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B040201Dīghanikāya (pu vi)(long collection q and a)

English

Thus, venerable sir, the Blessed One taught to King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Videhī, the first visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. Good, good, friend! Good, indeed, friend, that a monk, having gone forth in this well-proclaimed Buddha's teaching, the Dhamma-Vinaya, would thus enter the first jhāna, and with the rapture and happiness born of seclusion, would drench, steep, and fill his body. Question – How, friend, did the Blessed One teach the second, third, and fourth visible fruits of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship? Answer – Furthermore, great king, with the subsiding of initial application and sustained application, the monk, with internal assurance and unification of mind, without initial application and sustained application, enters and abides in the second jhāna, born of concentration, filled with rapture and happiness. Thus, venerable sir, the Blessed One taught to King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Videhī, the second, third, and fourth visible fruits of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. Good, good, friend! Good, indeed, friend, that a monk in this well-proclaimed Buddha's Having gone forth with faith in the Dhamma-Vinaya, called the Teaching, he would attain the second jhāna, the third jhāna, and the fourth jhāna, and with those jhāna-pleasures, he would dwell, pervading, suffusing, and filling his own body. Question – And how, friend, did the Blessed One teach to King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Videhī, another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship? Answer – With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, wieldy, steady, attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge and vision. He thus understands: "This body of mine is material, composed of the four great elements, born of mother and father, an accumulation of rice and gruel, subject to impermanence, anointing, massage, breaking up, and disintegration. And this consciousness of mine is bound up here, tied to this…" …This too, O great king, is a visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. Thus, venerable sir, did the Blessed One teach to King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Videhī, another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. For one who has entered a deserted dwelling, a bhikkhu with a tranquil mind. There is an unworldly delight, for one who rightly discerns the Dhamma. Excellent, excellent, friend! Excellent indeed, friend, that a bhikkhu, having gone forth with faith in this well-proclaimed Dhamma-Vinaya, called the Buddha's Teaching, having thus generated knowledge and vision, and being endowed with such knowledge and vision, should dwell. Question – And how, friend, did the Blessed One teach another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship? Answer – With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, wieldy, stea When he has attained imperturbability, for the creation of a mind-made body, he directs and inclines his mind. He creates from this body another body, having form, mind-made, complete in all its parts, with unimpaired faculties. In this way, venerable sir, the Blessed One taught King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Vedehī, another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the former visible fruits of recluseship. Excellent, excellent, friend! It is indeed excellent, friend, that a monk, having gone forth with faith in this well-proclaimed Dhamma and Discipline, which is the Buddha's teaching, should dwell endowed with such a special knowledge of mind-made body. Question: Friend, the Blessed One, to King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Vedehī, after showing the visible fruit of recluseship, consisting of the four jhānas and the first two knowledges, what other kind of visible fruit of recluseship did he teach, more excellent and more sublime than the former visible fruits of recluseship? Answer: With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, wieldy, steady, attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines his mind to the various kinds of psychic power. He experiences various kinds of psychic power: being one, he becomes many; being many, he becomes one... This too, great king, is a visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the former visible fruits of recluseship. In this way, venerable sir, the Blessed One taught King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Vedehī, another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the former visible fruits of recluseship. Wonderful, friend! Amazing, friend! How well-proclaimed is the Buddha's teaching! For in this well-proclaimed teaching of the Buddha, having gone forth, a disciple who practices rightly, will experience such mighty, such powerful knowledge of psychic power. Question: Wha And then, friends, the Blessed One taught another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. Explanation – With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, imperturbable, he directs and inclines his mind to the divine ear element. With the divine ear element, purified and surpassing that of humans, he hears both kinds of sounds, divine and human, those far and those near. ... This too, great king, is a visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. Thus, venerable sir, the Blessed One taught to King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Videhī, another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. Wonderful, friends! Amazing, friends! How well-proclaimed is the Buddha's teaching! For in such a well-proclaimed teaching of the Buddha, even a disciple gone forth with faith and practicing rightly will attain such a special divine ear knowledge. Question – How then, friends, did the Blessed One teach another visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship? Explanation – With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, imperturbable, he directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of the minds of others. He comprehends with his own mind the minds of other beings, other persons. He knows a mind with lust as 'a mind with lust'. He knows a mind without lust as 'a mind without lust'. ... This too, great king, is a visible fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous visible fruits of recluseship. Thus, venerable sir, the Blessed One to King Ajātasattu of Magadha, son of Videhī, another He taught yet another immediate fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous immediate fruits of recluseship. Wonderful, friends, amazing, friends, how well-proclaimed is the Buddha's teaching! Where indeed, in such a well-proclaimed teaching of the Buddha, even a disciple, gone forth and practicing rightly, will attain such a special knowledge of the minds of others. Question: How then, friends, did the Blessed One teach yet another immediate fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous immediate fruits of recluseship? Answer: With his mind thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of recollecting past lives. He recollects his manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births... and so on... This too, great king, is an immediate fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous immediate fruits of recluseship. Thus, venerable sir, did the Blessed One teach King Ajātasattu, son of Videhī, of Magadha, yet another immediate fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous immediate fruits of recluseship. Wonderful, friends, amazing, friends, how well-proclaimed is the Buddha's teaching! Where indeed, in such a well-proclaimed teaching of the Buddha, even a disciple, having gone forth and practicing rightly, will attain such a special knowledge of past lives. Question: And how then, friends, did the Blessed One teach the immediate fruit of recluseship, more excellent and more sublime than the previous immediate fruits of recluseship? Answer: With his mind thus concentrated, purified, cleansed, unblemished, rid of defilements, pliant, workable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines his mind to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing that of humans, he sees beings passing away... He understands beings as they pass away and are reborn, the lowly and the excellent, the well-favored and the ill-favored, the fortunate and the unfortunate, each according to their deeds. ... This too, great king, is a fruit of recluseship visible here and now, more excellent and more sublime than the previous fruits of recluseship visible here and now. Thus, venerable sir, the Blessed One taught King Ajātasattu, son of Vedehī, another fruit of recluseship visible here and now, more excellent and more sublime than the previous fruits of recluseship visible here and now. Wonderful, friend, amazing, friend, how well-proclaimed is the Buddha's teaching! For in such a well-proclaimed Buddha's teaching,