English
with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, becoming; with becoming as condition, birth; with birth as condition, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise. Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. This, monks, is called the noble truth of the origin of suffering. And what, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering? With the complete fading away and cessation of ignorance, cessation of volitional formations; with the cessation of volitional formations, cessation of consciousness; with the cessation of consciousness, cessation of name-and-form; with the cessation of name-and-form, cessation of the six sense bases; with the cessation of the six sense bases, cessation of contact; with the cessation of contact, cessation of feeling; with the cessation of feeling, cessation of craving; with the cessation of craving, cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of becoming; with the cessation of becoming, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering. This, monks, is called the noble truth of the cessation of suffering. And what, monks, is the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering? It is this Noble Eightfold Path, namely – right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, monks, is called the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. ‘These are the four noble truths,’ monks, is the Dhamma taught by me, unheld, unblemished, unblameworthy, unrepudiated by ascetics, brahmins, or the wise. Thus, what was said, was said with reference to this. The First. 63. “These three, monks, are without mother and father, "are dangers," says the untaught ordinary person. Which three? There comes a time, monks, when a great conflagration arises. When that great conflagration has arisen, monks, then villages burn, towns burn, cities burn. As villages burn, as towns burn, as cities burn, there a mother does not find her son, nor a son his mother. This, monks, is the first "mother-and-son-less" danger, says the untaught ordinary person. And further, monks, there comes a time when a great cloud arises. When that great cloud has arisen, monks, a great flood of water comes forth. As that great flood of water comes forth, monks, then villages are swept away, towns are swept away, cities are swept away. As villages are swept away, as towns are swept away, as cities are swept away, there a mother does not find her son, nor a son his mother. This, monks, is the second "mother-and-son-less" danger, says the untaught ordinary person. And further, monks, there comes a time when there is fear, a forest disturbance, and people from the countryside flee in carts. When there is fear, monks, a forest disturbance, and people from the countryside flee in carts, there a mother does not find her son, nor a son his mother. This, monks, is the third "mother-and-son-less" danger, says the untaught ordinary person. These, monks, are the three "mother-and-son-less" dangers, says the untaught ordinary person. But these three dangers, monks, are in fact "with mother and son," yet the untaught ordinary person says they are "mother-and-son-less" dangers. Which three? There comes a time, monks, when a great conflagration arises. When that great conflagration has arisen, monks, then villages burn, towns burn, Cities burn, cities burn. When villages burn, when towns burn, when cities burn, there is a time, when sometimes, a mother finds her son, and a son finds his mother. This, monks, is the first fear, "with mother and son," which the uninstructed ordinary person speaks of as "without mother and son." And again, monks, there is a time when a great cloud rains. When a great cloud has rained, monks, a great flood of water arises. When a great flood of water has arisen, monks, by it villages are swept away, towns are swept away, cities are swept away. When villages are swept away, when towns are swept away, when cities are swept away, there is a time, when sometimes, a mother finds her son, and a son finds his mother. This, monks, is the second fear, "with mother and son," which the uninstructed ordinary person speaks of as "without mother and son." And again, monks, there is a time when there is fear, a forest disturbance, when country dwellers, having mounted their chariots, roam about. When there is fear, monks, when there is a forest disturbance, when country dwellers, having mounted their chariots, roam about, there is a time, when sometimes, a mother finds her son, and a son finds his mother. This, monks, is the third fear, "with mother and son," which the uninstructed ordinary person speaks of as "without mother and son." These three fears, monks, are "with mother and son," which the uninstructed ordinary person speaks of as "without mother and son." These three, monks, are fears "without mother and son." Which three? The fear of old age, the fear of sickness, the fear of death. Not, monks, does a mother, when her son is aging, obtain it thus: 'I age, may my son not age.' Or a son, when his mother is aging, does not obtain it thus: 'I age, may my mother not age.' Not, monks, does a mother her son when he is sick, he does not get this thought: 'I am sick, may my son not be sick.' Or a son, when his mother is sick, does not get this thought: 'I am sick, may my mother not be sick.' "Monks, a mother, when her son is dying, does not get this thought: 'I am dying, may my son not die.' Or a son, when his mother is dying, does not get this thought: 'I am dying, may my mother not die.' These, monks, are the three motherless-sonless fears." "There is, monks, a path, there is a practice for the abandoning, for the overcoming of these three mother-and-son fears, and these three motherless-sonless fears. And what, monks, is that path, what is that practice for the abandoning, for the overcoming of these three mother-and-son fears, and these three motherless-sonless fears? It is this Noble Eightfold Path, that is to say: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration. This, monks, is the path, this is the practice for the abandoning, for the overcoming of these three mother-and-son fears, and these three motherless-sonless fears." The Second. 3. The Venāgapura Sutta 64. At one time the Blessed One was wandering in the Kosala country with a large community of bhikkhus, and he arrived at Venāgapura, a brahmin village of the Kosalans. The brahmin householders of Venāgapura heard: "Indeed, good sirs, the ascetic Gotama, a son of the Sakyans, who has gone forth from the Sakyan clan, has arrived at Venāgapura. And this good report has spread concerning Master Gotama: 'That Blessed One is indeed an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One.'" [to be compared with the Great Discourse on the Lion’s Roar, Dī. Ni. 1.255]. He, having himself directly known and realized this world with its devas, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, with its ascetics and brahmins, with its devas and humans, proclaims it. He teaches the Dhamma lovely in the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely in the end, with meaning and with letter, he reveals the utterly complete and pure holy life. Good it is indeed to see such Arahants.” Then the brahmin householders of Venāgapura approached the Blessed One. Having approached, some bowed down to the Blessed One and sat to one side. Some exchanged greetings with the Blessed One, and after exchanging courteous and memorable talk, sat to one side. Some, raising their joined hands towards the Blessed One, sat to one side. Some announced their name and clan, and sat to one side. Some remained silent and sat to one side. Seated to one side, the brahmin Vacchagotta of Venāgapura said this to the Blessed One: “It is wonderful, good Gotama! It is amazing, good Gotama! How clear are the faculties of the good Gotama! How pure is his skin color, how radiant! Just as, good Gotama, a ripe jujube fruit in autumn is pure and radiant; even so are the faculties of the good Gotama clear, his skin color pure and radiant. Just as, good Gotama, a ripe palm fruit just released from its stalk is pure and radiant; even so are the faculties of the good Gotama clear, his skin color pure and radiant. Just as, good Gotama, a jambonada gold coin, well-worked by a skillful goldsmith’s son, struck well in the crucible, placed on a yellow cloth, shines, blazes, and radiates; even so are the faculties of the good Gotama clear, Your senses are purified, your skin color is clear, radiant. Those, indeed, good Gotama, high and grand couches and beds, such as: a long-seated chair, a divan, a woolen rug with long fleece, an embroidered rug, a silk rug, a woolen rug, a cotton mattress, a rug with figures of animals, a rug with hair on both sides, a rug with hair on one side, a rug embroidered with gold and silk, a silk rug, a large woolen rug, an elephant rug, a horse rug, a chariot rug, an antelope skin rug, the best antelope skin rug, with a canopy, with red pillows at both ends— of such high and grand couches and beds, surely, good Gotama, you are a willing recipient, an unhindered recipient, an unlaborious recipient. But those, brahmin, high and grand couches and beds, such as: a long-seated chair, a divan, a woolen rug with long fleece, an embroidered rug, a silk rug, a woolen rug, a cotton mattress, a rug with figures of animals, a rug with hair on both sides, a rug with hair on one side, a rug embroidered with gold and silk,