English
with its recluses and brahmins, with its devas and humans. This the Blessed One said. Satisfied, Venerable Sāriputta… ...they rejoiced in the Blessed One's words. The Discourse on What Should Be Practiced and What Should Not Be Practiced, the fourth, is finished. 5. The Discourse on Many Elements 124. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Bhikkhus!" "Venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One spoke thus: "Whatever fears arise, bhikkhus, all of them arise from the fool, not from the wise; whatever calamities arise, all of them arise from the fool, not from the wise; whatever dangers arise, all of them arise from the fool, not from the wise. Just as, bhikkhus, a fire released from a reed house or a grass house burns even gabled houses, plastered and smeared, sheltered from the wind, with bolted doors and closed windows; in the same way, bhikkhus, whatever fears arise, all of them arise from the fool, not from the wise; whatever calamities arise, all of them arise from the fool, not from the wise; whatever dangers arise, all of them arise from the fool, not from the wise. Thus, bhikkhus, the fool is fearful, the wise is fearless; the fool is calamitous, the wise is free from calamity; the fool is dangerous, the wise is free from danger. There is no fear from the wise, bhikkhus, no calamity from the wise, no danger from the wise. Therefore, bhikkhus, 'We will be wise, we will be discerning' – thus, bhikkhus, should you train yourselves." When this was said, Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: "To what extent, venerable sir, is a wise bhikkhu 'discerning' enough to be called so?" "When, Ānanda, a bhikkhu is skilled in elements, skilled in sense bases, skilled in dependent origination, and skilled in what is possible and what is not possible – to that extent, Ānanda, a wise bhikkhu is 'discerning' enough to be called so." to be called. 125. "How far, venerable sir, is it enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'?" "These, Ananda, are eighteen elements – the eye element, the form element, the eye-consciousness element; the ear element, the sound element, the ear-consciousness element; the nose element, the odor element, the nose-consciousness element; the tongue element, the taste element, the tongue-consciousness element; the body element, the tactile element, the body-consciousness element; the mind element, the mental phenomena element, the mind-consciousness element. When one knows and sees these eighteen elements, Ananda – even to that extent, Ananda, it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'." "Might there be, venerable sir, another way, by which it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'?" "There might be, Ananda. These, Ananda, are six elements – the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element, the consciousness element. When one knows and sees these six elements, Ananda – even to that extent, Ananda, it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'." "Might there be, venerable sir, another way, by which it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'?" "There might be, Ananda. These, Ananda, are six elements – the pleasure element, the pain element, the joy element, the sorrow element, the equanimity element, the ignorance element. When one knows and sees these six elements, Ananda – even to that extent, Ananda, it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'." "Might there be, venerable sir, another way, by which it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'?" "There might be, Ananda. These, Ananda, are six elements – the sensuality element, the renunciation element, the ill-will element, the non-ill-will element, the cruelty element, the non-cruelty element. When one knows and sees these six elements, Ananda – even to that extent, Ananda, it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'." "Might there be, venerable sir, another way, by which it is enough to say 'a monk skilled in elements'?" "There might be, Ananda." These three, Ananda, are elements – the sense-sphere element, the form-sphere element, the formless-sphere element. When one knows and sees these three elements, Ananda – to that extent, Ananda, it is sufficient to say, ‘a monk skilled in elements’. ‘‘Is there, venerable sir, another way, by which it is sufficient to say, ‘a monk skilled in elements’?’’ ‘‘There is, Ananda. These two, Ananda, are elements – the conditioned element, the unconditioned element. When one knows and sees these two elements, Ananda – to that extent, Ananda, it is sufficient to say, ‘a monk skilled in elements’. 126. ‘‘To what extent, venerable sir, is it sufficient to say, ‘a monk skilled in sense-bases’?’’ ‘‘These six, Ananda, are internal and external sense-bases – the eye and forms, the ear and sounds, the nose and odors, the tongue and tastes, the body and tactile objects, the mind and mental phenomena. When one knows and sees these six internal and external sense-bases, Ananda – to that extent, Ananda, it is sufficient to say, ‘a monk skilled in sense-bases’. ‘‘To what extent, venerable sir, is it sufficient to say, ‘a monk skilled in dependent origination’?’’ ‘‘Here, Ananda, a monk thus understands – ‘When this exists, that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises; when this does not exist, that does not come to be; with the cessation of this, that ceases; namely – with ignorance as condition, volitional formations; with volitional formations as condition, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, name-and-form; with name-and-form as condition, the six sense-bases; with the six sense-bases as condition, contact; with contact as condition, feeling; with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, becoming; with becoming as condition, birth; with birth as condition, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be. Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. But with the utter fading away and cessation of ignorance, volitional formations cease; with the cessation of volitional formations, consciousness ceases; with the cessation of consciousness, name-and-form ceases; with the cessation of name-and-form, the six sense-bases cease. cessation. With the cessation of the six sense bases, contact ceases. With the cessation of contact, feeling ceases. With the cessation of feeling, craving ceases. With the cessation of craving, clinging ceases. With the cessation of clinging, becoming ceases. With the cessation of becoming, birth ceases. With the cessation of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering. To this extent, Ananda, it is enough to say that a bhikkhu is 'skilled in dependent origination'. "To what extent, venerable sir, is it enough to say that a bhikkhu is 'skilled in what is possible and impossible'?" "Here, Ananda, a bhikkhu understands: 'It is impossible, there is no opportunity, for a person endowed with right view to regard any formation as permanent. That is not possible.' 'But it is possible for an ordinary person to regard any formation as permanent. That is possible,' he understands. 'It is impossible, there is no opportunity, for a person endowed with right view to regard any formation as pleasant. That is not possible,' he understands. 'But it is possible for an ordinary person to regard any formation as pleasant. That is possible,' he understands. 'It is impossible, there is no opportunity, for a person endowed with right view to regard any phenomenon as self. That is not possible,' he understands. 'But it is possible for an ordinary person to regard any phenomenon as self. That is possible,' he understands." "'It is impossible, there is no opportunity, for a person endowed with right view to deprive their mother of life. That is not possible,' he understands. 'But it is possible for an ordinary person to deprive their mother of life. That is possible,' he understands. 'It is impossible, there is no opportunity, for a person endowed with right view to deprive their father of life... ...to deprive an Arahant of life. That is not possible,' he understands. 'It is impossible, there is no opportunity, for a person endowed with right view..." ‘That a person endowed with right view, with a malicious mind, would cause the Tathāgata’s blood to flow— this is not a possibility,’ he understands. ‘But that an ordinary person, with a malicious mind, would cause the Tathāgata’s blood to flow— this is a possibility,’ he understands. ‘It is an impossibility, there is no opportunity, that a person endowed with right view would break up the Saṅgha,’ he understands. ‘But that an ordinary person would break up the Saṅgha— this is a possibility,’ he understands. ‘It is an impossibility, there is no opportunity, that a person endowed with right view would declare another teacher,’ he understands. ‘But that an ordinary person would declare another teacher— this is a possibility,’ he understands. 129. ‘‘‘It is an impossibility, there is no opportunity, that in one world-system two Arahants, Fully Self-Awakened Ones, would arise simultaneously, not one before the other,’ he understands. ‘But that in one world-system one Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, would arise— this is a possibility,’ he understands. ‘It is an impossibility, there is no opportunity, that in one world-system two Wheel-turning Monarchs would arise simultaneously, not one before the other,’ he understands. ‘But that in one world-system one Wheel-turning Monarch would arise— this is a possibility,’ he understands. 130. ‘‘‘It is an impossibility, there is no opportunity, that a woman would be an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One,’ he understands. ‘But that a man would be