English
then, monks, the hell-wardens make him ascend and descend a great mountain of burning, blazing, glowing coals... ...then, monks, the hell-wardens, having seized him by the feet with head downwards, throw him into a heated iron cauldron, burning, blazing, glowing. He there, boiling with foam, sometimes goes up, sometimes goes down, sometimes goes sideways. He there experiences feelings that are painful, sharp, severe, and bitter, and he does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. Then, monks, the hell-wardens throw him into the Great Hell. And that, monks, Great Hell is – Four-cornered, with four gates, divided into measured parts; surrounded by an iron wall, enclosed by iron. Its ground is made of iron, burning, endowed with heat; it stands extending for a hundred leagues all around, always. Formerly, monks, it occurred to King Yama: ‘Indeed, those who do evil deeds in the world are subjected to such various torments. Oh, if only I could obtain human existence, and a Tathāgata in the world... If there should arise an Arahant, a Fully Self-Enlightened One, I would attend upon that Blessed One. And that Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma, and I would understand the Dhamma of that Blessed One. But this, monks, I do not say having heard it from another ascetic or brahmin, but rather, monks, what I myself have known, myself have seen, myself have realized, that I say. Urged by the divine messengers, those young men who are heedless; they grieve for a long time, those people who go to a lower state. But those good people, the virtuous ones, here, urged by the divine messengers, are never heedless, regarding the noble Dhamma. Seeing fear in clinging, in the arising of birth and death; without clinging, they are liberated, in the destruction of birth and death. They, the heedful, are happy, extinguished in this very life; gone beyond all enmity and fear, they have transcended all suffering. The Sixth. 7. The Discourse on the Four Great Kings 37. On the eighth day, monks, of the fortnight, the ministers and assembly members of the Four Great Kings wander through this world – ‘Are there many people among humans who are deferential to their mothers, deferential to their fathers, deferential to ascetics, deferential to brahmins, respectful of the elders in their family, who observe the Uposatha, keep vigil, and perform meritorious deeds?’ On the fourteenth day, monks, of the fortnight, the sons of the Four Great Kings wander through this world – ‘Are there many people among humans who are deferential to their mothers, deferential to their fathers, deferential to ascetics, deferential to brahmins, respectful of the elders in their family, who observe the Uposatha, keep vigil, and perform meritorious deeds?’ On that very Uposatha day, monks, the fifteenth, the Four Great Kings themselves wander through this world – ‘Are there many people among humans who are deferential to their mothers, deferential to their fathers, deferential to ascetics, deferential to brahmins, respectful of the elders in their family, who observe the Uposatha, keep vigil, and perform meritorious deeds?’ If, monks, there are few people among humans who are deferential to their mothers, deferential to their fathers, deferential to ascetics some, brahmins, respectful of elders in the family, observe the Uposatha, keep vigil, perform meritorious deeds. Then, monks, the Four Great Kings report to the Tāvatiṃsa gods, assembled and gathered in the Sudhammā Hall: 'Few indeed, sirs, are the humans among humans who are devoted to mother, devoted to father, devoted to recluses, devoted to brahmins, respectful of elders in the family, observe the Uposatha, keep vigil, perform meritorious deeds.' Then, monks, the Tāvatiṃsa gods are displeased: 'Alas, sirs, the divine bodies will diminish, the asura bodies will be filled.' But if, monks, many are the humans among humans who are devoted to mother, devoted to father, devoted to recluses, devoted to brahmins, respectful of elders in the family, observe the Uposatha, keep vigil, perform meritorious deeds. Then, monks, the Four Great Kings report to the Tāvatiṃsa gods, assembled and gathered in the Sudhammā Hall: 'Many indeed, sirs, are the humans among humans who are devoted to mother, devoted to father, devoted to recluses, devoted to brahmins, respectful of elders in the family, observe the Uposatha, keep vigil, perform meritorious deeds.' Then, monks, the Tāvatiṃsa gods are pleased: 'Alas, sirs, the divine bodies will be filled, the asura bodies will diminish.' Formerly, monks, Sakka, king of the gods, admonishing the Tāvatiṃsa gods, on that occasion uttered this verse: The fourteenth, the fifteenth, and the eighth of the fortnight; and the special fortnight; endowed with eight factors; should observe the Uposatha, whoever is a person like me. But that, monks, verse by Sakka, king of the gods, was ill-sung, not well-sung, ill-spoken, not well-spoken. For what reason? For Sakka, monks, king of the gods, is not free from lust, not free from hatred, not free from delusion. But that monk, monks, who is an Arahant, with defilements destroyed, who has lived the holy life, has done what was to be done, has laid down the burden, has attained... whose goal has been attained, whose fetters of existence are exhausted, liberated by perfect knowledge, for that monk, bhikkhus, it is fitting to say – “On the fourteenth, on the fifteenth, and on the eighth of the fortnight; and the special fortnight, endowed with eight factors; one should observe the Uposatha, whoever is a person like me.” “For what reason? For that monk, bhikkhus, is free from lust, free from hatred, free from delusion.” The Seventh. 8. The Second Discourse on the Four Great Kings 38. “Formerly, bhikkhus, Sakka, the lord of devas, admonishing the Tāvatiṃsa devas, on that occasion uttered this verse – “On the fourteenth, on the fifteenth, and on the eighth of the fortnight; and the special fortnight, endowed with eight factors; one should observe the Uposatha, whoever is a person like me.” “But that verse, bhikkhus, uttered by Sakka, the lord of devas, was ill-sung, not well-sung, ill-spoken, not well-spoken. For what reason? For Sakka, bhikkhus, the lord of devas, is not liberated from birth, from old age, from death, from sorrows, lamentations, pains, griefs, and despairs; I say he is not liberated from suffering. “But that monk, bhikkhus, who is an Arahant, whose defilements are destroyed, who has lived the holy life, who has done what was to be done, who has laid down the burden, who has attained his own goal, whose fetters of existence are exhausted, liberated by perfect knowledge, for that monk, bhikkhus, it is fitting to say – “On the fourteenth, on the fifteenth, and on the eighth of the fortnight; and the special fortnight, endowed with eight factors; one should observe the Uposatha, whoever is a person like me.” “For what reason? For that monk, bhikkhus, is liberated from birth, from old age, from death, from sorrows, lamentations, pains, griefs, and despairs; I say he is liberated from suffering.” The Eighth. 9. The Discourse on the Delicate 39. “I was delicate, bhikkhus, supremely delicate, exceedingly delicate. For me, bhikkhus, my father's In the pleasure groves, ponds were made. In one place, monks, a blue lotus bloomed, in another, a white lotus, in another, a white water-lily, all for my own sake. And I, monks, did not wear ordinary sandalwood. My turban, monks, was of Kasi cloth, my jacket of Kasi cloth, my lower garment of Kasi cloth, my upper robe of Kasi cloth. Day and night, monks, a white parasol was held over me— 'Lest cold or heat, grass or dust, or dew touch him.' I, monks, had three palaces— one for winter, one for summer, one for the rainy season. And I, monks, in the rainy season palace, for the four months of the rains, attended by female musicians, did not descend to the lower palace. Just as, monks, in the homes of others, to slaves, workers, and servants broken rice is given, with sour gruel as a second dish, even so, monks, in my father's home, to slaves, workers, and servants rice with meat was given. To me, monks, endowed with such power, and with such delicacy, this thought occurred: 'Indeed, the uninstructed ordinary person, being subject to old age himself, not having overcome old age, seeing another who is old, is distressed, ashamed, disgusted, overlooking himself. But I too am subject to old age, not having overcome old age. If I, being subject to old age, not having overcome old age, seeing another who is old, were to be distressed, ashamed, disgusted, that would not be fitting for me.' As I, monks, reflected thus, the intoxication of youth in my youth was entirely abandoned. Indeed, the uninstructed ordinary person, being subject to sickness himself, not having overcome sickness, seeing another who is sick, is distressed, ashamed, disgusted, reflecting on myself thus: ‘I too am subject to illness, not beyond illness. If I, being subject to illness, not beyond illness, were to be repelled, ashamed, disgusted upon seeing another who is ill, that would not be proper for me.’ As I, bhikkhus, reflected thus, the conceit of health in me was entirely abandoned. The uninstructed ordinary person, being subject to death, not beyond death, upon seeing another who has died, is repelled, ashamed, disgusted, reflecting on himself thus: ‘I too am subject to death, not beyond death. If I, being subject to death, not beyond death, were to be repelled, ashamed, disgusted upon seeing another who has died, that would not be proper for me.’ As I, bhikkhus, reflected thus, the conceit of life in me was entirely abandoned. There are these three conceits, bhikkhus. Which three? The conceit of youth, the conceit of health, the conceit of life. An uninstructed ordinary person, bhikkhus, intoxicated by the conceit of youth, engages in misconduct by body, engages in misconduct by speech,