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B0102051001buddhavaggo (buddha chapter)

English

I aspire to your teaching; That goal has been attained by me, The unsurpassed state of peace. 518. In the Discipline, I have attained perfection, Just like a sage, a master of texts; There is none equal to me, I uphold the teaching. 519. In the Discipline and in the Khandhakas, And in the three divisions and in the five; Herein I have no doubt, Neither in letter nor in syllable. 520. Skilled in censure and rehabilitation, And in what is proper and improper; In suspension and reinstatement, Everywhere I have attained perfection. 521. In the Discipline or in the Khandhakas, Having laid down a word, I; Having disentangled it from both sides, From its essence I would extract it. 522. Very skilled in language, And skilled in meaning and non-meaning; Nothing is unknown by me, I am one-pointed in the Teacher's teaching. 523. Today I am skilled in form, In the teaching of the Sakyan son; All doubt I dispel, All uncertainty I cut off. 524. A word and also a phrase, And also a letter and a syllable; In the origin and in the conclusion, Everywhere I am skilled. 525. Just as a powerful king, Having subdued his enemies; Having conquered the battle, Would build a city there. 526. A wall and also a moat, A palisade, a gate-tower; And various watchtowers, Many he would build in the city. 527. A crossroads and a public square, Well-divided market streets; He would build an assembly hall there, For judging right and wrong. 528. For destroying enemies, And to know their weaknesses and strengths; For the protection of the army, He appoints a general. 529. For guarding the treasure, A man skilled in storing; "Lest my treasure perish," Thus he appoints a treasure-keeper. 530. Whoever is attached to the king, And whose prosperity he desires; To him he gives authority, To a friend. to practice. 531. “One skilled in portents and omens, and in marks, a reciter, a mantra-holder, him he appoints to the priesthood. 532. “Endowed with these qualities, he is called a khattiya; they always protect the king, like a cakkavāka bird in distress. 533. “Just so, you, great hero, like a khattiya who has slain his enemies; of the world with its devas, are called the King of Dhamma. 534. “Having struck down the sectarians, and Māra with his army; having dispelled that darkness, you built the city of Dhamma. 535. “Morality is its rampart there, wisdom your gatehouse; faith is your pillar, hero, and restraint your doorkeeper. 536. “Mindfulness is the watchtower, wisdom your courtyard, sage; the bases of psychic power the crossroads, the Dhamma-street well-built. 537. “The Suttanta, the Abhidhamma, and the Vinaya, all of it; the nine-fold Buddha-word, this is your Dhamma-assembly. 538. “Emptiness, the signless, and the desireless dwelling; the imperturbable and cessation, this is your Dhamma-hut. 539. “Foremost in wisdom, and skilled in ready wit; by the name Sāriputta, is your Dhamma-commander. 540. “Skilled in passing away and reappearance, gone to the perfection of psychic power; by the name Kolita, is your priest, O sage. 541. “Holder of the ancient lineage, of fierce energy, unassailable; foremost in the quality of ascetic practice, is your Akkhadassa, O sage. 542. “Learned, a holder of the Dhamma, and a reciter of all in the teaching; by the name Ānanda, is your Dhamma-protector, O sage. 543. “Surpassing all these, the Blessed One sent me; he gave me the decision, taught by the wise in the Vinaya. 544. “Whoever among the Buddha’s disciples asks a question in the Vinaya; there is no doubt for me, I explain that very matter. 545. “As far as the Buddha-field extends, except for you, great sage; there is none like me in the Vinaya, how could there be anyone greater? 546. “Sitting in the assembly of bhikkhus having seen, thus Gotama roars: There is none equal to Upāli in Vinaya, in the Khandhakas. 547. As far as the Buddha's teaching, the nine-fold Teacher's instruction; All that is founded on Vinaya, for one who sees Vinaya as the root. 548. Remembering my deed, Gotama, the foremost of Sakyas; Seated in the assembly of monks, placed me at the forefront. 549. Having aspired for a hundred thousand aeons, for this position; That purpose of mine has been attained, I have reached perfection in Vinaya. 550. The bringer of joy to the Sakyas, I was a barber in the past; Having abandoned that birth, I was born as the son of the Great Seer. 551. In the second aeon from now, there was a Khattiya named Añjasa; Of infinite splendor, of immeasurable fame, a wealthy king. 552. I was the son of that king, a Khattiya named Candana; Puffed up with the pride of birth, and with the pride of fame and possessions. 553. A hundred thousand elephants, adorned with all ornaments; Three-fold excited elephants, always surrounded me. 554. Accompanied by my forces, desiring to go to the park; Having mounted the elephant Sirika, I left the city then. 555. Endowed with good conduct, with guarded doors, well-restrained; A Buddha named Devala, came before me. 556. Having sent forth the elephant Sirika, I attacked the Buddha then; Thereupon, the enraged elephant, did not lift its foot. 557. Seeing the elephant's angry mind, I became angry at the Buddha; Having harassed the Buddha, I went to the park. 558. I found no comfort there, as if my head were ablaze; I was burning with fever, like a fish on a hook. 559. The earth, with its ocean boundaries, seemed to me as if on fire; Approaching my father, I spoke these words. 560. Like an enraged poisonous snake, like a coming mass of fire; Like a mad elephant, giving which I offended, the Self-Existent One. 561. “By me was the Buddha offended, the fearsome, of fierce asceticism, the Conqueror; Before we all perish, let us appease that Sage. 562. “If we do not appease him, the self-restrained, the composed; Within seven days, my kingdom will be destroyed. 563. “Sumekhala and Kosiya, and Siggava, and Sattaka; Having offended the ascetics, they and their kingdoms fell into misfortune. 564. “When ascetics are angered, restrained and celibate ones; They destroy the world with its gods, with its oceans and mountains. 565. “I gathered men from three thousand yojanas; To confess the transgression, I approached the Self-Existent One. 566. “With wet clothes, with wet heads, all with clasped hands; Falling at the Buddha’s feet, they spoke these words. 567. “Forgive us, Great Hero, the people implore you; Remove the burning fever, do not destroy our kingdom. 568. “May all, with gods and humans, with daemons and ogres; Always break my head with an iron hammer. 569. “Fire does not remain in water, seed does not grow on rock; Worms do not remain in medicine, anger does not arise in the Buddha. 570. “Just as the earth is unmoving, and the ocean immeasurable; And space is endless, so are Buddhas unperturbed. 571. “Always patient are the Great Heroes, and forgiving are the ascetics; For the patient and forgiving, there is no going there. 572. “Having said this, the Perfectly Enlightened One, removing the burning fever; Before the great assembly, then ascended into the sky. 573. “By that action, O Hero, I fell into a low state; Having overcome that birth, I entered the city of safety. 574. “Even then, O Great Hero, burning and well-established; He removed the burning fever, and I appeased the Self-Existent One. 575. “Even today, O Great Hero, burning with the three fires; He extinguished the three fires, and I attained coolness. 576. Whose ears are attentive Listen, I speak to you; I will tell you the meaning, the path I have seen. 577. Having disrespected that Self-Existent One, calm-minded and composed; By that deed today, I was born into a low existence. 578. Do not miss the moment, for those who miss the moment grieve; Strive for your own good, the moment has been granted to you. 579. For some it is vomiting, for some it is purgation; For some it is deadly poison, for some it is medicine. 580. For those who undertake vomiting, for those seeking fruit it is purgation; It is medicine for those who gain fruit, a field of merit for those who seek. 581. For those hostile to the Teaching, it is like deadly poison; Like a venomous snake with potent venom, it burns that person. 582. Once drunk, deadly poison cuts off life; Having opposed the Teaching, one burns for a koti of aeons. 583. By patience, non-harming, and a mind of loving-kindness; He crosses over with the world of devas, therefore they should not be opposed. 584. They do not cling to gain and loss, to honor and disrespect; Buddhas are like the earth, therefore they should not be opposed. 585. Towards Devadatta and the murderer, towards the thief Angulimala; Towards Rahula and Dhanapala, the sage is equal to all. 586. There is no aversion in them, no passion exists in them; The Buddha is equal to all, to the murderer and the wild boar. 587. Seeing the saffron robe on the path, discarded and smeared with filth; One should make an anjali to the head, and venerate the banner of the sages. 588. And those Buddhas who have passed, those present and those yet to come; Are purified by this banner, therefore they should be venerated. 589. I hold the Teacher's excellent discipline in my heart; Venerating the discipline, I will dwell always. 590. Discipline is my refuge, discipline is my standing and walking; I make my dwelling in discipline, discipline is my pasture. 591. Having reached the perfection in discipline, and in tranquility also skilled. Upāli worships the feet of that Great Hero, the Teacher. 592. "So I shall wander, from village to village, from town to town; Saluting the Perfectly Awakened One, and the well-taught nature of the Dhamma. 593. "My defilements are burnt away, all existences are uprooted; All cankers are exhausted, there is no more rebirth now. 594. "Welcome indeed it was for me, in the presence of the Best of Buddhas;