English
” “I declare” means: those who have fully understood craving and are untainted, I too declare that they have crossed the flood of sensual desire, crossed the flood of existence, crossed the flood of views, crossed the flood of ignorance, crossed all paths of transmigration, gone beyond, completely gone beyond, transcended. Thus I declare, I say: “Having fully understood craving, you are untainted, I too have crossed the flood.” Therefore, that brahmin said: “I rejoice in the word of the Great Seer, Well-proclaimed by Gotama, free from clinging; Those who abandon all that is seen, heard, or sensed, Or all moral practices. Having abandoned all diverse forms, Having fully understood craving, you are untainted; I too have crossed the flood,” I declare. The seventh section: The Inquiry of the Youth Nanda. 8. The Inquiry of the Youth Hemaka 53. “Those who previously explained, [Thus spoke the venerable Hemaka] Beyond Gotama’s teaching; It was thus, it was thus, will be, all that is hearsay; All that is a proliferation of reasoning, I did not delight in that. "Those who previously declared to me"—that is, the brahmin Bāvarī and his other teachers—they declared, explained, taught, made known, established, revealed, analyzed, made clear, proclaimed their own view, their own acceptance, their own preference, their own doctrine, their own inclination, their own intention. Thus, "those who previously declared to me." Thus spoke the venerable Hemaka. "Thus" is a word-junction... and so on... this is the sequence of words—"thus." "Venerable" is an affectionate word... and so on... Hemaka is the name of that brahmin... and so on... the expression—"thus spoke the venerable Hemaka." "Beyond Gotama's teaching"—that is, beyond Gotama's teaching, after Gotama's teaching, before Gotama's teaching, earlier than Gotama's teaching, the Buddha's teaching, the Victor's teaching, the Tathāgata's teaching [the Tathāgata's teaching, the Deva's teaching (commentary)], the Arahant's teaching—"beyond Gotama's teaching." "It was thus, it will be thus"—"it was thus, it will be thus," so it is said, so it will be said—"it was thus, it will be thus." "All that is hearsay"—all that is hearsay, based on tradition, based on lineage, based on scriptural transmission, based on reasoning, based on method, based on speculative thought, based on the acceptance of views, they did not declare it as personally known, not as a dharma directly experienced by oneself—"all that is hearsay." "All that is a proliferation of reasoning"—all that is a proliferation of reasoning, a proliferation of thought, a proliferation of intention, a proliferation of sensual thoughts, a proliferation of ill-will thoughts, a proliferation of harmful thoughts, a proliferation of thoughts about relatives, a proliferation of thoughts about countries, a proliferation of thoughts about immortality, a proliferation of thoughts connected with compassion for others, a proliferation of thoughts connected with gain, honor, and fame, a proliferation of thoughts connected with not being despised—"all that is a proliferation of reasoning." "I did not delight in that"—I did not delight in that, I did not find it, I did not attain it, I did not obtain it—"I did not delight in that." Therefore, that brahmin said— ‘Those who previously declared to me, before Gotama’s teaching: “It was thus, it will be thus”— all that is mere hearsay, all that is an increase of speculation. I do not delight in that.’ 54. And you, O Sage, declare to me the Dhamma, the destruction of craving; knowing which, one, mindful, practicing, may cross over attachment in the world. “And you declare to me the Dhamma.” “You” refers to the Blessed One. “Declare the Dhamma” means: declare, teach, expound, make known, establish, reveal, analyze, clarify, make manifest the Dhamma which is good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, with meaning and with letter, completely perfect and pure, the holy life; the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, Nibbāna, and the path leading to Nibbāna. “O Sage, the destruction of craving.” “Craving” means craving for forms…and so on…craving for mental objects. “Destruction of craving” means the abandoning of craving, the calming of craving, the relinquishing of craving, the subsiding of craving, the deathless, Nibbāna. “Sage” means wisdom is called silence…and so on…he, having gone beyond the net of attachment, is a sage—thus, “O Sage, the destruction of craving.” “Knowing which, one, mindful, practicing.” “Knowing which” means having known, having weighed, having discerned, having understood, having made clear. Having known, weighed, discerned, understood, made clear that “all formations are impermanent”; having known, weighed, discerned, understood, made clear that “all formations are suffering”…and so on…that “all phenomena are non-self”…and so on…that “whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease.” “Mindful” means mindful for four reasons—mindful, developing the contemplation of the body in the body…and so on…he is called mindful. “Practicing” means practicing, dwelling, moving, behaving, maintaining, living, passing one’s life—thus, “knowing which, one, mindful, practicing.” “May cross over attachment in the world.” “Attachment” is called craving. That which is passion, is attachment... covetousness, greed, a root of unwholesome states. What is 'visattikā'? In what sense is it 'visattikā'?... It is spread out, it is extensive – therefore 'visattikā'. World means the world of suffering, the human world, the divine world, the world of aggregates, the world of elements, the world of sense bases. To cross over attachment in the world means: that attachment in the world, this attachment in the world – being mindful, one should cross over, one should get beyond, one should overcome, one should transcend, one should pass beyond – this is 'to cross over attachment in the world'. Therefore, that brahmin said – "And you, explain the Dhamma to me, the destruction of craving, O sage; Having known which, living mindfully, one may cross over attachment in the world." 55. Here, in what is seen, heard, sensed, and cognized, in pleasant forms, O Hemaka; the removal of desire and passion, is the deathless state of Nibbana. Here, 'in what is seen, heard, sensed, and cognized' means: 'Seen' means seen by the eye; 'heard' means heard by the ear; 'sensed' means smelled by the nose, tasted by the tongue, touched by the body; 'cognized' means cognized by the mind – thus, 'in what is seen, heard, sensed, and cognized'. O Hemaka, 'in pleasant forms' means: What in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form? The eye in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form, the ear in the world... the nose in the world... the tongue in the world... the body in the world... the mind in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form; Forms in the world are a pleasant form, a delightful form, sounds in the world... odors in the world... tastes in the world... tangibles in the world... mental phenomena in the world are a pleasant form, a delightful form; Eye-consciousness in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form, ear-consciousness in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form, nose-consciousness in the world... tongue-consciousness in the world... body-consciousness in the world... mind-consciousness in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form, Eye-contact in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form, ear-contact in the world... nose-contact in the world... tongue-contact in the world... body-contact in the world... mind-contact in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form; Feeling born of eye-contact in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form... feeling born of ear-contact... feeling born of nose-contact... feeling born of tongue-contact... feeling born of body-contact... feeling born of mind-contact in the world is a pleasant form, a delightful form; form Perception of forms in the world… Perception of sounds in the world… Perception of smells in the world… Perception of tastes in the world… Perception of touches in the world… Perception of mental objects in the world, a dear form, a pleasing form; Volition regarding forms in the world… Volition regarding sounds in the world… Volition regarding smells in the world… Volition regarding tastes in the world… Volition regarding touches in the world… Volition regarding mental objects in the world, a dear form, a pleasing form; Craving for forms in the world… Craving for sounds in the world… Craving for smells in the world… Craving for tastes in the world… Craving for touches in the world… Craving for mental objects in the world, a dear form, a pleasing form; Initial thought about forms in the world… Initial thought about sounds in the world… Initial thought about smells in the world… Initial thought about tastes in the world… Initial thought about touches in the world… Initial thought about mental objects in the world, a dear form, a pleasing form; Sustained thought about forms in the world, a dear form, a pleasing form; Sustained thought about sounds in the world… Sustained thought about smells in the world… Sustained thought about tastes in the world… Sustained thought about touches in the world… Sustained thought about mental objects in the world, a dear form, a pleasing form – among dear forms, Hemaka. The removal of desire-passion.