English
" The lay follower said, "He is the resolution of the Sangha, not his." But who purifies the offering given to the Sangha, draped in robes? Sāriputta, Moggallāna, and the eighty great elders purify it. Moreover, the elders have long since passed away. Beginning with the elders, up to the present day, those with waning defilements purify it. Thus, the gift is of great fruit from the giver than from the receiver. From the giver, the Vessantara Jātaka should be told. Vessantara gave even his children to the immoral Jūjaka. Giving two Jālikaṇhājinaputtas, like eyes, to a brahmin, he shook the earth. Due to the great power of the intention arising with the knowledge of omniscience, he shook the earth. Thus, even the giver has great fruit. But regarding the receiver, the story of the cloth given to the executioner by Sāriputta Thera should be told. It seems that in Sāvatthi, a man from the countryside, having worked as an executioner for twenty-five years, and even in old age, for thirty years, cutting off ears, noses, etc., with his nasal breath, spent fifty-five years working as an executioner. Lying on his deathbed, due to the power of his karma, as if reborn in the great hell, he made a great noise and was in pain, and frightened by his noise, people abandoned their houses on both sides and fled. Then Sāriputta Thera, looking at the world with his divine eye, seeing him, out of compassion for him, stood at the door of his house. Angered, even though he tried to expel the Thera three times with his nasal breath, being unable to do so, seeing the exceedingly radiant Thera, he became very pleased and gave the milk-rice prepared for himself. The Thera, increasing auspiciousness, departed. The executioner, recalling the gift given to the Thera, was reborn in heaven, thus even the receiver has great fruit. Great fruit from both, the gift given to the Buddha and his retinue by Anāthapiṇḍika, Visākhā, and others should be understood. This was said by the Blessed One: "In the Tathāgata, the fully enlightened one, or in his disciple; There is no small offering, when the mind is pleased. Thus, Buddhas are inconceivable, the qualities of the Buddha are inconceivable; For those pleased with the inconceivable, the result is inconceivable." Thus, the state of great fruit should be understood in both ways. Fruitless for both the giver and the receiver. Just as the special offerings to Makkhali Gosāla and the six teachers, etc., with their own followers' desired views. This was said by the Blessed One: "Month after month, with a blade of kusa grass, a fool might eat his food." "It is not worth a sixteenth part Of those whose minds are fixed on the Dhamma." Therefore, the Blessed One said, "These, Ānanda, are the four purifications of offerings." These three, the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha jewels, Are called jewels because they generate delight in the virtuous. Thus it was said: "Made with skill, of great value, Unique, rare to see, Used by the noblest beings, Therefore, it is called a jewel." And a jewel is of two kinds, animate and inanimate. Among them, the inanimate is the wheel jewel, the gem jewel, or any other gold, silver, etc., not bound by the senses. The animate is the elephant, horse jewel, etc., ending with the counselor jewel, or any other bound by the senses. Here, among these two kinds, the animate jewel is said to be the chief. Why? Because the inanimate jewel, gold, silver, gems, pearls, etc., is brought for the adornment of the animate jewels, elephants, etc. The animate jewel is also of two kinds, the animal jewel and the human jewel. Among them, the human jewel is said to be the chief. Why? Because the animal jewel is subservient to the human jewel. The human jewel is also of two kinds, the woman jewel and the man jewel. Among them, the man jewel is said to be the chief. Why? Because the woman jewel becomes the attendant of the man jewel. The man jewel is also of two kinds, the householder jewel and the homeless jewel. Among them, the homeless jewel is said to be the chief. Why? Because even the foremost among householder jewels, the wheel-turning monarch, having worshiped the homeless jewel endowed with virtue, etc., with the fivefold prostration, having attended and waited upon him, having attained divine and human prosperity, finally attains the bliss of Nibbāna. The homeless jewel is also of two kinds, the noble and the ordinary. The noble jewel is also of two kinds, the trainee and the non-trainee. The non-trainee jewel is also of two kinds, the dry-insight meditator and the tranquility-vehicle meditator. The tranquility-vehicle jewel is also of two kinds, the disciple who has reached the perfection and the one who has not. Among them, the disciple who has reached the perfection is called the highest. Why? Because of the greatness of virtues. The Paccekabuddha Jewel is called the highest even from the disciple who has attained perfection. Why? Because of the greatness of virtues. Even hundreds of disciples like Sāriputta and Moggallāna do not attain one hundredth part of the virtues of a Paccekabuddha. The Fully Enlightened Buddha Jewel is called the highest from the Paccekabuddha. Why? Because of the greatness of virtues. Even if all the Paccekabuddhas sitting cross-legged throughout Jambudīpa without their legs touching, they would not attain the number, a fraction, a part of the virtues of one. This was said by the Blessed One: "Monks, as far as beings are footless... ...the Tathāgata is called the highest of them," etc. Thus, by extracting the meaning of these three phrases: "The Buddha is rare in the world, and hearing the Good Dhamma, and the Saṅgha is rare in the world," the entire meaning is indeed stated. Thus ends the fourth chapter, the Section on Equal Heads, in the Sīmavisodhana composed by Sāgarabuddhi Thera, on the Description of the Saṅgha. Miscellaneous Section Now, the order of explanation of "Good people are rare" has arrived, for indeed, good people are very rare in the world. Good people are excellent individuals endowed with virtuous qualities. Relying on them, beings subject to birth are freed from birth, beings subject to death are freed from death. This was said by the Blessed One: "For, Ānanda, by relying on me as a good friend, they are completely freed from birth, beings subject to aging are freed from aging," etc. However, the Perfectly Enlightened Buddha alone is a good friend endowed with all qualities. If one cannot find him, then noble individuals like Sāriputta and Moggallāna should be sought. If one cannot find even them, then a good friend who is entirely blameless and virtuous should be found. This was said by the ancients: "Beloved, venerable, worthy of cultivation, a speaker who is patient with words; A speaker of profound things, and does not employ one in an unsuitable place." A wise person endowed with such qualities, standing on the side of increase, is rare in the world. Which wise person? The Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and the eighty great disciples. And other disciples of the Tathāgata, such as Sunetta, Mahāgovinda, Vidhura, Sarabhaṅga, Mahosadha, Sutasoma, Nimirāja, Ayogharakumāraka, Akitti Paṇḍita, and others, are to be known as wise. They are like protection from fear, like a lamp in the darkness, like obtaining food and drink when overcome by hunger, thirst, and suffering, capable of destroying all fears, calamities, and misfortunes for those who follow their words. Thus, by coming to the Tathāgata, countless and immeasurable gods and humans attained the destruction of defilements, were established in the Brahma world, and were born in the Deva world. Having pleased Citta with Sāriputta Thera, and having attended to the Thera with the four requisites, eighty thousand wholesome deeds were produced in heaven. Similarly, disciples of Sunetta, the teacher, such as Mahāmoggallāna and Mahākassapa, some were born in the Brahma world, some in the company of the Paranimmitavasavattī gods…pe… some were born in the company of wealthy householder families. It was said, "There is no fear from the wise, monks, there is no calamity from the wise, there is no misfortune from the wise." Moreover, the wise are like a collection of fragrant goods such as tagara garlands, and those who associate with them are like the leaves that wrap those fragrant goods. It was said in the Nārada Jātaka: "If a man wraps tagara in palāsa leaves, the leaves also emit fragrance; so it is with associating with the wise." When Akitti Paṇḍita was being given a boon by Sakka, the king of the gods, he said: "May I see the wise, may I hear the wise, may I live with the wise; May I have conversation and discussion with the wise, may I do that and may I approve of it. What wrong have the wise done to you, tell me, Kassapa, the reason; Why, Kassapa, do you long for the sight of the wise? The wise lead to the right path, they do not engage in what is difficult; That person becomes better, when rightly spoken to, he does not get angry; He understands discipline, association with him is good." Moreover, having met such good people, even words never heard before, beneficial to both worlds, are heard. And it was said: "Well-spoken…" The good say this: speak the Dhamma, not the Adhamma, that is the second; Speak what is dear, not what is not dear, that is the third; speak the truth, not falsehood, that is the fourth. "The speech that the Buddha speaks, secure, leading to Nibbana; For the ending of suffering, that indeed is the best of speech." By relying on and associating with good people, and by engaging in meritorious deeds like giving, they are freed from the suffering of the lower realms. It is said that "merits are very helpful to beings in protecting them from the suffering of hell, etc., because remembering their benefits and gratitude are praiseworthy by good people and are the cause for attaining various special qualities.