English
The Blessed Sakyamuni also has a similar name, a similar appellation, to those Buddhas, the Blessed Ones. Therefore, the Buddha is True-named. The Brahma served by me means that Blessed One was attended by me, served by me, waited upon by me, questioned by me, interrogated by me. —The True-named Brahma, served by me. Therefore, the elder Piṅgiya said: “The Buddha, dispeller of darkness, with all-seeing eye Ah, the world-ender, the overcomer of all becoming; Stainless, the abandoner of all suffering, the truth-called, the Brahma, has been served by me. 105. As a bird, abandoning a poor thicket, might dwell in a fruitful forest; So I, abandoning those of little vision, have reached the great ocean, like a swan. As a bird, abandoning a poor thicket, might dwell in a fruitful forest. "Bird" is said of a winged creature. For what reason is a winged creature called a bird? Because it is born twice, it is called a bird, from the mother's womb and from the eggshell. For that reason, a winged creature is called a bird – a bird. "As, abandoning a poor thicket" means as a bird, abandoning a poor thicket, a small thicket, of little fruit, of little food, of little water, having abandoned, given up, overcome, surmounted, passed beyond, might attain, find, obtain another, a great forest, a grove, of much fruit, of much food, of much water, and might make his dwelling in that grove – as a bird, abandoning a poor thicket, might dwell in a fruitful forest. "So I, abandoning those of little vision, have reached the great ocean, like a swan." "So" is an illustration of comparison. "Abandoning those of little vision" means Bāvarī the brahmin, and his other teachers, excluding the Buddha, the Blessed One, are of little vision, of limited vision, of slight vision, of inferior vision, of wretched vision, of four-fold vision, or of limited vision. Having abandoned, given up, overcome, surmounted, passed beyond those of little vision, of limited vision, of slight vision, of inferior vision, of wretched vision, of four-fold vision, I have attained, found, obtained the Buddha, the Blessed One, of immeasurable vision, of foremost vision, of supreme vision, of most excellent vision, of leading vision, of ultimate vision, of pre-eminent vision, unequalled, incomparable, unrivalled, without peer, god of gods, bull among men, lion among men, noble steed among men, bull among men, burden-bearer among men, holder of the ten powers, I have attained, found, obtained. Just as a swan might reach, find, or obtain a great Mānasa lake, or the Anotatta lake, or the great ocean, an unperturbed, immeasurable body of water; even so, I attained the Buddha, the Blessed One, unperturbed, of immeasurable splendor, with knowledge broken through, with eyes unveiled, skilled in the analysis of wisdom, having attained the analytical knowledges, having reached the four confidences, purely liberated, with a white essence, speaking without duality, such, true to his word, boundless, great, profound, immeasurable, difficult to fathom, rich in jewels, like the ocean, endowed with six-limbed equanimity, incomparable, vast, immeasurable—that such a speaker, a proclaimer of the path, like Meru among mountains, like Garuḷa among birds, like a lion among beasts, like the ocean among waters, I attained that Teacher, the supreme Conqueror, the Great Seer. Thus, I, having abandoned the small pond, have reached the great ocean, like a swan. Therefore, the Elder Piṅgiya said: As a bird, having abandoned a poor thicket, might dwell in a forest with many fruits; Even so, I, having abandoned the small pond, have reached the great ocean, like a swan. 106. 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 a proliferation of speculation. "Those who previously declared to me"—those who, namely the brahmin Bāvarī and his other teachers, declared, explained, taught, established, set forth, revealed, analyzed, made clear, proclaimed their own view, their own acceptance, their own preference, their own doctrine, their own inclination, their own intention—"those who previously declared to me." "Before Gotama's teaching"—before Gotama's teaching, beyond Gotama's teaching, prior to Gotama's teaching, earlier than Gotama's teaching, the teaching of the Buddha, the teaching of the Conqueror, the teaching of the Tathāgata, the teaching of the Arahant—"before Gotama's teaching." "It was thus, it will be thus"—'It was indeed thus, it will indeed be thus...' it was thus, it will be thus. All that is hearsay, all that is hearsay, by tradition, by lineage, by scriptural collection, by reason, by logic, by pondering over forms, by acceptance of speculative views, a Dhamma not personally known by oneself, not directly experienced by oneself, which they spoke— all that is hearsay. All that is an increase of speculation, all that is an increase of speculation, an increase of thoughts, an increase of intentions, an increase of thoughts of sensual desire, an increase of thoughts of ill-will, an increase of thoughts of harm, an increase of thoughts about relatives, an increase of thoughts about country, an increase of thoughts about eternalism, an increase of thoughts connected with compassion for others, an increase of thoughts connected with gain, honor, and fame, an increase of thoughts connected with not being despised— all that is an increase of speculation. Therefore, Elder Piṅgiya said: “Those who previously declared to me, apart from Gotama’s teaching; ‘It was thus, it will be thus’; All that is hearsay, all that is an increase of speculation.” 107. One, dispelling darkness, luminous, he is a light-maker; Gotama, of vast wisdom, Gotama, of vast intelligence. One, dispelling darkness. One, the Blessed One, is one by virtue of renunciation, one by being peerless, one by abandoning craving, one by being utterly free from passion, one by being utterly free from hatred, one by being utterly free from delusion, one by being utterly free from defilements, one by having gone the sole path, one by having fully awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. How is the Blessed One one by virtue of renunciation? The Blessed One, while still young, with beautiful black hair, endowed with excellent youth, in the prime of life, against the wishes of his parents, with tearful faces, weeping and lamenting, the assembly of relatives, having cut off all hindrances of household life, having cut off the hindrance of children and wife, having cut off the hindrance of relatives, having cut off the hindrance of friends and ministers, having shaved off hair and beard, having put on saffron robes, having gone forth from home to homelessness, having attained the state of having nothing. He walks, he dwells, he moves, he acts, he lives, he passes his life, he spends his life. Thus, the Blessed One is alone by way of renunciation. How is the Blessed One alone by way of being without a second? Thus, having renounced, alone, he resorts to remote forest, grove, and wilderness dwellings, with little noise, with little clamor, with deserted breezes, where humans are rare, suitable for seclusion. He alone walks, he alone stands, he alone sits, he alone lies down, he alone enters the village for alms, he alone goes forward, he alone goes back, he alone sits in private, he alone undertakes walking meditation, he alone walks, he dwells, he moves, he acts, he lives, he passes his life, he spends his life. Thus, the Blessed One is alone by way of being without a second. How is the Blessed One alone by way of the abandonment of craving? Thus, he, alone, without a second, diligent, ardent, resolute, dwelling on the bank of the Nerañjarā River, at the foot of the Bodhi tree, exerting great effort, having shattered Māra with his army, the Dark One, Namuci, the kinsman of the heedless, he abandoned, dispelled, made an end of, and brought to non-existence craving, the ensnarer, the widespread, the clinging. "A person with craving as his second, Wanders for a long time in saṃsāra; This state and other states, He does not transcend saṃsāra. "Having known this danger, Craving, the origin of suffering; Without craving, without clinging, A mindful monk should wander forth." Thus, the Blessed One is alone by way of the abandonment of craving. How is the Blessed One alone by being entirely free from lust? Because lust is abandoned, he is alone by being entirely free from lust; Because hatred is abandoned, he is alone by being entirely free from hatred; Because delusion is abandoned, he is alone by being entirely free from delusion; Because defilements are abandoned, he is alone by being entirely without defilement. How is the Blessed One alone by having gone the one-way path? The one-way path is called the four foundations of mindfulness... ...the Noble Eightfold Path. "The one-way path, ending birth..." He is a seer, He knows the path, Compassionate for welfare; By this path Did those of old cross, And will cross, Who now cross the flood. Thus, the Blessed One went the one-way path, so he is "one." How did the Blessed One alone fully awaken to the unsurpassed perfect self-awakening? So he is "one." Awakening is called knowledge in the four paths, wisdom, the faculty of wisdom, the power of wisdom, the enlightenment factor of discrimination of states, investigation, insight, right view. The Blessed One, by that awakening-knowledge, understood "all formations are impermanent," understood "all formations are suffering," understood "all phenomena are not-self"... (and so on)... understood "whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease.