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Homage to him, the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. In the Vinaya Piṭaka The Pārājika Section The Verañja Chapter 1. At that time, the Buddha, the Blessed One, was dwelling in Verañja, at the foot of the Naḷeru Pucimanda tree, together with a great community of monks, with about five hundred monks. Indeed, the brahmin of Verañja heard: "Indeed, good sirs, the ascetic Gotama, the Sakyan son, gone forth from the Sakyan clan, is dwelling in Verañja, at the foot of the Naḷeru Pucimanda tree, together with a great community of monks, with about five hundred monks. And concerning that venerable Gotama, such a good report has arisen: 'Indeed, that Blessed One is an Arahant, perfectly self-enlightened, endowed with knowledge and conduct, the Fortunate One, knower of the world, unsurpassed, leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One. He, having realized this world with its gods, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, with its ascetics and brahmins, its people, with its gods and humans, by his own direct knowledge, proclaims it. He teaches the Dhamma, good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning, with the letter. He proclaims the entirely complete, perfectly pure holy life. Indeed, it is good to see such Arahants; it is good to see them.'" 2. Then indeed, the brahmin of Verañja approached where the Blessed One was. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. A courteous conversation, and amiable talk. having exchanged greetings, sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the brahmin Verañja said this to the Blessed One: "I have heard this, good Gotama: 'The recluse Gotama does not salute, nor rise up for, nor invite to a seat brahmins who are old, aged, venerable, advanced in years, come to the last stage of life.' Is this, good Gotama, truly so? Does the good Gotama not salute, nor rise up for, nor invite to a seat brahmins who are old, aged, venerable, advanced in years, come to the last stage of life? This, good Gotama, is not good at all." "I do not see, brahmin, in the world with its devas, its Māras, its Brahmās, with its recluses and brahmins, its devas and humans, anyone whom I should salute, or rise up for, or invite to a seat. For if, brahmin, the Tathāgata were to salute, or rise up for, or invite to a seat, his head would split open." "The good Gotama is without flavor!" "There is indeed, brahmin, a way in which one speaking rightly might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is without flavor.' Those flavors of forms, flavors of sounds, flavors of odors, flavors of tastes, flavors of touches— these for the Tathāgata are abandoned, their root cut off, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. This, brahmin, is the way in which one speaking rightly might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is without flavor,' but not that which..." you speak with that in mind.” 4. “Is Master Gotama without possessions?” “There is indeed, brahmin, a way in which one, rightly speaking, might say of me – ‘Ascetic Gotama is without possessions.’ Those possessions of forms, brahmin, possessions of sounds, possessions of odors, possessions of tastes, possessions of touches, these have been abandoned by the Tathāgata, cut off at the root, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise again in the future. This, brahmin, is the way in which one, rightly speaking, might say of me – ‘Ascetic Gotama is without possessions,’ but not what you speak with in mind.” 5. “Is Master Gotama an advocate of non-action?” “There is indeed, brahmin, a way in which one, rightly speaking, might say of me – ‘Ascetic Gotama is an advocate of non-action.’ For I, brahmin, advocate non-action of bodily misconduct, of verbal misconduct, of mental misconduct. I advocate non-action of various kinds of evil, unwholesome states. This, brahmin, is the way in which one, rightly speaking, might say of me – ‘Ascetic Gotama is an advocate of non-action,’ but not what you speak with in mind.” 6. “Is Master Gotama an advocate of annihilation?” “There is indeed, brahmin, a way in which one, rightly speaking, might say of me – ‘Ascetic Gotama is an advocate of annihilation.’ For I, brahmin, advocate the annihilation of lust, of hatred, of delusion. I advocate the annihilation of various kinds of evil, unwholesome states. This, brahmin, is the way, brahmin, ...brahmin, a way by which one, speaking rightly, might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is an annihilationist,' but not in the sense you mean." 7. "Is Master Gotama one who abhors?" "There is, brahmin, a way by which one, speaking rightly, might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is one who abhors.' For I, brahmin, abhor misconduct of body, misconduct of speech, misconduct of mind. I abhor the entering upon many kinds of evil, unwholesome states. This, brahmin, is the way by which one, speaking rightly, might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is one who abhors,' but not in the sense you mean." 8. "Is Master Gotama one who disciplines?" "There is, brahmin, a way by which one, speaking rightly, might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is one who disciplines.' For I, brahmin, teach the Dhamma for the discipline of lust, of hatred, of delusion. I teach the Dhamma for the discipline of many kinds of evil, unwholesome states. This, brahmin, is the way by which one, speaking rightly, might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is one who disciplines,' but not in the sense you mean." 9. "Is Master Gotama an ascetic?" "There is, brahmin, a way by which one, speaking rightly, might say of me: 'The recluse Gotama is an ascetic.' For I, brahmin, declare evil, unwholesome states to be burning, misconduct of body, misconduct of speech... ...mental misconduct. Indeed, brahmin, for whom the tormenting, evil, unwholesome states are abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future, him I call an ascetic. Indeed, brahmin, for the Tathāgata, the tormenting, evil, unwholesome states are abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. This, indeed, brahmin, is the way by which one speaking rightly of me would say: 'Ascetic is the recluse Gotama,' but not in the sense you mean. 10. "Is Master Gotama one who is not reborn in a womb?" "Indeed, brahmin, there is a way by which one speaking rightly of me would say: 'The recluse Gotama is one who is not reborn in a womb.' Indeed, brahmin, for whom future womb-conception, the arising of renewed existence, is abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future, him I call one who is not reborn in a womb. Indeed, brahmin, for the Tathāgata, future womb-conception, the arising of renewed existence, is abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. This, indeed, brahmin, is the way by which one speaking rightly of me would say: 'The recluse Gotama is one who is not reborn in a womb,' but not in the sense you mean." 11. "Just as, brahmin, a hen's eggs, be they eight or ten or twelve. These, by the hen, are rightly brooded over, rightly warmed, rightly nurtured. Who among these... Which chick first breaks the eggshell with its foot-claw or its beak, and emerges safely, how should it be called— "the elder or the younger"? "The elder, good Gotama, should it be called. For it is the elder among them." "Even so, brahmin, I, for the ignorant multitude, who are like eggs, enveloped, having broken the eggshell of ignorance, alone in the world, have fully awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. I, brahmin, am the elder, the foremost of the world." "My energy, brahmin, was aroused, unflagging; my mindfulness was established, unconfused; my body was tranquil, undisturbed; my mind was concentrated, one-pointed. So I, brahmin, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, entered upon and dwelled in the first jhana, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. With the fading away of initial application and sustained application, with the inner tranquility and unification of mind, I entered upon and dwelled in the second jhana, which is without initial application and sustained application, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure. With the fading of rapture, I dwelled equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experienced pleasure with the body, of which the noble ones declare: 'He dwells equanimous, mindful, and in pleasure'— I entered upon and dwelled in the third jhana. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the prior disappearance of joy and grief, I entered upon and dwelled in the fourth jhana, which is neither painful nor pleasant, and purified by equanimity and mindfulness." I entered upon and abided in the fourth jhāna of extreme purity. 12. With my mind thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, without blemish, rid of defilements, softened, workable, steady, attained to imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowledge of recollecting past lives. I recollected my manifold past lives, namely: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of contraction, many eons of expansion, many eons of contraction and expansion. ‘There I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such an appearance, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose there. There I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such an appearance, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose here.’