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The Rhinoceros Horn Sutta The Exposition of the Rhinoceros Horn Sutta The First Chapter 121. Having laid down the rod towards all beings, not harming any one of them; one should not wish for a son, much less a companion, let one wander alone like a rhinoceros horn. "Having laid down the rod towards all beings." "Towards all" means all in every way, all completely, all without remainder, all without exception, this is a word that encompasses all – "towards all." "Beings" means beings are called the trembling and the steadfast. "Trembling" means those whose craving for trembling is not abandoned, and those whose fear and terror are not abandoned. For what reason are they called trembling? They tremble, they are startled, they are greatly agitated, they are afraid, they fall into fright, for that reason they are called trembling. "Steadfast" means those whose craving for trembling is abandoned, and those whose fear and terror are abandoned. For what reason are they called steadfast? They do not tremble, they are not startled, they are not greatly agitated, they are not afraid, they do not fall into fright, for that reason they are called steadfast. "Rod" means three rods – the rod of body, the rod of speech, the rod of mind. Threefold bodily misconduct is the rod of body, fourfold verbal misconduct is the rod of speech, threefold mental misconduct is the rod of mind. "Having laid down the rod towards all beings" means having laid down, having deposited the rod towards all beings. "Not harming any one of them" means not harming even a single being with hand, or clod, or rod, or weapon, or noose, or rope; not harming all beings with hand, or clod, or rod, or weapon, or noose, or rope – "not harming any one of them." "One should not wish for a son, much less a companion." "Not" is a negation; "son" means four kinds of sons – a son born of oneself, a son born of the field, an adopted son, a disciple son. "Companions" means companions are called those with whom coming is easy, going is easy, coming and going is easy, standing is easy, sitting is easy, lying down is easy, speaking is easy, conversing is easy, addressing is easy. Quickly, the discourse is pleasant. 'One should not desire a son, much less a companion.' Even a son one should not desire, not approve, not long for, not crave, not yearn for. Much less a friend, or an acquaintance, or a close associate, or a companion, should one desire, approve, long for, crave, yearn for. Thus: 'One should not desire a son, much less a companion.' 'Let one wander alone like a rhinoceros horn.' 'Alone' means that Paccekabuddha. Alone in the sense of renunciation. Alone in the sense of being without a second. Alone in the sense of abandoning craving. Alone in the sense of being utterly free from lust. Alone in the sense of being utterly free from hatred. Alone in the sense of being utterly free from delusion. Alone in the sense of being utterly free from defilements. Alone in the sense of having gone the sole path. Alone in the sense of having fully awakened to the unsurpassed Paccekabuddha enlightenment. How is that Paccekabuddha alone in the sense of renunciation? That Paccekabuddha, having cut off all household ties, having cut off ties to children and spouse, having cut off ties to relatives, having cut off ties to possessions, having shaved off hair and beard, having donned saffron robes, having gone forth from home to homelessness, having attained the state of having nothing, alone he wanders, dwells, moves, acts, maintains, lives, passes his life. Thus is that Paccekabuddha alone in the sense of renunciation. How is that Paccekabuddha alone in the sense of being without a second? Having thus gone forth, alone he resorts to remote forest groves, secluded abodes, which are quiet, free from noise, devoid of people, suitable for human seclusion, conducive to meditation. Alone he walks, alone he stands, alone he sits, alone he lies down. Alone he enters the village for alms. Alone he goes forward, alone he goes back. Alone he sits in seclusion, alone he undertakes walking meditation. Alone he wanders, dwells, moves, acts, maintains, lives, passes his life. Thus is that Paccekabuddha alone in the sense of being without a second. How is that Paccekabuddha in the sense of abandoning craving... How is he one by being unattached? Thus, he, one, without a second, diligent, ardent, resolute, dwelling, striving with great exertion, having dispelled Māra with his army, Namuci, the Dark One, the kinsman of the negligent, abandoned, removed, eradicated, and brought to non-existence the widespread, clinging, net-like craving. A person with craving as a companion, wandering for a long time, from one state of being to another, does not transcend transmigration. Knowing this danger, that craving is the origin of suffering, free from craving, unattached, a mindful monk should wander forth. Thus, that Paccekabuddha is one by the abandonment of craving. How is that Paccekabuddha one by being utterly free from passion? By the abandonment of passion, he is one by being utterly free from passion; by the abandonment of aversion, he is one by being utterly free from aversion; by the abandonment of delusion, he is one by being utterly free from delusion; by the abandonment of defilements, he is one by being utterly undefiled. Thus, that Paccekabuddha is one by being utterly free from passion. How is that Paccekabuddha one by having gone the sole path? The sole path is called the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right exertions, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, the Noble Eightfold Path. The one who sees the end of birth, the compassionate one, knows the sole path; By this path, they crossed over in the past, and they will cross over, who cross over the flood. Thus, that Paccekabuddha is one by having gone the sole path. How is that Paccekabuddha one by having fully awakened to the unsurpassed Paccekabodhi? Bodhi is called knowledge in the four paths. Wisdom, the faculty of wisdom, the power of wisdom, the investigation of phenomena as a factor of awakening, inquiry, insight, right view. That Paccekabuddha, a Paccekabuddha by the path, a Paccekabuddha by knowledge, awakened to "all formations are impermanent," awakened to "all formations are suffering," awakened to "all phenomena are non-self," awakened to "with ignorance as condition, formations," awakened to "with formations as condition, consciousness," awakened to "with consciousness as condition, name-and-form." He understood, "From name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases" he understood, "From the six sense bases as condition, contact" he understood, "From contact as condition, feeling" he understood, "From feeling as condition, craving" he understood, "From craving as condition, clinging" he understood, "From clinging as condition, becoming" he understood, "From becoming as condition, birth" he understood, "From birth as condition, aging-and-death" he understood; "From the cessation of ignorance, the cessation of fabrications" he understood, "From the cessation of fabrications, the cessation of consciousness" he understood, "From the cessation of consciousness, the cessation of name-and-form" he understood, "From the cessation of name-and-form, the cessation of the six sense bases" he understood, "From the cessation of the six sense bases, the cessation of contact" he understood, "From the cessation of contact, the cessation of feeling" he understood, "From the cessation of feeling, the cessation of craving" he understood, "From the cessation of craving, the cessation of clinging" he understood, "From the cessation of clinging, the cessation of becoming" he understood, "From the cessation of becoming, the cessation of birth" he understood, "From the cessation of birth, the cessation of aging-and-death" he understood; "This is suffering" he understood, "This is the origin of suffering" he understood, "This is the cessation of suffering" he understood, "This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering" he understood; "These are the defilements" he understood, "This is the origin of the defilements" he understood, "This is the cessation of the defilements" he understood, "This is the path leading to the cessation of the defilements" he understood; "These phenomena are to be directly known" he understood, "These phenomena are to be abandoned" he understood, "These phenomena are to be realized" he understood, "These phenomena are to be developed" he understood; The origin and passing away, the gratification and danger, and the escape from the six sense bases he understood, The origin and passing away, the gratification and danger, and the escape from the five clinging-aggregates he understood, The origin and passing away, the gratification and danger, and the escape from the four great elements he understood, "Whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease" he understood. Or, what is to be understood, to be fully understood, to be awakened to, to be perfectly awakened to, to be attained, to be touched, to be realized. All, all that by that individual enlightenment-knowledge he awoke, he understood, he fully understood, he completely awoke, he attained, he touched, he realized. Thus that Paccekabuddha alone fully enlightened to the unsurpassed individual enlightenment. – One. He practices eight kinds of conduct – conduct of postures, conduct of sense-bases, conduct of mindfulness, conduct of concentration, conduct of knowledge, conduct of the path, conduct of attainment, conduct for the welfare of the world. Conduct of postures means in the four postures. Conduct of sense-bases means in the six internal and external sense-bases. Conduct of mindfulness means in the four foundations of mindfulness. Conduct of concentration means in the four jhānas. Conduct of knowledge means in the four noble truths.