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4. The Chapter on Equanimity 33. ‘‘Monks, I will teach you the ground of the ignoble and the ground of the noble. Listen to that, pay careful attention. I will speak.’’ ‘‘Yes, Venerable Sir,’’ those monks replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this: ‘‘And what, monks, is the ground of the ignoble? The ignoble person, monks, is ungrateful and unappreciative. This, monks, is known among the ignoble: ingratitude and unappreciativeness. This, monks, is entirely the ground of the ignoble: ingratitude and unappreciativeness. But the noble person, monks, is grateful and appreciative. This, monks, is known among the noble: gratitude and appreciativeness. This, monks, is entirely the ground of the noble: gratitude and appreciativeness.’’ 34. ‘‘Monks, I declare that two cannot be adequately repaid. Which two? Mother and father. If, monks, one were to carry one’s mother on one shoulder, and one’s father on the other shoulder, for a hundred years, living for a hundred years, and were to attend to them with anointing, massaging, bathing, and rubbing, and they were to excrete urine and feces right there, even then, monks, it would not be enough to repay mother and father. And if, monks, one were to establish mother and father in supreme sovereignty, in kingship, over this great earth, abundant with treasures, even then, monks, it would not be enough to repay mother and father. For what reason? Great benefactors, monks, are mother and father to their children: they are their bringers-up, their nourishers, the revealers of this world to them. But whoever, monks, establishes, settles, and grounds faith in faithless mother and father, establishes, settles, and grounds virtue in unvirtuous mother and father, establishes, settles, and grounds generosity in stingy mother and father, establishes, settles, and grounds wisdom in unwise mother and father... he makes them believe, establishes them, settles them. To this extent, monks, is what is done and repaid to parents.” 35. Then a certain brahmin approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having exchanged courteous talk… and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, that brahmin said to the Blessed One: “What does Master Gotama teach? What does he proclaim?” “I, brahmin, am a teacher of action and a teacher of non-action.” “How then, Master Gotama, are you a teacher of action and a teacher of non-action?” “I, brahmin, teach non-action for bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct. I teach non-action for various evil, unwholesome states. And I, brahmin, teach action for bodily good conduct, verbal good conduct, mental good conduct. I teach action for various wholesome states. Thus, brahmin, I am a teacher of action and a teacher of non-action.” “Excellent, Master Gotama… From this day forth, may Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has taken refuge for life.” 36. Then Anāthapiṇḍika the householder approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he saluted the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Anāthapiṇḍika the householder said to the Blessed One: “How many, venerable sir, are there in the world worthy of offerings? To whom should a gift be given?” “There are two, householder, in the world worthy of offerings: one in training and one beyond training. These, householder, are the two in the world worthy of offerings; to them should a gift be given.” This the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said: “One in training and one beyond training in this world, Are worthy of offerings for those who sacrifice; They, being upright in body, speech, or mind, Are a field for those who sacrifice; what is given there…” fruitless." 37. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling in Sāvatthī, at Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. At that time, indeed, the Venerable Sāriputta was dwelling in Sāvatthī, in the Eastern Park, Migāramātā’s Palace. There, indeed, the Venerable Sāriputta addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Friends, bhikkhus!" "Friend!" those bhikkhus replied to the Venerable Sāriputta. The Venerable Sāriputta spoke thus: "I will teach, friends, a person bound by internal fetters and a person bound by external fetters. Listen to that, attend carefully; I will speak." "Yes, friend," those bhikkhus replied to the Venerable Sāriputta. The Venerable Sāriputta spoke thus: "And what, friends, is a person bound by internal fetters? Here, friends, a bhikkhu is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the Pātimokkha restraint, perfect in conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, undertaking and training in the training rules. He, with the breaking up of the body, after death, is reborn in a certain divine host. He, having passed away from there, is a returner, one who comes back to this state. This, friends, is called a person bound by internal fetters, a returner, one who comes back to this state. "And what, friends, is a person bound by external fetters? Here, friends, a bhikkhu is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the Pātimokkha restraint, perfect in conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, undertaking and training in the training rules. He dwells having attained a certain peaceful liberation of mind. He, with the breaking up of the body, after death, is reborn in a certain divine host. He, having passed away from there, is a non-returner, one who does not come back to this state. This, friends, is called a person bound by external fetters, a non-returner, one who does not come back to this state. "Furthermore, friends, a bhikkhu is virtuous… (as before) …undertaking and training in the training rules. He is practicing for disenchantment, dispassion, cessation of sensual pleasures. He is practicing for disenchantment, dispassion, cessation of existences. He is practicing for the destruction of craving. He is practicing for the destruction of greed. He, with the breaking up of the body, after death, is reborn in a certain divine realm. He, fallen from there, is a non-returner, not returning to this state. This, friends, is called the person bound by external fetters, a non-returner, not returning to this state. Then, many deities of harmonious mind approached the Blessed One; having approached, they paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, those deities said this to the Blessed One: "That, Venerable Sir, the venerable Sāriputta, in the Pubbārāma, at Migāra's Mother's Palace, is teaching the bhikkhus about the person bound by internal fetters and by external fetters. The assembly, Venerable Sir, is delighted. It would be good, Venerable Sir, if the Blessed One would approach the venerable Sāriputta, out of compassion." The Blessed One consented by silence. Then the Blessed One— just as a strong man might extend his bent arm, or bend his extended arm— even so, disappeared from Jetavana and appeared before the venerable Sāriputta in the Pubbārāma, at Migāra's Mother's Palace. The Blessed One sat down on the seat prepared. The venerable Sāriputta also, having paid homage to the Blessed One, sat down to one side. To the venerable Sāriputta, sitting to one side, the Blessed One said this: "Here, Sāriputta, many deities of harmonious mind approached me; having approached, they paid homage to me and stood to one side. Standing to one side, Sāriputta, those deities said this to me: 'That, Venerable Sir, the venerable Sāriputta, in the Pubbārāma, at Migāra's Mother's Palace, is teaching the bhikkhus about the person bound by internal fetters and by external fetters. The assembly, Venerable Sir, is delighted. It would be good, Venerable Sir, if the Blessed One would approach the venerable Sāriputta, out of compassion.' Those deities, Sāriputta, were ten, then twenty, then thirty becoming forty, becoming fifty, becoming sixty, they stand even in the space of a needle's point, and they do not harm one another. It might be, Sāriputta, that you think thus: 'Surely there, the minds of those deities have been so developed that those deities, becoming ten, becoming twenty, becoming thirty, becoming forty, becoming fifty, becoming sixty, stand even in the space of a needle's point, and do not harm one another.' But, Sāriputta, this should not be seen thus. It is right here, Sāriputta, that the minds of those deities have been so developed, that those deities, becoming ten... and do not harm one another. Therefore, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves thus: 'We will be calm in our faculties, calm in our minds.' Thus, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves. 'For you, Sāriputta, who are calm in your faculties, calm in your minds, your bodily action will be calm, your verbal action will be calm, your mental action will be calm. We will offer a calm offering to our fellow practitioners.' 'Thus, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves. There would be no wanderers of other sects, Sāriputta, who would not hear this discourse on the Dhamma.' 38. Thus have I heard: On one occasion, the venerable Mahākaccāna was dwelling in Varaṇā on the bank of the Bhaddasārī. Then the brahmin Ārāmadaṇḍa approached the venerable Mahākaccāna; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the venerable Mahākaccāna. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the brahmin Ārāmadaṇḍa said this to the venerable Mahākaccāna: 'What, good Kaccāna, is the reason, what is the cause, by which khattiyas dispute with khattiyas, brahmins dispute with brahmins, householders dispute with householders?' 'Bound by attachment and clinging to sensual desire... Indeed, Brahmin, because of attachment, binding, entanglement, obsession, and clinging to sensual desire, warriors dispute with warriors, Brahmins dispute with Brahmins, householders dispute with householders. “But what, good Kaccana, is the reason, what is the cause, by which ascetics dispute with ascetics?