English
The Connected Discourses with Lakkhaṇa The First Chapter The Discourse on the Bones Thus have I heard – At one time the Blessed One was staying at Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, at the Squirrels' Feeding Place. Now at that time Venerable Lakkhaṇa and Venerable Mahāmoggallāna were staying on Vulture Peak Mountain. Then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, having dressed in the morning, and taking his bowl and robe, went to where Venerable Lakkhaṇa was; having approached, he said to Venerable Lakkhaṇa: "Come, friend Lakkhaṇa, let us enter Rājagaha for alms." "Yes, friend," Venerable Lakkhaṇa replied to Venerable Mahāmoggallāna. Then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, as he was descending from Vulture Peak Mountain, smiled at a certain place. Then Venerable Lakkhaṇa said to Venerable Mahāmoggallāna: "What, friend Moggallāna, is the reason, what is the cause for your smile?" "This is not the time, friend Lakkhaṇa, for this question. Ask me this question in the presence of the Blessed One." Then Venerable Lakkhaṇa and Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, having wandered for alms in Rājagaha, and having returned from their alms round after their meal, went to where the Blessed One was; having approached, they paid homage to the Blessed One, and sat down to one side. As he was sitting to one side, Venerable Lakkhaṇa said to Venerable Mahāmoggallāna: "Here, friend Mahāmoggallāna, as you were descending from Vulture Peak Mountain, you smiled at a certain place. What, friend Moggallāna, is the reason, what is the cause for your smile?" "Here, friend, as I was descending from Vulture Peak Mountain, I saw a skeleton moving through the air. And vultures, and crows, and kites, following it again and again, pecked at it, tore it apart, and scattered it through its rib-spaces. It cried out... It made a dreadful sound. To me, friend, this occurred: 'Wonderful indeed, sirs, amazing indeed, sirs! Such a being will exist! Such a demon will exist! Such a state of existence will be!' Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "Truly, bhikkhus, the disciples dwell as eyes; truly, bhikkhus, the disciples dwell as knowledge, in that a disciple will know or see or bear witness to such a thing. Formerly, bhikkhus, that being was seen by me, but I did not declare it. If I were to declare it, others would not believe me. Those who would not believe me, for them it would be for long-term harm and suffering. That being, bhikkhus, was a cattle-butcher right here in Rājagaha. Having suffered in hell for many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, many hundreds of thousands of years, due to the ripening of that karma, by the remaining result of that very karma, he experiences such a state of existence." The First. 2. The Discourse on the Piece of Flesh "Here, friend, as I was descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a piece of flesh moving through the air. Vultures, crows, and kites followed it, followed it, tearing it apart, dismembering it. It made a dreadful sound... That being, bhikkhus, was a cattle-butcher right here in Rājagaha... The Second. 3. The Discourse on the Lump of Flesh "Here, friend, as I was descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a lump of flesh moving through the air. Vultures, crows, and kites followed it, followed it, tearing it apart, dismembering it. It made a dreadful sound... That being, bhikkhus, was a bird-catcher right here in Rājagaha... The Third. 4. The Discourse on the Skinless 205. Here, friends, as I was descending from Gijjhakūṭa mountain, I saw a skinless man going through the air. And him, vultures, crows, and kites, flying after him again and again, tore him apart, stripped him bare. He made a dreadful sound. That being, monks, was a sheep-butcher in this very Rājagaha. Fourth. 5. Asiloma Sutta 206. Here, friends, as I was descending from Gijjhakūṭa mountain, I saw a sword-haired man going through the air. His swords, flying up again and again, fell upon his very body. He made a dreadful sound. That being, monks, was a pig-butcher in this very Rājagaha. Fifth. 6. Satti Sutta 207. Here, friends, as I was descending from Gijjhakūṭa mountain, I saw a spear-haired man going through the air. His spears, flying up again and again, fell upon his very body. He made a dreadful sound. That being, monks, was a deer-hunter in this very Rājagaha. Sixth. 7. Usuloma Sutta 208. Here, friends, as I was descending from Gijjhakūṭa mountain, I saw an arrow-haired man going through the air. His arrows, flying up again and again, fell upon his very body. He made a dreadful sound. That being, monks, was an executioner in this very Rājagaha. Seventh. 8. Sūciloma Sutta 209. Here, friends, as I was descending from Gijjhakūṭa mountain, I saw a needle-haired man going through the air. His needles, flying up again and again, fell upon his very body. He made a dreadful sound. That being, monks, was a charioteer in this very Rājagaha. Eighth. 9. Second Sūciloma Sutta 210. Here, friends, as I was descending from Gijjhakūṭa mountain, I saw a needle-haired man going through the air. His needles, entering his head, came out of his mouth; entering the mouth, they emerge from the chest; entering the chest, they emerge from the belly; entering the belly, they emerge from the thighs; entering the thighs, they emerge from the shins; entering the shins, they emerge from the feet; He made a terrible sound… (thus it was said)… This being, monks, in this very Rājagaha, was a slanderer… The Ninth. 10. The Kumbhaṇḍa Sutta 211. “Here, friends, as I was descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a kumbhaṇḍa man going through the air. Even as he went, he carried those same testicles on his shoulder. Even as he sat, he sat on those same testicles. Vultures, crows, and kites followed him, and tore at them, and pecked at them. He made a terrible sound… (thus it was said)… This being, monks, in this very Rājagaha, was a village cheat… The Tenth. The First Chapter. Its Summary – Bone, flesh, both cattle-slayers, A lump, a fowler, a flayed ram; A sword, a pig-butcher, a spear, a cow-butcher; An arrow, an executioner, a needle, a charioteer; He who sews is a slanderer, And the one carrying testicles was a village cheat. 2. The Second Chapter 1. The Head-Submerged Sutta 212. Thus have I heard – At one time, in Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove. “Here, friends, as I was descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a man submerged head-first in a pit of excrement… (thus it was said)… This being, monks, in this very Rājagaha, was an adulterer… The First. 2. The Excrement-Eater Sutta 213. “Here, friends, as I was descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a man submerged in a pit of excrement, eating excrement with both hands… (thus it was said)… This being, monks, in this very Rājagaha, was a wicked brahmin. He, having invited the community of monks to a meal in the teaching of Kassapa the Perfectly Enlightened One, had large troughs filled with excrement and said this: ‘Oh sirs, eat and take away as much as you like!’… The Second. 3. The Flayed Woman Sutta 214. “Here, friends, Friend, descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a skinless woman going through the air. Her, vultures, crows, and kites, following after, following after, tore apart and scattered. She, indeed, made a terrible cry... This, monks, was a woman who was unchaste right here in Rājagaha... The third. 4. The Sutta on the Disfigured Woman 215. “Here, friend, descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a foul-smelling, disfigured woman going through the air. Her, vultures, crows, and kites, following after, following after, tore apart and scattered. She, indeed, made a terrible cry... This, monks, was a woman who was a fortune-teller right here in Rājagaha... The fourth. 5. The Sutta on the Besmeared Woman 216. “Here, friend, descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a woman, swollen, besmeared, covered, going through the air. She, indeed, made a terrible cry... This, monks, was the chief queen of the King of Kaliṅga. She, overcome by jealousy, besmeared her co-wife with a pan of hot coals... The fifth. 6. The Sutta on the Headless Body 217. “Here, friend, descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a headless trunk going through the air. On its chest were eyes and a mouth. It, vultures, crows, and kites, following after, following after, tore apart and scattered. It, indeed, made a terrible cry... This, monks, was a being named Hārika, an executioner of thieves, right here in Rājagaha... The sixth. 7. The Sutta on the Evil Monk 218. “Here, friend, descending from Vulture Peak mountain, I saw a monk going through the air. His outer robe was ablaze, burning, glowing; his bowl was ablaze, burning, glowing; his waist-band was ablaze, burning, glowing; his body was ablaze, burning, glowing. He, indeed, made a terrible cry... This, monks, he was an evil monk in the teaching of Kassapa the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One… The seventh. 8. Discourse on the Evil Nun 219. ‘‘I saw a nun going through the air. Her outer robe was also ablaze… she was an evil nun… The eighth. 9. Discourse on the Evil Female Novice 220. ‘‘I saw a female novice going through the air. Her outer robe was also ablaze… she was an evil female novice… The ninth. 10. Discourse on the Evil Novice 221. ‘‘I saw a novice going through the air. His outer robe was also ablaze… he was an evil novice… The tenth. 11. Discourse on the Evil Female Novice 222. ‘‘Here, friends, as I was descending from Gijjhakūṭa mountain, I saw a female novice going through the air. Her outer robe was also ablaze, flaming, and glowing. Her bowl was also ablaze, flaming, and glowing. Her body-band was also ablaze, flaming, and glowing. Her body was also ablaze, flaming, and glowing. She was making a terrible sound. Then, friends, it occurred to me: ‘How amazing, sirs! How wonderful, sirs! There will be such a being! There will be such a yakkha! There will be such an acquisition of self!’