English
"With what four factors of stream-entry is he endowed? Householder, here a noble disciple is endowed with unwavering faith in the Buddha: 'Indeed, the Blessed One is Arahant, Perfectly Self-Awakened, Endowed with knowledge and conduct, Fortunate, Knower of the world, Unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, Teacher of gods and humans, The Awakened One, the Blessed One.'" Thus, venerable sir, beginning with this, was the noble disciple's endowment with the four factors of stream-entry declared by the Blessed One there. Question: Friend, how was the noble method of the noble disciple, the noble knowledge, well-seen and well-penetrated, was declared. Explanation: What is that noble knowledge, well-seen and well-penetrated by wisdom? Here, householder, the noble disciple thoroughly and wisely attends to dependent origination itself: "When this exists, that comes to be; when this does not exist, that does not come to be; with the arising of this, that arises; with the cessation of this, that ceases. That is to say, with ignorance as condition (etc.) ... thus is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering." In this way, venerable sir, the noble knowledge, well-seen and well-penetrated by wisdom, was declared by the Blessed One to that noble disciple. When, householder, these five fears and enmities are appeased for the noble disciple, and he is endowed with these four factors of stream-entry, and this noble knowledge is well-seen and well-penetrated by wisdom for him— Discourse on Suffering Question: Where, friend, concerning whom, and how was the Discourse on Suffering spoken by the Blessed One? Explanation: In Sāvatthī, venerable sir, concerning many bhikkhus, the Blessed One spoke thus: "Bhikkhus, I will teach you the origin and the passing away of suffering," and so on. Question: And how, friend, was the origin of suffering declared by the Blessed One there? Explanation: And what, bhikkhus, is the origin of suffering? Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, feeling. With feeling as condition, craving. This, bhikkhus, is the origin of suffering. Dependent on the ear and sounds, ear-consciousness arises... (etc.) ... Dependent on the nose and odors... (etc.) ... Dependent on the tongue and tastes... (etc.) ... Dependent on the body and tangible objects... (etc.) ... Dependent on the mind and mental phenomena, mind-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, feeling. With feeling as condition, craving. This, bhikkhus, is the origin of suffering. In this way, venerable sir, the origin of suffering was declared by the Blessed One there. Question: And how Friend, there the Blessed One proclaimed the cessation of suffering. Answer: And what, monks, is the cessation of suffering? Eye and forms give rise to eye-consciousness; the meeting of the three is contact; from contact, feeling; from feeling, craving; with the complete fading away and cessation of that very craving, there is the cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, there is the cessation of becoming; with the cessation of becoming, there is the cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair cease. Thus is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering. In this way, venerable sir, there the Blessed One proclaimed the cessation of suffering. The Discourse on the Son's Flesh Question: And where, friend, concerning whom, on what occasion, and how was the Discourse on the Son's Flesh spoken by the Blessed One? Answer: In Savatthi, venerable sir, it was spoken concerning many newly ordained monks. And venerable sir, great gain and honor arose for the Blessed One and for the community of monks. And venerable sir, some monks, new, recently ordained young men, consumed food without reflecting upon it. On that occasion, venerable sir, the Blessed One spoke thus: "Monks, there are these four foods for the maintenance of beings who have come into existence, or for the support of those seeking to be born. What are the four? Edible food, coarse or fine, contact is the second, mental volition is the third, consciousness is the fourth." Thus, venerable sir, the Blessed One spoke. Question: And how, friend, was the manner of seeing edible food proclaimed by the Blessed One there? Answer: Just as, monks, a husband and wife, taking a small amount of provisions, would set out on a desert road. They would have a beloved and pleasing only son. In this way, venerable sir, there the Blessed One proclaimed the manner of seeing edible food. Question: And how, friend, was the manner of seeing the food of contact proclaimed by the Blessed One there? Answer: Just as, monks, a cow, without skin, whether it leans against a wall... he would stand relying on a wall, the creatures relying on the wall would eat him. If he would stand relying on a tree. If he would stand relying on water. If he would stand relying on the sky, the creatures relying on the sky would eat him. In this way, venerable sir, the aspect of touch as nutriment to be seen was extensively declared by the Blessed One there. Even so, monks, I say that touch is to be seen as nutriment. Question: And how, friend, was the aspect of mental volition as nutriment to be seen declared by the Blessed One there? Answer: Just as, monks, a pit of glowing embers, more than a man's height, full of embers, without flame, without smoke. Then a man would come, desiring to live, not desiring to die, desiring happiness, averse to suffering. In this way, venerable sir, the aspect of mental volition as nutriment to be seen was extensively declared by the Blessed One there. Question: And how, friend, was the aspect of consciousness as nutriment to be seen declared by the Blessed One there? Answer: Just as, monks, they would seize a criminal, a wrongdoer, and show him to the king: "This, your majesty, is a criminal, a wrongdoer. Inflict upon him whatever punishment you wish." In this way, venerable sir, the aspect of consciousness as nutriment to be seen was declared by the Blessed One there. The Susima Wanderer Sutta Question: Where, friend, concerning whom, in what context, and how was the Susima Wanderer Sutta spoken by that Blessed One, the Fully Self-Awakened One? Answer: In Rājagaha, venerable sir, it was spoken concerning the venerable Susima. The venerable Susima, venerable sir, reported to the Blessed One all the conversation he had had with the bhikkhus. In that context, "First, Susima, there is knowledge of the stability of the Dhamma, afterwards, knowledge of Nibbāna." In this way, venerable sir, it was spoken by the Blessed One. Question: And how, friend, did the Blessed One there, by way of questioning again and again, in the manner of an inquiry, extensively teach further Dhamma to the venerable Elder Susima, who had just attained arahantship? Answer: No – Is it that birth is the cause of aging and death, Susima, do you see? Yes, venerable sir. Is it that existence is the cause of birth, Susima, do you see? Yes, venerable sir. In this way, venerable sir, the Blessed One, having questioned and questioned further, in the manner of an inquiry, taught the Dhamma in detail to the Venerable Susima, who had just attained arahantship there. Venerable sir, may the Blessed One accept my transgression as a transgression, for future restraint– Connected Discourses on Realization The Discourse on the Fingernail Tip Question – Friends, where, concerning whom, and how was the Nakhasikhā Sutta, the first recited in the Abhisamayasaṃyutta, spoken by the Blessed One? Answer – Venerable sir, in Sāvatthī, concerning many bhikkhus, the Blessed One spoke thus: "What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: this little bit of dust I have placed on my fingernail tip, or this great earth?" Connected Discourses on Elements The Discourse on Walking Question – Friends, where, concerning whom, and how was the Caṅkama Sutta in the Dhātusaṃyutta spoken by the Blessed One? Answer – Venerable sir, in Rājagaha, concerning many bhikkhus, the Blessed One spoke thus: "Bhikkhus, beings associate and come together by element. Those of inferior inclination associate and come together with those of inferior inclination. Those of noble inclination associate and come together with those of noble inclination." The Discourse on the Association of the Faithless Question – Friends, where, concerning whom, and how was the Assaddhasaṃsandana Sutta spoken by the Blessed One? Answer – Venerable sir, in Sāvatthī, concerning many bhikkhus, the Blessed One spoke thus: "Bhikkhus, beings associate and come together by element. The faithless associate and come together with the faithless. The shameless associate and come together with the shameless. The reckless. The little-learned. The lazy. The unmindful. The unwise associate and come together with the unwise." Connected Discourses on the Inconceivable Beginning The Discourse on the Earth Question – Friend, where, concerning whom, and how was the second discourse, the Earth Sutta, in the Anamatagga Saṃyutta, recited? Answer – In Sāvatthī, venerable sir, concerning many bhikkhus, it was spoken by the Blessed One thus: "This saṃsāra, bhikkhus, is without a discoverable beginning. A first point is not discerned of beings hindered by ignorance, fettered by craving, who have been running on and transmigrating. Suppose, bhikkhus, a man were to make clay pellets the size of a kolaṭṭhi seed, and put them down, saying, 'This is my mother, this is my mother's mother, this is my father, this is my father's father.' The fathers and grandfathers of that man, bhikkhus, would not be exhausted. Yet this great earth would come to an end, would be exhausted. For what reason? This saṃsāra, bhikkhus, is without a discoverable beginning.