English
The Dhamma-verses are portions of Dhamma related to jhāna, insight, path, fruit, and Nibbāna. The Dhamma-verse on non-covetousness is a portion of Dhamma, a Dhamma-verse, attained through non-covetousness as its head, related to jhāna, insight, path, and Nibbāna. This method applies to the rest as well. This Pāli passage, beginning with "these four," is called "development" in the manner described. (7) O divine son, the person who cuts off the five lower fetters cuts them off by the three lower paths. The person who abandons the five higher fetters does so by arahantship. By the path, he abandons, he gives up, the individual cultivating the five faculties of faith and so on, and further cultivates, he should cultivate. The bhikkhu who has gone beyond the five bonds— the bond of lust, the bond of hatred, the bond of delusion, the bond of conceit, the bond of wrong view— is called "one who has crossed the flood," meaning "one who has crossed the flood of sensuality, the flood of existence, the flood of wrong view, the flood of ignorance." This is the explanation. The saying "Cut off five, abandon five" is called insight. The Pāli passage "And further five... and so on... is called" is called cultivation. This discourse, beginning with "five," is both insight and cultivation. In "These three, bhikkhus," and so on, the explanation is clear. (8) 116. "Not doing any evil... and so on... the teaching of the Buddhas"— this discourse, being the word of the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, is called his own word. The meaning is as stated below. Bhikkhus, the characteristics of a fool, the identifying marks of a fool, the signs of a fool, the reasons for recognizing "this is a fool," the past deeds of a fool, the ancient, ingrained actions of a fool— by which characteristics and so on, others, the wise, recognize a fool as "a fool"— these three characteristics of a fool are declared by me. Which three? Bhikkhus, a fool is one who thinks evil thoughts, who thinks of covetousness, ill-will, and wrong views. He is one who speaks evil speech, who speaks false speech and so on. He is one who does evil deeds, who does deeds like taking life and so on. Bhikkhus, the past deeds of a fool... and so on... these three are indeed what I have stated. The bright side, however, should be understood by the opposite of what has been stated. This saying, beginning with "These three, bhikkhus," being the word of the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, is called his own word. There is no enlightenment as vast as the earth. Water that has fallen in the morning, a friend, a recipient takes it, so it is the underworld; there is no depth like the underworld. There is no height like Mount Meru, there is no man like a Wheel-turning Monarch—this is the explanation. This saying, beginning with "As vast as the earth," being the word of another deity, is called another's word. is. “O Lord of Devas, may there be victory through your good saying!” Having said this, then saying, “Vepacitti, may there be victory through your good saying!” Then he said, “Vepacitti, you recite a verse, recite it!” Monks, then the Asura Lord Vepacitti recited this verse as it was being spoken: “If there were no one to restrain them, if there were no one, then fools would become even more enraged. Therefore, the wise and sagacious one should restrain the fool with a strong rod.” Monks, when the Asura Lord Vepacitti had recited the verse, the Asuras rejoiced, but the Devas were silent. Monks, then the Asura Lord Vepacitti spoke this word to Sakka, the Lord of Devas: “Lord of Devas, you recite a verse, recite it!” He spoke this word. Monks, then Sakka, the Lord of Devas, recited this verse: “Knowing that the restraint of a fool is hostile to others and causes agitation, the mindful and sagacious one who calms down from anger, for that sagacious one, I think this is indeed the best calming.” Monks, when Sakka, the Lord of Devas, had recited the verse, the Devas rejoiced, but the Asuras were silent. Monks, then Sakka, the Lord of Devas, spoke this word to the Asura Lord Vepacitti: “Vepacitti, you recite a verse!” He spoke this word. Monks, then the Asura Lord Vepacitti recited this verse: “Vāsava, when one endures, then the fool thinks of that enduring person, ‘This one endures out of fear of me.’ This is the fault I see in endurance. Vāsava, just as a herd of cattle overruns a fleeing cow, so too, the foolish one further oppresses and overruns the one who endures.” Monks, when the Asura Lord Vepacitti had recited the verse, the Asuras rejoiced, but the Devas were silent. When a cattle fight arises, at first, only two bulls fight. But the herd of cattle stands watching until one bull flees. And when one bull flees, then all A bull, indeed, overwhelms that fleeing cow even more – this is to be understood as the nature of a bullfight. The meaning of "Now then," and so on, is clear. Vepacitti, whatever person endures, that enduring person, whether one thinks "this one endures out of fear of me" or not, that thought is fruitless. Aims are ultimately for one's own good. Beyond endurance, no greater good aim exists for endurance. Whoever, being strong, indeed endures for the weak, that endurance of that strong one, the good people call supreme patience. The weak one always endures anyway. Whoever foolish person has the strength of a fool, that strength of that foolish person, the good people call "no strength." Whoever righteous person has strength, for that righteous person, no one exists who can turn back or strike back against that strength. Vepacitti, whoever person retaliates against an angry one, against one who first gets angry, that retaliating person, by that retaliation, becomes even worse, more evil, more inferior than that evil person who first got angry. Vepacitti, whoever good person, mindful and aware, knowing another is enraged, does not retaliate against the one who first gets angry, that good person, indeed, wins a battle hard to win. Indeed, he acts for the good of himself and the other, of both. For those who heal themselves and others, for both, anger subsides. Those people who are unskilled in the meaning of the Dhamma, in the Dhamma of patience, or in the Dhamma of the Four Noble Truths, those people think of the patient good person, "This one is a fool." That thought of those unskilled people is fruitless. In the verses, monks, spoken by Sakka, king of devas, the devas rejoiced, but the asuras remained silent – this is the connection. This statement, "even more foolish," and so on, is called "another's statement" because it is a statement of Sakka and Vepacitti. (9) 117. What has been attained now, and the requisites of sensual pleasure, what is to be attained in the future... Whatever has been attained, and whatever requisites for sensual pleasure exist, both of these are stained with defilement, stained with the defilement of passion, and so on. Thus, for the sick, for those who learn from sick individuals, they become the essence of training, they become established as such. Virtue, vows, livelihood, holy life – these become the essence of training, they become established as such, for those individuals who grasp the essence of establishment. Here, virtue means refraining, saying, "I will not do it." Vows mean performing duties like eating. Livelihood means one's way of living. Holy life means the special state of abstaining from sexual intercourse. For those individuals who grasp the essence of establishment, this view is one extreme, the first, and it is base. And those individuals who hold the view, "There is no fault in sensual pleasures," and have such a view, for those individuals, this view is the second extreme, and it is base. Thus, these two extremes, these individuals holding extreme views, increase the charnel ground, they increase the charnel ground of views. Some individuals, without fully understanding these two extremes, the practice of self-mortification and the practice of indulgence in sensual pleasures, cling to them; some individuals rush past them. This statement, "Whatever has been attained..." and so on, is called "another's statement" because it is the statement of other individuals. And those individuals with right view, they fully understood these two extremes, the practice of self-mortification and the practice of indulgence in sensual pleasures, and they were not in those extremes. And by that full understanding, they did not conceive of those two extremes. For those individuals with right view, the triple round of existence is not to be designated. Thus, this statement, "And those..." and so on, is called "one's own statement" because it is the statement of the Blessed One. This inspired utterance, "Whatever has been attained... ...is not to be designated," this inspired utterance, in the manner described, is both one's own statement and another's statement. King Pasenadi of Kosala, the lord of Kosala, spoke this statement to the Blessed One: "Here, for me... ...dear is the self to them." Venerable Sir, here, as I was in seclusion, withdrawn, this thought arose in my mind, in my consciousness: "To which beings is the self dear? To which..." "Is the self not dear to beings?" Such a thought arose. Venerable Sir, this thought occurred to me: Whatever beings perform bad conduct with the body, perform bad conduct with speech, perform bad conduct with the mind, for those beings, the self is not dear. Even if those beings performing bad conduct were to say, "The self is not dear to us," yet for those beings performing bad conduct, the self is indeed not dear. Why is that? What bad conduct one would do for the harm of one not dear, that bad conduct, those beings performing bad conduct, do to themselves. By themselves. Since they act for their own harm, therefore, for those beings performing bad conduct, the self is indeed not dear. Such was the thought. Venerable Sir, whatever beings