English
I see beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, well-faring and ill-faring, I discern beings according to their deeds. This, indeed, for me, brahmin, in the middle watch of the night, was the second knowledge attained, ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose, as it is for one who dwells heedful, ardent, resolute. 54. With my mind thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, without blemish, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, unshakable, I directed my mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the taints. I directly knew ‘This is suffering’ as it actually is, I directly knew ‘This is the origin of suffering’ as it actually is, I directly knew ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ as it actually is, I directly knew ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering’ as it actually is. I directly knew ‘These are the taints’ as they actually are, I directly knew ‘This is the origin of the taints’ as it actually is, I directly knew ‘This is the cessation of the taints’ as it actually is, I directly knew ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of the taints’ as it actually is. For me, thus knowing, thus seeing, my mind was liberated from the taint of sensuality, my mind was liberated from the taint of becoming, my mind was liberated from the taint of ignorance. In liberation, the knowledge ‘It is liberated’ arose. I directly knew: ‘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.’ Ay This, brahmin, was the third knowledge I attained in the last watch of the night. Ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose; darkness was dispelled, light arose—as is fitting for one who dwells heedful, ardent, and resolute. 55. “It might be, brahmin, that you would think: ‘Surely the ascetic Gotama is still not free from lust, not free from hatred, not free from delusion; that is why he resorts to remote forest and wilderness dwellings.’ But, brahmin, it should not be seen thus. I, brahmin, resort to remote forest and wilderness dwellings, seeing two benefits: seeing my own comfortable dwelling in this very life, and out of compassion for future generations.” 56. “Indeed, the future generations have been shown compassion by the venerable Gotama, as is fitting for an Arahant, a Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. Excellent, venerable Gotama! Excellent, venerable Gotama! Just as, venerable Gotama, 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 venerable Gotama in various ways. I go for refuge to the venerable Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. May the venerable Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth, for as long as life lasts.” The Discourse on Fear and Terror, the fourth, is finished. 5. The Discourse on the Blemishless 57. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. There, the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus, saying: “Friends, bhikkhus!” “Friend!” those bhikkhus replied to the Venerable Sāriputta. The Venerable Sāriputta said this: “There are, friends, these four individuals existing, found in the world. Which four? Here, friends, a certain individual, being blemished, does not understand as it really is: ‘There is a blemish within me.’ Here, friends, A certain person being with defilement 'there is defilement within me' truly understands. Here, friend, a certain person being without defilement 'there is no defilement within me' does not truly understand. But here, friend, a certain person being without defilement 'there is no defilement within me' truly understands. There, friend, that person being with defilement 'there is defilement within me' does not truly understand, among these two persons with defilement is called an inferior person. There, friend, that person being with defilement 'there is defilement within me' truly understands, among these two persons with defilement is called a superior person. There, friend, that person being without defilement 'there is no defilement within me' does not truly understand, among these two persons without defilement is called an inferior person. There, friend, that person being without defilement 'there is no defilement within me' truly understands, among these two persons without defilement is called a superior person. When this was said, Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said to Venerable Sāriputta: "What, friend Sāriputta, is the reason, what is the cause, why among these two persons with defilement one is called an inferior person, one is called a superior person? And what, friend Sāriputta, is the reason, what is the cause, why among these two persons without defilement one is called an inferior person, one is called a superior person?" "There, friend, that person being with defilement 'there is defilement within me' does not truly understand, this is to be expected of him: he will not generate desire, he will not strive, he will not arouse energy for the abandoning of that defilement; he, with lust, with hatred, with delusion, with defilement..." A group, defiled in mind, will die. Just as, friend, a bronze bowl, brought from a shop or from a smith's family, is covered with dust and grime. Its owners would neither use it nor clean it, and would throw it onto a dusty path. Thus, friend, that bronze bowl would later become even more defiled, covered in grime. "Yes, friend." Just so, friend, this person, being one with defilements, does not truly know: 'There is defilement within me.' For such a one, this is to be expected: they will not generate desire, nor strive, nor arouse energy for the abandoning of that defilement. Such a one, with greed, with hatred, with delusion, with defilement, defiled in mind, will die. But here, friend, this person, being one with defilements, truly knows: 'There is defilement within me.' For such a one, this is to be expected: they will generate desire, strive, and arouse energy for the abandoning of that defilement. Such a one, without greed, without hatred, without delusion, without defilement, undefiled in mind, will die. Just as, friend, a bronze bowl, brought from a shop or from a smith's family, is covered with dust and grime. Its owners would both use it and clean it, and would not throw it onto a dusty path. Thus, friend, that bronze bowl would later become even purer, well-cleaned. "Yes, friend." Just so, friend, this person, being one with defilements, truly knows: 'There is defilement within me.' For such a one, this is to be expected: they will generate desire, strive, and arouse energy for the abandoning of that defilement. Such a one, without greed, without hatred, without delusion, without defilement, undefiled in mind, will die. But here, friend, this person, being one without defilements, does not truly know: 'There is no defilement within me.' For such a one, this is to be expected: they will attend to a beautiful sign, for that... By attending to the beautiful sign, lust will corrupt the mind. He, with lust, with hatred, with delusion, with defilement, with a corrupted mind, will die. Just as, friend, a bronze bowl brought from a shop or from a smith's family, clean and bright. Its owners would neither use it nor clean it, but would cast it in a dusty path. Would that bronze bowl, friend, after some time, become more defiled, covered with grime? "Yes, friend." Even so, friend, this person, though without defilement, does not know as it really is: "There is no defilement within me." For him, this is to be expected: he will attend to the beautiful sign. By attending to the beautiful sign, lust will corrupt his mind. He, with lust, with hatred, with delusion, with defilement, with a corrupted mind, will die. But friend, this person, though without defilement, knows as it really is: "There is no defilement within me." For him, this is to be expected: he will not attend to the beautiful sign. By not attending to the beautiful sign, lust will not corrupt his mind. He, without lust, without hatred, without delusion, without defilement, with an uncorrupted mind, will die. Just as, friend, a bronze bowl brought from a shop or from a smith's family, clean and bright. Its owners would both use it and clean it, and would not cast it in a dusty path. Would that bronze bowl, friend, after some time, become cleaner and brighter? "Yes, friend." Even so, friend, this person, though without defilement, knows as it really is: "There is no defilement within me." For him, this is to be expected: he will not attend to the beautiful sign. By not attending to the beautiful sign, lust will not corrupt his mind. He, without lust, without hatred, without delusion, without defilement, with an uncorrupted mind, will die. This, friend Moggallāna, is the reason, this is the cause, why for some... Of two persons, both with blemishes, one is called an inferior person, one is called a superior person. But, friend Moggallāna, this is the reason, this is the cause, by which, of these two persons, both without blemishes, one is called an inferior person, one is called a superior person. 60. ‘Blemish, blemish,’ friend, is said. What, then, friend, is this a designation for, that is, ‘blemish’? This, friend, is a designation for evil, unwholesome desires, that is, ‘blemish’. It is possible, friend, that a certain monk here might have such a wish: ‘Oh, that I might commit an offense, and the monks not know that I have committed an offense!’ It is possible, friend, that the monks might know that monk: ‘He has committed an offense.’ ‘The monks know that I have committed an offense’ – so he becomes angry, displeased.