English
whether the world contracted or expanded. I know the future course of time, whether the world will contract or expand. The self and the world are eternal, barren, standing firm like a mountain peak, like a pillar. But these beings run on, wander on, pass away, and reappear, yet they are eternally the same.' This is the first eternalist view. Again, Venerable Sir, some ascetic or brahmin, by means of ardent effort... ...attains such a concentration of mind that with his mind thus concentrated, he recollects his manifold past existences. For example, one aeon of contraction and expansion, two aeons of contraction and expansion, three aeons of contraction and expansion, four aeons of contraction and expansion, five aeons of contraction and expansion, ten aeons of contraction and expansion. 'There I was, of such a name, of such a clan, of such a complexion, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose yonder. There too I was, of such a name, of such a clan, of such a complexion, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I have arisen here.' Thus he recollects his manifold past existences, with their aspects and details. He says this: 'I know the past course of time, whether the world contracted or expanded. I know the future course of time, whether the world will contract or expand. The self and the world are eternal, barren, standing firm like a mountain peak, like a pillar. But these beings... they run on, they wander on, they pass away, they reappear, the self and the world are eternal.” This is the second eternalist doctrine. “Again, venerable sir, some ascetic or brahmin here, by means of ardour… …touches such a concentration of mind, that with mind thus concentrated, he recollects various past existences. That is to say, ten aeons of world-contraction and expansion, twenty aeons of world-contraction and expansion, thirty aeons of world-contraction and expansion, forty aeons of world-contraction and expansion, ‘There I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a colour, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I reappeared yonder. There too I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a colour, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I have reappeared here.’ Thus he recollects various past existences, with their details and features. He then says: ‘I know the past aeon, how the world contracted and expanded; I know the future aeon, how the world will contract and expand. The self and the world are eternal, barren, standing firm like a mountain peak, like a pillar firmly fixed. And those beings run on, they wander on, they pass away, they reappear, the self and the world are eternal.’ This is the third eternalist doctrine. This, venerable sir, is the highest among eternalist doctrines. Teaching on the Knowledge of Recollection of Past Lives 157. “But again, venerable sir, this is the highest, as the Blessed One teaches the Dhamma regarding the knowledge of recollection of past lives. Here, venerable sir, some ascetic or brahmin, by means of ardour… …touches such a concentration of mind, that with mind thus concentrated, he recollects various past existences. That is to say, 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 aeons of world-contraction, many aeons of world-expansion, many aeons of world-contraction in one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred thousand, many aeons of contraction, many aeons of expansion, many aeons of contraction and expansion, ‘There I was, of such a name, of such a clan, of such a colour, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, of such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose yonder. There I was, of such a name, of such a clan, of such a colour, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, of such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I arose here.’ Thus he recollects his manifold past abodes, with their aspects and details. There are, venerable sir, devas [beings] whose lifespan cannot be counted by calculation or enumeration. Moreover, in whatever existence he has previously dwelt, whether among those with form, or among those without form, or among those with perception, or among those without perception, or among those with neither perception nor non-perception. Thus he recollects his manifold past abodes, with their aspects and details. This, venerable sir, is the unsurpassed in the knowledge of recollecting past abodes. Teaching on the Knowledge of the Passing Away and Reappearing of Beings 158. “Furthermore, venerable sir, this is the unsurpassed in how the Blessed One teaches the Dhamma regarding the knowledge of the passing away and reappearing of beings. Here, venerable sir, some ascetic or brahmin, by means of ardour… …attains such a concentration of mind, that with his mind thus concentrated, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate. He understands beings according to their actions: ‘Indeed, these venerable beings were endowed with misconduct of body, endowed with misconduct of speech, endowed with misconduct of mind, revilers of noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views. They, at the breaking up of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. Or these venerable beings were endowed with good conduct of body, endowed with good conduct of speech, endowed with good conduct of mind, not revilers of noble ones, holding right views, undertaking actions based on right views. They, at the breaking up of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, a heavenly world.’ Thus, with the divine eye, with purified, more than human vision, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands beings according to their kamma. This, venerable sir, is the unsurpassed knowledge of the passing away and reappearing of beings. Teaching on Psychic Powers 159. "Furthermore, venerable sir, this is an unsurpassed thing, how the Blessed One teaches the Dhamma regarding psychic powers. There are two kinds of psychic powers, venerable sir. There is, venerable sir, a psychic power with defilements, with attachments, which is called 'not noble'. There is, venerable sir, a psychic power without defilements, without attachments, which is called 'noble'. "What, venerable sir, is the psychic power with defilements, with attachments, which is called 'not noble'? Here, venerable sir, some ascetic or brahmin, by means of ardent effort... ...attains such a concentration of mind, that with his mind thus concentrated, he experiences various kinds of psychic power. Being one, he becomes many; being many, he becomes one. He appears and vanishes. He goes unhindered through walls, through ramparts, through mountains, as if through space. He dives in and out of the earth, as if in water. He walks on water without sinking, as if on earth. He travels through the air, sitting cross-legged, as if a winged bird. He touches and strokes with his hand even the moon and sun, so mighty, so powerful. He exercises mastery with his body even as far as the Brahma-world. This, venerable sir, is the psychic power with defilements, with attachments, which is called 'not noble'. "What, venerable sir, is the psychic power without defilements, without attachments, which is called 'noble'? Here, venerable sir, if a monk wishes: 'May I dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in the repulsive,' he dwells there perceiving the unrepulsive. If he wishes: 'May I dwell perceiving the repulsive in the unrepulsive,' he dwells there perceiving the repulsive. If he wishes: 'May I dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in both the repulsive and the unrepulsive,' he dwells there perceiving the unrepulsive. If he wishes: 'May I dwell perceiving the repulsive in both the repulsive and the unrepulsive,' 'may dwell,' he dwells there perceiving repulsiveness. If he wishes: 'Having rejected both the repulsive and the unrepulsive, I would dwell equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending,' he dwells there equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending. This, venerable sir, is the power without taints, without attachments, called 'noble'. This is the unsurpassed, venerable sir, among the modes of power. The Blessed One knows this completely. For the Blessed One, who knows this completely, there is nothing further to be known, by knowing which another ascetic or brahmin might be more fully knowing than the Blessed One in this matter of modes of power. Display of the Teacher's Qualities in Another Way 160. Whatever, venerable sir, is to be attained by a faithful young man of good family, who has aroused energy, who is strong, with manly strength, manly energy, manly exertion, manly burden-bearing, that has been attained by the Blessed One. And the Blessed One, venerable sir, is not devoted to the indulgence in sensual pleasures, which is low, vulgar, of the common folk, ignoble, and unbeneficial. Nor is he devoted to the indulgence in self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial. And the Blessed One is a frequent obtainer, an obtainer without difficulty, an obtainer without trouble, of the four jhānas, which are of the higher mind, and are a pleasant dwelling in this very life. The Manner of Giving Admonition 161. If, venerable sir, they were to ask me thus: 'Now, friend Sāriputta,