English
And in that battle, friend Moggallāna, the gods won, the asuras were defeated. Having completely conquered that battle, friend Moggallāna, I, the conqueror of the battle, returned from there and built a palace called Vejayanta. The Vejayanta palace, friend Moggallāna, has a hundred pinnacles. On each pinnacle, are seven hundred gabled chambers. In each gabled chamber, are seven nymphs. For each nymph, are seven attendants. Would you like, friend Moggallāna, to see the charm of the Vejayanta palace? Venerable Mahāmoggallāna assented by his silence. Then Sakka, king of the gods, and Vessavaṇa, the great king, taking Venerable Mahāmoggallāna in front, approached the Vejayanta palace. Sakka, king of the gods' attendants, saw Venerable Mahāmoggallāna approaching from afar; seeing him, feeling shame and modesty, they entered their respective chambers. Just as a daughter-in-law, seeing her father-in-law, feels shame and modesty, even so, Sakka, king of the gods' attendants, seeing Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, feeling shame and modesty, entered their respective chambers. Then Sakka, king of the gods, and Vessavaṇa, the great king, had Venerable Mahāmoggallāna walk around and explore the Vejayanta palace, saying: "See this, friend Moggallāna, the charm of the Vejayanta palace; see this, friend Moggallāna, the charm of the Vejayanta palace!" This shines for the venerable Kosiya, as is fitting for one who has done good deeds in the past. Even humans, seeing something delightful, say this – ‘Indeed, sir, it shines like that of the Tāvatiṃsa gods!’ So this shines for the venerable Kosiya, as is fitting for one who has done good deeds in the past.” Then it occurred to the venerable Mahāmoggallāna – “This yakkha lives too heedlessly. What if I were to stir this yakkha?” Then the venerable Mahāmoggallāna performed such a feat of psychic power that he shook, made tremble, and made vibrate the Vejayanta palace with his big toe. Then Sakka, lord of the gods, and Vessavaṇa, the great king, and the Tāvatiṃsa gods were filled with wonder and amazement – “Wonderful, indeed, sirs! Amazing, indeed, sirs! The great power and might of the ascetic, that he should shake, make tremble, and make vibrate a divine mansion with his big toe!” Then the venerable Mahāmoggallāna, knowing Sakka, lord of the gods, to be stirred and with hair standing on end, said to Sakka, lord of the gods – “How, Kosiya, did the Blessed One speak concisely about liberation through the destruction of craving? It would be good if we too could be partakers of hearing that discourse.” 394. “Here, friend Moggallāna, I approached the Blessed One; having approached, I bowed to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, friend Moggallāna, I said to the Blessed One – ‘To what extent, venerable sir, is a monk concisely liberated through the destruction of craving, utterly complete, utterly secure from bondage, utterly a pure liver, utterly at an end, supreme among gods and humans?’” “When this was said, friend Moggallāna, the Blessed One said to me – ‘Here, lord of the gods, a monk has heard i – All phenomena are not fit for clinging. And thus, O king of devas, it is heard by the bhikkhu: ‘All phenomena are not fit for clinging.’ He comprehends all phenomena, having comprehended all phenomena, he fully understands all phenomena, having fully understood all phenomena, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant. He dwells contemplating impermanence in those feelings, he dwells contemplating dispassion, he dwells contemplating cessation, he dwells contemplating relinquishment. Dwelling thus, contemplating impermanence in those feelings, contemplating dispassion, contemplating cessation, contemplating relinquishment, he clings to nothing in the world. Not clinging, he is not agitated. Not agitated, he himself attains final Nibbāna: ‘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’ – he understands. To this extent, O king of devas, the bhikkhu is, in brief, liberated by the destruction of craving, ultimately accomplished, ultimately secure from bondage, ultimately a holy liver, ultimately ended, supreme among devas and humans. Thus, O Moggallāna, the Blessed One briefly taught me the liberation by the destruction of craving.” Then the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, having rejoiced in and approved the words of Sakka, king of devas – just as a strong man might extend a bent arm, or bend an extended arm – even so, having vanished from the Tāvatiṃsa devas, he reappeared in the Pubbārāma, at Migāramātupāsāda. Then the attendants of Sakka, king of devas, after the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna had departed not long before, said to Sakka, king of devas: “Is that, good sir, your Blessed One, your Teacher?” “No, good sirs, he is not my Blessed One, my Teacher. That Venerable Mahāmoggallāna is my fellow holy liver.” “It is your gain, good sir, (it is well gained by you, good sir) whose fellow holy liver is so mighty, so powerful! Ah o, surely that Blessed One is the Teacher!” 395. Then the venerable Mahāmoggallāna approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the venerable Mahāmoggallāna said to the Blessed One: “Does the Blessed One recall, bhante, that a certain powerful yakkha, a relative, was taught a brief teaching on liberation through the destruction of craving?” “I recall, Moggallāna, that Sakka, king of the devas, approached me here; having approached and paid homage to me, he stood to one side. Standing to one side, Moggallāna, Sakka, king of the devas, said to me: ‘To what extent, bhante, is a bhikkhu, in brief, liberated through the destruction of craving, utterly accomplished, utterly secure from bondage, utterly a pure liver, utterly complete, supreme among devas and humans?’” When this was said, Moggallāna, I said to Sakka, king of the devas: “Here, king of the devas, a bhikkhu has heard: ‘All phenomena are not to be clung to.’ If a bhikkhu, king of the devas, has heard this: ‘All phenomena are not to be clung to,’ he comprehends all phenomena, having comprehended all phenomena, he fully understands all phenomena, having fully understood all phenomena, whatever feeling he experiences—whether pleasant, painful, or neither painful nor pleasant—he dwells contemplating impermanence in those feelings, he dwells contemplating dispassion, he dwells contemplating cessation, he dwells contemplating relinquishment. Dwelling contemplating impermanence in those feelings, dwelling contemplating dispassion, dwelling contemplating cessation, dwelling contemplating relinquishment, he clings to nothing in the world, not clinging he is not agitated, not agitated he personally attains final Nibbāna—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.’ To this extent, king of the devas, a bhik the monk, in short, is liberated by the destruction of craving, one who has reached the ultimate end, one who has attained the ultimate security from bondage, one who has lived the ultimate holy life, one who has reached the ultimate culmination, the best among gods and humans. Thus, Moggallāna, I know that Sakka, the lord of devas, spoke of liberation through the destruction of craving in brief.” This the Blessed One said. Satisfied, Venerable Mahāmoggallāna rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words. The Cūḷataṇhāsaṅkhaya Sutta, the seventh, is ended. 8. The Mahātaṇhāsaṅkhaya Sutta 396. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time, a monk named Sāti, son of a fisherman, had conceived such a wicked wrong view: “As I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, it is this same consciousness that runs and wanders, not another.” Many monks heard: “Indeed, a monk named Sāti, son of a fisherman, has conceived such a wicked wrong view: ‘As I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, it is this same consciousness that runs and wanders, not another.’” Then those monks approached the monk Sāti, son of a fisherman. Having approached, they said to the monk Sāti, son of a fisherman: “Is it true, friend Sāti, that such a wicked wrong view has arisen in you: ‘As I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, it is this same consciousness that runs and wanders, not another’?” “Indeed, friends, as I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, it is this same consciousness that runs and wanders, not another.” Then those monks, desiring to dissuade the monk Sāti, son of a fisherman, from that wicked wrong view, questioned him, cross-examined him, and discussed with him: “Do not say that, friend Sāti! Do not misrepresent the Blessed One! It is not good to misrepresent the Blessed One! The Blessed One does not he would say. "In many ways, friend Sāti, consciousness has been declared by the Blessed One as dependently originated; there is no arising of consciousness without a condition." Yet Sāti, the monk, son of a fisherman, though questioned, admonished, and reasoned with by those monks, stubbornly clung to, grasped, and asserted that same evil view: "Indeed, friend, I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One in this way: that this very consciousness runs on and transmigrates, not another." 397. When those monks could not dissuade Sāti, the monk, son of a fisherman, from that evil view, then those monks approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, they sat down to one side. Seated to one side, those monks said to the Blessed One: "Venerable sir, an evil view of this kind has arisen in a monk named Sāti, son of a fisherman: 'I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One in this way: that this very consciousness runs on and transmigrates, not another.'