English
I went forth from home into homelessness." "Wonderful, good Raṭṭhapāla, amazing, good Raṭṭhapāla! How well said this is by the Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One: 'The world is deficient, insatiable, a slave to craving.' Indeed, good Raṭṭhapāla, the world is deficient, insatiable, a slave to craving." The venerable Raṭṭhapāla said this. Having said this, he then said further: "I see in the world, among the wealthy, People, Having gained wealth, do not give due to delusion; Greedy, having gained wealth, they accumulate it, They desire even more sensual pleasures. "A king, having conquered the earth by force, Dwelling on the great earth with its ocean boundaries; Being unsatisfied with this side of the ocean, Would desire even the other side of the ocean. "The king and many other people, Unsatisfied in craving, approach death; Having become incomplete, they abandon the body, There is no satisfaction in sensual pleasures in this world. "Relatives weep for him, disheveling their hair, Saying, 'Alas, he is no more!' Having carried him out, covered with a cloth, They gather wood and then burn him. "He is burned, being pierced by stakes, Having abandoned his possessions with a single cloth; There are no protectors for one who is dying, Neither relatives, nor friends, nor companions here. "His heirs take his wealth, But the being goes to where his kamma leads; Nothing follows the dying one, Neither children, nor wives, nor wealth, nor kingdom. "One does not gain a long life with wealth, nor does one ward off old age with riches; The wise say this life is short, impermanent, and subject to change. "The rich and the poor experience contact, The fool and the wise are equally touched; The fool, due to his foolishness, lies as if struck, But the wise one, touched by contact, does not tremble. "Therefore, wisdom is better than wealth, By which one attains the end here; For, being unsettled in existence after existence, They do evil deeds out of delusion. "One goes to a womb and to another world, Entering the cycle of transmigration repeatedly; The one with little wisdom, believing this, Goes to a womb and to another world. "Just as a thief caught at the break-in, Is slain by his own evil deed; So, people, having passed away, in the other world, Are slain by their own evil deed. "Sensual pleasures are colorful, sweet, and delightful, They agitate the mind with their diverse forms; The danger in sensual pleasures having seen this, Therefore I have gone forth, O king. "Just like fruits from trees, people fall, Young and old, their bodies breaking apart; Having seen this too, O king, I have gone forth, The blameless ascetic life is better." The Raṭṭhapāla Sutta, the second, is finished. 3. The Maghadeva Sutta 308. Thus have I heard – At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in Mithilā, in Maghadeva's Mango Grove. Then the Blessed One revealed a smile in a certain place. Then it occurred to the Venerable Ānanda – "What, now, is the reason, what is the cause for the Blessed One's smile? Tathāgatas do not reveal a smile without a reason." Then the Venerable Ānanda, having arranged his outer robe over one shoulder, and having saluted the Blessed One with joined palms, spoke to the Blessed One thus – "What, now, venerable sir, is the reason, what is the cause for the Blessed One's smile? Tathāgatas do not reveal a smile without a reason." "Formerly, Ānanda, in this very Mithilā, there was a king named Maghadeva, a righteous king, a king of righteousness, a great king established in righteousness; he practiced righteousness among brahmins and householders, both in towns and in the countryside; and he observed the Uposatha on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighth days of the fortnight. Then, Ānanda, after many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, King Maghadeva summoned his barber – 'When, my good barber, you see grey hairs grown on my head, then you should inform me.' 'Yes, Your Majesty,' Ānanda, the barber replied to King Maghadeva. Then, Ānanda, after many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, the barber saw grey hairs grown on King Maghadeva's head. Having seen them, he spoke to King Maghadeva thus – 'Your Majesty's divine messengers have appeared, grey hairs are seen on your head. "These!" he said. "Well then, good barber, those grey hairs carefully with tweezers extracting, in my cupped hands place them." "Yes, your majesty," indeed, Ananda, the barber to King Maghadeva assenting, those grey hairs carefully with tweezers extracting, in King Maghadeva's cupped hands placed them. 309. Then indeed, Ananda, King Maghadeva, having given the barber a village-grant, had his eldest son, the prince, summoned and said this: "Appeared indeed to me, dear prince, are the divine messengers; seen on my head are grey hairs arisen; enjoyed indeed by me are human pleasures; it is time for divine pleasures to seek. Come you, dear prince, this kingdom undertake. I, however, hair and beard shaving off, saffron robes donning, from home to homelessness will go forth. Therefore, dear prince, when you too see on your head grey hairs arisen, then to the barber a village-grant giving, your eldest son, the prince, well in the kingdom instructing, hair and beard shaving off, saffron robes donning, from home to homelessness should go forth. So that this good practice laid down by me you may continue, do not indeed be my last man. For in whichever, dear prince, generation of men existing, such a good practice's cutting off occurs, he is their last man. That I, dear prince, thus say: so that this good practice laid down by me you may continue, do not indeed be my last man." Then indeed, Ananda, King Maghadeva, having given the barber a village-grant, his eldest son, the prince, well in the kingdom instructing, in this very Maghadeva mango grove, hair and beard shaving off, saffron robes donning, from home to homelessness went forth. He, with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, pervading one direction dwelt, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; thus above, below, across, everywhere, in all ways. He dwelt pervading the entire world with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without enmity, without ill-will. He dwelt pervading one direction with a mind imbued with compassion… with a mind imbued with appreciative joy… with a mind imbued with equanimity, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; thus above, below, across, everywhere, in every way, he dwelt pervading the entire world with a mind imbued with equanimity, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without enmity, without ill-will. “King Maghadeva, Ananda, played as a prince for eighty-four thousand years, ruled as viceroy for eighty-four thousand years, ruled as king for eighty-four thousand years, and for eighty-four thousand years in this very Maghadeva Mango Grove, having gone forth from home to homelessness, he lived the holy life. He cultivated the four divine abidings, and at the breaking up of the body, after death, he reappeared in the Brahma-world. “Then, Ananda, after many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, the son of King Maghadeva addressed his barber: ‘When, good barber, you see gray hairs grown on my head, then you should inform me.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ Ananda, the barber replied to the son of King Maghadeva. Then, Ananda, after many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, the barber saw gray hairs grown on the head of the son of King Maghadeva. Having seen them, he said to the son of King Maghadeva: ‘Your Majesty’s divine messengers have appeared; gray hairs are seen grown on your head.’ ‘Then, good barber, carefully pull out those gray hairs with tweezers and place them in my cupped hands.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ Ananda, the barber replied to the son of King Maghadeva, and carefully pulled out those gray hairs with tweezers Having taken it out with pincers, he placed it in the cupped hands of King Maghadeva's son. Then, Ananda, King Maghadeva's son, having given a choice village to the barber, had his eldest son, the prince, summoned, and spoke to him thus: 'The divine messengers, my dear prince, have appeared to me; grey hairs are seen grown on my head; human pleasures, indeed, have been enjoyed by me; it is time to seek divine pleasures. Come now, my dear prince, take up this kingship. I, for my part, will shave off my hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from home into homelessness. Therefore, my dear prince, when you too see grey hairs grown on your head, then, having given a choice village to the barber, having properly instructed your eldest son, the prince, in the kingship, you should shave off your hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and go forth from home into homelessness. So that you may continue this good practice established by me, do not be the last man for me. For in whichever generation of men, my dear prince, such a good practice comes to an end, he is their last man. Therefore, my dear prince, I tell you this: so that you may continue this good practice established by me, do not be the last man for me.' Then, Ananda, King Maghadeva's son, having given a choice village to the barber, having properly instructed his eldest son, the prince, in the kingship, in this very Maghadeva Mango Grove, shaved off his hair and beard, put on saffron robes, and went forth from home into homelessness. He dwelt pervading one direction with a mind imbued with loving-kindness; likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth. Thus above, below, across, everywhere, in all ways, he dwelt pervading the entire world with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, vast, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility, without ill-will. With a mind imbued with compassion... with a mind imbued with appreciative joy...