English
The Discourse on "There are not" 34. At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park. Then, a number of devas from the Satullapa group, when the night was far advanced, with their resplendent beauty illuminating the entire Jeta's Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, one deva recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One – "No pleasures are constant Among humankind; Here are desirable things To which one is bound; Heedless in these, Not having come to non-returning, A person is of the realm of death." "From desire, evil arises; From desire, suffering arises; With desire's subduing, Evil is subdued; With evil's subduing, Suffering is subdued." "Not those are pleasures Which are colorful in the world; The lust of intention Is a person's pleasure; The colorful things remain Just so in the world, But here the wise Subdue their desire." "Let him abandon anger, Let him give up conceit, Let him overcome All fetters; To him, unattached To name-and-form, Who is without possessions, Sufferings do not cling." "He gave up reckoning, He did not reach conceit; He cut off craving For name-and-form here; Him, with severed knots, Without anguish, without longing, Searching, they did not find; Devas and humans, Here or beyond, In heavens or in all abodes." "If they did not see him, Thus liberated (so said Venerable Mogharāja), Devas and humans, Here or beyond; That supreme man, Who acts for the good of men, Those who pay homage to him, They are praiseworthy." "Praiseworthy are those bhikkhus (Mogharāja, Those who venerate him, the thus-liberated; Having understood the Dhamma, having abandoned doubt, Those monks, too, transcend attachment. 5. The Discourse on Fault-Finding Deities 35. At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery. Then, when the night was far advanced, many deities with fault-finding thoughts, of resplendent beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta's Grove, approached the Blessed One; having approached, they stood in the air. Standing in the air, one deity then spoke this verse in the presence of the Blessed One – Who declares himself otherwise, When he is otherwise; Like a cheat who has plotted, His enjoyment is by theft. What one would do, that one should say; What one would not do, that one should not say. Those who speak but do not act, The wise understand them. Not by mere speaking, nor by mere listening, Can one attain this firm path; By which the wise, the meditators, are freed from Māra's bonds. Indeed, the wise do not act, Having understood the world's course; Having understood, the wise are extinguished, Having crossed over attachment in the world. Then those deities, having stood on the ground, prostrated with their heads at the Blessed One's feet, and said to the Blessed One – "A transgression has overcome us, venerable sir, as if foolish, as if deluded, as if unskillful, in that we considered the Blessed One to be assailable. May the Blessed One, venerable sir, accept our transgression as a transgression, for future restraint." Then the Blessed One revealed a smile. Then those deities, complaining even more, rose up into the air. One deity spoke this verse in the presence of the Blessed One – If one does not accept Those who declare a transgression, With anger within, heavy with hatred, He releases enmity. If there were no transgression, Then there would be no removal here; Enmity. and would not be appeased, by what could enmities here be appeased, by that one would be skillful.’’ ‘‘Whose transgressions are not found, who has no falling away; Who did not fall into delusion, and who is wise, ever mindful?’’ ‘‘Of the Tathāgata, the Buddha, who has compassion for all beings; His transgressions are not found, he has no falling away; He did not fall into delusion, he is wise, ever mindful.’’ ‘‘To those who declare a transgression, if one does not accept it; Full of anger, heavy with fault, he releases enmity; I do not approve of that enmity, I accept the transgression.’’ 6. Discourse on Faith 36. At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park. Then, when the night was far advanced, many deities of the Satullapa group, with resplendent beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, they stood to one side. Standing to one side, one deity uttered this verse in the presence of the Blessed One: ‘‘Faith is a person’s second companion, if he does not abide in faithlessness; Fame and glory are his then, and he goes to heaven, having abandoned the body.’’ Then another deity uttered these verses in the presence of the Blessed One: ‘‘He should abandon anger, renounce conceit, he should overcome all fetters; To him who is not attached to name-and-form, who is without possessions, attachments do not cling.’’ ‘‘Fools, unintelligent people, devote themselves to heedlessness; But the wise one guards heedfulness, as a supreme treasure. ‘‘Do not devote yourselves to heedlessness, do not associate with sensual delight; For the heedful one, meditating, attains supreme happiness.’’ 7. Discourse on the Assembly 37. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans, in Kapilavatthu, in the Great Wood, together with a great community of bhikkhus, with five hundred bhikkhus, all of whom were arahants; and with ten and from ten world-systems deities have mostly gathered to see the Blessed One and the Sangha of monks. Then it occurred to four deities from the Suddhāvāsa realms: “The Blessed One is dwelling among the Sakyans in Kapilavatthu, in the Great Wood, together with a great Sangha of monks, five hundred monks, all of them Arahants; and from ten world-systems deities have mostly gathered to see the Blessed One and the Sangha of monks. Why don't we also approach the Blessed One; and having approached, each recite a verse in the presence of the Blessed One?” Then those deities— just as a strong man might extend a flexed arm or flex an extended arm— even so, having vanished from the Suddhāvāsa realms, they appeared before the Blessed One. Then those deities, having saluted the Blessed One, stood to one side. Standing to one side, one deity recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One: “A great assembly in the forest, deity hosts are gathered; We have come to this Dhamma-assembly, to see the unconquered Sangha.” Then another deity recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One: “There the monks have concentrated, they have made their minds straight; Like a charioteer holding the reins, the wise protect their faculties.” Then another deity recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One: “Having cut the stake, having cut the crossbar, having uprooted the Indra-post, the mind's defilements; They wander pure, stainless, well-tamed, excellent nāgas, by the One with Vision.” Then another deity recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One: “Whoever has gone for refuge to the Buddha, they will not go to the states of woe; Having abandoned human bodies, they will fill the hosts of deities.” 8. The Sakalika Sutta 38. Thus have I heard— On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling The Blessed One was dwelling in Rājagaha, in Maddakucchi, at the Migadāya. At that time, the Blessed One's foot was cut by a splinter. Indeed, sharp pains arose in the Blessed One, bodily pains, painful, intense, harsh, bitter, disagreeable, unpleasant; these the Blessed One endured, mindful and clearly comprehending, without being distressed. Then the Blessed One folded his robe into four layers, and lay down on his right side in the lion's posture, placing one foot on the other, mindful and clearly comprehending. Then, seven hundred Satullapakāyika deities, when the night was far advanced, with resplendent beauty, illuminating the entire Maddakucchi, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, they paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, one deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "Indeed, the ascetic Gotama is an elephant, sirs! And like an elephant, bodily pains have arisen, painful, intense, harsh, bitter, disagreeable, unpleasant; he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without being distressed." Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "Indeed, the ascetic Gotama is a lion, sirs! And like a lion, bodily pains have arisen, painful, intense, harsh, bitter, disagreeable, unpleasant; he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without being distressed." Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "Indeed, the ascetic Gotama is a thoroughbred, sirs! And like a thoroughbred, bodily pains have arisen, painful, intense, harsh, bitter, disagreeable, unpleasant; he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without being distressed." Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "Indeed, the ascetic Gotama is a bull, sirs! And like a bull, bodily pains have arisen, painful, intense, harsh, bitter, disagreeable, unpleasant; he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without being distressed." Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: – "Patient indeed, sirs, is the ascetic Gotama; with patience, though bodily feelings have arisen, painful, sharp, severe, harsh, disagreeable, unpleasant, he endures them mindfully and with full awareness, without being distressed." Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "Tamed indeed, sirs, is the ascetic Gotama; with tamedness, though bodily feelings have arisen,