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(9) 4. Chapter of the Elders 1. The Discourse to Vāhana 81. At one time the Blessed One was staying in Campā, on the bank of the Gaggara Pond. Then the venerable Vāhana approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the venerable Vāhana said to the Blessed One: "By how many things, venerable sir, does the Tathāgata dwell disengaged, disjoined, liberated, with a mind made boundless?" "By ten things, Vāhana, does the Tathāgata dwell disengaged, disjoined, liberated, with a mind made boundless. Which ten? From form, Vāhana, the Tathāgata dwells disengaged, disjoined, liberated, with a mind made boundless; from feeling, Vāhana... from perception, Vāhana... from volitional formations, Vāhana... from consciousness, Vāhana... from birth, Vāhana... from aging, Vāhana... from death, Vāhana... from suffering, Vāhana... from defilements, Vāhana, the Tathāgata dwells disengaged, disjoined, liberated, with a mind made boundless. Just as, Vāhana, a blue lotus, or a red lotus, or a white lotus, born in water, grown in water, rises above the water and stands unsoiled by the water; even so, Vāhana, by these ten things the Tathāgata dwells disengaged, disjoined, liberated, with a mind made boundless." The First. 2. The Discourse to Ānanda 82. Then the venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. To the venerable Ānanda, seated to one side, the Blessed One said this: "It is not possible, Ānanda, that a monk, being faithless, will attain growth, increase, and fullness in this Dhamma and Discipline. "It is not possible, Ānanda, that a monk, being immoral, will attain growth, increase, and fullness in this Dhamma and Discipline. "It is not possible, Ānanda, that a monk, b A monk, being of little learning, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being difficult to admonish, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being a bad friend, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being lazy, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being forgetful, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being discontent, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being of evil wishes, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being of wrong view, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, endowed with these ten qualities, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is not possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being faithful, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being virtuous, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being learned, a preserver of what is heard, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline— this is possible. So, Ananda, a monk, being easy to admonish, will attain growth, increase, and abundance will attain growth, increase, and abundance. This is possible. That monk, Ananda, being a good friend, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. This is possible. That monk, Ananda, being energetic, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. This is possible. That monk, Ananda, being mindful, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. This is possible. That monk, Ananda, being content, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. This is possible. That monk, Ananda, having few wishes, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. This is possible. That monk, Ananda, having right view, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. This is possible. That monk, Ananda, endowed with these ten qualities, will attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. This is possible." The Second. 3. The Discourse to Puṇṇiya 83. Then Venerable Puṇṇiya approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he bowed to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Puṇṇiya said to the Blessed One: "What, venerable sir, is the reason, what is the cause, why sometimes a Dhamma teaching occurs to the Tathāgata, and sometimes it does not occur?" "A monk, Puṇṇiya, is faithful, but does not approach; then a Dhamma teaching does not occur to the Tathāgata. But when, Puṇṇiya, a monk is faithful and approaches, then a Dhamma teaching occurs to the Tathāgata." "A monk, Puṇṇiya, is faithful and approaches, but does not serve... ...serves, but does not question... ...questions... And if he does not listen to the Dhamma with an attentive ear... And if he listens to the Dhamma with an attentive ear, but does not retain the Dhamma after hearing it... And if he retains the Dhamma after hearing it, but does not examine the meaning of the retained Dhamma... And if he examines the meaning of the retained Dhamma, but does not practice in accordance with the Dhamma, having understood the meaning, having understood the Dhamma... And if he practices in accordance with the Dhamma, having understood the meaning, having understood the Dhamma, but is not of good speech, of good utterance, endowed with a cultured speech, clear, unhesitating, making the meaning understood... And if he is of good speech, of good utterance, endowed with a cultured speech, clear, unhesitating, making the meaning understood, but is not one who explains, encourages, inspires, and gladdens his fellow practitioners— then the teaching of the Dhamma does not yet become clear to the Tathagata. "But when, Punniya, a bhikkhu is faithful, and one who approaches, and one who attends, and one who questions, and one who listens to the Dhamma with an attentive ear, and one who retains the Dhamma after hearing it, and one who examines the meaning of the retained Dhamma, and one who practices in accordance with the Dhamma, having understood the meaning, having understood the Dhamma, and one who is of good speech, of good utterance, endowed with a cultured speech, clear, unhesitating, making the meaning understood, and one who explains, encourages, inspires, and gladdens his fellow practitioners— then the teaching of the Dhamma becomes clear to the Tathagata. Punniya, endowed with these ten qualities, the teaching of the Dhamma becomes absolutely clear to the Tathagata." The Third. 4. The Discourse on Explanation There, indeed, the venerable Mahamoggallana addressed the bhikkhus: "Friends, bhikkhus!" "Friend!" indeed, those bhikkhus replied to the venerable Mahamoggallana. The venerable Mahamoggallana He spoke thus: “Here, friend, a monk declares final knowledge – ‘Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being,’ thus he knows. Him, a Tathāgata, or a Tathāgata’s disciple, one who is meditative, skilled in attainments, skilled in knowing others’ minds, skilled in the ways of others’ minds, questions him, presses him, discusses with him. He, being questioned, pressed, and discussed with by a Tathāgata or a Tathāgata’s disciple, who is meditative, skilled in attainments, skilled in knowing others’ minds, skilled in the ways of others’ minds, falls into barrenness, falls into perplexity, falls into ruin, falls into misfortune, falls into ruin and misfortune. Him, a Tathāgata, or a Tathāgata’s disciple, one who is meditative, skilled in attainments, skilled in knowing others’ minds, skilled in the ways of others’ minds, thus comprehends his mind with his own mind, and considers: ‘Why indeed does this venerable one declare final knowledge – ‘Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being,’ thus he knows?’ Him, a Tathāgata, or a Tathāgata’s disciple, one who is meditative, skilled in attainments, skilled in knowing others’ minds, skilled in the ways of others’ minds, thus comprehends his mind with his own mind, and knows: ‘This venerable one is indeed angry; he dwells much with a mind overwhelmed by anger. And indeed, being overwhelmed by anger is a decline in the Dhamma-Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata. ‘This venerable one is indeed resentful; he dwells much with a mind overwhelmed by resentment. And indeed, being overwhelmed by resentment is a decline in the Dhamma-Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata. ‘This venerable one is indeed disparaging; he dwells much with a mind overwhelmed by disparagement. And indeed, being overwhelmed by disparagement is a decline in the Dhamma-Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata. ‘This venerable one is indeed envious; he dwells much with a mind overwhelmed by envy. And indeed, being overwhelmed by envy is a decline in the Dhamma-Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata. ‘This venerable one is indeed jealous; This venerable one; dwells frequently with a mind overcome by envy. And indeed, being overcome by envy is a decline in the Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata. And indeed, this venerable one is stingy; dwells frequently with a mind overcome by stinginess. And indeed, being overcome by stinginess is a decline in the Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata. And indeed, this venerable one is deceitful;