English
2. The Great Chapter 1. The Discourse at Verañjā Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was staying at Verañjā, at the root of a Naḷeru-pucimanda tree. Then the brahmin Verañja approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. As he sat to one side, the brahmin Verañja said this to the Blessed One: “I have heard this, Master Gotama: ‘The ascetic Gotama does not greet, nor rise up for, nor invite with a seat, brahmins who are old, aged, advanced in years, having reached the end of their life’s journey.’ And this, Master Gotama, is indeed so. For Master Gotama does not greet, nor rise up for, nor invite with a seat, brahmins who are old, aged, advanced in years, having reached the end of their life’s journey. This, Master Gotama, is not proper.” “I do not see, brahmin, in the world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among the generation of ascetics and brahmins, devas and humans, anyone whom I should greet, or rise up for, or invite with a seat. For if, brahmin, the Tathāgata were to greet, or rise up for, or invite with a seat, his head would split open.” “Master Gotama is without taste!” “There is indeed, brahmin, a way by which one, rightly speaking, might say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is without taste.’ Those tastes of forms, brahmin, tastes of sounds, tastes of odors, tastes of flavors, tastes of tangibles— these have been abandoned by the Tathāgata, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise again in the future. This, brahmin, is the way by which one, rightly speaking, might say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is without taste,’ but not in the sense you mean.” “Master Gotama is without possessions!” “There is indeed, brahmin, a way by which one, rightly speaking, might say of me..." One might rightly say: ‘The recluse Gotama is without possessions.’ Those, brahmin, possessions of forms, possessions of sounds, possessions of odors, possessions of tastes, possessions of touches, for the Tathāgata, they are abandoned, their roots cut off, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. This, brahmin, is the way, by which one might rightly say of me: ‘The recluse Gotama is without possessions,’ but not in the sense you mean. ‘Venerable Gotama is a non-doer!’ There is, brahmin, a way, by which one might rightly say of me: ‘The recluse Gotama is a non-doer.’ For I, brahmin, teach non-doing of bodily misconduct, of verbal misconduct, of mental misconduct; I teach non-doing of various kinds of evil, unwholesome states. This, brahmin, is the way, by which one might rightly say of me: ‘The recluse Gotama is a non-doer,’ but not in the sense you mean. ‘Venerable Gotama is an annihilationist!’ There is, brahmin, a way, by which one might rightly say of me: ‘The recluse Gotama is an annihilationist.’ For I, brahmin, teach the annihilation of lust, of hatred, of delusion; I teach the annihilation of various kinds of evil, unwholesome states. This, brahmin, is the way, by which one might rightly say of me: ‘The recluse Gotama is an annihilationist,’ but not in the sense you mean. ‘Venerable Gotama is a detester!’ There is, brahmin, a way, by which one might rightly say of me: ‘The recluse Gotama is a detester.’ For I, brahmin, detest bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct; I detest the entering into various kinds of evil, unwholesome states. This, brahmin, is the way, by which one might rightly say of me: ‘The recluse Gotama is a detester.’ but not in the sense you mean." "Venerable Gotama is one who disciplines!" "Indeed, brahmin, there is a way, by which way, speaking rightly, one might say of me – ‘The recluse Gotama is one who disciplines.’ For I, brahmin, teach the Dhamma for the discipline of lust, of hatred, of delusion; I teach the Dhamma for the discipline of various evil, unwholesome states. This, indeed, brahmin, is the way, by which way, speaking rightly, one might say of me – ‘The recluse Gotama is one who disciplines,’ but not in the sense you mean." "Venerable Gotama is an ascetic!" "Indeed, brahmin, there is a way, by which way, speaking rightly, one might say of me – ‘The recluse Gotama is an ascetic.’ I, brahmin, call evil, unwholesome states 'things to be burnt away': bad bodily conduct, bad verbal conduct, bad mental conduct. For whom, brahmin, these evil, unwholesome states to be burnt away are abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise again in the future, him I call ‘an ascetic.’ For the Tathāgata, brahmin, these evil, unwholesome states to be burnt away are abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise again in the future. This, indeed, brahmin, is the way, by which way, speaking rightly, one might say of me – ‘The recluse Gotama is an ascetic,’ but not in the sense you mean." "Venerable Gotama is one without a womb!" "Indeed, brahmin, there is a way, by which way, speaking rightly, one might say of me – ‘The recluse Gotama is one without a womb.’ For whom, brahmin, future conception in a womb, the arising of renewed existence, is abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise again in the future, him I call ‘one without a womb.’ For the Tathāgata, brahmin, future conception in a womb, the arising of renewed existence, is abandoned, uprooted, made like a palm-stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise again in the future. This, indeed, brahmin, is the way, Yes, by which, speaking rightly, one might say of me, by way of analogy: 'The recluse Gotama is not conceited,' but not in the sense you mean when you speak. "Just as, brahmin, a hen's eggs, eight or ten or twelve. Those are properly sat upon by the hen, properly warmed, properly incubated. Whichever of those chicks first breaks through the eggshell with its claw-tip or its beak, and safely emerges, what should he be called – 'the eldest or the youngest'?" "He should be called the eldest, good Gotama. For he, good Gotama, is the eldest of them." "Even so, brahmin, for the populace gone into ignorance, egg-born, enveloped, I alone in the world, having broken the eggshell of ignorance, have fully awakened to unsurpassed perfect self-awakening. For I, brahmin, am the eldest, the foremost of the world. My energy, brahmin, was aroused, unflagging, mindfulness was established, unconfused, my body was tranquil, not agitated, my mind was concentrated, one-pointed. "So I, brahmin, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, entered upon and abode in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. With the subsiding of initial and sustained application, by gaining inner tranquility and unification of mind, I entered upon and abode in the second jhāna, which is without initial and sustained application, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure. With the fading of rapture, I abode in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experienced pleasure with the body, of which the noble ones declare: 'He is equanimous, mindful, one who dwells in pleasure.' Thus I entered upon and abode in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, I entered upon and abode in the fourth jhāna, which is neither painful nor pleasant, and is purified by equanimity and mindfulness. "With my mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, I inclined..." I directed my mind to the knowledge of the recollection of past lives, unwavering. So I recollected my manifold past lives, namely – one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction and expansion – ‘There I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I was reborn there; there I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, eating such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Having passed away from there, I was reborn here.’ Thus I recollected my manifold past lives with their details and features. ‘This, indeed, O brahmin, was the first knowledge I attained in the first watch of the night; ignorance was dispelled, knowledge arose; darkness was dispelled, light arose, as is fitting for one who dwells heedfully, ardently, resolutely. This, indeed, O brahmin, was my first breakthrough, like a chick breaking out of its shell. So with my mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, unwavering, I directed my mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing human sight, I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and I understood them according to their deeds – ‘These good beings were endowed with misconduct of body, endowed with misconduct of speech, endowed with misconduct of mind, revilers of noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views. At the breaking up of the body, after death, they reappeared in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell. Or these good beings were endowed with good conduct of body, with good conduct of speech... endowed with good bodily conduct, endowed with good verbal conduct, endowed with good mental conduct, not revilers of the noble ones, of right view,