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B0102020103opammavaggo (parable sutra)

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he would reach the seventh relay chariot. He would dismiss the sixth he would dismiss the chariot relay, he would mount the seventh chariot relay. With the seventh chariot relay, he would reach Sāketa, the palace gate. When he had arrived at the palace gate, his friends, ministers, relatives, and kinsmen would ask him thus: ‘By means of this chariot relay, O Great King, have you arrived at Sāketa, the palace gate, from Sāvatthī?’ How would King Pasenadi of Kosala, friends, answer correctly if he were to answer?’’ ‘‘King Pasenadi of Kosala, friends, would answer correctly if he were to answer thus: ‘While I was residing in Sāvatthī, some urgent business arose for me in Sāketa. For me, between Sāvatthī and Sāketa, seven chariot relays were prepared. Then, departing from Sāvatthī, from the palace gate, I mounted the first chariot relay. With the first chariot relay, I reached the second chariot relay, I dismissed the first chariot relay, I mounted the second chariot relay. With the second chariot relay, I reached the third chariot relay, I dismissed the second chariot relay, I mounted the third chariot relay. With the third chariot relay, I reached the fourth chariot relay, I dismissed the third chariot relay, I mounted the fourth chariot relay. With the fourth chariot relay, I reached the fifth chariot relay, I dismissed the fourth chariot relay, I mounted the fifth chariot relay. With the fifth chariot relay, I reached the sixth chariot relay, I dismissed the fifth chariot relay, I mounted the sixth chariot relay. With the sixth chariot relay, I reached the seventh chariot relay, I dismissed the sixth chariot relay, I mounted the seventh chariot relay. With the seventh chariot relay, I arrived at Sāketa, the palace gate.’ Thus, friends, King Pasenadi of Kosala would answer correctly if he were to answer.’’ ‘‘Just so, Ho, friend, purity of virtue is just for the sake of purity of mind; purity of mind is just for the sake of purity of view; purity of view is just for the sake of purity of overcoming doubt; purity of overcoming doubt is just for the sake of purity of knowledge and vision of what is the path and what is not; purity of knowledge and vision of what is the path and what is not is just for the sake of purity of knowledge and vision of the way; purity of knowledge and vision of the way is just for the sake of purity of knowledge and vision; purity of knowledge and vision is just for the sake of unclinging final Nibbāna. For the sake of unclinging final Nibbāna, friend, is the holy life lived under the Blessed One. 260. When this was said, Venerable Sāriputta said to Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāṇiputta: “What is your name, Venerable sir? And how do your fellow monks know you?” “My name is Puṇṇa, friend; and my fellow monks know me as Mantāṇiputta.” “Wonderful, friend, amazing, friend! Just as a well-taught disciple, who rightly understands the Teacher’s Dispensation, even so has Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāṇiputta answered profound questions by examining them deeply. It is a gain for the fellow monks, a well-gained gain for the fellow monks, who get to see Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāṇiputta, who get to attend upon him. Even if fellow monks were to carry Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāṇiputta on their heads in a rag-bundle, and get to see him, and get to attend upon him, it would be a gain for them, it would be well-gained for them. It is a gain for us, it is well-gained for us, who get to see Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāṇiputta, who get to attend upon him.” When this was said, Venerable Puṇṇa Mantāṇiputta said to Venerable Sāriputta: “What is your name, Venerable sir? And how do your fellow monks know you?” “My name is Upatissa, friend; and my fellow monks know me as Sāriputta.” “Like the Teacher, indeed, Indeed, sirs, we did not know, conversing with the disciple, that it was Venerable Sāriputta. If we had known that it was Venerable Sāriputta, we would not have spoken so much. Wonderful, friends, amazing, friends! Just as a well-taught disciple, who understands the Teacher's teaching well, even so, Venerable Sāriputta asked profound questions, pondering them again and again. Gain for the fellow practitioners, a well-gained gain for the fellow practitioners, who obtain to see Venerable Sāriputta, who obtain to attend upon him. Even if fellow practitioners were to carry Venerable Sāriputta on their heads in a cloth-basket, and obtain to see him, obtain to attend upon him, that would be a gain for them, a well-gained gain for them. And for us too, it is a gain, for us too, it is a well-gained gain, that we obtain to see Venerable Sāriputta, that we obtain to attend upon him. Thus, those two great Nāgas approved each other's well-spoken words. The Rathavinīta Sutta, the fourth, is finished. 5. The Nivāpa Sutta 261. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery. There, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "Bhikkhus!" "Venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this: "Not, bhikkhus, does a trapper scatter bait for deer thinking: 'May these deer, eating this bait I have scattered, live long, be beautiful, and endure for a long time.' But rather, bhikkhus, a trapper scatters bait for deer thinking: 'These deer, approaching and becoming infatuated, will eat the food. Approaching and becoming infatuated, eating the food, they will fall into intoxication. Being intoxicated, they will fall into heedlessness. Being heedless, they will become subject to my will in this bait.' 262. "There, bhikkhus, the first The herd of deer, having plunged into that fodder spread by the fowler, infatuated, ate the food. They, having plunged into it there, infatuated, eating the food, fell into intoxication. Being intoxicated, they fell into heedlessness. Being heedless, they became doers of whatever the fowler wished in that fodder ground. Thus indeed, bhikkhus, that first herd of deer did not escape the fowler's power. 263. "There, bhikkhus, the second herd of deer thought thus: 'Those first herd of deer, having plunged into that fodder spread by the fowler, infatuated, ate the food. They, having plunged into it there, infatuated, eating the food, fell into intoxication. Being intoxicated, they fell into heedlessness. Being heedless, they became doers of whatever the fowler wished in that fodder ground. Thus indeed, that first herd of deer did not escape the fowler's power. What if we completely abstain from fodder-food, abstaining from fearful enjoyments, and live having plunged into forest haunts?' They completely abstained from fodder-food, abstaining from fearful enjoyments, and lived having plunged into forest haunts. For them, in the last month of summer, with grass and water exhausted, their bodies became extremely emaciated. For them, with bodies extremely emaciated, strength and energy declined. When strength and energy had declined, they returned to that very fodder spread by the fowler. They, having plunged into it there, infatuated, ate the food. They, having plunged into it there, infatuated, eating the food, fell into intoxication. Being intoxicated, they fell into heedlessness. Being heedless, they became doers of whatever the fowler wished in that fodder ground. Thus indeed, bhikkhus, that second herd of deer also did not escape the fowler's power. 264. "There, bhikkhus, the third herd of deer thought thus: 'Those first herd of deer, having plunged into that fodder spread by the fowler..." ... Thus indeed, those first deer herds were not freed from the fowler's power. And those second deer herds thought thus: "Indeed, those first deer herds, [having eaten] that bait laid by the fowler... ...thus indeed, those first deer herds were not freed from the fowler's power. What if we were to abstain completely from eating bait? Abstaining from fearful enjoyments, having plunged into forest abodes, we would live." They completely abstained from eating bait. Abstaining from fearful enjoyments, having plunged into forest abodes, they lived. For them, in the last month of summer, with grass and water depleted, their bodies became extremely emaciated. For them, with bodies extremely emaciated, strength and vigor declined. With strength and vigor declined, they returned to that very bait laid by the fowler. There, they plunged in, infatuated, and ate the food. There, plunging in, infatuated, eating the food, they fell into intoxication. Being intoxicated, they fell into heedlessness. Being heedless, they became subject to the fowler's will in that bait. Thus indeed, those second deer herds also were not freed from the fowler's power. "What if we were to establish a dwelling place near that bait laid by the fowler? Having established a dwelling place there, we would eat the food, that bait laid by the fowler, without plunging in, without infatuation. Eating the food without plunging in, without infatuation, we would not fall into intoxication. Being unintoxicated, we would not fall into heedlessness. Being unheedful, we would not become subject to the fowler's will in that bait." They established a dwelling place near that bait laid by the fowler. Having established a dwelling place there, they ate the food, that bait laid by the fowler, without plunging in, without infatuation. There, eating the food without plunging in, without infatuation, they did not fall into intoxication. Being unintoxicated, they did not fall into heedlessness... They fell into danger, being heedless, they could not do as they wished in that pasture of the fowler. There, monks, it occurred to the fowler and the fowler's company: 'These third kind of deer are indeed cunning, deceitful; these third kind of deer are indeed powerful strangers; they consume this pasture laid out, and we do not know their coming or going. What if we were to surround this laid-out pasture on all sides with large nets – perhaps we might see