA> Gothic: frijon; Old High German: Fria; English: Friday, Friend]
(DPPN: He was a brahmin of Savatthi, born before the Buddha’s Enlightenment. Pilinda was his personal name, Vaccha being that of his family. He became a recluse and learnt the Cula-Gandhara-vijja [A Magic Charm supposed to enable invisibility, flying through the air, passing through obstacles, polly-presence, and touching the moon and sun.] but, when the Buddha appeared, the charm refused to work. Having heard that the Maha-Gandhara [Cula = Lesser; Maha = Greater] prevented the working of the Cula-Gandhara and having concluded that the Buddha knew the former, he entered the Order at the Buddha’s suggestion, in order to acquire it. The Buddha gave him exercises in meditation, and he became an arahant.
The Vinaya Pitaka (Vin. I. 204) mentions that on several different occasions Pilinda suffered from various ailments and the Buddha had to give permission for the provision of suitable remedies. Once Bimbisara [King of Magadha, married to the sister of King Pasenadi of Kosala whose son Ajatasattu allied with Devadatta, who convinced him to murder his father for the throne. Ajatasattu later repented and visited the Buddha who declared that the magnitude of his deed was the only thing that had prevented him from gaining a foothold in the Dhamma.] found Pilinda clearing a cave in order to provide a cell for himself. The king promised to build a monastery for him if he could obtain the Buddha’s sanction. The permission was obtained and was reported to the king, but he forgot the matter until one hundred days later. On remembering, he made ample amends, gave Pilinda five hundred attendants to look after the monastery, and granted for their maintenance a village, which came to be called Aramikagama or Pilindagama. One day, while in the village for alms, Pilinda went into a house where a girl was weeping because the day was a feast-day and she had no ornament to wear, her parents being too poor to afford any. Pilinda gave her a roll of grass to put round her head and it turned instantly into solid gold. The king’s officers, hearing of this wreath, suspected the family of theft and cast them into prison. The next day Pilinda, discovering what had happened, visited the king and convinced him of his iddhi-powers by turning the whole palace into gold. The family was released, and the king and his courtiers gave to Pilinda large quantities of the five medicaments, all of which Pilinda distributed among those who wished for them.
. . . he suffered from neither heat nor cold, dust did not adhere to his body, and the rain did not wet him.
From The Psalms:
O welcome this that came, nor came amiss!
O goodly was the counsel given to me!
‘Mong divers doctrines mooted among men
Of all ‘twas sure the Best I sought and found.
[216] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who has speedy intuitive powers [khippabhinnanam: Woodward has "abnormal powers", PED says "intuition", I go with PED here as the powers classed under The Abhinna are intuitive in nature -- e.g. "hearing" the root meanings of words; however, see below, where he would hardly have had time to demonstrate such powers, and where the meaning is probably stated most accurately.] is Bahiyo Daruciriyo -- Bahiyo The Bark Dressed]
(DPPN: He was born in the family of a householder of Bahiya -- hence his name -- and engaged himself in trade, voyaging in a ship. Seven times he sailed down the Indus and across the sea and returned safely home. On the eighth occasion, while on his way to Suvannabhumi, his ship was wrecked, and he floated ashore on a plank, reaching land near Supparaka. Having lost all his clothes, he made himself a bark-garment, and went about, bowl in hand, for alms in Supparaka. Men, seeing his garment and struck with his demeanor, paid him great honor. Though they offered him costly robes and many other luxuries, he refused them all and his fame increased. . . . In due course he came himself to believe that he had attained arahantship, but a devata, reading his thoughts and wishing him well, pointed out to him his error and advised him to seek the Buddha at Savatthi. By the power of the devata, Bahiya reached Savatthi in one night, a distance of one hundred and twenty leagues, and was told that the Buddha was in the city begging alms. Bahiya followed him thither and begged to be taught something for his salvation. Twice he asked and twice the Buddha refused, saying that it was not the hour for teaching. But Bahiya insisted, saying that life was uncertain and that the Buddha or he might die. The Buddha then taught him the proper method of regarding all sense experiences -- namely, as experiences and no more. Even as he listened, Bahiya became an arahant and the Buddha left him. Shortly after, Bahiya was gored to death by a cow with a calf. The Buddha, seeing his body lying on the dung heap, asked the monks to remove it and to have it burnt, erecting a thupa over the remains. In the assembly he declared Bahiya to be foremost among those who instantly comprehended the Truth.
[217] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who are brilliant speakers (as per Woodward, can’t really do better, cittakathikanam could be who shines at speaking) is Kumara-kassapo, Kassapa The Boy.
(DPPN: He was foremost among those who had the gift of varied and versatile discourse (cittakathikanam). His mother was the daughter of a banker of Rajagaha, and she, having failed to obtain her parent’s consent to become a nun, married and, with her husband’s consent, joined the Order, not knowing that she was with child. When her condition was discovered her colleagues consulted Devadatta, who declared that she was no true nun. The Buddha, on being consulted, entrusted the matter to Upali, who had it fully investigated by Visakha (Migara’s Mother) and other residents of Savatthi, and he gave his finding in the assembly, in the presence of the king, that the nun was innocent. When the boy was born the king reared him, and the boy was ordained at the age of seven.
From the Psalms [brackets are translator’s]:
All hail the Buddhas, and all hail the Norms.
Hail the blest System by our Master wrought,
Wherein he that doth hear may [be enrolled
And] come to realize a Norm like ours.
Down countless ages have its members come,
Reborn now as this compound, now as that.
But this for them is now the very last,
The final confluence [of the factors five,]
In flux of rebirth and mortality.
Now come they never more again to be.
[218] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who has mastered logical analysis [patisambhidappattanam: PED: pati + sam + bhid (= vid); lit. resolving continuous breaking up" i.e. analysis, analytic insight, discriminating knowledge. . . Always referred to as "the four branches of logical analysis" see above XIII. One Individual. Given the word alone I would think of Hegelian dialectic: thesis, antithesis, synthesis] is Mahakotthito, Kotthita the Great.
(DPPN: He was born into a very wealthy brahmin family of Savatthi, his father being Assalayana and his mother Candavati. He gained great proficiency in the Vedas and, after hearing the Buddha preach, entered the Order and, engaging in meditation, soon became an arahant.
One sutta records a "lesson" given by the Buddha to Kotthita on conceptions of anicca, dukkha and anatta (S.iv.145ff). The Anguttara Nikaya (A.i.118f) records a discussion at Jetavana between Savittha, Kotthita nd Sariputta, as to who is best: one who has testified to the truth with body, one who has won view, or one released by faith. [see below] Another discussion takes place between Sariputta and Kotthita as to whether anything continues to exist after the ending of the six spheres of contact (Nibbana) (A.ii.161).
His verses in the Psalms:
Whoso, serene and calm, dead to the world
Can utter wisdom’s runes [from footnote: manta, mantra -- mo], with wit unswelled,
Unruffled -- he doth shake off naughty things
As they were forest leaves by wind-god blown.
From: PTS, Woodward trans., Gradual Sayings, Book of the Threes, Chapter III -- On Persons, #21
Thus have I heard: On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Savatthi at Jeta Grove, in Anathapindika’s Park.
Now the venerable Savittha and Kotthita the Great went to visit the venerable Sariputta, and on coming to him greeted him courteously . . . As he sat at one side the venerable Sariputta said this to the venerable Savittha:
‘Reverend Savittha, there are these three persons to be found in the world. What three? One who has testified to the truth with body, one who has won view, and one released by faith. These are the three . . . Now sir, of these three which seems to you most excellent and choice?’
‘Yes, reverend Sariputta, there are these three persons . . . Of these three I prefer the one released by faith. Why so? Because in this one the faculty of faith is most developed.’
Then the venerable Sariputta asked the same question of the venerable Kotthita the Great, who replied:
‘To me the one who has testified to the truth with body seems most excellent and choice. Why so? Because in this one the faculty of concentration is most developed.’ [Note that this term implies that samadhi is a matter of bodily training -- that is the letting go of "things." This would approach the mental processes as a totality: let go of Vitaka and Vicara, not as a matter of letting go of individual ideas one at a time, but in one fell swoop, by considering all that falls within the concept of mentation and letting it go.]
Then the venerable Kotthita the Great asked the same question of the venerable Sariputta, who replied:
‘Reverend Kotthita, there are these three persons . . . Of these three he who has won view seems to me the most excellent and choice. Why? Because, sir, in this one the faculty of insight is most developed.’ [The two words here are vijja (vision) and pannindriyam (not vipassana! Pannindriyam: The faculty of wisdom.)]
Then said the venerable Sariputta to the two others:
‘Now, sirs, we have all three expressed our views according to our several leanings. Suppose we go together to visit the Exalted One, and on coming to him let us tell him of this matter. According as the Exalted One shall decide it, so will we uphold.’
‘Very good, sir,’ said the other two to the venerable Sariputta.
So all three went to visit the Exalted One, and on coming to him saluted him and sat down at one side. So seated the venerable Sariputta told the Exalted One (all the talk they had had on the subject0. Then said the Exalted One:
‘It is no easy matter, Sariputta, to decide off-hand [meaning without examining specific individuals] which of these three persons is the most excellent and choice. It may well be that this person who is released by faith is on the path to arahantship: that this one who has testified to the truth with body is a once-returner or a non-returner: that this one who has won view is also a once-returner or a non-returner. It is no easy thing, Sariputta, to decide off-hand about this matter. It may well be that this person who has testified to the truth with body is on the path to arahantship: that the other two are once-returners or non-returners. Or again it may well be that this person who has won view is on the path to arahantship, while the two others are once-returners or non-returners. Indeed it is no easy task, Sariputta, to decide off-hand which of these three persons is most excellent and choice.’
[The thing to see here for us is that none of these three conditions implies arahantship; that there is a stage at which the outcome for an individual has been determined, but not yet achieved. One has unshakable faith; one knows how to achieve the solution through action; and one sees intellectually how to achieve the goal.]
[219] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who has heard much [bahussutanam] is Ananda.
[220] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars with total recall [satimantanam] is Ananda.
[221] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who acts in accordance with mind [gatimantanam] is Ananda.
[222] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who is mentally courageous [dhitimantanam] is Ananda.
[223] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who is one who watches over [upatthakanam] is Ananda.
(DPPN: He was a first cousin of the Buddha and was deeply attached to him.
. . . was born on the same day as the Bodhisatta, his father being Amitodna . . .
Ananda entered the Order in the second year of the Buddha’s ministry, together with other Sakyan princes, such as Bhaddiya, Anuruddha, Bhagu, Kimbila and Devadatta, and was ordained by the Buddha himself. . . During the first twenty years after the Enlightenment, the Buddha did not have the same personal attendants all the time. From time to time various monks looked after him, among them being Nagasamala, Nagita, Upavana, Sunakkhatta, the novice Cunda, Sagata, Radha and Meghiya. We are told that the Buddha was not particularly pleased with any of them. At the end of twenty years, at an assembly of the monks, the Buddha declared that he was advanced in years and desired to have somebody as his permanent body-servant, one who would respect his wishes in every way.
All the great disciples offered their services, but were rejected by the Buddha. Ananda alone was left; he sat in silence. When asked why he did not offer himself, his reply was that the Buddha knew best whom to choose. When the Buddha signified that he desired to have Ananda, the latter agreed to accept the post on certain conditions. The Buddha was never to give him any choice food or garment gotten by him, nor appoint for him a separate "fragrant cell" (residence), nor include him in the invitations accepted by the Buddha. For, he said, if the Buddha did any of these things, some would say that Ananda’s services to the Buddha were done in order to get clothes, good fare and lodging and be included in the invitations. Further he was to be allowed to accept invitations on behalf of the Buddha; to bring to the Buddha those who came to see him from afar; to place before the Buddha all his perplexities, and the Buddha was to repeat to him any doctrine taught in his absence. If these concessions were not granted, he said, some would ask where was the advantage of such service. Only if these privileges were allowed him would people trust him and realize that the Buddha had real regard for him. The Buddha agreed to the conditions.
Thenceforth, for twenty-five years, Ananda waited upon the Buddha, following him like a shadow, bringing him water and toothpick, washing his feet, accompanying him everywhere, sweeping his cell and so forth. By day he was always at hand, forestalling the Master’s slightest wish; at night, stout staff and large torch in hand, he would go nine times round the Buddha'’ Gandha-kuti in order to keep awake, in case he were needed, and also to prevent the Buddha’s sleep from being disturbed.
[One of the most well known events in Ananda’s life was] . . . his championship of the women’s cause. . . When Pajapati Gotami [the Buddha’s aunt, who took the place of his mother who died in childbirth], with a number of Sakyan women, undaunted by the Buddha’s refusal of their request at Kapilavatthu [to join the Order], followed him into Vesali and there beseeched his consent for women to enter the Order, the Buddha would not change his mind.
Ananda found the women dejected and weeping, with swollen feet, standing outside the Kutagarasala. Having learnt what had happened he asked the Buddha to grant their request. Three times he asked and three times the Buddha refused. Then he changed his tactics. He inquired of the Buddha if women were at all capable of attaining the Fruits of the Path. The answer was in the affirmative, and Ananda pushed home the advantage thus gained. In the end the Buddha allowed women to enter the Order subject to certain conditions. . . In this connection, the Buddha is reported as having said that had Ananda not persuaded him to give his consent to the admission of women to the Order, the Sasana would have lasted a thousand years, but now it would last only five hundred.
Once in Jetavana, in an assembly of monks, the Buddha spoke the praises of Ananda, and ranked him the foremost bhikkhu in five respects: erudition, retentive memory, good behavior (gatimantanam, power of walking, according to Dhammapala), resoluteness and personal attention.
In spite of Ananda having been the constant companion of the Buddha -- probably because of that very fact -- it was not until after the Buddha’s parinibbana that Ananda was able to realize Arahantship. . . When it was decided by Maha Kassapa and others that a Convocation should be held to systematize the Buddha’s teachings, five hundred monks were chosen as delegates, among them, Ananda. He was, however, the only non-arahant among them, and he had been enjoined by his colleagues to put forth great effort and repair this disqualification. At length, when the convocation assembled, a vacant seat had to be left for him. It had not been until late the previous night that, after a final supreme effort, he had attained the goal.
. . . In the convocation, Ananda was appointed to answer Maha Kassapa’s questions, and to co-operate with him in rehearsing the Dhamma.
Ananda came to be known as Dhammabhandagarika, owing to his skill in remembering the word of the Buddha; it is said that he could remember everything spoken by the Buddha, from one to sixty thousand words in the right order, and without missing one single syllable.
In the first four Nikays of the Sutta Pitaka, every sutta begins with the words "Thus have I heard," the "I" referring to Ananda. It is not stated that Ananda was present at the preaching by the Buddha of every sutta, though he was present at most; others, the Buddha repeated to him afterwards, in accordance with the conditions under which he had become the Buddha’s attendant.
We are told that Ananda had learnt eighty-two thousand Dhamma from the Buddha himself and two thousand from his colleagues. He had also a reputation for fast talking; where an ordinary man could speak one word Ananda could speak eight [I have seen this power with my own eyes, fascinating]; the Buddha could speak sixteen words for each one word of Ananda. Ananda could remember anything he had once heard up to fifteen thousand stanzas of sixty thousand lines.
Ananda lived to be very old.
. . . At the end of the First Council, the duty of handing down unimpaired the Digha Nikaya through his disciples was entrusted to Ananda.
The Pali Canon makes no mention of Ananda’s death. Fa Hsien, however, relates what was probably an old tradition. When Ananda was on his way from Magadha to Vesali, there to die, Ajatasattu [the patricidal son of King Bimbasara--mo: who can see here the terrible consequences of patricide? The man is known in this world, to this day, for that one deed!] heard that he was coming, and, with his retinue, followed him up to the Rohini River. The chiefs of Vesali also heard the news and went out to meet him, and both parties reached the river banks. Ananda, not wishing to incur the displeasure of either party, entered into the state of tejokasina [The Firelight concentration -- mo] in the middle of the river and his body went up in flames.
[224] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who has a great retinue is Uruvela-kassapo.
One of three brothers . . . He lived on the banks of the Neranjara with five hundred disciples. Further down the river lived his brothers Nadi-Kassapa with three hundred disciples and Gaya-Kassapa with two hundred. The Buddha visited Uruvela-Kassapa and took lodging for the night where the sacred fire was kept, in spite of Kassapa’s warning that the spot was inhabited by a fierce Naga [Serpant deamon]. The Buddha, by his magical powers, overcame, first this Naga and then another, both of whom vomited fire and smoke. Kassapa being pleased with this exhibition of iddhi-power, undertook to provide the Buddha with his daily food. Meanwhile the Buddha stayed in a grove near by, waiting for the time when Kassapa should be ready for conversion. . . The Buddha spent the whole rainy season there, performing, in all, three thousand five hundred miracles of various kinds, reading the thoughts of Kassapa, splitting firewood for the ascetics’ sacrifices, heating stoves for them to use after bathing in the cold weather, etc. Still Kassapa persisted in the thought, "The great ascetic is of great magic power, but he is not an arahant like me." Finally the Buddha decided to startle him by declaring that he was not an arahant, neither did the way he followed lead to arahantship. Thereupon Kassapa owned defeat and reverently asked for ordination. The Buddha asked him to consult with his pupils, and they cut off their hair and threw it with their sacrificial utensils into the river and were all ordained. Nadi-Kassapa and Gaya Kassapa came to inquire what had happened, and they, too, were ordained with their pupils. At Gayasisa the Buddha preached to them the Fire Sermon [The All, Beggars, is On Fire!], and they all attained arahantship.
From Gayasisa the Buddha went to Rajagaha with the Kassapas and their pupils, and in the presence of Bimbisara and the assembled populace Uruvela-Kassapa declared his allegiance to the Buddha.
Uruvela-Kassapa was so called partly to distinguish him from other Kassapas and partly because he was ordained at Uruvela. At first he had one thousand followers, and after he was ordained by the Buddha all his followers stayed with him and each of them ordained a great number of others, so that their company became very numerous.
. . .According to Tibetan sources, Kassapa was one hundred and twenty years old at the time of his conversion.
From the Psalms:
Beholding all the wondrous works achieved
By the high powers of glorious Gotama,
At first, natheless, myself I humbled not,
Being deceived by envy and by pride.
But He, Driver of men, who knew my thought
And my intent, took me at length to task.
Thereby anguish befell me, I was seized
By thrill mysterious, hair-raising dread.
And then the gifts that erst accrued to me
As famed ascetic poor and worthless seemed.
All these I thereupon esteemed as nought,
And in the Conqueror’s Order was enrolled.
Once well content with sacrifice, ‘bove all
Concerned within these worlds once more to live
Now have I set myself to extirpate
All passion, all ill will, illusion too.
How erst I lived I know; the heavenly eye,
Purview celestial, have I clarified;
Power supernormal, reading others’ thought,
Hearing ineffable, have I achieved.
And the great Quest for which I left the world,
Forsaking home, a homeless life to lead,
Even that quest, that high reward I’ve won,
For every fetter now is broken down.
[225] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who inspires the clans to faith (kulappasadakanam) is Kaludayi.
(DPPN: Son of one of Suddhodana’s ministers at Kapilavatthu; he was born on the same day as the Buddha and grew up as his playfellow. After Gotama left the world, Suddhodana made Kaludayi one of his most trusted counselors. When the king heard of his son’s Enlightenment he sent several of his ministers with large retinues to bring the Buddha to Kapilavatthu, but they all became arahants as soon as they heard the Buddha’s preaching and then forgot their mission [I doubt they forgot! -- mo] In the end the king sent Kaludayi, on the understanding that he should first be allowed to join the Order. He went to the Buddha and, having listened to him, himself became an arahant. When the rains fell, covering the earth with the glory of leaves and flowers, Kaludayi felt that it was time for the Buddha to visit his kinsmen, and gave him their invitation, singing the season’s beauties in a series of verses. The Buddha took sixty days in covering the sixty leagues from Rajagaha to Kapilavatthu, and each day Kaludayi went by air to the king’s palace to tell him of the progress made in the journey and to bring back to the Buddha from the palace a bowl full of excellent food. By the time the Buddha reached his home his kinsmen were already full of faith in him. Because Kaludayi accomplished this feat, he was declared pre-eminent among those who gladdened the clans (kulappasadakanam).
It is said that he was called Udayi because he was born on a day on which the citizens were full of joy and called Kala becauase of his slightly dark color.
From the Psalms:
Now crimson glow the trees, dear Lord, and cast
Their ancient foliage in quest of fruit,
Like crests of flame they shine irradiant,
And rich in hope, great Hero, is the hour.
Verdure and blossom-time in every tree,
Where’er we look delightful to the eye,
And every quarter breathing fragrant airs,
While petals falling, yearning comes for fruit:--
‘Tis time, O Hero, that we set out hence.
Not over hot, nor over cold, but sweet,
O Master, now the season of the year,
O let the Sakiyans and the Koliyans
Behold thee with thy face set toward the West,
Crossing [border-river] Rohini
In hope the field is ploughed, in hope the seed is sown,
In hope of winning wealth merchants fare over sea.
The hope I cherish, may that hope be realized!
Again and yet again is seed in furrow sown.
Again and yet again the cloud-king sends down rain,
Again and yet again the ploughmen plough the field,
Again and yet again comes corn into the realm.
Again and yet again do beggars go their round;
Again and yet again the generous donors give;
Again and yet again when many gifts are given,
Again and yet again the donors find their heaven.
Surely a hero lifts to lustrous purity
Seven generations past wherever he be born.
And so methinks can He, the vastly wise, the god
Of gods. In Thee is born in very truth a Seer.
Suddhodana is named the mighty prophet’s sire,
And mother of the Buddha was [our queen] Maya.
She, having borne the Wisdom-being in her womb
Found, when the body died, delight in Tusita.
She, Gotamid, dying on earth, deceasing hence,
Now lives in heavenly joys attended by those gods.
This is what Kaludayin said when he first went by iddhi power to Kapilavatthu:
The King asked: Who are you?
‘If you know not the minister’s son whom you sent to the Exalted One, know that I am he’:
Son of the Buddha I, yea, e’en of such as He,
Th’Angirasa, to whom there lives not any peer,
Who that which is insuperable hath o’ercome.
And father of my Father art thou, Sakiyan,
To me thou, Gotamid, art grandsire in the Norm.
[226] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who has little suffering (appabadhanam; who hears appamada? With a cold. One who suffers few illnesses) is Bakkulo.
DPPN: He was born in the family of a councilor of Kosambi, and, while being bathed by his nurse in the waters of the Yamuna, he slipped into the river and was swallowed by a fish. The fish was caught by an angler and sold to the wife of a Benares councilor. When the fish was split open the child was discovered unhurt, and cherished by the councilor’s wife as her own son. On discovering his story, she asked permission of his parents to keep him. The king decided that the two families should have him in common, hence his name Bakula ("two-families, bi-kin"). After a prosperous life, at the age of eighty, Bakkula heard the Buddha preach and left the world. For seven days he remained unenlightened, but on the dawn of the eighth day he became an arahant. Later, the Buddha declared him to be foremost in good health (appabadhanam).
From the Psalms:
He who is fain to-morrow to perform
The things that he should yesterday have done,
Forfeit of happy opportunity,
He shall anon repent him fierily.
Let him but talk of that which should be done;
Let him not talk of what should not be done!
Of him who talketh much, but doeth not,
Wise men take stock, and rate him at his worth.
O great, O wondrous is Nibbana’s bliss,
Revealed by Him, the Utterly awake!
There comes no grief, no passion, haven sure,
Where ill and ailing perish evermore!
[227] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who is able to recall prior habitations is (pubbenivasam anussarantanam) is Sobhito.
From the Psalms (brackets and parenthesis are trans.):
A bhikkhu mindful, gifted with insight,
With strenuous effort strongly set to work,
Have I [the infinite past] recalled to mind:
Five hundred ages in a single night.
O let the Onsets Four of mindfulness
My study be, the Seven, the (noble) Eight!
For I [the infinite past] have called to mind:
Five hundred ages in a single night.
[228] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who carries on the Rules (vinayadharanam) is Upali.
(DPPN: One of the most eminent of the Buddha’s immediate disciples. He belonged to a barber’s family in Kapilavatthu and entered the service of the Sakyan princes. When Anuruddha and his cousins left the world and sought ordination from the Buddha at Anupiya Grove, Upali accompanied them. They gave him all their valuable ornaments, but, on further consideration, he refused to accept them and wished to become a monk with them. The reason given for his refusal is that he knew the Sakyans were hot-headed, and feared that the kinsmen of the princes might suspect him of having murdered the young men for the sake of their belongings.
At the request of the Sakyan youths, the Buddha ordained Upali before them all, so that their pride might be humbled.. . When Upali went to the Buddha for an exercise for meditation, he asked that he might be allowed to dwell in the forest. But the Buddha would not agree, for if Upali went into the forest he would learn only meditation, while, if he remained amongst men, he would have knowledge both of meditation and of the word of the Dhamma. Upali accepted the Buddha’s advice and, practicing insight, in due course won arahantship. The Buddha himself taught Upali the whole of the Vinaya Pitaka.
In the assembly of the Sangha, the Buddha declared him to be the most proficient of those who were learned in the Vinaya (vinayadharanam). He is often spoken of as having reached the pinnacle of the Vinaya, or as being its chief repository. . . In the Rajagaha council, Upali took a leading part, deciding all the questions relative to the Vinaya, in the same way as Ananda decided questions regarding the Dhamma.
It is said that even in the Buddha’s lifetime monks considered it a great privilege to learn the Vinaya under Upali. The monks seem to have regarded Upali as their particular friend, to whom they could go in their difficulties.
The canon contains but few records of any discourses connected with Upali, apart from his questions on the Vinaya. In the Anguttara Nikaya (A.iv.143) he is mentioned as asking the Buddha for a brief sermon, the Buddha telling him that if there were anything that did not conduce to revulsion and detachment, Upali could be sure that such things did not form part of the Buddha’s teaching. There is a record of another sermon which the Buddha is stated to have preached when Upali expressed the desire to retire into the solitude of the forest. The Buddha tells him that forest-life is not for the man who has not mastered his mind or attained to tranquillity.
From the Psalms:
He who for faith’s sake hath renounced the world,
And stands a novice in the Order new,
Friends let him choose of noble character,
Pure in their lives, of zeal unfaltering.
He who for faith’s sake hath renounced the world,
And stands a novice in the Order new,
Among the Order let that bhikkhu dwell,
And wisely learn its code of discipline.
He who for faith’s sake hath renounced the world,
And stands a novice in the Order new,
Skilled in what should be done, or left undone,
Let him uncompanied hold on his way.
From: PTS, Hare, trans., The Book of the Gradual Sayings, IV: The Book of the Sevens: VIII: The Discipline, ix(#79).
Now the venerable Upali came to the Exalted One, saluted and sat down at one side. So seated, he said: "Well were it for me, lord, if the Exalted One were to expound Dhamma briefly to me, so that, having heard it, I might abide resolute, alone, secluded, earnest and zealous.’
‘The doctrines, Upali, of which you may know: "these doctrines lead one not to complete weariness (Footnote: nibbidaya) (of the world), nor to dispassion, nor to ending, nor to calm, nor to knowledge, nor to the awakening, nor to the cool" -- regard them definitely as not Dhamma, not the discipline, not the word of the Teacher. But the doctrines of which you may know: "These doctrines lead one to complete weariness, dispassion, ending, calm, knowledge, the awakening, the cool" -- regard them unreservedly as Dhamma, the discipline, the word of the Teacher.’
[229] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who advises the Female Beggars (bhikkhun’ovadakanam) is Nandako.
PTS; Horner, trans., The Middle Length Sayings, III, #146, pp322 [No editing. Parentheses and ellipses are trans. I have made occasional remarks in square brackets.]
Thus have I heard: At one time the Lord was staying near Savatthi in the Jeta Grove in Anathapindika’s monastery. Then Mahapajapati the Gotamid with as many as five hundred nuns approached the Lord; having approached and greeted the Lord, she stood at a respectful distance. As she was standing at a respectful distance, Mahapajapati the Gotamid spoke thus to the Lord: "Revered sir, let the Lord exhort the nuns; revered sir, let the Lord instruct the nuns; revered sir, let the Lord make a talk on Dhamma for the nuns."
Now at that time the monks who were elders used to exhort the nuns in turn; but the venerable Nandaka did not want to exhort the nuns in (his) turn. (Footnote: This was because in a previous birth he had been a king and they his concubines. He feared that anyone with recollection of former "habitations" would know this, and accuse him of wanting to see his former companions again.) So the Lord addressed the venerable Ananda, saying: "Ananda, whose turn is it today to exhort the nuns by turn?"
"It is Nandaka’s turn, revered sir, to exhort the nuns by turn; but this venerable Nandaka, revered sir, does not want to exhort the nuns in (his) turn." Then the Lord addressed the venerable Nandaka, saying:
"Exhort the nuns, Nandaka; instruct the nuns, Nandaka; do you, brahman, make a talk on Dhamma for the nuns."
"Yes, revered sir," answered the venerable Nandaka in assent to the Lord. He dressed in the early morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Savatthi for alms food. When he had walked for almsfood in Savatthi, on returning from the alms-gathering after the meal he approached the King’s monastery without a companion. Those nuns saw the venerable Nandaka coming in the distance, and on seeing him they made ready a seat and set out water for (washing) the feet. The venerable Nandaka sat down on the seat made ready and as he was sitting down he washed his feet. And when those nuns had greeted the venerable Nandaka they sat down at a respectful distance. The venerable Nandaka spoke thus to those nuns as they were sitting down at a respectful distance:
"Sisters, there will be a talk by way of putting questions. Those who understand (each question) should say: ‘We understand’; those who do not understand should say: ‘We do not understand.’ But if anyone has any doubt or perplexity I should be questioned about it thus: ‘How is this, revered sir? What is the meaning of that?’"
"So far, revered sir, we are pleased and satisfied with the master Nandaka in that the master Nandaka invites us."
"What do you think about this, sisters? Is the eye permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, revered sir."
"But is what is impermanent, anguish [dukkha] or happiness?"
"Anguish, revered sir."
"It is right to regard that which is impermanent, anguish and liable to alteration as, ‘This is mine, this am I, this is my self.’?" [This idea sometimes escapes the western mind: the thinking is that that which can be rightly claimed to me "me" or "mine" must be within one’s control.]
"No, revered sir."
"What do you think about this, sisters? Is the ear . . . the nose . . . the tongue . . . the body . . . the mind permanent or impermanent? . . . Is it right to regard that which is impermanent, anguish and liable to alteration as ‘This is mine, this am I, this is my self’?"
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? Already, revered sir, by means of perfect intuitive wisdom [panna -- not vipassana] it has been well seen by us as it really is that ‘These six internal sense-fields are impermanent.’"
"It is good, sisters, it is good. For it is thus, sisters, that by means of perfect intuitive wisdom this is seen by an ariyan disciple as it really is. What do you think about this, sisters? Are material shapes . . . sounds . . . smells . . . tastes . . . touches . . . mental states permanent or impermanent? . . . Is it right to regard that which is impermanent, anguish and liable to alteration as ‘This is mine, this am I, this is my self’?"
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? Already, revered sir, by means of perfect intuitive wisdom it has been well see by us as it really is that ‘These six external sense-fields are impermanent.’"
"It is good, sisters, it is good. For it is thus, sisters, that by means of perfect intuitive wisdom this is seen by an ariyan disciple as it really is. What do you think about this, sisters? Is visual consciousness . . . auditory consciousness . . . olfactory consciousness . . . gustatory consciousness . . . tactile consciousness . . . mental consciousness permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, revered sir."
"But is what is impermanent, anguish or happiness?"
"Anguish, revered sir."
"It is right to regard that which is impermanent, anguish and liable to alterations as ‘This is mine, this am I, this is my self’?"
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? Already, revered sir, by means of perfect intuitive wisdom it has been well seen by us as it really is that ‘These six classes of consciousness are impermanent.’"
"It is good, sisters, it is good. For it is thus, sisters, that by means of perfect intuitive wisdom this is seen by an ariyan disciple as it really is. It is, sisters, like the oil for lighting an oil-lamp which is impermanent and liable to alteration, and like the wick which is impermanent and liable to alteration, and like the flame which is impermanent and liable to alteration, and like the light which is impermanent and liable to alteration. If anyone, sisters, were to speak thus: ‘The oil for lighting this oil-lamp is impermanent and liable to alteration, and the wick . . . and the flame is impermanent and liable to alteration, but that which is the light -- that is permanent, lasting, eternal, not liable to alteration,’ speaking thus sisters, would he be speaking rightly?"
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? It is, revered sir, that if the oil for lighting this oil-lamp be impermanent and liable to alteration, and if the wick . . . and if the flame be impermanent and liable to alteration, all the more is the light impermanent and liable to alteration."
"Even so, sisters, if anyone should speak thus: ‘These six internal sense-fields are impermanent and liable to alteration, but whatever pleasure or pain or neither pain nor pleasure I experience as a result of these six internal sense-fields -- that is permanent, lasting, eternal, not liable to alteration,’ speaking this, sisters, would he be speaking rightly?’
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? As a result of this or that condition, revered sir, these or those feeling arise. From the stopping of this or that condition these or those feelings are stopped."
"It is good, sisters, it is good. For it is thus, sisters, that by means of perfect intuitive wisdom this is seen by an ariyan disciple as it really is. It is, sisters, like the roots of a great, stable and pithy tree . . . like the trunk . . . the branches and foliage which are impermanent and liable to alteration, and like the shade which is impermanent and liable to alteration. If anyone, sisters, were to speak thus: ‘The roots . . . the trunk . . . the branches and foliage of this great, stable and pithy tree are impermanent and liable to alteration, but that which is its shade -- that is permanent, lasting, eternal, not liable to alteration, speaking thus, sisters, would he be speaking rightly?’
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? It is, revered sir, that if the roots . . . the trunk . . . the foliage and branches of this great, stable and pithy tree are impermanent and liable to alteration, all the more is the shade impermanent and liable to alteration."
"Even so, sisters, if anyone should speak thus: ‘These six external sense-fields are impermanent and liable to alteration, but whatever pleasure or pain or neither pain nor pleasure I experience as a result of these six external sense-fields -- that is permanent, lasting, eternal, not liable to alteration,’ speaking thus, sisters, would he be speaking rightly?"
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? As a result of this or that condition, revered sir, these or those feeling arise. From the stopping of this or that condition these or those feelings are stopped."
"It is good, sisters, it is good. For it is thus, sisters, that by means of perfect intuitive wisdom this is seen by an ariyan disciple as it really is. It is, sisters, as if a clever cattle-butcher or cattle-butcher’s apprentice, having killed a cow, should dissect the cow with a butcher’s sharp knife without spoiling the flesh within, without spoiling the outer hide, and with the butcher’s sharp knife should cut, should cut around, should cut all around whatever tendons, sinews and ligaments there are there within; and having cut, cut around, cut all around and removed the outer hide and, having clothed that cow in that self-same hide again, should then speak thus: ‘This cow is conjoined with this hide as before.’ Speaking thus, sisters, would he be speaking rightly?"
"No, revered sir. What is the reason for this? Although, revered sir, that clever cattle-butcher or cattle-butcher’s apprentice, having killed a cow. . . having clothed that cow in that self-same hide again, might then speak thus: "This cow is conjoined with this hide as before,’ yet that cow is not conjoined with that hide."
"I have made this simile for you, sisters, so as to illustrate the meaning. This is the meaning here: ‘the flesh within,’ sisters, is a synonym for the six internal sense-fields. ‘The outer hide,’ sisters, is a synonym for the six external sense-fields. ‘The tendons, sinews and ligaments within,’ sisters, is a synonym for delight [interesting that nandi -- delight -- is also a term for a knot, or binding -- mo] and attachment. ‘The butcher’s sharp knife,’ sisters, is a synonym for the ariyan intuitive wisdom [again panna, not vipassana ], the ariyan intuitive wisdom by which one cuts, cuts around and cuts all around the inner defilement’s the inner fetters and the inner bonds.
There are, sisters, these seven links in awakening from the development and making much of which a monk, by the destruction of the cankers [asavas], having here and now realized by his own super-knowledge the freedom of mind and the freedom through intuitive wisdom that are cankerless, entering on them abides therein. What are the seven? Herein, sisters, a monk develops the link in awakening that is mindfulness and is dependent on cessation, ending in abandoning; he develops the link in awakening that is investigation into things . . . that is energy . . . that is rapture . . . that is impassability . . . that is concentration . . . he develops the link in awakening that is equanimity and is dependent on aloofness, dependent on detachment, dependent on cessation, ending in abandoning. These, sisters, are the seven links in awakening from the development and making much of which a monk . . . entering on them abides therein." [The point is made here, in a footnote that the seven bojjhangas are taught here because "wisdom alone --note that that includes both freedom of mind and freedom through intuitive wisdom--. . . is unable to cut off the defilements." I agree with this interpretation; the bojjhangas, while not neglecting the building of wisdom, also teach the other necessary aspect of attaining awakening: doing something about it, namely, not doing, or letting go. Since I agree with this statement, I must alter my translation in The Course, of the term bojjhanga. I have "The seven dimensions of awakening one’s own Wisdom.", I should now translate the term: "The Seven dimensions of Awakening" period.]
Then the venerable Nandaka, having exhorted the nuns with this exhortation, dismissed them, saying: "Go, sisters, it is time."
Then these nuns, having rejoiced in what the venerable Nandaka had said and having given thanks, rose from their seats, greeted the venerable Nandaka keeping their right sides towards him, and approached the Lord; having approached and greeted the Lord, they stood at a respectful distance. The Lord spoke thus to these nuns as they were standing at a respectful distance: "Go, nuns, it is time." Then these nuns, having greeted the Lord, departed keeping their right sides towards him. Not long after these nuns had departed the Lord addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks, as on an Observance day, a fourteenth, there is neither doubt nor perplexity among the populace as to whether the moon is not full or whether the moon is full, for the moon is then not full, even so, monks, although these nuns were delighted [see below] with Nandaka;’s teaching on Dhamma, their aspirations were not fulfilled."
Then the Lord addressed the venerable Nandaka, saying: "Well then, Nandaka, you may exhort these nuns with this same exhortation again tomorrow."
"Yes, revered sir," the venerable Nandaka answered the Lord in assent.
Then the venerable Nandaka dressed in the early morning towards the end of that night and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Savathi for alms food . . . (as above, p. to p) . . . "Go, nuns, it is time." Not long after these nuns had departed the Lord addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks, as on an Observance day, a fifteenth, there is neither doubt nor perplexity among the populace as to whether the moon is not full or whether the moon is full, for the moon is then quite full, even so, monks, these nuns were delighted with Nandaka’s teaching on Dhamma and their aspirations were fulfilled. She who is the last nun of these five hundred nuns is a stream-attainer, not liable to the Downfall; she is assured, bound for self-awakening."
Thus spoke the Lord. Delighted, these monks rejoiced in what the Lord had said.
[230] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who guards the doors of the senses (indriyesu-gutta-dvaranam) is Nando.
(DPPN: Son of Suddhodana and Mahapajapati, and therefore half-brother of the Buddha. On the third day of the Buddha’s visit to Kapilavatthu, after the Enlightenment, the Buddha went to Nanda’s house, where festivities were in progress in honor of Nanda’s coronation and marriage to Janapadakalyani Nanda. The Buddha wished Nanda good fortune and handed him his bowl to be taken to the vihara. Nanda, thereupon, accompanied the Buddha out of the palace. Janapadakalyani, seeing him go, asked him to return quickly. Once inside the vihara, however, the Buddha asked Nanda to become a monk, and he, unable to refuse the request, agreed with reluctance. But as the days passed he was tormented with thoughts of his beloved, and became very downcast and despondent, and his health suffered. The Buddha suggested that they should visit the Himalaya. On the way there, he showed Nanda the charred remains of a female monkey and asked him whether Janapadakalyani were more beautiful than that. The answer was in the affirmative. The Buddha then took him to Tavatimsa where Sakka, with his most beautiful nymphs, waited on them. In answer to a question by the Buddha, Nanda admitted that these nymphs were far more attractive than Janapadakalyani, and the Buddha promised him one as wife if he would live the monastic life. [The way I heard it Nanda was forced to confess that in the same way as Janapadakalyani was more beautiful than the burned monkey, so The Nymphs made Janapadakalyani look like the burned monkey by comparison.] Nanda was all eagerness and readily agreed. On their return to Jetavana the Buddha related this story to the eighty chief disciples, and when they questioned Nanda, he felt greatly ashamed of his lustfulness. Summoning all his courage, he strove hard and, in no long time, attained arahantship. He thereupon came to the Buddha and absolved him from his promise.
Later, on seeing how eminently Nanda was trained in self-control, the Buddha declared him chief among his disciples in that respect (indriyesu guttadvaranam).
Nanda was very beautiful, and was only four inches shorter than the Buddha. He once wore a robe made according to the dimensions of the Buddha’s robe. Discovering this, the Buddha chided him for his presumption.
From PTS, Hare, Trans, The Book of the Gradual Sayings, The Book of the Eights, #ix 9
The Venerable Nanda
Monks, one might say, speaking rightly of Nanda: "He is a clansman"; "He is strong"; one might say: "He is handsome"; one might say, speaking rightly of him: "He is very passionate."
Monks, save he keep the doors of the senses guarded, be moderate in eating, be watchful; save he have mindfulness and self-possession, how can Nanda live the godly life in all its purity?
Monks, this is the way for Nanda to guard the doors of the senses:
Monks, if Nanda has occasion to look to the eastern quarter, concentrating his whole attention, he gazes thereat, reflecting: "thus while I look to the eastern quarter, there shall not flow in upon me covetousness, nor discontent, nor evil, nor any unrighteous state." Thus in this way is he self-possessed. If he has occasion to look to the western quarter . . . to the northern quarter . . . to the southern quarter . . . to the zenith . . . to the nadir . . . to the points between the quarters, concentrating his whole attention he gazes thereat, reflecting: "Thus while I look to the points between the quarters, covetousness and the rest shall not flow in upon me." Thus in this way is he self-possessed. Monks, this is the way for Nanda to guard the doors of the senses.
[This, for me, is a prime example of what is wrong with books and the Dhamma. The above section, if spoken slowly and in units according to each direction, is completely spell binding . . . the mind in some way finds itself projecting itself into the instruction and encircling itself in the directions, something totally lost in this straight line presentation. In my hand written versions of The Course, I attempted to partially redress this fault by presenting individual thoughts on separate pages -- this would, of course, result in the complete Dhamma taking up hundreds of thousands of pages. We suffer as a consequence of our abundance. Hardly anyone reads the Dhamma and of those that do only a few hear it.]
Monks, this is the way for Nanda to be moderate in eating:
Monks, herein Nanda eats his food with orderly reflection, not for amusement, for lust, for adornment, for beauty; but to suffice for the sustaining and nourishment of his body, to appease hunger and to aid the practice of the godly life. He reflects: "In this way I shall crush out the old feelings and not allow any new feelings to arise and I shall continue to dwell in blamelessness and comfort." Monks, this is the way for Nanda to be moderate in eating.
Monks, this is the way for Nanda to watchfulness:
Monks, herein by day Nanda purges his mind of thoughts that hinder, when walking, when sitting down; so, too, during the first watch of the night; during the middle watch he lies like a lion on his right side, with foot covering foot, mindful and self-possessed, intent upon the thought of etting up; gettingup in the last watch of the night he purges his mind of thoughts that hinder, when walking and when sitting. Monks, this is the way for Nanda to watchfulness.
Monks, this is the way for Nanda to mindfulness and self-possession:
Monks, herein to Nanda recognized feelings rise, [this is very awkward to us; the meaning is: when feelings arise, they are recognized as such by Nanda] recognized they endure, recognized they set; recognized perceptions rise, recognized they endure, recognized they set; recognized reflections rise, recognized they endure, recognized they set. Monks, this is the way for Nanda to mindfulness and self possession.
Monks, save Nanda keep the doors of the senses guarded, be moderate in eating, be watchful, save he have mindfulness and self-possession, how can Nanda live the godly life in all its purity?'
From the Psalms:
Heedless and shallow once my thoughts were set
On all the bravery of outward show;
Fickle was I and frivolous; all my days
Were worn with wanton sensuality.
But by the Buddha's skillful art benign.
Who of sun's lineage cometh, was I brought
To live by deeper thought, whereby my heart
From (the great swamp of endless) life I drew.
[231] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who advises the Beggars (bhikkhu-ovadakanam) is Maha-kappino.
(DPPN: One of the most eminent disciples of the Buddha, considered foremost among those who taught the monks (bhikkuovadakanam). He was older than the Buddha, and was born in a frontier kingdom three hundred yojanas [1 yojana = about 20 miles--mo] in extent, in the city of Kukkutavati. On the death of his father he became raja under the name of Maha-Kappina. His chief wife was Anoja from Sagala in the Madda kingdom. Every morning Maha-Kappina would send men out of the four gates of the city to stop any scholarly or learned men who might happen to pass along the road, and then to return and tell him of them. . . One day, after the Buddha’s appearance in the world, traders came from Savatthi to Kukkutavati and, after disposing of their goods, went to see Maha-Kappina. He received them and asked them about their country and the teaching which they followed. "Sire," they replied, "we cannot tell you with unwashed mouths." A golden jug of water was brought, and with cleansed mouths and clasped hands they told the king of the appearance of the Buddha. At the word "Buddha" Kappina’s body was suffused with rapture. He made them utter the word three times, giving them one hundred thousand pieces. The men told him also of the Dhamma and the Sangha, and he trebled his gifts and forthwith renounced the world, followed by his ministers. They set forth to find the Buddha, and reached the bank of a river which they crossed by an "Act of Truth," saying, "If this teacher be a Sammasambuddha, let not even a hoof of these horses be wetted." [Note: this is not the usual use of an "act of truth." It is usually used in desperate circumstances and the truth asserted is usually related to the person making the act, and difficult to confess.] In this manner they crossed three rivers: the Aravaccha, the Nilavahana, and the Candabhaga. The Buddha perceived them with his divine eye, and after he had eaten at Savatthi, went through the air to the banks of the Candabhaga and sat down under the great Banyan-tree facing the landing stage of the river, sending forth Buddha-rays. Kappina and his men saw him and prostrated themselves. The Buddha taught them the Doctrine, and they became arahants and joined the Order, the formula "Ehi bhikkhu" being their sanction and their ordination.
Anoja and the wives of Kappina’s ministers hearing that their husbands had renounced the world and gone to see the Buddha, determined to do likewise. They crossed the river in the same way as Kappina and his retinue, and approached the Buddha as he sat under the Banyan-tree and the banks of the Candabhaga. The Buddha made the husbands and wives invisible to each other and preached to the latter. They became sotapannas and were ordained by Uppalavanna, the Buddha taking the monks to Jetavana. Maha-Kappina spent his days in the ecstasy of jhana, and so full of happiness was he that he constantly repeated "aho sukham, aho sukham," which made the monks suspect that he was longing for the pleasures of kingship which he had left behind, until the Buddha dispelled their doubts [another story we have heard before of another Beggar in identical terms.]
One day the Buddha discovered that Kappina lived inactively, enjoying his happiness, and that he never taught anybody. He sent for him and asked him to teach the Doctrine to his associates. This Kappina did, and at the end of a single sermon one thousand listening recluses became arahants, hence the title conferred on him.
Although Kappina was famed as a teacher of monks, the Theragatha, curiously enough, contains verses in which he admonishes the nuns.
Kappina is described by the Buddha as pale, thin, and having a prominent nose. He possessed great iddhi-powers and had attained every samapatti [one’s own pathing--attainment; includes the four Burnings and the four arupajhanas and sometimes the ending of perception and sense experience jhana] which could be attained. It has been remarked that the verses attributed to him are, for the most part, more gnomic sayings of popular philosophy than genuine Dhamma, and that they would have befitted an early Greek Pagan. Mrs Rhys Davids has an interesting theory that Kappina was Assaji’s teacher. [The Beggar initially responsible for the conversion of Sariputta and Moggallana. I do not have the work in which Mrs. Rhys Davids puts forth her theory ( J.R.A.S. 1927, ii. P. 206f.) but off hand it seems hard to square with the story that we hear that Assaji was one of the first five individuals instructed by The Buddha. Perhaps the Buddha brought him to the state of sotapanna and Kappina finished the job.)
From: PTS: Mrs. Rhys Davids, trans., The Book of the Kindred Sayings II, The Nidana Book: Kindred Sayings about Brethren, #11: The Comrade, pp193
Now the venerable Maha-Kappina came into the presence of the Exalted One. The Exalted One saw him coming while afar, and seeing him he called the brethren:--
‘Do you see, brethren, that brother coming to us, pale, thin, with a prominent nose?’
‘Even so, lord.’
‘That brother is highly gifted, brethren, of wondrous power. No easy matter is it to win that which he formerly had not won, even that for the sake of which clansmen rightly leave the home for the homeless, even that uttermost goal of the divine living which he has attained, wherein he abides, having come just here and now to know it thoroughly for himself and to realize it.’
The Exalted One spake this. The Wellfarer so saying, the Master spake this yet further: --
The noble is the best among the folk
Who put their trust in lineage.
But one in wisdom and in virtue clothed
Is best of all ’mong spirits and men.
By day the sun shines and by night the moon.
In armor shines the warrior; ardent, rapt,
The brahmin shines, but through both day and night
Shineth the Buddha’s glowing (love for men).
(Mrs Rhys Davids footnote: These are simple ideas in simple Pali. I cannot give the play on words in jhayi, which means both burning and meditating, save that ‘ardent’ has an analogous double meaning. ‘Glowing love for men’ is freely rendered. Tejo also bears a double meaning, like ‘ardent.’ It means both ‘heat’ and that efflux of feeling and will for which we have no word as yet, but which Jesus meant by ‘virtue,’ and we mean by ‘vim.’)
[Note: the statement that the Noble is the best among the folk who put their trust in lineage. This reference to Khastryia (Kattiya) or the Nobility as opposed to the Brahman Cast is instructive in that both then and now the Brahman Cast held itself to be the highest Cast. This point was debated on occasion by the Buddha (himself a Khastryia) and the Buddha’s position upheld and accepted -- at least by those with whom he debated.]
From: PTS: Mrs. Rhys Davids, trans., The Book of the Kindred Sayings V, Kindred Sayings about In-Breathing and Out-Breathing, Chapter I, vii pp 279 [I have had to edit slightly in that this sutta is part of a long series and parts of it refer back to a previous sutta . . . my changes in square brackets. Parentheses are trans.]
Savatthi . . . [an abbreviated form of the usual Nidana]
Now on that occasion the venerable Kappina the Great was not far off, sitting cross-legged, holding his body erect, with mindfulness set in front of him.
Then the Exalted One saw the venerable Kappina sitting not far off . . . and on seeing him he said to the monks:
‘Monks, do ye ever see any wavering or shaking of body in this monk?’
‘Lord, so far as we have seen him, whether sitting amid the Order or sitting alone and solitary, we have never observed any wavering or shaking of body in that venerable one.’
‘Monks, it is by the fact of cultivating and making much of [the] concentration [on in-breathing and out-breathing] that there is no wavering or shaking of body, that this monk can attain at will such concentration, can attain it without difficulty, attain it without trouble.
And by cultivating and making much of what sort of concentration is there no wavering and shaking of body? It is by cultivating and making much of the concentration on in-breathing and out-breathing that such is the result. And how cultivated, how made much of does such concentration have such a result?
[In this method, monks, a monk who has gone to a forest or the foot of a tree or a lonely place, sits down cross-legged, holding the body straight. Setting mindfulness in front of him, he breathes in mindfully and mindfully breaths out. As he draws in a long breath he knows: A long breath I draw in. [As he breaths out a long breath he knows: I breath out a long breath.] As he draws in a short breath he knows: A short breath I draw in. As he breasts out a short breath he knows: I breath out a short breath.
Thus he makes up his mind (repeating) [that is Mrs. Rhyd Davids parenthesis. This is impossible. Repeating words to one’s self during meditation one would never get past the first Jhana. The word is sikkhati, translated in The Course "he trains himself". Initially it may prove helpful to repeat the words, at a more advanced stage one will simply make one’s self aware of doing it, when one has become well trained it becomes second nature. Note that these instructions on breathing are more detailed than in the Satipatthana Sutta.]: "I shall breathe in, feeling it go through the whole body. Feeling it go through the whole body I shall breathe out. Calming down the bodily aggregate I shall breathe in. Calming down the bodily aggregate I shall breathe out."
Thus he makes up his mind (repeating): "Feeling the thrill of zest I shall breathe in. Feeling the thrill of zest I shall breathe out. Feeling the sense of ease I shall breathe in. Feeling the sense of ease I shall breathe out."
He makes up his mind (repeating): "Aware of all mental factors I shall breathe in. Aware of all mental factors I shall breathe out. Calming down the mental factors I shall breathe in. Calming down the mental factors I shall breathe out. Aware of mind I shall breathe in. Aware of mind I shall breathe out."
He makes up his mind (repeating): "Gladdening my mind I shall breathe in. Gladdening my mind I shall breathe out. Composing my mind I shall breathe in. Composing my mind I shall breathe out. Detaching my mind I shall breathe in Detaching my mind I shall breathe out."
He makes up his mind (repeating): "Contemplating impermanence I shall breathe in. Contemplating impermanence I shall breathe out. Contemplating dispassion I shall breathe in. contemplating dispassion I shall breathe out. Contemplating cessation I shall breathe in Contemplating cessation I shall breathe out. Contemplating renunciation I shall breathe in. Contemplating renunciation I shall breathe out."
That, monks, is how, when one cultivates and makes much of the concentration on in-breathing and out-breathing, there is no wavering or shaking of body, no wavering or shaking of mind.
From the Psalms:
Can ye but see that which is coming ere it come,
And mark such business as will benefit or harm,
Nor foes nor friends, howe’er they seek, will find a rift.
The man by whom the breathing exercise
With self-control is to perfection brought,
Practiced with method as the Buddha taught,
He casts a radiant sheen about the world,
As doth the moon emerging free from cloud.
Lo! Now the mind of me is white indeed,
Expanded beyond measure, practiced well,
Its nature understood, and strenuous;
Shedding a radiance on every side.
The wise man is alive and he alone,
Although his wealth be utterly destroyed;
And if the man of wealth do wisdom lack,
For all his wealth he doth not truly live.
Wisdom is arbiter of what is heard.
Wisdom doth nourish honorable fame.
With wisdom in his company a man
Even in pain and sorrow Findeth joys.
Here is a fact that’s not of yesterday;
‘Tis not abnormal nor anomalous:
‘Where ye are being born, ye also die.’
What have we there save what is natural?
For after being born we do but lead
A life that is a dying hour by hour.
Whoe’er are born in that same life they die --
Such is the nature of all living things.
That brings no good to the dead which is good for the living.
Mourning the dead is no honor nor purification,
Nor is it praised by the wise, by recluses and Brahmins.
Mourning vexes the eye and the body, wasteth
Comeliness, strength (of body and mind) and intelligence.
If he be blithesome, all the four quarters become
Cordial well-wishers, e’en if his lot be not happy.
Wherefore let laymen desire to receive in their family
None but them that are wise and discreet and much learned
They by the power of their wisdom accomplished their business,
E’en as a boat doth effect a crossing o’er the full river.
[232] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who is skilled in the use of the Element of Fire (tejo-dhatukusalanam) is Sagato.
(DPPN: He was the personal attendant of the Buddha at the time when Sona Kolvisa visited Bimbisara, with overseers of the eighty thousand townships of Bimbisara’s kingdom. Sagata was endowed with supernatural power, and the overseers, who went to visit the Buddha at Gijjhakuta, were very impressed by his iddhi, so much so that even while the Buddha was preaching they could not take their eyes off him. The king thereupon asked Sagata to show them a greater marvel, and Sagata, having shown in the open sky wonders of various kinds, fell at the Buddha’s feet and declared the Buddha his teacher.
Later, when the Buddha went to stay in Bhaddavatika, having heard men warn the Buddha of the proximity of a Naga of great power in the Jatila hermitage at Ambatittha, Sagata went there and lived in the Naga’s abode. The Naga showed great resentment, but Sagata overpowered him with his iddhi and then returned to Bhaddavatika. From there he went with the Buddha to Kosambi, where the lay disciples, hearing of his wondrous feat, paid him great honor. When they asked what they could do for his comfort, he remained silent, but the Chabbaggiya (the Notorious Group of Six Beggars) suggested that they should provide him with white spirits.
The next day, when Sagata went for alms, he was invited to various houses, where the inmates plied him with intoxicating drinks. So deep were his potations that on his way out of the town he fell prostrate at the gateway. The monks carried him, and at the monastery they laid him down with his head at the Buddha’s feet, but he turned round so that his feet lay towards the Buddha. The Buddha pointed out his condition to the monks, using it as an example of the evil effects of liquor; and he made this the occasion for the passing of a rule against the use of alcohol. It is said that on the next day, when Sagata came to himself and realized the enormity of his offence, he sought the Buddha and, having begged his forgiveness, developed insight, attaining arahantship. The Buddha later declared him foremost among those skilled in the contemplation of the heat-element (tejodhatukusalanam).)
Habitual drunkenness brings one to Hell, Beggars!
Of trifling consequence is the fact that it
Leads to madness in the here and now.
[233] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who is skilled in eliciting sutta recitation (patibhaneyyakanam) is Radho.
(DPPN: He was a brahmin of Rajagaha who, being neglected by his children in his old age, sought ordination. The monks refused his request on the ground of his age, so he sought the Buddha who, seeing his (upanissaya = up pass down being = basis for advancement), asked Sariputta to admit him. Soon after he won arahantship. He stayed near the Buddha, and, by reason of his skill, the Buddha declared him foremost among those who cold inspire speech in others (?--trans. ?-- Patibhanakeyyanam -- I agree this is a tough one. Bhanaka would be a "reciter" of suttas, pati would indicate some sort of repartee--base meaning bounce or rebound -- hear: rep-par-ti; plus the evidence in the suttas is not so much of his speaking, but of others being inspired to speak to him.) He thereby earned the name of Patibhaniya Thera... The Radha Samyutta (S.iii.188ff) contains a large number of suttas preached by the Buddha in answer to Radha’s questions on various topics. It is said that when the Buddha saw Radha he felt the inclination to talk on matters dealing with subtle topics, illustrating them with various similes.
The Radha Suttas constitute an entire spell, here is a selection: PTS, Woodward trans, The Book of the Kindred Sayings III: The Khandha Book II:, Kindred Sayings about Radha, pp 155ff:
At Savatthi . . . In the Deer Park.
Then the venerable Radha came to the Exalted One. Having done so, he saluted the Exalted One and sat down at one side.
So seated the venerable Radha thus addressed the Exalted One: --
‘They say, "Mara! Mara!" lord, Pray, lord, how far is there Mara?’
‘Where a body is, Radha, there would be Mara or things of the nature of Mara, or at any rate what is perishing. Wherefore, Radha, regard the body as Mara; regard it as of the nature of Mara; regard it as perishing, as an imposthume, as a dart, as pain, as a source of pain. They who regard it thus rightly regard it.
And the same is to be said of feeling, perception, the activities (sankara) and consciousness.
‘But rightly regarding, lord, -- for what purpose?’
‘Rightly regarding, Rada, for the sake of disgust.’
‘But disgust, lord, -- for what purpose is it?’
‘Disgust, Radha, is to bring about dispassion.’
‘But dispassion, lord, -- for what purpose is it?’
‘Dispassion, Radha, is to get release.’
‘But release, lord, -- what is it for?’
‘Release, Radha, means Nibbana.’
‘But Nibbana, lord, -- what is the aim of that?’
‘This, Radha, is a question that goes too far. You can grasp no limit to this question. Rooted in Nibbana, Radha, the holy life is lived. Nibbana is it’s goal, Nibbana is it’s end.’
[Note: this not only teaches the Dhamma (essentially the four noble truths or Downbound Confounded Rebounding Conjuration) but also teaches the way one should learn the Dhamma from a teacher -- not, as is the Western tendency, to expound one’s own view to the teacher, but to ask questions of progressively deeper nature, not questioning the teacher’s view, but trying to understand it.]
. . . ‘ "A Being! A Being" they say, lord. Pray, lord, how far is one called a being?’
‘That desire, Radha, that lust, that lure, that craving which is concerned with body, -- entangled thereby, fast entangled thereby, therefore is one called a being.
. . . with feeling, with perception, the activities, consciousness . . .
Just as when, Radha, boys or girls play with little sandcastles. So long as they are not rid of lust, not rid of desire, not rid of affection, thirst, feverish longing and craving for those little sand-castles, just so long do they delight in them, are amused by them, set store by them, are jealous of them.
But, Radha, as soon as those boys or girls are rid of lust of desire and affection, are rid of thirst, feverish longing and craving for those little sand-castles, straightway with hand and foot they scatter them, break them up, knock them down, cease to play with them.
Even so, Radha, do you scatter body, break it up, knock it down, cease to play with it, apply yourself to destroy craving for it.
. . . with feeling, with perception, the activities, consciousness . . .
‘ "The cord of rebirth! The cord of rebirth!" is the saying lord. . .
‘That desire, Radha, that lust, that lure, that craving, those graspings after systems, that mental standpoint, that dogmatic bias which is concerned with body, -- that is called "the cord of rebirth." The ceasing of these is called "the ceasing of the cord of rebirth."’
. . . with feeling, with perception, the activities, consciousness. . .
‘I will show you the things to be understood, and the understanding, and the person who has understood. . .
. . . Body, Radha, is a thing to be understood: so is feeling, perception, the activities. Consciousness is a thing to be understood.
The destruction of lust, the destruction of hatred, the destruction of illusion, -- this, Radha, is called "understanding."
"Worthy [arahatissa = one who is arahat]" should he be called, that venerable one of such and such a name, of such and such a clan, -- that, Radha, is the meaning of "the person who has understood."
. . . ’Well for me, lord, if the Exalted One would teach me a doctrine in brief, hearing which from the Exalted One I might dwell remote, strenuous, ardent and intent.’
‘That, Radha, which is of a nature to cease, -- desire for that you must put away, lust for that, desire-and-lust for that you must put away.
And what, Radha, is of a nature to cease? Body, feeling perception, the activities, consciousness of a nature to cease. Desire for that you must put away.
Whatsoever, Radha, is of a nature to cease, desire for that lust for that, desire-and-lust for that must be put away.’
From the Psalms:
E’en as into an ill-roofed house the rain
Doth pierce and penetrate continually,
So into mind by exercise untrained
Doth passion ever pierce and penetrate.
And as into a well-roof’d house no rain
Doth pierce and penetrate continually,
So into mind by calm and insight trained
Doth passion never pierce and penetrate.
[Mrs Rhys Davids footnote reveals that "exercise, calm and insight" are her expansions -- with help from commentators, of the single term bhavana. Bhavana = becoming, development]
[234] At the top, Beggars, of those of my Beggars who is a Rag-Robe-man (lukhacivara-dharanam) is Mogharaja.
(DPPN: He belonged to a brahmin family and studied under Bavari [A brahmin ascetic, who, when he could not comply to a demand for money was told his head would split into seven pieces. A deva told him that the one who made the threat did not know the meaning of his curse. Bavari asked who might know the meaning, and was told about the Buddha. He sent sixteen of his disciples to the Buddha to ask about the matter. On their way, the sixteen each gathered a thousand disciples, and upon finding the Buddha, and asking a number of questions, all became arahant. -- this all according to DPPN and footnotes referencing commentary, I am unfamiliar with the fellow -- mo] as an ascetic. He was one of the sixteen pupils sent by Babari to the Buddha. When Mogharaja had asked his question of the Buddha and had received the answer, he attained arahantship. He then attained distinction by wearing rough cloth which had been thrown away by caravaners, tailors, and dyers, and the Buddha declared him foremost among wearers of rough clothing. Later, through want of care and former kamma, pimples and the like broke out over his body. Judging that his lodging was infected, he spread a couch of straw [I heard he built a hut which he never repaired, always stating the reason to be the transience of things and the lack of time to waste on such matters] in the Magadha field and lived there even during the winter. When the Buddha asked him how he fared in the cold, he replied that he was extremely happy.
From the Psalms:
Gotama:
Well, Mogharajan, thou skin-sufferer,
Thou blest of heart and constantly serene,
Cometh the time when winter nights are cold,
And thou a brother poor -- how wilt thou fare?
Thus asked, the Thera explained the matter to the Master:
Rich are the cornfields of the Magadhese,
And thriving, every one, I’ve heard it said.
My little straw-built canopy doth please
Better than other’s way of finding ease.
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