English
For those ascetics and brahmins, purity, purification, complete purification, release, liberation, complete liberation is individual – for their purity is individual. Therefore the Blessed One said: "And the veneration of the true Dhamma is indeed thus, as they praise their own ways; May all doctrines be true, for their purity is individual." 142. For a brahmin, there is nothing to be led by another, having discerned and grasped the teachings; Therefore, having transcended disputes, he does not see any other teaching as superior. "For a brahmin, there is nothing to be led by another" – 'Na' is a negation. A brahmin is one who has expelled the seven defilements... ...he is called 'asita', 'tādi', 'brahmā'. "For a brahmin, there is nothing to be led by another" means for a brahmin, there is no state of being led by another; a brahmin is not to be led by another, not dependent on another, not relying on another, not bound to another; he knows, he sees, he is not deluded, he is fully aware, he is mindful. (Thinking) "All formations are impermanent" – for a brahmin, there is no state of being led by another; a brahmin is not to be led by another, not dependent on another, not relying on another, not... One who depends on others knows, sees, undeluded, comprehending, mindful. "All formations are suffering"... "Whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease." For the brahmin, there is no guidance from others. The brahmin is not led by others, not dependent on others, not relying on others, not one who depends on others. He knows, sees, undeluded, comprehending, mindful. For the brahmin, there is no guidance from others. Having ascertained and grasped among doctrines. "Among doctrines" means among the sixty-two views. "Having ascertained" means having ascertained, having thoroughly ascertained, having investigated, having thoroughly investigated, having weighed, having concluded, having made clear, having made manifest. The firm grasping, the tight grasping, the excellent grasping, the partial grasping, the accumulating grasping, the thoroughly accumulating grasping – "This is true, real, actual, factual, not otherwise" – grasped, clung to, adhered to, settled upon, resolved upon – these do not exist, they are not found, they are not perceived. They are abandoned, eradicated, calmed, tranquilized, incapable of arising again, burnt by the fire of knowledge. Thus, having ascertained and grasped among doctrines. Therefore, he has gone beyond disputes. "Therefore" means for that reason, for that cause, for that condition, for that origin. The disputes of views, the quarrels of views, the contentions of views, the controversies of views, the conflicts of views – he has gone beyond, surpassed, completely surpassed, transcended. Therefore, he has gone beyond disputes. Indeed, he does not see any other doctrine as superior. Another teacher, another doctrine, another group, another view, another practice, another path – apart from the foundations of mindfulness, apart from the right efforts, apart from the bases of psychic power, apart from the faculties, apart from the powers, apart from the factors of enlightenment, apart from the Noble Eightfold Path – as the foremost, the best, the distinguished, the principal, the highest, the excellent doctrine – he does not see, does not behold, does not look at, does not contemplate, does not examine. Indeed, he does not see any other doctrine as superior. Therefore, the Blessed One said: "For the brahmin, there is no guidance from others, having ascertained among doctrines..." grasped; Therefore, having overcome disputes, he does not see any other doctrine as supreme. 143. I know, I see it just so; some attain purity through views; If he has seen, what is it to him? Having gone beyond, they speak of purity by another. "I know, I see it just so" means: "I know" means I know by the knowledge of others' minds, or I know by the knowledge of past lives. "I see" means I see with the physical eye, or I see with the divine eye. "It is just so" means this is true, real, actual, factual, not otherwise – "I know, I see it just so." "Some attain purity through views" means: Through views, some ascetics and brahmins attain purity, purification, complete purity, liberation, release, complete release. "The world is eternal, this alone is true, other is vain" – through such a view, some ascetics and brahmins attain purity, purification, complete purity, liberation, release, complete release. "The world is not eternal... (and so on)... the Tathāgata neither is nor is not after death, this alone is true, other is vain" – through such a view, some ascetics and brahmins attain purity, purification, complete purity, liberation, release, complete release – thus, "some attain purity through views." "If he has seen, what is it to him?" means: "If he has seen" means he has seen by the knowledge of others' minds, or he has seen by the knowledge of past lives, or he has seen with the physical eye, or he has seen with the divine eye – thus, "if he has seen." "What is it to him?" means: What has been done by that seeing of his? There is no full understanding of suffering, no abandonment of the origin, no development of the path, no realization of the fruit, no cutting off and abandonment of lust, no cutting off and abandonment of hatred, no cutting off and abandonment of delusion, no cutting off and abandonment of defilements, no cutting off of the cycle of transmigration – thus, "if he has seen, what is it to him?" Having gone beyond other By which they speak of purity, those sectarians, having gone beyond, having completely gone beyond, having transcended the path of purity, the path of purification, the path of complete purity, the path of cleansing, the path of complete cleansing, apart from the foundations of mindfulness, apart from the right exertions, apart from the bases of psychic power, apart from the faculties, apart from the powers, apart from the factors of enlightenment, apart from the Noble Eightfold Path, they speak, they declare, they proclaim, they reveal, they express purity, purification, complete purity, liberation, release, complete release. Thus, having gone beyond, they speak of purity by other means. But the Buddhas, and the disciples of the Buddhas, and the Paccekabuddhas, having gone beyond, having completely gone beyond, having transcended the impure path, the unpurified path, the uncompletely pure path, the uncleansed path, the uncompletely cleansed path of those sectarians, by the four foundations of mindfulness, by the four right exertions, by the four bases of psychic power, by the five faculties, by the five powers, by the seven factors of enlightenment, by the Noble Eightfold Path, they speak, they declare, they proclaim, they reveal, they express purity, purification, complete purity, liberation, release, complete release. Thus, having gone beyond, they speak of purity by different means. Therefore the Blessed One said: "I know, I see this indeed, that some attain purity by views; If one has seen, what is there for him by that? Having gone beyond, they speak of purity by other means." 144. A person seeing, sees name-and-form, or having seen, he knows these very things. Let him see much or little, the skilled do not speak of purity by that. "A person seeing, sees name-and-form" means: a person seeing, sees by means of the knowledge of others' minds, or seeing by means of the knowledge of past lives, or seeing by means of the physical eye, or seeing by means of the divine eye. He sees only name-and-form as permanent, pleasant, and self. He does not see the origin or the passing away, the gratification or the danger or the escape of those phenomena. This is what "a person seeing, sees name-and-form" means. Having seen. Or he knows only those. Having seen, having seen with knowledge of others' minds, or having seen with knowledge of past lives, or having seen with the physical eye, or having seen with the divine eye, having seen only name-and-form, he knows it as permanent, pleasant, and self, he does not know the arising or passing away, the gratification or danger or escape of those phenomena – or having seen, he knows only those. Let him see much or little. Whether seeing much name-and-form or little, as permanent, pleasant, and self – let him see much or little. Indeed, the skilled do not declare purity by that. Skilled ones are those skilled in aggregates, skilled in elements, skilled in sense-bases, skilled in dependent origination, skilled in foundations of mindfulness, skilled in right exertions, skilled in bases of psychic power, skilled in faculties, skilled in powers, skilled in factors of awakening, skilled in the path, skilled in fruits, skilled in Nibbana, those skilled ones, by seeing name-and-form with knowledge of others' minds, or knowledge of past lives, or the physical eye, or the divine eye, do not declare, do not speak, do not say, do not explain, do not describe purity, purification, complete purification, release, liberation, complete liberation – indeed, the skilled do not declare purity by that. Therefore the Blessed One said – A person seeing, perceives name-and-form, or having seen, he knows only those; Let him see much or little, indeed, the skilled do not declare purity by that. 145. For one who asserts fixed views, it is indeed a good leading, having conceived and put views first; Relying on that, declaring it good, declaring purity there, he sees it as such. "For one who asserts fixed views, it is indeed a good leading" – this is not a good leading. One who asserts fixed views says: "The world is eternal, this alone is true, anything else is foolish." One who asserts fixed views says: "The world is not eternal... ...the Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death, this alone is true, anything else is foolish." Indeed, it is not a good leading.