English
" "I am not afraid of you, friend; but your touch is evil." "I will ask you a question, ascetic. If you do not answer me, I will scatter your mind, or split your heart, or take you by the feet and throw you across the Ganges." "I do not see, friend, in the world with its devas, Māras, and Brahmās, among the generation of ascetics and brahmins, devas and humans, anyone who could scatter my mind, or split my heart, or take me by the feet and throw me across the Ganges. But you, friend, ask what you wish." Then the yakkha Sūciloma addressed the Blessed One with a verse: 273. "Whence are passion and hatred born? Whence are discontent, delight, and terror born? Whence do mental thoughts arise, like boys letting go of a crow?" 274. "Passion and hatred are born from here, discontent, delight, and terror are born from here; From here mental thoughts arise, like boys letting go of a crow." 274. "Born of affection, self-originated, like a banyan tree..." These are the aggregates; Widely entangled in sensual pleasures, Like a creeper spread in the forest. 275. “Those who know its origin, They dispel it, listen, O Yakkha! They cross this flood, hard to cross, Never crossed before, for no more becoming.” The Sūciloma Sutta, the fifth, is finished. 6. Dhammacariya Sutta 276. Living righteously, living purely, This they call the supreme dwelling; Even if one has gone forth, From home to homelessness. 277. If he is of a talkative nature, A fool delighting in harm; His life is evil, He increases his own defilement. 278. A monk delighting in quarrels, Enveloped by the nature of delusion; He does not know even the declared Dhamma Taught by the Buddha. 279. Having cultivated harm, Led by ignorance; He does not know defilement, The path leading to hell. 280. Having fallen into ruin, From womb to womb, from darkness to darkness; Such a monk, indeed, After death, experiences suffering. 281. As a pit of excrement might be, Full of many years' accumulation; And whoever is such, He is indeed hard to purify, with his impurities. 282. Whatever such you know, O monks, Attached to home; With evil desires, evil intentions, Evil conduct and resort. 283. All of you, being united, Should cast him out; Drive out the rubbish, Remove the refuse. 284. Then sweep away the chaff, The non-recluses who pretend to be recluses; Having driven out those with evil desires, With evil conduct and resort. 285. The pure ones should associate with the pure, Mindful; Then, united and discerning, You will make an end to suffering. The Dhammacariya Sutta, the sixth, is finished. 7. Brāhmaṇadhammika Sutta Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery. Then many Kosalan brahmin householders, old, aged, Aged, advanced in years, having reached old age, they approached the Blessed One. Having approached, they exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, they sat down to one side. Seated to one side, those great and wealthy brahmins said to the Blessed One: "Do the brahmins of today, good Gotama, resemble the brahmins of old in their brahmin-duties?" "No, brahmins, the brahmins of today do not resemble the brahmins of old in their brahmin-duties." "It would be good if Master Gotama would speak to us about the brahmin-duties of the brahmins of old, if it is not a burden to Master Gotama." "In that case, brahmins, listen, pay close attention, I will speak." "Yes, good sir," those great and wealthy brahmins replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this: 286. The ancient sages were, self-restrained, ascetics; Having abandoned the five sense pleasures, they sought their own welfare. 287. Brahmins had no cattle, no gold, no grain; Their wealth and grain was study, they guarded the divine treasure. 288. What was prepared for them, food brought to their door; Made by faith for them, that they considered fit to be given. 289. With clothes of various colors, with beds and dwellings; Prosperous countries and realms, they paid homage to the brahmins. 290. Brahmins were inviolable, unconquerable, protected by Dhamma; No one hindered them, at family doors everywhere. 291. Forty-eight years, (as youths) they lived the holy life; The brahmins of old, practiced the quest for knowledge and conduct. 292. Brahmins did not go to others, nor did they buy wives; They approved of cohabitation, only by mutual affection. 293. Except at that time, for the sake of avoiding the season; Brahmins did not engage, in sexual intercourse in between. 294. The holy life and virtue, uprightness, gentleness, austerity; Meekness and non-violence, and also patience... described. 295. “He who was their supreme, Brahmā, of firm endeavor; He did not even in a dream Approach the sexual act. 296. “Following his conduct, Some discerning people here; Described celibacy and virtue, And also patience. 297. “Having begged rice, beds, clothes, Ghee and oil; Having combined them righteously, Then they performed a sacrifice. 298. “When the sacrifice was prepared, They did not kill cows; Just as mother, father, brother, Or other relatives; Cows are our best friends, From which medicines are born. 299. “They are givers of food, givers of strength, Givers of beauty, givers of happiness; Knowing this benefit, They did not kill cows. 300. “Delicate, large-bodied, Beautiful, renowned; The brahmins, by their own virtues, Diligent in what should and should not be done; As long as they existed in the world, This populace attained happiness. 301. “Their perception was perverted, Seeing a little bit of a little bit; And the king's declaration, And women adorned. 302. “And chariots yoked with thoroughbreds, Well-made, with embroidered coverings; Dwellings and houses, Divided and measured into portions. 303. “Surrounded by herds of cattle, Filled with groups of excellent women; The brahmins coveted This abundant human enjoyment. 304. “Thereupon, having composed mantras, They approached Okkāka; 'You have abundant wealth and grain, Sacrifice, you have much property; Sacrifice, you have much wealth.' 305. “Then the king, the bull of chariots, Instructed by the brahmins; The horse-sacrifice, the human-sacrifice, The sammāpāsa, the vājapeyya, the niraggaḷa; Having performed these sacrifices, He gave wealth to the brahmins. 306. “Cows, and beds, and clothes, And women adorned; And chariots yoked with thoroughbreds, Well-made, with embroidered coverings. 307. “Pleasant dwellings, Well-divided into portions; Having filled them with various grains, He gave wealth to the brahmins. 308. “And having received wealth there, They approved of hoarding; Their craving, having fallen into desire, Increased even more. They, having woven spells there, approached Okkāka again. 309. “Just as water and earth, gold, wealth, and grain; So are cattle to humans, they are indeed the possessions of living beings. Sacrifice, you have much property, sacrifice, you have much wealth.” 310. Then the king, the bull of chariots, persuaded by the brahmins, slaughtered many hundreds of thousands of cattle in the sacrifice. 311. Not with feet, nor with horns, nor did they harm anyone with anything; The cows were like sheep, gentle, yielding milk in the pail; Taking them by the horns, the king slaughtered them with a weapon. 312. Then the devas and ancestors, Indra, asuras, and rakkhasas, cried out, “This is unrighteous!” when the weapon fell upon the cows. 313. Three diseases were there before: desire, starvation, old age; From the slaughter of animals, ninety-eight came into being. 314. This unrighteousness of punishments, this ancient one, came to be; The innocent are killed, the brahmins destroy the Dhamma. 315. Thus this minor Dhamma, ancient, condemned by the wise; Wherever one sees such a thing, people condemn the sacrificer. 316. When the Dhamma was thus corrupted, the pure Vessas became divided; The Khattiyas became greatly divided, the wife despised her husband. 317. Khattiyas and brahmins, and others protected by clan; Having rejected the caste system, they came under the sway of desires. When this was said, those great brahmin householders said to the Blessed One, “Excellent, good Gotama… (as in the previous suttas)… May good Gotama accept us as lay followers, who have taken refuge for life from today onwards.” The Brāhmaṇadhammika Sutta, the seventh, is finished. 8. Nāvāsutta 318. From whom a person might know the Dhamma, he should honor him as devas honor Indra; Honored by him, with a mind serene in him, the learned one reveals the Dhamma. 319. Making that his aim, the wise one, having reflected, practicing the Dhamma and its anudhamma; The discerning, the wise, the and he is warm, who attends to such a one, heedful. 320. Attending to the mean and foolish, and to the one who is not for future good, and envious; Not having understood the Dhamma here, he dies with his doubts unresolved. 321. Just as a man descending into a river, a great body of water with a swift current; Being swept away, going with the current, how can he save others? 322. Likewise, not having understood the Dhamma, not having heard the meaning from the learned; Not knowing himself, with doubts unresolved, how can he enlighten others? 323. Just as one who has boarded a strong boat, equipped with a good oar; He can save many others there, being skilled in the means, wise, intelligent. 324. Even so, one who is a knower of the Vedas, with a developed self, who is learned, with an unwavering nature; He indeed can enlighten others who understand, who are endowed with the means of attentive listening. 325. Therefore, one should indeed attend to a good person, who is intelligent and learned; Understanding the meaning, practicing accordingly, one who has understood the Dhamma will attain happiness. The Discourse on the Boat, the eighth, is finished. 9.