English
In that case, great king, I will question you about this. As you deem fit, so you should answer. What do you think, great king? Suppose you had a man, a farmer, a householder, a diligent worker, a producer of wealth. He might think thus: ‘Oh, how wonderful, how amazing, is the result of merits, the ripening of merits! This King Ajātasattu, son of Vaidehī, of Magadha, is a human being, and I too am a human being. This King Ajātasattu, son of Vaidehī, of Magadha, enjoys himself, endowed and complete with the five strands of sensual pleasure, like a god, I think. But I am his farmer, householder, diligent worker, producer of wealth. So, I should perform merits. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from the home life into homelessness?’ “So, at a later time, having given up a small portion of wealth or a large portion of wealth, having given up a small circle of relatives or a large circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from the home life into homelessness. Having thus gone forth, he lives restrained in body, he lives restrained in speech, he lives restrained in mind, content with food and clothing, delighting in solitude. If your men were to report to you thus: ‘May Your Majesty know, that man of yours, who was your farmer, householder, diligent worker, producer of wealth; that man, Your Majesty, has shaved off his hair and beard, put on saffron robes— having gone forth from home to homelessness. Having thus gone forth, he dwells restrained in body, he dwells restrained in speech, he dwells restrained in mind, content with mere food and clothing, delighting in seclusion.’ Would you then say this: ‘Let that man, sirs, come back, let him again be a farmer, a householder, a doer of work, a producer of grain’?” 187. “No indeed, venerable sir. Rather, we ourselves would greet him, we would rise up for him, we would invite him with a seat, we would invite him with robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick, and we would arrange for him righteous protection, guarding, and security.” 188. “What do you think, great king? If this is so, is there a visible fruit of recluseship or not?” “Indeed, venerable sir, if this is so, there is a visible fruit of recluseship.” “This, great king, is the second visible fruit of recluseship that I have declared to you in this very life.” A More Excellent Fruit of Recluseship 189. “But is it possible, venerable sir, to declare another visible fruit of recluseship in this very life, more excellent and more sublime than these visible fruits of recluseship?” “It is possible, great king. Therefore, great king, listen, pay close attention, I shall speak.” “Yes, venerable sir,” King Ajātasattu Vedehiputta of Magadha replied to the Blessed One. 190. The Blessed One said this: “Here, great king, a Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, a Knower of the Worlds, an unsurpassed Trainer of persons to be tamed, a Teacher of gods and humans, a Buddha, a Blessed One. He, having directly known and realized this world with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this generation with its recluses and brahmins, its gods and humans, proclaims it. He teaches the Dhamma beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end, with meaning and with phrasing, he proclaims the utterly complete and purified holy life.” proclaims the holy life. 191. “A householder or a householder’s son, or one born into some other family, hears that Dhamma. Having heard that Dhamma, he gains faith in the Tathāgata. Endowed with that faith, he reflects thus: ‘Confined is the household life, a path of dust; open is the going forth. It is not easy for one living in a house to lead the holy life, utterly perfect, utterly pure, polished like a conch shell. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from the home life into homelessness?’ 192. “So, at a later time, having given up a small accumulation of wealth or a large accumulation of wealth, having given up a small circle of relatives or a large circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from the home life into homelessness. 193. “Having thus gone forth, he lives restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, endowed with good conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, undertaking and training in the precepts, endowed with wholesome bodily and verbal action, with a pure livelihood, endowed with virtue, with guarded doors to his senses, endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension, contented. The Minor Virtues 194. “And how, great king, is a monk endowed with virtue? Here, great king, a monk, having abandoned the taking of life, abstains from the taking of life. He lays aside rod and weapon, is conscientious, full of compassion, and dwells with sympathy for all living beings. This is part of his virtue. “Having abandoned the taking of what is not given, he abstains from the taking of what is not given. He takes what is given, expects what is given, and lives with a pure self, not by theft. This is part of his virtue. “Having abandoned unchastity, he is chaste, living apart, abstaining from sexual intercourse, the village custom. This is part of his virtue. “Having abandoned false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks truth, is truthful, firm, reliable, He is truthful to the world. This is his virtue. Having abandoned divisive speech, he abstains from divisive speech. Having heard here, he does not tell there to cause division among these. Or having heard there, he does not tell here to cause division among those. Thus, he is a reconciler of those who are divided, or an encourager of those who are united. Delighting in concord, enjoying concord, rejoicing in concord, he speaks words that promote concord. This is his virtue. Having abandoned harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech. That speech which is gentle, pleasing to the ear, affectionate, going to the heart, courteous, dear to many, agreeable to many, he speaks such words. This is his virtue. Having abandoned idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks at the right time, speaks what is true, speaks what is beneficial, speaks of the Dhamma, speaks of the Vinaya. He speaks words that are like a treasure, at the right time, with reasons, limited, connected with benefit. This is his virtue. He abstains from harming seeds and plants... He eats one meal, abstaining from night, abstaining from eating at the wrong time. He abstains from seeing dancing, singing, music, and shows. He abstains from wearing garlands, perfumes, and ointments, and from adornment and beautification. He abstains from high and luxurious beds. He abstains from accepting gold and silver. He abstains from accepting raw grain. He abstains from accepting raw meat. He abstains from accepting women and girls. He abstains from accepting male and female slaves. He abstains from accepting goats and sheep. He abstains from accepting chickens and pigs. He abstains from accepting elephants, cattle, horses, and mares. He abstains from accepting fields and land. He abstains from engaging in messages and errands. He abstains from buying and selling. He abstains from falsifying weights, metals, and measures. He abstains from bribery, deception, fraud, and crookedness. He abstains from cutting, killing, binding, highway robbery, plunder, and violence. . This too is part of his virtue. The Minor Precepts are finished. The Middle Precepts 195. “Whereas some recluses and brahmins, having eaten food offered by faith, live addicted to such destruction of seeds and plants. That is to say – root seeds, stem seeds, joint seeds, shoot seeds, and fifthly, seed seeds. He refrains from such destruction of seeds and plants. This too is part of his virtue. 196. “Whereas some recluses and brahmins, having eaten food offered by faith, live addicted to such storage and accumulation. That is to say – storing food, storing drinks, storing clothes, storing vehicles, storing beds, storing perfumes, storing savories. He refrains from such storage and accumulation. This too is part of his virtue. 197. “Whereas some recluses and brahmins, having eaten food offered by faith, live addicted to such spectacles. That is to say – dancing, singing, music, shows, recitations, hand-clapping, cymbals, pot-drums, acrobatic displays, performances by Cāṇḍālas, bamboo-pole climbing, washing, elephant fights, horse fights, buffalo fights, bull fights, goat fights, ram fights, cock fights, quail fights, stick fights, boxing, wrestling, mock battles, army reviews, troop deployments, army parades. He refrains from such spectacles. This too is part of his virtue. 198. “Whereas some recluses and brahmins, having eaten food offered by faith, live addicted to such games and pastimes that lead to negligence. That is to say – eight-square chess, ten-square chess, aerial chess, dice games, ‘santika’ (a game with dice), ‘khalika’ (a game with dice), ‘ghaṭika’ (a game with dice), ‘salākahattha’ (a game with dice), ‘akkha’ (a game with dice), ‘paṅgacīra’ (a game with dice), ‘vaṅkaka’ (a game with dice), ‘mokkhacika’ (a game with dice), ‘ciṅgulika’ (a game with dice), ‘pattāḷhaka’ (a game with dice), ‘rathaka’ (a game with dice), ‘dhanuka’ (a game with dice), ‘akkharika’ (a game with letters), ‘manesika’ (a thought-guessing game), ‘yathāvajja’ (a game of guessing faults). He refrains from such games and pastimes that lead to negligence. From the practice of causing harm, he refrains. This too is his virtue. 199. Just as some venerable recluses and brahmins, having eaten food given by faith, dwell addicted to such high and large beds and seats. That is: a long couch, a divan, a woolen rug with long fleece, a variegated woolen rug,