English
whatever attachments and clingings, whatever mental determinations, adherences, and latent tendencies there are in the feeling element… in the perception element… in the volitional formations element… in the consciousness element— these have been abandoned by the Tathāgata, their root cut off, made like a palm stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. Therefore, the Tathāgata is called one who roams not in an open space. Thus, householder, is one who roams not in an open space. “And how, householder, is one who roams in a dwelling? Householder, one is called one who roams in a dwelling due to being bound and attached to the dwelling of form-signs. Due to sound-signs… due to smell-signs… due to taste-signs… due to touch-signs… due to mind-object-signs— householder, one is called one who roams in a dwelling due to being bound and attached to the dwelling of mind-object-signs. Thus, householder, is one who roams in a dwelling. “And how, householder, is one who roams not in a dwelling? Householder, the being bound and attached to the dwelling of form-signs has been abandoned by the Tathāgata, its root cut off, made like a palm stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. Therefore, the Tathāgata is called one who roams not in a dwelling. Due to sound-signs… due to smell-signs… due to taste-signs… due to touch-signs… due to mind-object-signs— householder, the being bound and attached to the dwelling of mind-object-signs has been abandoned by the Tathāgata, its root cut off, made like a palm stump, brought to non-existence, not liable to arise in the future. Therefore, the Tathāgata is called one who roams not in a dwelling. Thus, householder, is one who roams not in a dwelling. “And how, householder, is one who has familiarity in the village? Here, householder, some monk dwells mingled with laypeople, rejoicing with them, sorrowing with them, happy when they are happy, sad distressed when others are distressed, undertakes tasks and duties when they arise. Thus, householder, he is entangled in the village. And how, householder, is one not entangled in the village? Here, householder, some monk dwells unmixed with householders, not rejoicing with them, not sorrowing with them, not happy when they are happy, not distressed when they are distressed, does not undertake tasks and duties when they arise. Thus, householder, he is not entangled in the village. And how, householder, is one not empty of sensual pleasures? Here, householder, some monk is not dispassionate towards sensual pleasures, his desire not gone, his affection not gone, his thirst not gone, his fever not gone, his craving not gone. Thus, householder, he is not empty of sensual pleasures. And how, householder, is one empty of sensual pleasures? Here, householder, some monk is dispassionate towards sensual pleasures, his desire gone, his affection gone, his thirst gone, his fever gone, his craving gone. Thus, householder, he is empty of sensual pleasures. And how, householder, is one one who looks forward? Here, householder, some monk thinks thus: 'May I be of such form in the future.' He finds delight therein. 'May I be of such feeling... of such perception... of such formations... of such consciousness in the future.' He finds delight therein. Thus, householder, he is one who looks forward. And how, householder, is one one who does not look forward? Here, householder, some monk thinks thus: 'May I be of such form in the future.' He does not find delight therein. 'May I be of such feeling... of such perception... of such formations... of such consciousness in the future.' He does not find delight therein. Thus, householder, he is one who does not look forward. And how, householder, is one a speaker of contentious talk with people? Here, householder, some person is a speaker of such talk: 'You do not understand this Dhamma and Discipline; I understand this Dhamma...' I know the discipline, do you know this Dhamma and Discipline? You are wrongly practiced, I am rightly practiced. Mine is consistent, yours is inconsistent. What should be said first, you said last; what should be said last, you said first. Your accustomed way is reversed; your argument is taken up; you are refuted. Go, for the release of your argument, or unravel it if you can. Thus, householder, does one engage in contentious talk with people. And how, householder, does one not engage in contentious talk with people? Here, householder, some do not engage in such talk – ‘You do not know this Dhamma and Discipline... (and so on)... or unravel it if you can.’ Thus, householder, one does not engage in contentious talk with people. Thus, householder, what was said by the Blessed One in the Māgaṇḍiya-pañha of the Aṭṭhakavagga – Leaving home, homeless wandering, The sage making no intimacies in villages; Empty of sensual pleasures, not looking forward, How would he engage in contentious talk with people? Of this, householder, briefly spoken by the Blessed One, the meaning is to be seen thus in detail. Therefore, the Blessed One said: Leaving home, homeless wandering, The sage making no intimacies in villages; Empty of sensual pleasures, not looking forward, How would he engage in contentious talk with people? 80. By which he would wander detached in the world, Those the great one would not grasp and speak; Just as a lotus, a thorny water-plant, Is not smeared by water or by mud; So the sage, peaceful in speech, ungreedy, Is not smeared by sensual pleasures and the world. "By which he would wander detached in the world" – "By which" means by which views. "Detached" means empty, detached, separated from misconduct of body, from misconduct of speech... from misconduct of mind... from greed... (and so on)... empty, detached, separated from all unwholesome volitional formations. "Would wander" means would wander, would dwell, would move, would behave, would maintain, would pass, would sustain. "In the world" means in the human world – "by which he would wander detached in the world." Those he would not grasp and speak A nāga. A nāga is one who does not commit evil. A nāga is one who does not go. A nāga is one who does not come back. How is it that one who does not commit evil is a nāga? Evil refers to unwholesome, unskillful states, defilements, leading to rebirth, accompanied by suffering, resulting in pain, leading to birth, aging, and death in the future. He commits no evil in the world, [says the Blessed One to Sabhiya] Having abandoned all bonds and fetters; He is unattached everywhere, liberated, such a nāga is called thus. Thus, one who does not commit evil is a nāga. How is it that one who does not go is a nāga? He does not go by way of desire, he does not go by way of hatred, he does not go by way of delusion, he does not go by way of fear. He does not go by way of lust, he does not go by way of hatred, he does not go by way of delusion, he does not go by way of conceit, he does not go by way of wrong views, he does not go by way of restlessness, he does not go by way of doubt, he does not go by way of latent tendencies. He is not carried away, not led, not swept along, not drawn by partisan states. Thus, one who does not go is a nāga. How is it that one who does not come back is a nāga? The defilements that have been abandoned by the path of stream-entry, he does not return to those defilements, he does not come back to them, he does not come back again. The defilements that have been abandoned by the path of once-returning… by the path of non-returning… by the path of arahantship, he does not return to those defilements, he does not come back to them, he does not come back again. Thus, one who does not come back is a nāga. A nāga would not speak, having grasped these. A nāga would not speak, declare, utter, expound, or express, having taken up, grasped, seized, clung to, or become fixated on those views: "The world is eternal… (and so on)… a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is false." Thus, a nāga would not speak, having grasped these. As the water-born lotus, with its thorny stem, is not smeared by water or mud. Elaṃ means water, ambujaṃ means lotus, kaṇḍako means thorny stem, vāri means water, vārijaṃ means lotus, born of water, jalaṃ means… Water is water, mud is called mire. Just as a lotus, water-born, water-arisen, by water and by mud is not smeared, not defiled, not stained; un-smeared, un-defiled, un-stained – like a water-lily, a thorny water-plant, just as by water and mud it is not stained. Thus the sage, speaking of peace, ungreedy, in desires and in the world is unstained. 'Thus' means the application of the simile. 'Sage' (Muni): Silence is called wisdom... ...having transcended the net of attachment, he is a sage. 'Speaking of peace' (Santivādo): The sage speaking of peace is one who speaks of refuge, speaks of shelter, speaks of protection, speaks of fearlessness, speaks of the unchanging, speaks of the deathless, speaks of Nibbāna – thus is the sage speaking of peace. 'Ungreedy' (Agiddho): Greed is called craving. That lust, attachment... ...covetousness, greed, a root of unwholesome action. For whom this greed is abandoned, uprooted, calmed, tranquilized, incapable of arising again, burnt by the fire of wisdom, he is called ungreedy. He is ungreedy in forms, in sounds, in smells, in tastes, in tangibles, in family, in groups, in dwellings, in gains, in fame, in praise, in happiness, in robes, in almsfood, in lodgings, in requisites for the sick, in the sense-sphere, in the form-sphere, in the formless-sphere, in sense-existence, in form-existence, in formless-existence, in the existence of perception, in non-perception, in neither-perception-nor-non-perception, in one-constituent existence, in four-constituent existence, in five-constituent existence, in the past, in the future, in the present, in things seen, heard, sensed, cognized;