Back to the library

B0102020104mahāyamakavaggo (great pair sutra)

English

and an encourager of those who are united. He delights in unity, rejoices in unity, is joyful in unity, and speaks words that promote unity. He abandons harsh speech, and abstains from harsh speech. That speech is pleasant, pleasing to the ear, lovely, heart-touching, popular, dear to many people, pleasing to many people; such speech he speaks. Having abandoned frivolous talk, he abstains from frivolous talk. He speaks at the right time, speaks what is true, speaks what is beneficial, speaks of the Dhamma, speaks of the Vinaya. He speaks speech worth treasuring, at the right time, with reasons, to the point, meaningful. He abstains from harming seeds and plants. He eats one meal a day, abstaining from food at night, abstaining from untimely food. 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 cheating with scales, metals, and measures. He abstains from bribery, deception, fraud, and crookedness. He abstains from cutting, killing, binding, highway robbery, plunder, and violence. He is content with robes to protect his body, and almsfood to fill his stomach. Wherever he goes, he goes taking only these. Just as a bird, wherever it flies, flies only with its wings as its burden, even so, the bhikkhu is content with robes to protect his body, and almsfood to fill his stomach. Wherever he goes, he goes taking only these. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, he experiences blameless happiness within himself. comes. He, seeing a form with the eye, does not grasp at its signs, nor at its details. For that by which the eye-faculty, dwelling unrestrained, might be assailed by covetousness and distress, evil unwholesome states, for its restraint he practices. He guards the eye-faculty, he undertakes restraint in the eye-faculty. Hearing a sound with the ear... smelling a smell with the nose... tasting a taste with the tongue... touching a tangible with the body... cognizing a mental phenomenon with the mind, he does not grasp at its signs, nor at its details. For that by which the mind-faculty, dwelling unrestrained, might be assailed by covetousness and distress, evil unwholesome states, for its restraint he practices. He guards the mind-faculty, he undertakes restraint in the mind-faculty. Endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties, he experiences an inner blameless happiness. He, in going forth and returning, acts with clear comprehension. In looking forward and looking around, he acts with clear comprehension. In bending and stretching, he acts with clear comprehension. In wearing his robes and carrying his bowl, he acts with clear comprehension. In eating, drinking, chewing, tasting, he acts with clear comprehension. In defecating and urinating, he acts with clear comprehension. In walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and remaining silent, he acts with clear comprehension. 412. Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, (and endowed with this noble contentment) [see MN 1.296, Cūḷahatthipadopama Sutta], endowed with this noble restraint of the faculties, and endowed with this noble mindfulness and clear comprehension, he resorts to a secluded dwelling – a forest, a root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, a heap of straw. After his meal, having returned from his alms round, he sits down, crossing his legs, holding his body erect, and establishing mindfulness in front of him. He, having abandoned covetousness for the world, dwells with a mind free from covetousness, cleansing his mind from covetousness. cleanses; Having abandoned ill will and malevolence, he dwells with a mind free from ill will, compassionate for the welfare of all beings and creatures; he cleanses his mind from ill will and malevolence; Having abandoned sloth and torpor, he dwells free from sloth and torpor, perceiving light, mindful and clearly comprehending; he cleanses his mind from sloth and torpor; Having abandoned restlessness and remorse, he dwells unagitated, with his mind inwardly pacified; he cleanses his mind from restlessness and remorse; Having abandoned doubt, he dwells having crossed over doubt, without perplexity regarding wholesome states; he cleanses his mind from doubt. 413. Having abandoned these five hindrances, the defilements of the mind, which weaken wisdom, he enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure, having secluded himself from sensual pleasures, having secluded himself from unwholesome states. Again, monks, with the subsiding of applied thought and sustained thought, with the inner tranquility and unification of mind, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which is without applied thought and sustained thought, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure… the third jhāna… the fourth jhāna. 414. Having seen a form with the eye, he does not become infatuated with pleasing forms, he does not become averse to displeasing forms, and he dwells with mindfulness of the body established, with immeasurable mind. And he understands that liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom as it actually is – where those evil unwholesome states of his cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned agreement and disagreement, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, he does not welcome it, he does not cling to it. When he does not delight in that feeling, does not welcome it, does not cling to it, the delight in feelings ceases. With the cessation of delight, there is the cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, there is the cessation of becoming; with the cessation of becoming, there is the cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus there is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering. Having heard a sound with the ear, Having heard, Having seen, Having smelled a smell with the nose, Having tasted a taste with the tongue, Having touched a tangible with the body, Having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, he does not become attached to pleasant things, he does not become averse to unpleasant things, and he dwells with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind, and he understands that liberation of mind, liberation through wisdom, as it really is, where his evil, unwholesome states cease without remainder. He, thus having abandoned agreement and disagreement, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, does not welcome it, does not cling to it. For him, not delighting in that feeling, not welcoming it, not clinging to it, the delight in feelings ceases. With the cessation of delight, there is cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, there is cessation of becoming; with the cessation of becoming, there is cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering. This, bhikkhus, you should remember as the liberation by the destruction of craving, in brief. And the bhikkhu Kevatta's son is freed from the great net of craving, the entanglement of craving. The Blessed One said this. Delighted, those bhikkhus rejoiced in the Blessed One's words. The Great Discourse on the Destruction of Craving, the eighth, is finished. 9. The Great Assapura Discourse 415. Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was dwelling among the Angas, in a market town of the Angas named Assapura. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Bhikkhus!" "Venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One spoke thus: "Monastics, monastics" — thus, bhikkhus, people perceive you. And when you are asked, 'Who are you?', you acknowledge, 'We are monastics.' For you, bhikkhus, being thus perceived, being thus acknowledged, 'We will undertake and practice those qualities that make one a monastic and that make one a brahmin, so that this of ours..." The designation will be true, and the promise fulfilled. And those whose robes, almsfood, dwellings, and medicinal requisites for the sick we use, their deeds towards us will be of great fruit, of great benefit. And our going forth will not be barren, it will be fruitful, and productive. Thus, bhikkhus, you should train. 416. And what, bhikkhus, are the qualities that make one a recluse and a brahmin? 'We will be endowed with shame and fear of wrongdoing'— thus, bhikkhus, you should train. It might be, bhikkhus, that you would think: 'We are endowed with shame and fear of wrongdoing; that is enough, that is done; the purpose of recluseship has been attained by us; there is nothing further to be done.' And you might be content with just that. I declare to you, bhikkhus, I make known to you, bhikkhus: 'May the purpose of recluseship not decline for you who seek the purpose of recluseship, when there is something further to be done.' 417. And what, bhikkhus, is something further to be done? 'Our bodily conduct will be pure, open, unconcealed, without flaw, and restrained.