English
When looking ahead, when looking around, acting with clear comprehension. When bending, when stretching, acting with clear comprehension. When wearing robes, carrying bowl, acting with clear comprehension. When eating, when drinking, when chewing, when tasting, acting with clear comprehension. In the act of defecating, urinating, acting with clear comprehension. When walking, when standing, when sitting, when sleeping, when awake, when speaking, when silent, acting with clear comprehension. When, indeed, brahmin, a monk is endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension, then the Tathāgata further trains him – ‘Come, monk, resort 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 air, a heap of straw.’ 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 air, a heap of straw. He, after his meal, having returned from his alms-round, sits down, having folded his legs crosswise, having set his body erect, having established mindfulness in front of him. He, abandoning covetousness for the world, dwells with a mind free from covetousness, he purifies his mind from covetousness; abandoning ill will and malice, dwells with a mind free from ill will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings, he purifies his mind from ill will and malice; abandoning sloth and torpor, dwells free from sloth and torpor, perceiving light, mindful and clearly comprehending, he purifies his mind from sloth and torpor; abandoning restlessness and remorse, dwells unagitated, with a mind inwardly peaceful, he purifies his mind from restlessness and remorse; abandoning doubt, dwells having crossed over doubt, without perplexity regarding wholesome states, he purifies his mind from doubt. He, abandoning these five hindrances, defilements of the mind, which weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, with thinking and pondering, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure, enters and dwells in the first jhāna. With the stilling of thinking and pondering, with internal assurance… ...he enters and dwells in the second jhāna. With the fading of rapture... he enters and dwells in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of pleasure... he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. "Those bhikkhus, brahmin, who are trainees, who have not attained their mind's goal, who aspire to the unsurpassed security from bondage, to them this kind of instruction is given by me. But those bhikkhus who are arahants, whose taints are destroyed, who have lived the holy life, who have done what had to be done, who have laid down the burden, who have attained their own goal, whose fetters of existence are utterly destroyed, who are liberated through perfect knowledge— for them these dhammas conduce to a pleasant dwelling in this very life, and to mindfulness and clear comprehension." When this was said, the brahmin Ganaka-Moggallana said to the Blessed One: "When the Venerable Gotama's disciples are thus advised, thus instructed by the Venerable Gotama, do all of them attain the ultimate goal, Nibbana, or do some not attain it?" "Some of my disciples, brahmin, when thus advised, thus instructed by me, attain the ultimate goal, Nibbana; some do not attain it." "What then, Venerable Gotama, is the reason, what is the cause, that Nibbana exists, the path leading to Nibbana exists, the Venerable Gotama exists as the guide; yet when the Venerable Gotama's disciples are thus advised, thus instructed by the Venerable Gotama, some attain the ultimate goal, Nibbana, and some do not attain it?" 77. "In that case, brahmin, I will question you in return about this. As you deem fit, so you should answer. What do you think, brahmin, are you skilled in the path to Rajagaha?" "Yes, venerable sir, I am skilled in the path to Rajagaha." "What do you think, brahmin, suppose a man comes here, desiring to go to Rajagaha. He approaches you and says: 'I wish, venerable sir, to go to Rajagaha; please show me the path to Rajagaha.' And you..." You would say thus: 'Hey, man, this road goes to Rājagaha. Go for a while on it, having gone for a while on it, you will see a village called so-and-so. Go for a while on it, having gone for a while on it, you will see a market town called so-and-so. Go for a while on it, having gone for a while on it, you will see the delightful parks, delightful groves, delightful lands, delightful ponds of Rājagaha.' He, being thus advised by you, being thus instructed by you, would take the wrong road and go backwards. Then a second man would come, wishing to go to Rājagaha. He, approaching you, would say thus: 'I wish, sir, to go to Rājagaha; please show me the way to Rājagaha.' To him you would say thus: 'Hey, man, this road goes to Rājagaha. Go for a while on it, having gone for a while on it, you will see a village called so-and-so. Go for a while on it, having gone for a while on it, you will see a market town called so-and-so. Go for a while on it, having gone for a while on it, you will see the delightful parks, delightful groves, delightful lands, delightful ponds of Rājagaha.' He, being thus advised by you, being thus instructed by you, would go safely to Rājagaha. What, then, brahmin, is the reason, what is the cause, that Rājagaha remains, the road leading to Rājagaha remains, you, the instructor, remain; yet, when advised and instructed by you in the same way, one man would take the wrong road and go backwards, and one would go safely to Rājagaha?' 'What can I do about that, Master Gotama? I am one who points out the way, Master Gotama.' Just so, brahmin, Nibbāna remains, the road leading to Nibbāna remains, I, the instructor, remain; yet, when my disciples are thus advised by me, thus instructed by me, some of them... (Some) attain Nibbāna, some do not attain. What can I do here, brahmin? I am a proclaimer of the path, brahmin, the Tathāgata. When this was said, the brahmin Gaṇaka-Moggallāna said to the Blessed One: "Those persons, good Gotama, who are faithless, not faithful for a livelihood, gone forth from home to homelessness, deceitful, fraudulent, cunning, arrogant, conceited, fickle, talkative, with scattered speech, unguarded in their sense faculties, immoderate in eating, not devoted to wakefulness, not having regard for recluseship, not having strong respect for the training, fond of company, lazy, foremost in falling away, having laid aside the burden of seclusion, lazy, of low energy, of lost mindfulness, not comprehending, not concentrated, with wandering minds, of poor wisdom, dull and mute, with them, good Gotama, you do not dwell." "But those young men of good family, who are faithful, gone forth from home to homelessness, not deceitful, not fraudulent, not cunning, not arrogant, not conceited, not fickle, not talkative, with unscattered speech, guarded in their sense faculties, moderate in eating, devoted to wakefulness, having regard for recluseship, having strong respect for the training, not fond of company, not lazy, having laid aside the burden of falling away, foremost in seclusion, aroused in energy, resolute, of established mindfulness, comprehending, concentrated, with one-pointed minds, wise, not dull and mute, with them, good Gotama, you dwell. Just as, good Gotama, whatever root fragrances there are, black aloes is declared the best of them; whatever heartwood fragrances there are, red sandalwood is declared the best of them; whatever flower fragrances there are, jasmine is declared the best of them; even so, good Gotama's instruction is supreme among present teachings. 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 – 'Those with eyes will see forms' so does Master Gotama in many ways declare the Dhamma. I go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. May Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from today onwards as long as life lasts. The Discourse to Gaṇaka-Moggallāna is finished, the seventh. 8. The Discourse to Gopaka-Moggallāna 79. Thus have I heard: At one time, the Venerable Ānanda was staying in Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, at the Squirrels’ Feeding Place, not long after the Blessed One had attained final Nibbāna. At that time, King Ajātasattu, son of Queen Videhī, the King of Magadha, was having Rājagaha repaired, fearing King Pajjota. Then, the Venerable Ānanda, having dressed in the morning, and taking his bowl and robe, entered Rājagaha for alms. Then it occurred to the Venerable Ānanda: “It is too early to wander for alms in Rājagaha. What if I were to go to the workplace of Gopaka-Moggallāna the brahmin, to where Gopaka-Moggallāna the brahmin is?” Then the Venerable Ānanda went to the workplace of Gopaka-Moggallāna the brahmin, to where Gopaka-Moggallāna the brahmin was. Gopaka-Moggallāna the brahmin saw the Venerable Ānanda coming from afar. Having seen him, he said to the Venerable Ānanda: “Come, Master Ānanda. Welcome, Master Ānanda. It has been a long time, Master Ānanda, since you made this journey, that is, coming here. Please sit down, Master Ānanda, this seat is prepared.” The Venerable Ānanda sat down on the prepared seat. Gopaka-Moggallāna the brahmin also, taking a certain low seat, sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Gopaka-Moggallāna the brahmin said to the Venerable Ānanda: “Is there, Master Ānanda, even one bhikkhu who is endowed in every respect, in all ways, with those qualities with which that Master Gotama was endowed, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One?” “No, brahmin, Brahmin, there is not a single monk who is endowed with all those qualities, in every respect, in every way,