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B0102020203paribbājakavaggo (游行经 The Chapter on Wanderers )

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4. The Dīghanakha Sutta 201. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was staying in Rājagaha, on Gijjhakūṭa Mountain, in the Sūkarakhata cave. Then Dīghanakha the wanderer approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he stood to one side. Standing to one side, Dīghanakha the wanderer said this to the Blessed One: "Indeed, good Gotama, I am of such a view, of such a teaching: 'Nothing whatsoever is agreeable to me.'" "Aggivessana, even this view of yours, 'Nothing whatsoever is agreeable to me,' is this view not agreeable to you?" "If, good Gotama, this view were agreeable to me, that would be just the same, that would be just the same." "From this, Aggivessana, there are many, indeed more, in the world who say thus: 'That would be just the same, that would be just the same.' They do not abandon that view and they take up another view. From this, Aggivessana, there are few, indeed fewer, in the world who say thus: 'That would be just the same, that would be just the same.' They abandon that view and do not take up another view. There are, Aggivessana, some recluses and brahmins who are of such a view, of such a teaching: 'Everything is agreeable to me.' There are, Aggivessana, some recluses and brahmins who are of such a view, of such a teaching: 'Nothing whatsoever is agreeable to me.' There are, Aggivessana, some recluses and brahmins who are of such a view, of such a teaching: 'Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me.' Among these, Aggivessana, those recluses and brahmins who are of such a view, of such a teaching: 'Everything is agreeable to me'— this view of theirs is close to passion, close to entanglement, Near, near to delight, near to attachment, near to grasping; There, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who speak thus, who hold such a view – ‘Nothing is agreeable to me’ – their view is near to non-passion, near to non-bondage, near to non-delight, near to non-attachment, near to non-grasping. 202. Thus spoken, Dīghanakha the wanderer said this to the Blessed One: "Venerable Gotama exalts my view, Venerable Gotama highly exalts my view." "There, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who speak thus, who hold such a view – ‘Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me’. Indeed, that view of theirs which is agreeable is near to passion, near to bondage, near to delight, near to attachment, near to grasping; indeed, that view of theirs which is not agreeable is near to non-passion, near to non-bondage, near to non-delight, near to non-attachment, near to non-grasping. There, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who speak thus, who hold such a view – ‘Everything is agreeable to me’ – concerning that, a discerning person reflects thus – ‘Indeed, this view of mine – that everything is agreeable to me – if I were to firmly grasp, cling to, and assert this view – ‘This alone is truth, anything else is foolishness’; I would have a quarrel with two others – with this ascetic or brahmin who speaks thus, who holds such a view – that nothing is agreeable to me, and with this ascetic or brahmin who speaks thus, who holds such a view – that some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me – I would have a quarrel with these two. Thus, when there is quarreling, there is dispute, when there is dispute, there is vexation, when there is vexation, there is harassment’. Thus, seeing quarrel, dispute, vexation, and harassment in himself, he abandons that view and does not take up another view. In this way, there is the abandoning of these views, in this way, these is the relinquishing of views. 203. "Therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who speak thus, who hold this view: 'Nothing is agreeable to me,' a discerning person reflects thus: 'If I were to firmly grasp, cling to, and adhere to this view of mine – "Nothing is agreeable to me" – saying, "This alone is true, anything else is foolish"; I would have contention with two [groups]: with that ascetic or brahmin who speaks thus, who holds this view: "Everything is agreeable to me," and with that ascetic or brahmin who speaks thus, who holds this view: "Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me." With these two I would have contention. When there is contention, there is dispute; when there is dispute, there is vexation; when there is vexation, there is harassment.' Thus, seeing contention, dispute, vexation, and harassment in himself, he abandons that view and does not take up another view. Thus is the abandoning of these views, thus is the relinquishing of these views. 204. "Therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who speak thus, who hold this view: 'Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me,' a discerning person reflects thus: 'If I were to firmly grasp, cling to, and adhere to this view of mine – "Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me" – saying, "This alone is true, anything else is foolish"; I would have contention with two [groups]: with that ascetic or brahmin who speaks thus, who holds this view: "Everything is agreeable to me," and with that ascetic or brahmin who speaks thus, who holds this view: "Nothing is agreeable to me." With these two I would have contention. When there is contention, there is dispute; when there is dispute, there is vexation; when there is vexation, there is harassment.' Thus, seeing contention, dispute, vexation, and harassment in himself, he abandons that view and does not take up another view. Thus is the abandoning of these views, thus is the relinquishing of these views. 205. ‘‘Now, Aggivessana, this body, material, made of the four great elements, born of mother and father, fed on rice and gruel, subject to impermanence, to rubbing, to massaging, to breaking up, to dissolution, should be seen as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a boil, as a dart, as a calamity, as an affliction, as alien, as disintegrating, as empty, as not-self. For one who sees this body as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a boil, as a dart, as a calamity, as an affliction, as alien, as disintegrating, as empty, as not-self, the desire for the body, the affection for the body, the inclination towards the body— that is abandoned. ‘‘There are these three feelings, Aggivessana: pleasant feeling, painful feeling, neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling. At the time, Aggivessana, when one feels a pleasant feeling, one does not feel a painful feeling at that time, nor a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling; one feels only a pleasant feeling at that time. At the time, Aggivessana, when one feels a painful feeling, one does not feel a pleasant feeling at that time, nor a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling; one feels only a painful feeling at that time. At the time, Aggivessana, when one feels a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling, one does not feel a pleasant feeling at that time, nor a painful feeling; one feels only a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling at that time. Pleasant feeling too, Aggivessana, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to decay, to vanishing, to dispassion, to cessation. Painful feeling too, Aggivessana, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to decay, to vanishing, to dispassion, to cessation. Neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling too, Aggivessana, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to decay, to vanishing, to dispassion, to cessation. Seeing thus, Aggivessana, the instructed noble disciple becomes disenchanted with pleasant feeling, becomes disenchanted with painful feeling, becomes disenchanted with neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling; being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. from birth, he is liberated through dispassion. In liberation, the knowledge arises: ‘I am liberated.’ 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.’ Thus, Aggivessana, a bhikkhu with a liberated mind does not converse with anyone, does not dispute with anyone, and what is spoken in the world, he uses that, without grasping.” 206. Now at that time, Venerable Sāriputta was standing behind the Blessed One, fanning the Blessed One. Then it occurred to Venerable Sāriputta: “Indeed, the Blessed One speaks of direct knowledge and abandonment of these various states; indeed, the Fortunate One speaks of direct knowledge and relinquishment of these various states.” As Venerable Sāriputta reflected thus, his mind was liberated from the taints, without clinging. And to Dīghanakha the wanderer, the dustless, stainless vision of the Dhamma arose: “Whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease.” Then Dīghanakha the wanderer, having seen the Dhamma, attained the Dhamma, understood the Dhamma, penetrated the Dhamma, having crossed over doubt, having put away perplexity, having gained confidence, having become independent of others in the Teacher’s Dispensation, said to the Blessed One: “Excellent, good Gotama! Excellent, good Gotama! Just as, good 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 good Gotama in many ways. I go for refuge to the good Gotama, and to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. May the good Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth as long as life lasts.” The Dīghanakha Sutta is finished, the fourth. 5. The Māgaṇḍiya Sutta 207. Thus have I heard—on one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Kurus, at a Kuru town named Kammāsadhamma, in the Brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan’s in the fire-house, on a grass mat.