English
this alone is true, anything else is foolishness.’ “When asked, ‘Then, good sir, you do not know, you do not see?’ you say, ‘No, friend, I do not not know, I do not not see. I know, friend, I see.’ How then, friend, is the meaning of this statement to be understood? What then? “‘The world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is foolish’— this, friend, is a view. ‘The world is not eternal, this alone is true, anything else is foolish’— this, friend, is a view. The world is finite… the world is infinite… the soul and body are the same… the soul and body are different… the Tathāgata exists after death… the Tathāgata does not exist after death… the Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death… ‘the Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is foolish’— this, friend, is a view. “As far as views extend, friend, as far as the basis of views, the adherence to views, the obsession with views, the arising of views, the uprooting of views— that I know, that I see. Knowing that, seeing that, how could I say, ‘I do not know, I do not see’? I know, friend, I see.” “What is your name, venerable sir, and how do your companions in the holy life know you?” “‘Ānanda’ is my name, friend. And my companions in the holy life know me as ‘Ānanda’.” “Indeed, sirs, we conversed with a great teacher and did not realize— ‘this is Venerable Ānanda.’ If we had known— ‘this is Venerable Ānanda’— not even this much would have occurred to us. May Venerable Ānanda forgive me.” The sixth. 7. The Sutta on the Worthy of Offerings 97. “Endowed with ten qualities, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu is worthy of offerings, worthy of hospitality, worthy of gifts, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world. “With which ten? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the Pātimokkha, accomplished in conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, he undertakes and trains in the training rules. “He is learned, He is one who holds the teachings, one who accumulates the teachings. Those teachings that are beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end, with meaning and with phrasing, completely perfect and pure, proclaiming the holy life— such teachings are much learned by him, held in mind, familiar by speech, examined by mind, well-penetrated by view. He has good friends, good companions, good associates. He has right view, endowed with right vision. He experiences various kinds of psychic power: being one, he becomes many; being many, he becomes one; he appears, he vanishes; he goes unimpeded through walls, through ramparts, through mountains, as if through space; he dives in and out of the earth, as if in water; he walks on water without sinking, as if on earth; he travels through the air cross-legged, as if a winged bird; he touches and strokes these moon and sun, so mighty, so powerful, with his hand; he exercises mastery with his body even up to the Brahma world. With the divine ear element, purified and surpassing human, he hears both kinds of sounds, divine and human, those far and those near. He comprehends with his mind the minds of other beings, other persons. He understands a mind with passion as 'a mind with passion'; he understands a mind without passion as 'a mind without passion'; he understands a mind with hate... he understands a mind without hate... he understands a mind with delusion... he understands a mind without delusion... he understands a constricted mind... he understands a distracted mind... he understands an exalted mind... he understands an unexalted mind... he understands a surpassable mind... he understands an unsurpassable mind... he understands a concentrated mind... he understands an unconcentrated mind... he understands a liberated mind... he understands an unliberated mind as 'an unliberated mind'. He recollects his manifold past lives, that is to say: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of contraction, many eons of expansion, many eons of contraction and expansion— ‘There I was, of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Passing away from there, I arose in such a place. There I was, of such a name, of such a clan, of such a color, of such a food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a lifespan. Passing away from there, I have arisen here.’ Thus, with its aspects and details, he recollects his manifold past lives. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing human sight, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands them according to their deeds: ‘Indeed, these venerable beings, endowed with misconduct in body, endowed with misconduct in speech, endowed with misconduct in mind, revilers of noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views, upon the breakup of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. Or again, these venerable beings, endowed with good conduct in body, endowed with good conduct in speech, endowed with good conduct in mind, not revilers of noble ones, holding right views, undertaking actions based on right views, upon the breakup of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, a heavenly world.’ Thus, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing human sight, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands them according to their deeds. Through the destruction of the taints, he enters and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, having realized it for himself with direct knowledge in this very life. A bhikkhu endowed with these ten qualities, monks, is worthy of offerings, worthy of hospitality, worthy of gifts, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.” The seventh. 8. The Elder 98. “With ten Bhikkhus, endowed with these ten qualities, an elder monk, wherever he dwells, dwells at ease. Which ten? He is an elder, long ordained, long-standing. He is virtuous... he undertakes and trains in the precepts. He is learned... well-penetrated by right view. Both Pātimokkhas are well-received by him in detail, well-analyzed, well-practiced, well-determined by sutta and by individual points. He is skilled in the arising and settling of legal issues. He is fond of Dhamma, a delightful speaker, greatly joyful in Abhidhamma and Abhivinaya. He is content with any robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick. He is inspiring in his coming and going, well-restrained in his sitting within houses. He obtains at will, without difficulty, without trouble, the four jhānas, which are of the higher mind, a pleasant abiding in this very life. And by the destruction of the taints, having realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, he abides. Bhikkhus, endowed with these ten qualities, an elder monk, wherever he dwells, dwells at ease. This is the eighth. 9. The Discourse to Upāli Then Venerable Upāli approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Venerable Upāli said to the Blessed One: “I wish, venerable sir, to resort to secluded forest and wilderness dwellings.” “Indeed, Upāli, secluded forest and wilderness dwellings are hard to attain. Solitude is hard, hard to enjoy. I think the forests carry away the mind of a monk who has not attained concentration, when he is in solitude. Upāli, whoever would say this: ‘I will resort to secluded forest and wilderness dwellings without having attained concentration,’ that would be for him..." it is to be expected: 'He will sink or he will float away.' Just as, Upāli, there is a great pool of water. Then an elephant-king might come, seven or eight cubits tall. He might think thus: 'Why don't I enter this pool of water, and play a game of washing my ears, and play a game of washing my back? Having played a game of washing my ears, having played a game of washing my back, having bathed and drunk, I would come out and go wherever I wish.' So he would enter that pool of water, and play a game of washing his ears, and play a game of washing his back; having played a game of washing his ears, having played a game of washing his back, having bathed and drunk, he would come out and go wherever he wishes. For what reason? Great, Upāli, is his body; it finds footing in the deep. Then a rabbit or a cat might come. It might think thus: 'Who am I, and who is the elephant-king! Why don't I enter this pool of water, and play a game of washing my ears, and play a game of washing my back? Having played a game of washing my ears, having played a game of washing my back, having bathed and drunk, I would come out and go wherever I wish.' So it would suddenly plunge into that pool of water, without considering. For it, this is to be expected: 'It will sink or it will float away.' For what reason? Small, Upāli, is its body; it does not find footing in the deep. Just so, Upāli, whoever would say thus: 'Even without attaining concentration, I will resort to remote forest and wilderness dwellings,' for him, this is to be expected: 'He will sink or he will float away.' Just as, Upāli, a young, weak child, lying on its back, playing with its own urine and feces... plays. What do you think, Upāli, isn't this entirely a complete child's play?'' ''Yes, venerable sir.''