English
becomes disenchanted with feeling, becomes disenchanted with perception, becomes disenchanted with formations, becomes disenchanted with consciousness. Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion, he is liberated. In the liberated, there arises the knowledge: 'Liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.'" 24. This the Blessed One said. Delighted, the group of five monks rejoiced in the Blessed One's words. And while this exposition was being spoken, the minds of the group of five monks were liberated from the taints, without clinging. And at that time, there were six Arahants in the world. The discourse on the group of five is finished. The first recitation section. 7. The discourse on going forth. 25. At that time, then... At one time, in Bārāṇasī, there was a young man named Yasa, a son of a wealthy merchant, delicate and refined. He had three palaces: one for winter, one for summer, and one for the rainy season. In the rainy season palace, for four months, attended by female musicians without any men, he would not descend to the lower palace. Then, while Yasa, the young man, was being attended, fully endowed and complete with the five strands of sensual pleasure, sleep overcame him early. Sleep also overcame his attendants. And the oil lamp burned throughout the night. Then, Yasa, the young man, woke up early and saw his attendants sleeping: one with a lute in her armpit, one with a drum on her neck, one with a tabor in her armpit, one with dishevelled hair, one with spittle, others muttering, like a charnel ground within reach. Seeing this, the danger became apparent to him, and his mind became established in revulsion. Then, Yasa, the young man, uttered an exclamation: “Distressed indeed, sirs! Afflicted indeed, sirs!” Then, Yasa, the young man, put on his golden sandals and went to the door of his house. Non-human beings opened the door, so that no one might hinder Yasa, the young man, from going forth from home to homelessness. Then, Yasa, the young man, went to the city gate. Non-human beings opened the gate, so that no one might hinder Yasa, the young man, from going forth from home to homelessness. Then, Yasa, the young man, went to Isipatana, the Deer Park. 26. Now at that time, the Blessed One, having risen in the last watch of the night, was walking in the open air. The Blessed One saw Yasa, the young man, coming from afar. Seeing him, he descended from the walking path and sat on the prepared seat. Then, Yasa, the young man, not far from the Blessed One, uttered an exclamation: “Distressed indeed, sirs! Afflicted indeed, sirs!” Then Then the Blessed One said to Yasa, the young man: "This, Yasa, is undisturbed, This is unagitated. Come, Yasa, sit down, I will teach you the Dhamma." Then Yasa, the young man, Thinking, "Indeed, this is undisturbed, This is unagitated!" Delighted and elated, Took off his golden sandals, Approached the Blessed One, Having approached, he bowed to the Blessed One, And sat down to one side. To Yasa, the young man, Seated to one side, The Blessed One gave a gradual discourse, Namely: A talk on giving, A talk on morality, A talk on heaven; He explained the danger, The degradation, The defilement of sensual pleasures, And the benefit of renunciation. When the Blessed One knew Yasa's mind to be ready, Malleable, Free from hindrances, Uplifted, And confident, Then he revealed the special teaching of the Buddhas: Suffering, Its origin, Its cessation, And the path. Just as a clean cloth, Free from stains, Readily absorbs dye, Even so, for Yasa, the young man, Right there on that seat, The dust-free, Stain-free Dhamma-eye arose: "Whatever is of the nature to arise, All that is of the nature to cease." 27. Then Yasa's mother, Having climbed to the palace, And not seeing Yasa, the young man, Approached the householder, the financier. Having approached, she said to the householder, the financier: "Your son, householder, Yasa, is not to be seen." Then the householder, the financier, Having dispatched horsemen in the four directions, Himself went to Isipatana, the Deer Park. The householder, the financier, saw The place where the golden sandals were laid aside. Having seen them, he followed that very path. The Blessed One saw the householder, the financier, Approaching from afar. Having seen him, it occurred to the Blessed One: "What if I were to perform Such a feat of psychic power That the householder, the financier, Though sitting here, Would not see Yasa, the young man, Who is sitting here?" Then indeed the Blessed One manifested such a psychic power. Then indeed the householder, the merchant, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he said to the Blessed One: "Would the Blessed One, sir, have seen the noble son Yasa?" "In that case, householder, sit down. Perhaps, sitting here, you might see the noble son Yasa sitting here." Then indeed the householder, the merchant, delighted and overjoyed, thinking: "Indeed, sitting right here, I shall see the noble son Yasa sitting right here!" Having saluted the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. As the householder, the merchant, sat to one side, the Blessed One gave a gradual discourse: namely, a talk on giving, a talk on morality, a talk on heaven; the danger, degradation, and defilement of sensual pleasures; and the benefit of renunciation he explained. When the Blessed One knew the householder, the merchant, to have a ready mind, a soft mind, a mind free from hindrances, an uplifted mind, a confident mind, then that teaching which is the special discourse of the Buddhas, he expounded: suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. Just as a clean cloth, free from stains, would perfectly absorb the dye, even so, for the householder, the merchant, right on that very seat, there arose the dustless, stainless Eye of Dhamma: "Whatever is subject to arising, all that is subject to cessation." Then indeed the householder, the merchant, having seen the Dhamma, having attained the Dhamma, having understood the Dhamma, having penetrated the Dhamma, having overcome doubt, having dispelled perplexity, having gained confidence, independent of others in the Teacher's Dispensation, said to the Blessed One: "Excellent, sir! Excellent, sir! Just as, sir, one might set upright what was overturned, or reveal what was hidden, or point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the darkness so that those with eyes might see forms, even so has the Dhamma been made clear by the Blessed One in many ways. I, sir, go for refuge to the Blessed One." I go for refuge to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. May the Blessed One hold me as a lay follower from this day forth, for as long as life lasts, gone for refuge. Thus he was the first lay follower in the world who had taken the three refuges. 28. Then, while the Blessed One was teaching the Dhamma to Yasa’s father, the householder, as he reflected on the ground as seen and understood, his mind was liberated from the taints without clinging. Then it occurred to the Blessed One: “While I was teaching the Dhamma to Yasa’s father, the householder, as he reflected on the ground as seen and understood, his mind was liberated from the taints without clinging. It is impossible for Yasa, the noble son, to turn back to a lower state and enjoy sensual pleasures as he did before, when he was a householder. What if I were to withdraw that psychic manifestation?” Then the Blessed One withdrew that psychic manifestation. Then the householder, the merchant, saw Yasa, the noble son, sitting there. Having seen Yasa, the noble son, he said to him: “Your mother, dear Yasa, is lamenting, overcome with sorrow. Give life to your mother!” Then Yasa, the noble son, looked up at the Blessed One. Then the Blessed One said to the householder, the merchant: “What do you think, householder? For one whose Dhamma has been seen and understood with a trainee’s knowledge and a trainee’s vision, just as by you, and whose mind, as he reflected on the ground as seen and understood, was liberated from the taints without clinging— is it possible for him, householder, to turn back to a lower state and enjoy sensual pleasures as he did before, when he was a householder?” “No, venerable sir.” “For Yasa, the noble son, householder, the Dhamma has been seen and understood with a trainee’s knowledge and a trainee’s vision, just as by you. And his mind, as he reflected on the ground as seen and understood, was liberated from the taints without clinging. It is impossible, householder, for Yasa, the noble son, to turn back to a lower state and enjoy sensual pleasures as he did before, when he was a householder.” “A gain, venerable sir, for Yasa, the noble son, It is well gained, venerable sir, for the young man Yasa, that the mind of the young man Yasa is liberated from the defilements without clinging. May the Blessed One, venerable sir, consent to my meal today with the young man Yasa as a junior attendant. The Blessed One consented by silence. Then the householder, the rich man, knowing the Blessed One's consent, rose from his seat, saluted the Blessed One, circumambulated him respectfully, and departed. Then the young man Yasa, soon after the rich man, the householder, had departed, said to the Blessed One: "May I, venerable sir, receive the going forth in the presence of the Blessed One, may I receive the full ordination?" "Come, monk," the Blessed One said, "The Dhamma is well expounded; lead the holy life for the complete ending of suffering." That was the full ordination for that venerable one. At that time, there were seven Arahants in the world. The going forth of Yasa is finished. 29. Then the Blessed One, having dressed in the morning, and taking his bowl and robe, went with the venerable Yasa as a junior attendant