English
Then indeed Anāthapiṇḍika the householder addressed a certain man: "Come, good man, approach Venerable Ānanda; having approached, in my name, bow your head at Venerable Ānanda's feet – 'Anāthapiṇḍika the householder, sir, is afflicted, suffering, gravely ill. He bows his head at Venerable Ānanda's feet.' And say this: 'It would be good, sir, if Venerable Ānanda would approach Anāthapiṇḍika the householder's dwelling, out of compassion.'" "Yes, sir," that man indeed, having assented to Anāthapiṇḍika the householder, approached Venerable Ānanda; having approached and paid homage to Venerable Ānanda, he sat down to one side. That man, sitting to one side, said this to Venerable Ānanda: "Anāthapiṇḍika the householder, sir, is afflicted, suffering, gravely ill. He bows his head at Venerable Ānanda's feet..." And with his head he bowed. And he said thus – ‘It would be good, venerable sir, if the venerable Ānanda would approach the dwelling of Anāthapiṇḍika the householder, out of compassion.’ The venerable Ānanda consented by his silence. Then the venerable Ānanda, having dressed in the morning, taking his bowl and robe, approached the dwelling of Anāthapiṇḍika the householder; having approached, he sat down on the seat prepared. Having sat down, the venerable Ānanda said to Anāthapiṇḍika the householder – ‘‘Are you, householder, bearable? Are you getting by? Do your painful feelings recede, not advance? Is their receding evident, not their advancing?’’ ‘‘I am not, venerable sir, bearable, nor am I getting by. My strong painful feelings advance, they do not recede; their advancing is evident, not their receding.’’ ‘‘With four qualities, householder, is the uninstructed ordinary person endowed: there is terror, there is dread, there is fear of death in the next world. Which four? Here, householder, the uninstructed ordinary person is endowed with lack of confidence in the Buddha. And seeing that lack of confidence in the Buddha in himself, there is terror, there is dread, there is fear of death in the next world. ‘‘Furthermore, householder, the uninstructed ordinary person is endowed with lack of confidence in the Dhamma. And seeing that lack of confidence in the Dhamma in himself, there is terror, there is dread, there is fear of death in the next world. ‘‘Furthermore, householder, the uninstructed ordinary person is endowed with lack of confidence in the Saṅgha. And seeing that lack of confidence in the Saṅgha in himself, there is terror, there is dread, there is fear of death in the next world. ‘‘Furthermore, householder, the uninstructed ordinary person is endowed with immorality. And seeing that immorality in himself, there is terror, there is dread... there is fear of death concerning the future. With these four qualities, householder, an uninstructed ordinary person is filled with terror, is filled with trepidation, is filled with fear of death concerning the future. With four qualities, householder, an instructed noble disciple is not filled with terror, is not filled with trepidation, is not filled with fear of death concerning the future. Which four? Here, householder, an instructed noble disciple is endowed with unwavering faith in the Buddha: ‘Indeed, that Blessed One is… the Teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One.’ And as he sees this unwavering faith in the Buddha within himself, he is not filled with terror, is not filled with trepidation, is not filled with fear of death concerning the future. Furthermore, householder, an instructed noble disciple is endowed with unwavering faith in the Dhamma: ‘The Dhamma is well-proclaimed by the Blessed One… to be realized by the wise for themselves.’ And as he sees this unwavering faith in the Dhamma within himself, he is not filled with terror, is not filled with trepidation, is not filled with fear of death concerning the future. Furthermore, householder, an instructed noble disciple is endowed with unwavering faith in the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing well… an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.’ And as he sees this unwavering faith in the Saṅgha within himself, he is not filled with terror, is not filled with trepidation, is not filled with fear of death concerning the future. Furthermore, householder, an instructed noble disciple is endowed with virtues dear to the noble ones, unbroken… conducive to concentration. And as he sees these virtues dear to the noble ones within himself, he is not filled with terror, is not filled with trepidation, is not filled with fear of death concerning the future. With these four qualities, householder, an instructed noble disciple is not filled with terror, is not filled with trepidation, is not filled with fear of death concerning the future.” “Indeed, venerable Ānanda, I am afraid. Why should I be afraid? For I, venerable sir, am endowed with unwavering faith in the Buddha—thus indeed is that Blessed One… (and so on)… the Teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One. In the Dhamma… (and so on)… in the Saṅgha am I endowed with unwavering faith—the Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing well… (and so on)… the unsurpassed field of merit for the world. And as for these precepts, venerable sir, taught by the Blessed One for householders, I do not see any flaw in myself concerning them.” “Your gain, householder, well-obtained by you, householder! The fruit of stream-entry has been declared by you, householder.” The Seventh. 8. The First Discourse on Fear and Hostility Allayed 1024. Thus have I heard. At Sāvatthī. The Blessed One said to Anāthapiṇḍika the householder, as he was sitting to one side: “When, householder, for a noble disciple, the five fears and hostilities are allayed, and he is endowed with the four factors of stream-entry, and the noble method is well seen and well penetrated by him with wisdom, then if he wishes, he may declare himself: ‘I am one whose hell is destroyed, whose animal birth is destroyed, whose realm of hungry ghosts is destroyed, whose state of woe, bad destination, and nether world are destroyed; I am a stream-enterer, not subject to falling, certain, bound for full enlightenment.’” “What are the five fears and hostilities that are allayed? When, householder, one who takes life, because of taking life, generates fear and hostility in this present life, and generates fear and hostility in the future life, and experiences mental pain and displeasure. For one who abstains from taking life, that fear and hostility is allayed. When, householder, one who takes what is not given… (and so on)… when, householder, one who engages in sexual misconduct… (and so on)… when, householder, one who speaks falsely… (and so on)… when, householder, one who indulges in distilled and fermented liquors, the basis of heedlessness, because of indulging in distilled and and fermented liquors, the basis of heedlessness, generates fear and hostility in this present life, and generates fear and hostility in the future life, and experiences mental pain and he experiences much sorrow. For one abstaining from the use of intoxicants, fermented and distilled, which are a basis for heedlessness, that fear and enmity are allayed. These five fears and enmities are allayed. “With what four factors of stream-entry is he endowed? Here, householder, the noble disciple is endowed with unwavering faith in the Buddha: ‘Indeed, that Blessed One is… the Teacher of gods and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One.’ In the Dhamma… in the Saṅgha… he is endowed with the virtues dear to the noble ones, unbroken… leading to concentration. With these four factors of stream-entry is he endowed. “And what noble method is well seen and well penetrated by his wisdom? Here, householder, the noble disciple carefully and wisely attends to dependent origination itself: ‘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.’ That is, with ignorance as condition, volitional formations; with volitional formations as condition, consciousness… Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. But with the utter fading away and cessation of ignorance, cessation of volitional formations… with the cessation of contact, cessation of feeling; with the cessation of feeling, cessation of craving… Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering. This noble method is well seen and well penetrated by his wisdom. “When, householder, these five fears and enmities of the noble disciple are allayed, when he is endowed with these four factors of stream-entry, and this noble method is well seen and well penetrated by his wisdom, then, if he wishes, he may declare himself by himself: ‘I am one for whom hell is destroyed, the animal realm is destroyed, the realm of hungry ghosts is destroyed, the states of deprivation, the bad destinations, the nether worlds are destroyed. I am a stream-enterer, not subject to falling into states of woe, certain, bound for full enlightenment.’” The Eighth. 9. The Second Discourse on Fear and Enmity Allayed 1025. At Sāvatthī… “When, bhikkhus, these five fears enmities are appeased, he is endowed with these four factors of stream-entry, and this noble method is well seen and well penetrated by him with wisdom; if he wishes, he may declare himself thus – ‘I am one whose hell is destroyed, whose animal birth is destroyed, whose realm of hungry ghosts is destroyed, whose states of woe, bad destinations, and downfall are destroyed; I am a stream-enterer, not subject to downfall, certain, bound for enlightenment.’ The Ninth. 10. The Discourse to Nandaka the Licchavi 1026. At one time the Blessed One was staying in Vesālī, in the Great Wood, in the Gabled Hall. Then Nandaka, the Licchavi chief minister, went to the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side.