English
Truly, the Blessed One abandoned suffering, for thus is this Dhamma known to you. “I delight in this word of the Great Seeker.” This, your word, your declaration, your teaching, your instruction, your advice, I delight in, I greatly delight in, I rejoice in, I approve of, I wish for, I accept, I long for, I desire, I aspire to. “Great Seeker” – Why is the Blessed One a Great Seeker? He sought, he searched for, he investigated the great mass of virtue – therefore, Great Seeker… …where is the best of men – therefore, Great Seeker – “I delight in this word of the Great Seeker.” “Well-proclaimed by Gotama, free from substrata.” “Well-proclaimed” – well-proclaimed, well-taught, well-expounded, well-established, well-opened, well-analyzed, well-made-clear, well-revealed – “well-proclaimed.” “Gotama, free from substrata” – Substrata are called defilements, and aggregates, and volitional formations. The abandoning of substrata, the calming of substrata, the relinquishing of substrata, the cessation of substrata, the deathless, Nibbāna – “well-proclaimed by Gotama, free from substrata.” “Truly, the Blessed One abandoned suffering.” “Truly” – this is a word of certainty, a word of no doubt, a word of no wavering, a word of no duality, a word of no hesitation, a word of cessation, a word of no proliferation, a word of no establishment – “truly.” “Blessed One” – this is a word of reverence… …a true designation, namely, the Blessed One. “Abandoned suffering” – the suffering of birth, the suffering of old age, the suffering of sickness, the suffering of death, the suffering of sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair, he abandoned, he gave up, he removed, he made to cease, he made to disappear – “truly, the Blessed One abandoned suffering.” “For thus is this Dhamma known to you.” Thus indeed, Indeed, this Dhamma is known to you, weighed, judged, made manifest, made clear. Thus, indeed, this Dhamma is known to you. Therefore, that brahmin said: I rejoice in this speech of the Great Seer, Well-proclaimed by Gotama, free from substratum; Truly, the Blessed One has abandoned suffering, For indeed, this Dhamma is known to you. They too would surely abandon suffering, Whom you, sage, would instruct earnestly; I salute you, O Nāga, having come together, May the Blessed One also instruct me earnestly. ‘They too would surely abandon suffering’ – ‘They too’ means: warriors and brahmins, merchants and workers, householders and renunciants, devas and humans. ‘Would abandon suffering’ means: they would abandon suffering of birth, suffering of old age, suffering of sickness, suffering of death, suffering of sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair; they would dispel, eliminate, make cease, bring to non-existence. – ‘They too would surely abandon suffering.’ ‘Whom you, sage, would instruct earnestly’ – ‘Whom’ means: warriors and brahmins, merchants and workers, householders and renunciants, devas and humans. ‘You’ refers to the Blessed One. ‘Sage’ means wisdom is called silence... (and so on)... he is a sage who has transcended the net of attachment. ‘Would instruct earnestly’ means: would instruct earnestly, would instruct diligently, would instruct repeatedly, would instruct again and again, would admonish. – ‘Whom you, sage, would instruct earnestly.’ ‘I salute you, O Nāga, having come together’ – ‘You’ refers to the Blessed One. ‘I salute’ means: I salute with body, or I salute with speech, or I salute with mind, or I salute with practice according to the meaning, or I salute with practice in accordance with the Dhamma; I honor, I respect, I esteem, I revere. ‘Having come together’ means: having come together, having fully understood, having met, having fully met, I salute you face to face. ‘Nāga’ means: the Blessed One does not commit evil, therefore – Nāga; does not go (to rebirth), therefore – Nāga; does not come (back to existence), therefore – Nāga. How does the Blessed One not commit evil, therefore – Nāga? Evil is called unwholesome, defiling phenomena... leading to renewed existence, accompanied by suffering, with a painful outcome, in the future, leading to birth, aging, and death. He does not commit any offense in the world, [Sābiya, said the Blessed One] Having abandoned all fetters, all bonds; He is unattached everywhere, liberated; Such a one is called a Nāga, one who is thus. Thus, the Blessed One does not commit an offense – a Nāga. How does the Blessed One not go? – a Nāga. The Blessed One does not go by way of desire, does not go by way of hatred, does not go by way of delusion, does not go by way of fear, does not go by way of lust, does not go by way of hatred, does not go by way of delusion, does not go by way of conceit, does not go by way of views, does not go by way of restlessness, does not go by way of doubt, does not go by way of latent tendencies, he is not carried away, not led, not borne, not swept away by partisan states. Thus, the Blessed One does not go – a Nāga. How does the Blessed One not come back? – a Nāga. The defilements that were abandoned by the path of stream-entry, those defilements he does not return to, does not come back to, does not come again to. By the path of once-returning… by the path of non-returning… by the path of arahantship, the defilements that were abandoned, those defilements he does not return to, does not come back to, does not come again to. Thus, the Blessed One does not come back, therefore he is a Nāga – I salute you, Nāga, having met you. May the Blessed One instruct me, who am standing firm! May the Blessed One instruct me, who am standing firm, instruct me earnestly, instruct me repeatedly, instruct me again and again, advise me! – May the Blessed One instruct me, who am standing firm. Therefore, that brahmin said: “Surely, they would abandon suffering, Whom you, sage, would instruct, standing firm; I salute you, Nāga, having met you, May the Blessed One instruct me, who am standing firm!” 28. That brahmin whom one knows as a knower of the Vedas, Having nothing, unattached to sensual existence; Surely, he has crossed this flood, Crossed to the other shore, unblemished, without longing. That brahmin whom one knows as a knower of the Vedas. Brahmin means one who has banished the seven qualities. removed. He has abandoned wrong view, he has abandoned doubt, he has abandoned clinging to rules and rituals, he has abandoned lust, he has abandoned hatred, he has abandoned delusion, he has abandoned conceit. Abandoned in him are evil, unwholesome states, defiling, leading to rebirth, with suffering, with painful results, leading to birth, aging, and death in the future. Having abandoned all evil, [Sabhia, said the Blessed One,] pure, well-composed, with a steady self; having crossed over transmigration, he is an Arahant, unattached, such a one is called a Brahma. "Knower of the Vedas" means knowledge in the four paths... ...having transcended all knowledge, he is a knower of the Vedas. "Should know" means should know, should understand, should comprehend, should penetrate, should pierce through— "whom the knower of the Vedas should know, O brahmin." "Having nothing, unattached in the realm of desires and becoming." "Having nothing" means having no defilement of lust, no defilement of hatred, no defilement of delusion, no defilement of conceit, no defilement of wrong view, no defilement of defilements, no defilement of misconduct. For whom these defilements are abandoned, uprooted, calmed, tranquilized, incapable of arising, burned by the fire of knowledge, he is called "having nothing." "Desires" are, in summary, two kinds of desires— desires for objects and desires as defilements... ...these are called desires for objects... ...these are called desires as defilements. "Becoming" are two kinds of becoming— kamma-becoming and rebirth-becoming... ...this is rebirth-becoming. "Having nothing, unattached in the realm of desires and becoming" means a person having nothing, and unattached, not clinging, not entangled, not bound, gone forth, released, liberated, disjoined, dwelling with a boundless mind— "having nothing, unattached in the realm of desires and becoming." "Indeed, he has crossed this flood." "Indeed" is a word of certainty... ...it is a word of affirmation—"indeed." "Flood" means the flood of sensual desire, the flood of becoming, the flood of wrong view, the flood of ignorance. "Has crossed" means has gone beyond, has passed over, has overcome, has transcended— "indeed, he has crossed this flood." "Having crossed to the other shore, free from impurities, without doubt." "Having crossed" means having crossed the flood of sensual desire, having crossed the flood of becoming, having crossed the flood of wrong view. He has crossed the flood, crossed the flood of ignorance, crossed the path of transmigration, crossed over, completely crossed, gone beyond, fully gone beyond, transcended. He has completed the holy life, fulfilled the conduct, reached the end of the journey, reached the end of the directions, reached the end of the limits, practiced the holy life, attained the highest view, developed the path, abandoned defilements, penetrated the unshakeable, realized cessation. Suffering is fully understood by him, its origin is abandoned, the path is developed, cessation is realized, what is to be known by direct knowledge is known by direct knowledge, what is to be fully understood is fully understood, what is to be abandoned is abandoned, what is to be developed is developed, what is to be realized is realized. He has lifted the cross-bar, removed the trench, pulled out the bolt, is without a cross-bar, noble, with banner lowered, with burden laid down, unfettered, abandoning the five factors, endowed with the six factors, with one guard, with four supports, having rejected individual truths, having abandoned all cravings, with unagitated resolve, with tranquil bodily formations, with a well-liberated mind,