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B0102020301devadahavaggo (deva sutra)

English

They experience pleasure and pain, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy; if beings do not experience pleasure and pain due to creation by a lord, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy. If, monks, beings experience pleasure and pain due to chance, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy; if beings do not experience pleasure and pain due to chance, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy. If, monks, beings experience pleasure and pain due to birth, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy; if beings do not experience pleasure and pain due to birth, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy. If, monks, beings experience pleasure and pain due to present effort, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy; if beings do not experience pleasure and pain due to present effort, the Tathāgata is praiseworthy. Thus speaking, monks, are the Tathāgatas. To the Tathāgatas, monks, who speak thus, these ten praiseworthy points in accordance with the Dhamma accrue.” This the Blessed One said. Delighted, those monks rejoiced in the Blessed One's words. The Devadaha Sutta, the first, is finished. 2. The Pañcattaya Sutta 21. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There, indeed, the Blessed One addressed the monks, saying: “Monks!” “Venerable sir,” those monks replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One spoke thus: “There are, monks, some recluses and brahmins who speculate about the future, who hold views about the future, who declare various doctrines concerning the future. ‘The self is percipient, healthy, after death’ – thus some declare; ‘The self is non-percipient, healthy, after death’ – thus some declare; ‘The self is neither percipient nor non-percipient, healthy, after death’ – thus some declare; or they proclaim the cutting off, the destruction, the annihilation of an existing being, the Nibbāna in this very life Or some proclaim. Thus, they declare the self to be peaceful, healthy after death. Or they declare the cutting off, destruction, annihilation of an existing being. Or some proclaim Nibbāna in this very life. Thus, these five become three, and three become five – this is the summary of the five-threes. 22. "Here, bhikkhus, those recluses and brahmins who declare the self to be percipient, healthy after death: Those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be material, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be immaterial, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be both material and immaterial, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be neither material nor immaterial, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be of a single perception, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be of diverse perception, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be of limited perception, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be of immeasurable perception, percipient, healthy after death. Or some proclaim the consciousness-kasiṇa, transcending these, to be immeasurable and imperturbable. This, bhikkhus, the Tathāgata fully comprehends. Indeed, those venerable recluses and brahmins who declare the self to be percipient, healthy after death: Those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be material, percipient, healthy after death. Or those venerable recluses and brahmins declare the self to be immaterial, percipient, healthy after death. Or both material and immaterial... Or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be neither material nor immaterial, percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be of unified perception, percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be of diversified perception, percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be of limited perception, percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be of immeasurable perception, percipient, healthy after death. Or, whichever of these perceptions is declared to be pure, supreme, excellent, unsurpassed— whether perceptions of form, or perceptions of formlessness, or perceptions of unity, or perceptions of diversity. Some declare the dimension of nothingness, "There is nothing," to be immeasurable and imperturbable. "This is conditioned, gross. But there is a cessation of formations, that is, the cessation of formations." Knowing this, the Tathagata, seeing the escape from it, has transcended it. 23. "Therein, monks, those ascetics and brahmins who declare the self to be non-percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be material, non-percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be immaterial, non-percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be both material and immaterial, non-percipient, healthy after death; or, venerable ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be neither material nor immaterial, non-percipient, healthy after death. Therein, monks, those ascetics and brahmins who declare the self to be percipient, healthy after death— these reject them. For what reason? Perception is a sickness, perception is a boil, perception is a dart. This is peaceful, this is sublime, namely—'non-perception'. This, monks, the Tathagata fully understands, that indeed... Those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be with form, non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be formless, non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be with form and formless, non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be neither with form nor formless, non-percipient, healthy after death. For, bhikkhus, whatever ascetic or brahmin would say this: ‘Apart from form, apart from feeling, apart from perception, apart from volitional formations, apart from consciousness, I will declare the coming or going, the passing away or rebirth, the growth or increase or expansion of consciousness’— that is not possible. ‘This is conditioned, coarse; but there is a cessation of formations’— knowing this, the Tathāgata, seeing the escape from it, has transcended it. 24. Therein, bhikkhus, those ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be neither percipient nor non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be with form, neither percipient nor non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be formless, neither percipient nor non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be with form and formless, neither percipient nor non-percipient, healthy after death. Or those good ascetics and brahmins declare the self to be neither with form nor formless, neither percipient nor non-percipient, healthy after death. Therein, bhikkhus, those ascetics and brahmins who declare the self to be percipient, healthy after death— these reject them. And those good ascetics and brahmins who declare the self to be non-percipient, healthy after death— these reject them. For what reason? Other is sickness, Perception is a boil, Perception is a dart, Non-perception is delusion. This is peaceful, This is sublime, namely – 'neither perception nor non-perception'. This, indeed, monks, the Tathāgata fully knows. Those venerable ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as neither perceptive nor non-perceptive, healthy after death; or those venerable ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as material, neither perceptive nor non-perceptive, healthy after death; or those venerable ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as immaterial, neither perceptive nor non-perceptive, healthy after death; or those venerable ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as both material and immaterial, neither perceptive nor non-perceptive, healthy after death; or those venerable ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as neither material nor immaterial, neither perceptive nor non-perceptive, healthy after death. Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, by means of what is seen, heard, sensed, or cognized, declare the attainment of this sphere, that is a misfortune, monks, it is declared, for the attainment of this sphere. This sphere, monks, is not declared as attainable by the attainment of formations; this sphere, monks, is declared as attainable by the attainment of the cessation of formations. 'This is conditioned, gross, but there is a cessation of formations' – thus having known, seeing the escape from it, the Tathāgata has transcended it. 25. Therein, monks, those ascetics and brahmins who declare the annihilation, destruction, disappearance of an existing being, therein, monks, those ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as perceptive, healthy after death, these reject those; and those venerable ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as non-perceptive, healthy after death, these reject those; and those venerable ascetics and brahmins who declare the self as neither perceptive nor non-perceptive, healt What is beyond death, that they reject. For what reason? All these good ascetics and brahmins speak of attachment as a going upwards – 'Thus we shall be after death, thus we shall be after death.' Just as a merchant going on a journey for trade