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B0102050304meghiyavaggo (cloud chapter)

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English

4. The Chapter on Meghiya 1. The Discourse to Meghiya 31. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was staying in Cālikā, on Cālika Mountain. Now at that time the Venerable Meghiya was the attendant of the Blessed One. Then the Venerable Meghiya approached the Blessed One; having approached, and having saluted the Blessed One, he stood to one side. Standing to one side, the Venerable Meghiya said to the Blessed One: "I wish, Venerable Sir, to enter Jantugāma for alms." "Do as you deem fit now, Meghiya." Then the Venerable Meghiya, having dressed in the morning, and taking his bowl and robe, entered Jantugāma for alms. Having wandered for alms in Jantugāma, and returning from his alms round after the meal, he approached the bank of the Kimikāḷā River. Walking up and down, wandering about on the bank of the Kimikāḷā River, the Venerable Meghiya saw a delightful, charming, and pleasing mango grove. Seeing it, this thought occurred to him: "Indeed, this mango grove is delightful, charming, and pleasing. Indeed, this is suitable for a clansman who desires exertion, for exertion. If the Blessed One would permit me, I would come to this mango grove for exertion." Then the Venerable Meghiya approached the Blessed One; having approached, and having saluted the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the Venerable Meghiya said to the Blessed One: "Here, Venerable Sir, having dressed in the morning, and taking my bowl and robe, I entered Jantugāma for alms. Having wandered for alms in Jantugāma, and returning from my alms round after the meal, I approached the bank of the Kimikāḷā River. I saw, venerable sir, as I was walking up and down along the bank of the Kimikāḷā River, a mango grove, delightful, pleasing, charming. Having seen it, this thought occurred to me: “How delightful this mango grove is, pleasing, charming! It is indeed suitable for a young man of good family, desiring exertion, for exertion. If the Blessed One would permit me, I would go to this mango grove for exertion.” “If, venerable sir, the Blessed One permits me, I would go to that mango grove for exertion.” When this was said, the Blessed One said to Venerable Meghiya: “Wait a while, Meghiya, I am alone for now, until some other bhikkhu comes.” A second time, Venerable Meghiya said to the Blessed One: “For the Blessed One, venerable sir, there is nothing further to be done, there is no accumulation of what is done. But for me, venerable sir, there is something further to be done, there is an accumulation of what is done. If the Blessed One would permit me, I would go to that mango grove for exertion.” A second time, the Blessed One said to Venerable Meghiya: “Wait a while, Meghiya, I am alone for now, until some other bhikkhu comes.” A third time, Venerable Meghiya said to the Blessed One: “For the Blessed One, venerable sir, there is nothing further to be done, there is no accumulation of what is done. But for me, venerable sir, there is something further to be done, there is an accumulation of what is done. If the Blessed One would permit me, I would go to that mango grove for exertion.” “When you speak of exertion, Meghiya, what should we say? Now, Meghiya, you may do as you think fit.” Then Venerable Meghiya, rising from his seat, having saluted the Blessed One, and circumambulated him clockwise, went to that mango grove. He approached there; having approached, having entered that mango grove, he sat down for the day's abiding at the root of a certain tree. Then, for Venerable Meghiya, as he was abiding in that mango grove, for the most part, three evil unwholesome thoughts arose, namely – sensual thought, ill-will thought, cruelty thought. Then it occurred to Venerable Meghiya: "Oh, how wonderful! Oh, how amazing! We have gone forth from home to homelessness out of faith. Yet we are assailed by these three evil unwholesome thoughts, namely – sensual thought, ill-will thought, cruelty thought." Then Venerable Meghiya, having risen from his seclusion in the evening, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he bowed to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Meghiya said to the Blessed One: "Here, venerable sir, as I was abiding in that mango grove, for the most part, three evil unwholesome thoughts arose in me, namely – sensual thought, ill-will thought, cruelty thought. Then, venerable sir, it occurred to me: 'Oh, how wonderful! Oh, how amazing! We have gone forth from home to homelessness out of faith. Yet we are assailed by these three evil unwholesome thoughts, namely – sensual thought, ill-will thought, cruelty thought.'" "For the unripened liberation of mind, Meghiya, five things lead to its ripening. Which five? "Here, Meghiya, a monk has good friends, good companions, good associates. For the unripened liberation of mind, Meghiya, this is the first thing that leads to its ripening. "Furthermore, Meghiya, a monk is virtuous, he abides restrained by the Pātimokkha restraint, accomplished in conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults..." He trains in the training rules, undertaking them openly. For the undeveloped, Meghiya, liberation of mind, this second quality leads to maturity. Furthermore, Meghiya, a monk, whatever talk is conducive to effacement, to opening the mind, to complete disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquility, direct knowledge, full enlightenment, Nibbāna, that is to say: talk on fewness of wishes, talk on contentment, talk on seclusion, talk on non-entanglement, talk on the arousal of energy, talk on virtue, talk on concentration, talk on wisdom, talk on liberation, talk on the knowledge and vision of liberation; he obtains such talk at will, without difficulty, without trouble. For the undeveloped, Meghiya, liberation of mind, this third quality leads to maturity. Furthermore, Meghiya, a monk dwells with aroused energy, for abandoning unwholesome states, for acquiring wholesome states, steadfast, firm in exertion, not laying down the burden in wholesome states. For the undeveloped, Meghiya, liberation of mind, this fourth quality leads to maturity. Furthermore, Meghiya, a monk is wise, endowed with wisdom that sees rise and fall, noble, penetrative, leading to the right destruction of suffering. For the undeveloped, Meghiya, liberation of mind, this fifth quality leads to maturity. For the undeveloped, Meghiya, liberation of mind, these five qualities lead to maturity. Of a monk who has good friends, Meghiya, good companions, good comrades, this is to be expected: that he will be virtuous, he will dwell restrained by the Pātimokkha restraint, perfect in conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, undertaking and training in the training rules. Of a monk who has good friends, Meghiya, good companions, good comrades, this is to be expected: that whatever talk is conducive to effacement, to opening the mind, to complete disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, tranquility, conduces to direct knowledge, to full enlightenment, to Nibbāna. That is to say: talk on having few wishes, talk on contentment, talk on seclusion, talk on non-association, talk on the arousal of energy, talk on virtue, talk on concentration, talk on wisdom, talk on liberation, talk on the knowledge and vision of liberation. He will be one who obtains such talk at will, without difficulty, without trouble. "For a monk who has good friends, Meghiya, good companions, good associates, this is to be expected: that he will dwell with aroused energy for the abandoning of unwholesome states, for the acquiring of wholesome states; he will be strong, firm in effort, not casting off the burden in wholesome states. "For a monk who has good friends, Meghiya, good companions, good associates, this is to be expected: that he will be wise, endowed with wisdom that sees rise and fall, noble, penetrating, leading to the complete destruction of suffering. "And that monk, Meghiya, having established himself in these five things, should develop four further things: the perception of impurity should be developed for the abandoning of lust; loving-kindness should be developed for the abandoning of ill will; mindfulness of breathing should be developed for the cutting off of thoughts; the perception of impermanence should be developed for the uprooting of the conceit 'I am'. For one who perceives impermanence, Meghiya, the perception of not-self is established; one who perceives not-self attains the uprooting of the conceit 'I am', Nibbāna in this very life." Then, having understood this meaning, the Blessed One on that occasion uttered this inspired utterance: "Petty thoughts, subtle thoughts, following the mind's floating up; Not understanding these thoughts of the mind, one runs from one existence to another, with a bewildered mind. "But understanding these thoughts of the mind, the ardent one, mindful, restrains them; The Buddha has completely abandoned these thoughts that follow the mind's floating up." 2. The Discourse on the Agitated 32. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling in Kusinārā at Upavattana, Then, in the Sal grove of the Mallas. Now at that time, many bhikkhus were dwelling in a forest hut not far from the Blessed One, arrogant, insolent, fickle, talkative, scattered in speech, forgetful of mindfulness, without clear comprehension, unconcentrated, with wandering minds, with uncontrolled senses. The Blessed One saw indeed those many bhikkhus dwelling in a forest hut not far away, arrogant, insolent, fickle, talkative, scattered in speech, forgetful of mindfulness, without clear comprehension, unconcentrated, with wandering minds, with uncontrolled senses. Then indeed the Blessed One, knowing this matter, at that time uttered this inspired utterance: By an unguarded body, And struck by wrong view, Overcome by sloth and torpor, One goes under Māra's sway. Therefore, for one with guarded mind,

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