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4. The Chapter on Divine Messengers 1. The Discourse on Brahmā 31. Those families, monks, are with Brahmā, whose children honor their mothers and fathers in the home. Those families, monks, are with former teachers, whose children honor their mothers and fathers in the home. Those families, monks, are worthy of offerings, whose children honor their mothers and fathers in the home. "Brahmā," monks, is a designation for mothers and fathers. "Former teachers," monks, is a designation for mothers and fathers. "Worthy of offerings," monks, is a designation for mothers and fathers. For what reason? Mothers and fathers, monks, are of great help to their children, they are their producers, their nourishers, the revealers of this world. Mothers and fathers are called Brahmā, And former teachers; They are worthy of offerings to their children, Compassionate to their offspring. Therefore, the wise one should salute them, And honor them; With food and with drink, With clothes and with bedding; With anointing, bathing, And washing of their feet. By such service, The wise are praised here By mothers and fathers, And after death, they rejoice in heaven. 2. The Discourse with Ānanda 32. Then the venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One; having approached and saluted the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: "Is it possible, venerable sir, for a monk to attain such a concentration that in this conscious body there would be no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit, and externally in all signs there would be no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit; and that he would dwell having attained that liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom in which there are no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit?" "It is possible, Ānanda, for a monk to attain such a concentration that in this conscious body there would be no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit, and externally in all signs there would be no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit; and that he would dwell having attained that liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom in which there are no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit." In the unconscious body, there would be no 'I-making', 'mine-making', or latent tendencies of conceit. And in all external signs, there would be no 'I-making', 'mine-making', or latent tendencies of conceit. And that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, by attaining which, 'I-making', 'mine-making', and latent tendencies of conceit do not arise, that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, one should attain and dwell in. "But how, venerable sir, could a monk attain such a concentration that in this conscious body, there would be no 'I-making', 'mine-making', or latent tendencies of conceit, and in all external signs, there would be no 'I-making', 'mine-making', or latent tendencies of conceit; and that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, by attaining which, 'I-making', 'mine-making', and latent tendencies of conceit do not arise, that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, one should attain and dwell in?" "Here, Ānanda, a monk thinks thus: 'This is peaceful, this is sublime, namely, the calming of all formations, the relinquishing of all attachments, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna.' Thus, Ānanda, a monk could attain such a concentration that in this conscious body, there would be no 'I-making', 'mine-making', or latent tendencies of conceit, and in all external signs, there would be no 'I-making', 'mine-making', or latent tendencies of conceit; and that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, by attaining which, 'I-making', 'mine-making', and latent tendencies of conceit do not arise, that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, one should attain and dwell in." "And it is with this in mind, Ānanda, that I spoke in the Pārāyana, in Puṇṇaka's question: Having reckoned the high and low in the world, He whose wavering is nowhere in the world; Peaceful, smokeless, without trouble, without longing, He has crossed birth and old age, I say." 3. The Sāriputta Sutta Then indeed, Venerable Sāriputta approached the Blessed One. Having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. As Venerable Sāriputta was sitting to one side... The Blessed One said this to Sāriputta: "Indeed, Sāriputta, I might teach the Dhamma concisely; I might teach the Dhamma extensively; I might teach the Dhamma concisely and extensively; but those who understand are rare." "Now is the time, Blessed One, now is the time, Fortunate One, for the Blessed One to teach the Dhamma concisely, to teach the Dhamma extensively, to teach the Dhamma concisely and extensively. There will be those who understand the Dhamma." "Therefore, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves thus: 'In this conscious body, there will be no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit; and in all external signs, there will be no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit; and that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, by attaining which one dwells, and in which there are no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit, that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, we will attain and dwell in.' Thus, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves." "When, Sāriputta, a bhikkhu has no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit in this conscious body, and has no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit in all external signs, and attains and dwells in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, in which there are no latent tendencies of 'I-making,' 'mine-making,' and conceit; then, Sāriputta, it is said: 'The bhikkhu has cut off craving, has turned away from the fetter, by rightly comprehending conceit, has made an end of suffering.' And this, Sāriputta, was said by me with reference to the Udaya's Question in the Pārāyana: "Abandoning perceptions of sensual desire, and both kinds of sorrow; dispelling sloth and torpor, preventing remorse. "Purified by equanimity and mindfulness, preceded by reasoned thought on the Dhamma; I declare this to be liberation by knowledge, the breaking through of ignorance." ]. Third; 4. Discourse on Causes 34. "These three, monks, are the causes for the arising of kamma. Which three? Greed is a cause for the arising of kamma, Hatred is a cause for the arising of kamma, Delusion is a cause for the arising of kamma. "Whatever kamma, monks, is done out of greed, born of greed, caused by greed, originated from greed, wherever one's existence arises, there that kamma ripens. Wherever that kamma ripens, there one experiences the result of that kamma, either in this very life, or by reappearing, or in some other way. "Whatever kamma, monks, is done out of hatred, born of hatred, caused by hatred, originated from hatred, wherever one's existence arises, there that kamma ripens. Wherever that kamma ripens, there one experiences the result of that kamma, either in this very life, or by reappearing, or in some other way. "Whatever kamma, monks, is done out of delusion, born of delusion, caused by delusion, originated from delusion, wherever one's existence arises, there that kamma ripens. Wherever that kamma ripens, there one experiences the result of that kamma, either in this very life, or by reappearing, or in some other way. "Just as, monks, seeds that are unbroken, uncorrupted, undamaged by wind and sun, full of sap, well-preserved, placed in a good field, in well-prepared soil. And the sky would send down rain in due season. Then those seeds, monks, would attain growth, increase, and fullness. Even so, monks, whatever kamma is done out of greed, born of greed, caused by greed, originated from greed, wherever one's existence arises, there that kamma ripens. Wherever that kamma ripens, there one experiences the result of that kamma, either in this very life, or by reappearing, or in some other way. "Whatever is done out of hatred, Action... that action done out of delusion, born of delusion, having delusion as its source, originating from delusion, wherever his existence is reborn, there that action ripens. Wherever that action ripens, there he experiences the result of that action, either in this very life, or in a future birth, or in some other way. These, monks, are the three sources for the origination of actions. These three, monks, are the sources for the origination of actions. Which three? Non-greed is a source for the origination of actions, non-hatred is a source for the origination of actions, non-delusion is a source for the origination of actions. That action, monks, done out of non-greed, born of non-greed, having non-greed as its source, originating from non-greed, when greed is gone, that action is thus abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. That action, monks, done out of non-hatred, born of non-hatred, having non-hatred as its source, originating from non-hatred, when hatred is gone, that action is thus abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. That action, monks, done out of non-delusion, born of non-delusion, having non-delusion as its source, originating from non-delusion, when delusion is gone, that action is thus abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. Just as, monks, seeds unbroken, not rotten, not damaged by wind and sun, sound, well-planted. A man might burn them with fire. Having burned them with fire, he might make them into ash. Having made them into ash, he might scatter them in a strong wind, or float them away in a swiftly flowing river. Thus, monks, those seeds would be uprooted,