English
Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. Minor Collection The Great Discourse of Expositions 1. The Aṭṭhaka Chapter 1. Exposition of the Discourse on Desires 1. For one desiring desires, if that is fulfilled for him; Surely he is gladdened in mind, having obtained what he wishes. "For one desiring desires"—desires, by way of enumeration, are of two kinds: material desires and defilement desires. What are material desires? Agreeable forms, agreeable sounds, agreeable odors, agreeable tastes, agreeable tangibles; coverings, garments, male and female slaves, goats and sheep, chickens and pigs, elephants, cattle, horses, mares, fields, land, gold, silver, villages, towns, royal capitals, a country and a district, a treasury and a storehouse, whatever is a desirable object—these are material desires. Furthermore, past desires, future desires, present desires; internal desires, external desires, internal and external desires; inferior desires, mediocre desires, excellent desires; desires leading to the lower realms, human desires, divine desires, present desires; created desires, uncreated desires, desires created by others; grasped desires, ungrasped desires, clung-to desires, un-clung-to desires; all phenomena of the sense-sphere, all phenomena of the form-sphere, all phenomena of the formless-sphere, desires having craving as their basis, having craving as their object, by way of desirability, by way of allure, by way of infatuation—these are called material desires. What are defilement desires? Liking is desire, lust is desire, liking-and-lust is desire; intention is desire, lust is desire, intention-and-lust is desire; whatever is desire-liking for desires, desire-lust, desire-delight, desire-craving, desire-attachment, desire-fever, desire-infatuation, desire-clinging, the flood of desires, the yoke of desires, the clinging to desires, the hindrance of desire-liking. "I saw your root, O desire, From intentions, O desire, you arise; I will not intend you, Thus, O desire, you will not be." —These are called defilement desires. "For one desiring desires"—for one desiring, wishing, approving, longing for, yearning for. For one wishing for a wish. If that is fulfilled for him. "For him" means for that noble, or brahmin, or merchant, or worker, or householder, or renunciant, or god, or human. "That" refers to objects of desire: pleasing forms, pleasing sounds, pleasing smells, pleasing tastes, pleasing touches. "Is fulfilled" means it succeeds, it is fulfilled, one obtains, one receives, one attains, one finds – if that is fulfilled for him. He is certainly joyful in mind. "Certainly" is a word of certainty, a word of no doubt, a word of no wavering, a word of no ambiguity, a word of no hesitation, a word of necessity, a word of no question, a word of establishment – "certainly". "Joy" is that joy connected with the five sense pleasures: delight, gladness, rejoicing, merriment, laughter, great laughter, satisfaction, contentment, elation, cheerfulness, exhilaration of mind. "Mind" is that which is mind, thought, intellect, heart, pure mind, mind-base, mind-faculty, consciousness, consciousness-aggregate, the associated mind-consciousness element; this is called mind. This mind is accompanied by this joy, co-arisen, conjoined, associated, with one arising, one cessation, one basis, one object. "Joyful in mind" means he is joyful in mind, contented in mind, delighted in mind, greatly delighted in mind, cheerful in mind, elated in mind, gladdened in mind, greatly gladdened in mind – he is certainly joyful in mind. Having obtained what the mortal desires. "Having obtained" means having gained, having received, having attained, having found. "Mortal" means being, man, human, person, individual, living being, creature, sentient being, human being. "What he desires" means what he wishes, what he likes, what he longs for, what he yearns for, what he craves, be it form, or sound, or smell, or taste, or touch – having obtained what the mortal desires. Therefore the Blessed One said: For one desiring a desire, if that is fulfilled for him; He is certainly joyful in mind, having obtained what the mortal desires. If for one desiring, For a being with craving arisen; Those desires perish, He suffers as if pierced by a dart. "If for one desiring": For that one, whether a warrior, or a brahmin, or a merchant, or a worker, or a householder, or a renunciant, or a deva, or a human. "Desiring": desiring sense-pleasures, enjoying, longing for, wishing for, coveting. Or, he is carried away, led away, borne away, drawn away by craving for sense-pleasures. Just as one is carried away, led away, borne away, drawn away by an elephant-vehicle, or a horse-vehicle, or an ox-vehicle, or a goat-vehicle, or a ram-vehicle, or a camel-vehicle, or a donkey-vehicle; even so, he is carried away, led away, borne away, drawn away by craving for sense-pleasures—thus, "if for one desiring." "For a being with craving arisen": "Craving" means that desire for sense-pleasures, lust for sense-pleasures, delight in sense-pleasures, craving for sense-pleasures, affection for sense-pleasures, fever of sense-pleasures, infatuation with sense-pleasures, clinging to sense-pleasures, flood of sense-pleasures, yoke of sense-pleasures, clinging to sense-pleasures, the hindrance of desire for sense-pleasures. For him, that desire for sense-pleasures has arisen, originated, come into being, manifested, appeared. "Being" means a living being, a person, a human, a man, an individual, a soul, a living creature, a being, a human being—thus, "for a being with craving arisen." "Those desires perish": Either those desires perish, or he perishes from desires. How do those desires perish? While he is still alive, kings seize his possessions, or thieves seize them, or fire burns them, or water carries them away, or unloved heirs seize them, or what is hidden is not found, or badly managed businesses fail, or a family disgrace arises in the family, who scatters, destroys, ruins those possessions; impermanence itself is the eighth. Thus, those desires wane, perish, decay, fall away, disappear, are lost. How does he perish from desires? While those possessions remain, he dies, passes away, is lost. Thus, he perishes from desires. It comes, decays, falls away, disappears, perishes. Thieves steal, kings seize, fire burns, it perishes; Then at the end it abandons, the body with its possessions; Knowing this, the wise one, should enjoy and should give. Having given and having enjoyed according to his power, unblamed he goes to a heavenly state, those desires decay. He suffers as if pierced by a dart. Just as one pierced by an iron dart, or by a bone dart, or by an ivory dart, or by a horn dart, or by a wooden dart, suffers, is agitated, is struck, is oppressed, is sick, is distressed; even so, from the change and alteration of material desires, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair arise. He, pierced by the dart of desire and the dart of sorrow, suffers, is agitated, is struck, is oppressed, is sick, is distressed – he suffers as if pierced by a dart. Therefore the Blessed One said – “For that being who desires, who has arisen craving; when those desires decay, he suffers as if pierced by a dart.” 3. Whoever avoids desires, as a snake avoids its head (being stepped on); he, mindful, overcomes this entanglement in the world. "Whoever avoids desires" means: "Whoever" means whoever, of whatever kind, however engaged, however abiding, of whatever sort, having attained whatever state, endowed with whatever qualities, be he a noble, or a brahmin, or a merchant, or a worker, or a householder, or a renunciant, or a god, or a human. "Avoids desires" means he avoids desires for two reasons: either by suppression or by eradication. How does he avoid desires by suppression? Seeing that "desires are like a skeleton, in that they have little satisfaction," he avoids desires by suppression; seeing that "desires are like a piece of meat, in that they are much shared," he avoids desires by suppression... He avoids, seeing sensual pleasures like a grass torch, in the sense of burning up, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like a pit of embers, in the sense of great torment, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like a dream, in the sense of fleeting appearance, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like a borrowed thing, in the sense of being temporary, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like fruit on a tree, in the sense of breaking and crushing, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like a slaughterhouse sword, in the sense of excessive cutting, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like a spear or stake, in the sense of piercing through, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like a snake's head, in the sense of being full of danger, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Seeing sensual pleasures like a mass of fire, in the sense of great burning, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing recollection of the Buddha, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing recollection of the Dhamma, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing recollection of the Saṅgha, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing recollection of virtue, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing recollection of generosity, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing recollection of deities, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing mindfulness of breathing, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression. Even developing mindfulness of death, he avoids sensual pleasures by suppression.