THE DISCOURSE COLLECTION

                                    Selected Texts
                                  from the Sutta Nipata

                                     Translated from
                                         the Pali
                                           by
                                     John D. Ireland

                      The Wheel Publication No. 82

           Copyright 1965, 1983 Buddhist Publication Society
                               PO Box 61
                         54, Sangharaja Mawatha
                            Kandy, Sri Lanka

                        Electronic edition 1995

                        Transcription: Joe Crea
     Proofreading & Formatting: John Bullitt <metta@world.std.com>

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                            * * * * * * * *

                                CONTENTS
  
         Introduction
     1.  Dhammika (From the //Dhammika Sutta//)
     2.  Wrong Conduct (//Dhammacariya Sutta//)
     3.  Right Conduct (//Kimsila Sutta//)
     4.  On Friendship (//Hiri Sutta//)
     5.  The Simile of the Boat (//Nava Sutta//)
     6.  Advice to Rahula (From the //Rahula Sutta//)
     7.  The Training (//Attadanda Sutta//)
     8.  On Vigilance (//Utthana Sutta//)
     9.  The Buddha's Great Struggle (//Padhana Sutta//)
    10.  On Decay (//Jara Sutta//)
    11.  The Arrow (//Salla Sutta//)
    12.  On Purity (//Suddhatthaka Sutta//)
    13.  On Views (//Paramatthaka Sutta//)
    14.  Ajita's Questions (//Ajita-manava-puccha//)
    15.  Punnaka's Questions (//Punnaka-manava-puccha//)
    16.  Mettagu's Questions (//Mettagu-manava-puccha//)
    17.  Further Questions (//Kalaha-vivada-Sutta//)
    18.  Mogharaja's Question (//Mogharaja-manava-puccha//)
    19.  Pingiya's Request (//Pingiya-manava-puccha//)
    20.  The Noble One's Happiness (From the //Dvayatanupassana-sutta//)

                            * * * * * * * *

                              INTRODUCTION

  The Sutta-nipata or "Discourse-collection," from which this selection
  has been compiled, contains some of the oldest and most profound
  discourses of the Buddha.  The complete text has been translated at
  least three times into English, the most recent being by E.M. Hare
  under the title "Woven Cadences" (Oxford University Press, London,
  1945).  The Pali original consists mainly of verse interspersed with
  some prose passages and Hare has followed this arrangement by
  translating it into English blank verse. However, in the selection
  appearing below the aim has been to keep as near as possible to the
  original, and no attempt has been made to versify it.
  
      The first discourse shows the distinction between the mode of
  conduct of the bhikkhu and the layman, both regarded as virtuous or
  good (sadhu). For, as it is said elsewhere:
  
       These two ways of life are not the same:
       that of a householder supporting a wife
       and one without worldly attachments ...
  
       As a peacock never approaches the swiftness
       of a swan, so a householder cannot imitate a
       bhikkhu, a hermit meditating in the forest.

                                        -- Snp. vv. 220-221

      The lay-follower is given the five precepts of abstaining from
  killing, stealing and so forth, and then the eight precepts are
  observed on special occasions (uposatha, "observance days").  Also
  perhaps it is appropriate to commence with Dhammika's praising the
  Buddha, for these two, moral discipline and faith in the Buddha, are
  the basic requisites for making further progress on the Buddhist path.
  
      The next two discourses (2, 3) deal with wrong and right conduct,
  pointing out the results both courses lead to.
  
      One of the essentials for the practice of the Buddha's teaching is
  having "good friends" and the avoidance of those who hinder one's
  progress (4).  The best friend is "He from whom one learns the Dhamma"
  (5) and as such the Buddha is known as the "Good Friend" to all
  beings.
  
      The next two (6, 7) give the practical training and the direction
  one should tend towards.
  
      Continuous effort is needed to practice the Dhamma (8) and to
  inspire one there is no better example than the Buddha's own struggle
  (9). Then there are two contemplations on the transience of life and
  the futility of sorrowing over the natural course of events in this
  world (10, 11).
  
      Two important discourses follow dealing with the misconception
  that purity can come from outside without putting forth any effort
  (12) and with wrongly holding to views and opinions leading to
  contention and suffering (13).  These two, together with the rest of
  what follows, are regarded as some of the oldest discourses of the
  Sutta-nipata and contain much that is difficult to understand.
  
      In the Parayana-vagga, the last chapter of the Sutta-nipata,
  sixteen brahmanas -- "famous throughout the world, meditators,
  delighting in meditation, and wise ..." (v. 1009) -- come to the
  Buddha and ask Him various questions.  Five of them are included here
  (14, 15, 16, 18, 19).
  
      No. 17 may be compared with the Sakkapanha Suttanta (Digha-nikaya
  21, translated as No. 10 in the Wheel Series), which contains a
  closely parallel series of questions and answers.

      No. 20 consists of the concluding verses of a fairly long
  discourse and indicates the disparity existing between the realization
  of the "Ariya," the Buddhas and their disciples, and the way of
  thinking usual to the ordinary people of this world.
  
      A note ought to be included on the term "Dhamma," an important and
  frequent word in Buddhist literature and which has, in most cases, been
  left untranslated below for the reason that there is no equivalent word
  in English to cover all its various shades of meaning.  It could be
  rendered by Law (cosmic and moral), Norm, Teaching, Doctrine, Scripture,
  Truth, Nature, practice, method, conduct, causality, etc., for these are
  all meanings of the term 'Dhamma'.  But they all tend to fall short of
  a true definition.  The Dhamma is the heart of the Buddha's teaching
  and without it Buddhism would be something quite dead, and yet it is
  not the exclusive possession of the historical religion.  In addition,
  it has another set of meanings and is practically always used in this
  sense in the plural, as mental (and sensory) objects, ideas, things,
  phenomena, elements, forces, states. etc.  In this latter sense
  however it has not been left untranslated below.
  
      In conclusion I wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance given
  by the Ven. Nyanaponika Mahathera in correcting several errors in the
  translation of this short anthology and in supplying much advice and
  commentarial literature used in formulating the notes.

                                        John D. Ireland
                                        London,
                                        February 1965.

                                 * * *

                              1.  DHAMMIKA
  
  Thus have I heard.  At one time the Lord was staying near Savatthi in
  the Jeta Grove at Anathapindaka's monastery.  Now the lay-follower
  Dhammika with five hundred other lay-followers approached the Lord.
  Having drawn near and having saluted the Lord respectfully he sat down
  at one side.  Sitting there the lay-follower Dhammika addressed the
  Lord as follows:
  
      "I ask Gotama[1] of extensive wisdom this:  How acting is a
  disciple virtuous -- both the disciple who has gone from home to the
  homeless state and the followers who are householders?  For you
  clearly understand the behavior[2] of the world with the devas and
  the final release. There is none equal to you who are skilled in
  seeing what is profound. You are an illustrious Awakened One (Buddha).
  Having investigated all knowledge and being compassionate towards
  beings you have announced the Dhamma, a revealer of what is hidden, of
  comprehensive vision, stainless, you illuminate all the worlds.
  
      "This Dhamma, subtle and pleasing and taught so clearly by you,
  Lord, it is this we all wish to hear.  Having been questioned,
  foremost Awakened One, tell us (the answer).  All these bhikkhus and
  also the layfollowers who have come to hear the truth, let them listen
  to the Dhamma awakened to (anubuddham) by the Stainless One as the
  devas listen to the well-spoken words of Vasava." [3]
  
      (The Lord:)  "Listen to me, bhikkhus, I will teach you the ascetic
  practice (dhamma dhutam), the mode of living suitable for those who
  have gone forth.  Do you all bear it in mind.  One who is intent upon
  what is good and who is thoughtful should practice it.
  
      "A bhikkhu should not wander about at the wrong time but should
  walk the village for food at the right time, as one who goes about at
  the wrong time is (liable to be) obsessed by attachment, therefore
  Awakened Ones do not walk (for alms) at the wrong time.[4]  Sights,
  sounds, tastes, scents and bodily contacts overwhelm (the minds of)
  beings.  Being rid of desire for these sense objects, at the right
  time, one may enter (the village) for the morning meal.  Having duly
  obtained food, going back alone and sitting down in a secluded place,
  being inwardly thoughtful and not letting the mind go out to external
  objects, a bhikkhu should develop self-control.
  
      "If he should speak with a lay-disciple, with someone else or with
  another bhikkhu, he should speak on the subtle Dhamma, not slandering
  others nor gossiping.  Some set themselves up as disputants in
  opposition to others;  those of little wisdom we do not praise;
  attachments bind them and they are carried away by their emotions.[5]

      "Having heard the Dhamma taught by the Sugata[6] and considered
  it, a disciple of Him of excellent wisdom should wisely make use of
  food, a dwelling, a bed, a seat and water for washing the robe.  But a
  bhikkhu should not be soiled by (clinging to) these things, as a lotus
  is not wetted by a drop of water.
  
      "Now I will tell you the layman's duty.  Following it a
  lay-disciple would be virtuous;  for it is not possible for one
  occupied with the household life to realize the complete bhikkhu
  practice (dhamma).
  
      "He should not kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor
  should he incite another to kill.  Do not injure any being, either
  strong or weak, in the world.
  
      "A disciple should avoid taking anything from anywhere knowing it
  (to belong to another).  He should not steal nor incite another to
  steal.  He should completely avoid theft.
  
      "A wise man should avoid unchastity as (he would avoid falling
  into) a pit of glowing charcoal.  If unable to lead a celibate life,
  he should not go to another's wife.
  
      "Having entered a royal court or a company of people he should not
  speak lies.  He should not speak lies (himself) nor incite others to
  do so.  He should completely avoid falsehood.
  
      "A layman who has chosen to practice this Dhamma should not
  indulge in the drinking of intoxicants.  He should not drink them nor
  encourage others to do so;  realizing that it leads to madness.
  Through intoxication foolish people perform evil deeds and cause other
  heedless people to do likewise.  He should avoid intoxication, this
  occasion for demerit, which stupefies the mind, and is the pleasure of
  foolish people.
  
      "Do not kill a living being;
      do not take what is not given;
      do not speak a lie;
      do not drink intoxicants;
      abstain from sexual intercourse;
      do not eat food at night, at the wrong time;
      do not wear flower-garlands nor use perfumes;
      use the ground as a bed or sleep on a mat.
  
      "This is called the eight-factored observance made known by the
  known by the Awakened One who has reached the end of suffering.
  
      With a gladdened mind observe the observance day (uposatha),
  complete with its eight factors, on the fourteenth, fifteenth and
  eighth days of the (lunar) fortnight and also the special holiday of
  the half month.  In the morning, with a pure heart and a joyful mind,
  a wise man, after observing the uposatha, should distribute suitable
  food and drink to the community of bhikkhus.  He should support his
  mother and father as his duty and engage in lawful trading.  A layman
  who carries this out diligently goes to the devas called
  "Self-radiant."[7]
                                        -- vv. 376-378, 383-404

   Notes:

        [1]  Gotama is the Buddha's clan or family name.
  
        [2]  According to the commentary, the Pali term "gati"
             translated here as "behavior" means either "trend of
             character" or "the destination of beings after death.

        [3]  "Vasava" is one of the several names for Sakka, ruler of
             the devas or gods.  This is a poetical way of saying they
             should listen very attentively.
  
        [4]  The right time for going into the village to collect
             alms-food is in the forenoon.  If a bhikkhu went about
             indiscriminately, "at the wrong time," he might see things
             or have experiences that would endanger his life of purity
             and cause him to revert to the lay life.
  
        [5]  Literally, "they send the mind far."
  
        [6]  Sugata, literally "well-gone," sometimes translated as the
             "Happy One," is an epithet of the Buddha.
  
        [7]  A class of heavenly beings (deva).  A layman who practices
             this will, after death, be reborn as one of them.

                                 * * *

                           2.  WRONG CONDUCT

  "The practice of Dhamma,[1] the practice of continence,[2] mastery of
  this is said to be best if a person has gone forth from home to the
  homeless life.  But if he is garrulous and, like a brute, delights in
  hurting others, his life is evil and his impurity increases.
  
      "A quarrelsome bhikkhu shrouded by delusion, does not comprehend
  the Dhamma taught by the Awakened One when it is revealed.  Annoying
  those practiced in meditation, being led by ignorance, he is not aware
  that his defiled path leads to Niraya-hell.  Falling headlong, passing
  from womb to womb, from darkness to (greater) darkness, such a bhikkhu
  undergoes suffering hereafter for certain.
  
      "As a cesspool filled over a number of years is difficult to
  clean, similarly, whoever is full of impurity is difficult to make
  pure. Whoever you know to be such, bhikkhus, bent on worldliness,
  having wrong desires, wrong thoughts, wrong behavior and resort,
  being completely united avoid him, sweep him out like dirt, remove him
  like rubbish. Winnow like chaff the non-recluses.  Having ejected
  those of wrong desires, of wrong behavior and resort, be pure and
  mindful, dwelling with those who are pure.  Being united and prudent
  you will make an end to suffering."
                                        -- vv. 274-283
  
  Notes:

        [1]  Dhammacariya.
  
        [2]  Brahmacariya, the divine-life, the practice of purity or
             chastity. Dhammacariya and Brahmacariya are two closely
             related terms. "Dhamma" being used here in the sense of
             virtue or good conduct.

                                 * * *
                           3.  RIGHT CONDUCT

  "By developing what habit, what conduct, what actions may man be
  correctly established in and arrive at the highest goal?
  
      "He should respect his elders and not be envious of them.  He
  should know the right time for seeing his teacher.[1]  If a talk on
  Dhamma has started he should know the value of the opportunity and
  should listen carefully to the well-spoken words.[2]
  
      "When the time is right let him go to his teacher's presence,
  unassuming, putting aside stubbornness.  Let him keep in mind and
  practice (what he has learned):  the meaning and the text (of the
  Teaching), self-control and (the other virtues of) the Holy Life.[3]
  Delighting in the Dhamma, devoted to the Dhamma, established in the
  Dhamma, skilled in investigating the Dhamma,[4] let him not indulge in
  talk harmful to the (practice of) Dhamma.  Let him be guided by
  well-spoken truths.
  
      "Abandoning the uttering of laughter and lamentations; giving up
  anger, fraud, hypocrisy, longing, conceit, violence, harshness, moral
  taints and infatuation;  let him live without pride, self controlled.
  Understanding is essential (for listening) to a well-spoken word.
  Learning and understanding are essential to meditation, but a man who
  is hasty and heedless does not increase his wisdom and learning.
  
      "Those who are devoted to the Dhamma made known by the Noble Ones
  (ariya) are unsurpassed in speech, thought and action.  They are
  established in peace, gentleness and concentration, and have reached
  the essence of learning and wisdom."
                                        -- vv. 324-330)

  Notes:

        [1]  That is when needing their advice for dispelling mental
             defilements.
  
        [2]  The phrase "well-spoken" (//subhasita//) is a technical
             term in the Pali Canon.  It refers to saying connected
             with Dhamma and concerning one's well-being, happiness and
             progress on the path.
  
        [3]  The rendering follows the Commentary.
  
        [4]  Or, "having discriminative knowledge of the Dhamma."

                                 * * *

  
                           4.  ON FRIENDSHIP

  "One who, overstepping and despising a sense of shame, says, 'I am
  your friend,' but does not take upon himself any tasks he is capable
  of doing, is to be recognized as no friend.  One who speaks amiably to
  his companions, but whose actions do not conform to it, him the wise
  know for certain as a talker not a doer.  He is no friend who,
  anticipating conflict, is always alert in looking out for
  weaknesses.[1] But he on whom one can rely, like a child sleeping on
  its mother's breast, is truly a friend who cannot be parted from one
  by others.
  
      "One who bears the human burden of responsibility, with it fruits
  and blessings in mind, he cultivates a cause[2] of joy and happiness
  worthy of praise.  Having tasted the flavor of solitude and peace one
  is free from fear and wrong-doings imbibing the rapture of Dhamma."

                                        -- vv. 253-257
  
  Notes:
  
        [1]  Such a person dislikes to be reproved, and when an
             occasion for this occurs he would wish to have a weapon
             with which to retaliate, and therefore, he takes note of
             one's weaknesses.
  
        [2]  According to the Commentary, this joy-producing cause is
             strenuous effort (viriya).

  
                                 * * *

                       5.  THE SIMILE OF THE BOAT

  "He from whom a person learns the Dhamma should be venerated, as the
  devas venerate Inda, their Lord.[1]  He, (a teacher) of great
  learning, thus venerated, will explain the Dhamma, being well-disposed
  towards one.  Having paid attention and considered it, a wise man,
  practicing according to Dhamma, becomes learned, intelligent and
  accomplished by associating himself diligently with such a teacher.
  
      "But by following an inferior and foolish teacher who has not
  gained (fine) understanding of the Dhamma and is envious of others,
  one will approach death without comprehending the Dhamma and
  unrelieved of doubt.
  
      "If a man going down into a river, swollen and swiftly flowing, is
  carried away by the current -- how can he help others across?
  
      "Even so, he who has not comprehended the Dhamma, has not paid
  attention to the meaning as expounded by the learned, being himself
  without knowledge and unrelieved of doubt -- how can he make others
  understand?
  
      "But if (the man at the river) knows the method and is skilled and
  wise, by boarding a strong boat equipped with oars and a rudder, he
  can, with its help, set others across.  Even so, he who is experienced
  and has a well-trained mind, who is learned and dependable,[2] clearly
  knowing, he can help others to understand who are willing to listen
  and ready to receive.[3]
  
      "Surely, therefore, one should associate with a good man who is
  wise and learned.  By understanding the meaning of what one has learnt
  and practicing accordingly one who has Dhamma-experience[4] attains
  (supreme) happiness."[5]
                                        -- vv. 316-323

  Notes:

        [1]  "Inda" (Sanskrit "Indra") is another name for Sakka, the ruler
             of the gods.
  
        [2]  He has a character which remains unperturbed by the vicissitudes
             of life (Comy).
  
        [3]  Possessing the supporting conditions for attaining the
             Paths and Fruits of Stream-winning, Once-returning,
             Never-returning and Final Sainthood (Arahatta).
  
        [4]  One who has fully understood or experienced the Dhamma by
             penetrating to its essence through the practice taught by
             a wise teacher (Comy).
  
        [5]  The transcendental happiness of the Paths and Fruits and
             of Nibbana.

  
                                 * * *

                           6.  ADVICE TO RAHULA

  "Renouncing the five pleasures of sense that entrance and delight the
  mind, and in faith departing from home, become one who makes an end of
  suffering!
  
      "Associate with good friends and choose a remote lodging,
  secluded, with little noise.  Be moderate in eating.  Robes,
  alms-food, remedies and a dwelling, - do not have craving for these
  things;  do not be one who returns to the world. [1]  Practice
  restraint according to the Discipline,[2] and control the five
  sense-faculties.
  
      "Practice mindfulness of the body and continually develop
  dispassion (towards it).  Avoid the sign of the beautiful connected
  with passion;  by meditating on the foul[3] cultivate a mind that is
  concentrated and collected.
  
      "Meditate on the Signless[4] and get rid of the tendency to
  conceit. By thoroughly understanding and destroying conceit[5] you
  will live in the (highest) peace."
  
      In this manner the Lord repeatedly exhorted the Venerable Rahula.
  
                                        -- vv. 337-342
  
  Notes:

        [1]  By being dragged back to it again by your craving for
             these things (Comy).
  
        [2]  The Vinaya, or disciplinary code of the community of
             Bhikkhus.

        [3]  The "foul", or //asubha-kammatthana//, refers to the
             practice of contemplating a corpse in various stages of
             decay and the contemplation on the thirty-two parts of the
             body, as a means of developing detachment from body and
             dispassion in regard to its beautiful (or, "the sign of
             the beautiful", subha-nimitta).
  
        [4]  The Signless (//animitta//) is one of the three
             Deliverances (//vimokkha//) by which beings are liberated
             from the world. The other two are Desirelessness
             (//appanihita//) and Emptiness (//sunnata//).  The
             Signless is connected with the idea of impermanence of all
             conditioned things (cf. Visuddhi Magga, XXI 67f).
  
        [5]  The word "//mana//" means both conceit and misconceiving.

  

                                 * * *

                            7.  THE TRAINING

  "Violence breeds misery;[1]  look at people quarreling.  I will
  relate the emotion agitating me.
  
      "Having seen people struggling and contending with each other like
  fish in a small amount of water, fear entered me.  The world is
  everywhere insecure, every direction is in turmoil;  desiring an abode
  for myself I did not find one uninhabited.[2]  When I saw contention
  as the sole outcome, aversion increased in me;  but then I saw an
  arrow[3] here, difficult to see, set in the heart.  Pierced by it,
  once runs in every direction, but having pulled it out one does not
  run nor does one sink.[4]
  
      "Here follows the (rule of) training:
  
      "Whatever are worldly fetters, may you not be bound by them!
  Completely break down sensual desires and practice so as to realize
  Nibbana for yourself!
  
      "A sage should be truthful, not arrogant, not deceitful, not given
  to slandering others, and should be without anger.  He should remove
  the evil of attachment and wrongly directed longing;  he should
  conquer drowsiness, lassitude and sloth, and not dwell in indolence. A
  man whose mind is set on Nibbana should not be arrogant.  He should
  not lapse into untruth nor generate love for sense objects.  He should
  thoroughly understand (the nature of) conceit and abstain from
  violence.  He should not delight in what is past, nor be fond of what
  is new, nor sorrow for what is disappearing, nor crave for the
  attractive.
  
      "Greed, I say, is a great flood;  it is a whirlpool sucking one
  down, a constant yearning, seeking a hold, continually in movement;[5]
  difficult to cross is the morass of sensual desire.  A sage does not
  deviate from truth, a brahmana[6] stands on firm ground;  renouncing
  all, he is truly called 'calmed'.
  
      "Having actually experienced and understood the Dhamma he has
  realized the highest knowledge and is independent.[7]  He comports
  himself correctly in the world and does not envy anyone here.  He who
  has left behind sensual pleasures, an attachment difficult to leave
  behind, does not grieve nor have any longing;  has has cut across the
  stream and is unfettered.
  
      "Dry out that which is past,[8] let there be nothing for you in
  the future.[9]  If you do not grasp at anything in the present you
  will go about at peace.  One who, in regard to this entire mindbody
  complex, has no cherishing of it as 'mine,' and who does not grieve
  fro what is non-existent truly suffers no loss in the world.  For him
  there is no thought of anything as 'this is mine' or 'this is
  another's'; not finding any state of ownership, and realizing,
  'nothing is mine,' he does not grieve.
  
      "To be not callous, not greedy, at rest and unruffled by
  circumstances -- that is the profitable result I proclaim when asked
  about one who does not waver.  For one who does not crave, who has
  understanding, there is no production (of new kamma).[10]  Refraining
  from initiating (new kamma) he sees security everywhere.  A sage does
  not speak in terms of being equal, lower or higher.  Calmed and
  without selfishness he neither grasps nor rejects."

                                         -- vv. 935-954
  
  Notes:

        [1]  //Attadanda bhayam jatam//:  "Violence" (//attadanda//,
             lit.: "seizing a stick" or "weapons") includes in it all
             wrong conduct in deeds, words and thoughts.

             //Bhaya// is either a subjective state of mind, "fear," or
             the objective condition of "fearfulness," danger, misery;
             and so it is explained in the Comy. as the evil
             consequences of wrong conduct, in this life and in future
             existence.
  
        [2]  Uninhabited by decay and death, etc. (Comy).
  
        [3]  The arrow of lust, hate, delusion and (wrong) views.
  
        [4]  That is, sink into the four "floods" of sensual desire,
             continual becoming, wrong views and ignorance.  These are
             the two contrasting dangers of Samsara, i.e., restless
             //running//, ever seeking after sensual delights, and
             //sinking//, or passively clinging to the defilements,
             whereby one is overwhelmed by the "flood."  In the first
             discourse of the Samyutta-nikaya the Buddha says: "If I
             stood still, I sank;  if I struggled, I was carried away.
             Thus by neither standing still nor struggling, I crossed
             the flood."
  
        [5]  According to the commentary these four phrases, beginning
             with a "whirlpool sucking down," are all synonyms for
             craving (//tanha//) or greed (//gedha//) called the "great
             flood".
  
        [6]  In Buddhism the title "Brahmana" is sometimes used for one
             who has reached final deliverance.  The Buddha himself is
             sometimes called "the Brahmana".
  
        [7]  Independent of craving and views.
  
        [8]  "Dry out" (//visodehi//) your former, and not your matured
             kamma, i.e., make it unproductive, by not giving room to
             passions that may grow out of the past actions.

        [9]  Do not rouse in kamma-productive passions concerning the
             future.
  
        [10]  Volitional acts, good or bad, manifesting in deeds of
              body, speech and mind leading to a future result.

  
                                 * * *

                             8.  ON VIGILANCE

  "Rouse yourself!  Sit up!  What good is there in sleeping?  For those
  afflicted by disease (suffering), struck by the arrow (craving), what
  sleep is there?
  
      "Rouse yourself!  Sit up!  Resolutely train yourself to attain
  peace.[1]  Do not let the king of death,[2] seeing you are careless,
  lead you astray and dominate you.
  
      "Go beyond this clinging,[3] to which devas and men are attached,
  and (the pleasures) they seek.  Do not waste your opportunity.  When
  the opportunity has passed they sorrow when consigned to Niraya-hell.
  
      "Negligence is a taint, and so is the (greater) negligence growing
  from it.  By earnestness and understanding withdraw the arrow (of
  sensual passions)."
                                        -- vv. 331-334

  Notes:

        [1]  "Peace" is a synonym for Nibbana, the final goal.
  
        [2]  The king of death (maccuraja), or Mara (death), is the
             personification of everything that binds us to this world
             and prevents the gaining of deliverance.
  
        [3]  This clinging to pleasures of the senses.

  
                                 * * *

                          9.  THE GREAT STRUGGLE

  "When, near the river Neranjara, I exerted myself in meditation for
  attaining to security from bondage,[1] there came Namuci[2] speaking
  words of compassion:
  
        "'You are emaciated and ill-looking, you are near to death!  A
  thousand parts of you belong to death and only a fraction of you is alive.
  Live, good Sir!  It is better to live.  Living you may perform
  meritorious deeds.  From practicing celibacy and tending the sacrificial
  fire much merit is made, but what is obtained from striving?  It is
  difficult to enter the path of exertion, it is difficult to do,
  difficult to maintain.'"
  
      Mara spoke these words whilst standing in the presence of the
  Awakened One.  To Mara speaking thus, the Lord replied:
  
      "You who are the friend of the negligent, O Evil One, for what
  reason have you come here?  Those who still have use for merit Mara
  may consider worthwhile addressing.  I have faith and energy and
  wisdom. Being thus bent on striving why do you ask me to live?  This
  wind will wither the currents of the rivers, why should not my
  exertion dry up even the blood?  When the blood dries up, the bile and
  phlegm wither. On the wasting away of the flesh the mind becomes more
  and more serene and my mindfulness, wisdom and concentration are
  established more firmly.  In me, who abides enduring such an extreme
  experience, the mind does not long for sensual pleasures.  See the
  purity of a being!
  
      "Sensual desire is your first army, the second is called
  discontent, the third is hunger and thirst, the fourth craving, the
  fifth sluggishness and laziness, the sixth fear, the seventh
  indecision, and the eighth disparagement of others and stubbornness:
  gain, fame, honor, prestige wrongly acquired and whoever praises
  himself and despises others -- these, Namuci, are your armies, the
  Dark One's[3] striking forces.  A lazy, cowardly person cannot
  overcome them, but by conquering them one gains bliss.
  
      "I wear munja-grass![4]  Shame on life here in this world!  It is
  better for me to die in battle than to live defeated.  Some recluses
  and brahmanas are not seen (exerting themselves) here, so immersed are
  they (in worldliness).  They are not aware of that path by which those
  of perfect conduct walk.
  
      "Seeing the surrounding army ready and Mara mounted (on his
  elephant), I am going out to fight so that he may not shift me from my
  position. This army of yours which the world together with the devas
  is unable to subdue, that I will destroy with wisdom, like an unbaked
  clay-bowl with a stone.  Having mastered the mind and firmly
  established mindfulness I shall wander from country to country guiding
  many disciples. And they will be diligent and energetic in practicing
  my teaching, the teaching of one without sensual desire, and they will
  go where, having gone, one does not grieve."
  
      Mara: "For seven years I followed the Lord step by step but did
  not find an opportunity to defeat that mindful Awakened One.  A crow
  flew around a stone having the colour of fat:  'Can we find even here
  something tender?  May it be something to eat?'
  
      "Not finding anything edible the crow left that place.  As with the
  crow and the stone, we leave Gotama, having approached and become
  disheartened."
  
      Overcome by sorrow his lute fell from his arm and thereupon the
  unhappy spirit disappeared from that place.

                                        -- vv. 425-449
  
  Notes:

        [1]  //Yogakkhema//, a name for Nibbana.
  
        [2]  Namuci, meaning "He who does not let go" (his hold over
             beings easily) is a name for Mara, the Evil One.

        [3]  The "Dark One" or Kanha (Sanskrit: Krishna), is another
             name for Mara.  He is the Indian Cupid (Kamadeva) and
             personifies sensual passions.  He carries a lute
             (//vina//), mentioned at the close, with which he
             captivates beings by his playing.  His other equipment
             includes a bow, arrows, a noose and a hook.
  
        [4]  Indian warriors used to wear a tuft of a certain grass,
             called //munja//, on their head or headgear, for
             indicating that they were prepared to die in battle and
             determined not to retreat.

                                 * * *
                               10.  ON DECAY

  "Short indeed is this life, this side of an hundred years one dies;
  whoever lives long even he dies from old age.  People grieve for
  things they are attached to, yet there exist no permanent possessions
  but just a state of (constant) separation.  Seeing this one should no
  longer live the household life.  That which a man imagines to be his
  will disappear at death.  Knowing this a wise man will have no
  attachment (to anything).
  
      "As a man awakened from sleep no longer sees what happened in his
  dream, similarly one does not see a loved one who is dead.  Those
  people who were seen and heard and called by their names as such and
  such, only their names remain when they have passed away.  Those
  greedy for objects of attachment do not abandon sorrow, grief and
  avarice, but sages having got rid of possessions, live perceiving
  security.  For a bhikkhu with a detached mind, living in a secluded
  dwelling, it is right, they say, that he no longer shows himself in
  the abodes (of existence).[1]
  
      "A sage who is completely independent does not make close friends
  or enemies.  In him sorrow and selfishness do not stay, like water on
  a lotus leaf.  As a lotus is not wetted by water, so a sage is not
  affected by what is seen or heard, nor by what is perceived by the
  other senses.  A wise man is not deluded by what is perceived by the
  senses. He does not expect purity by any other way.[2]  He is neither
  pleased nor is he repelled (by the six sense-objects)."

                                        -- vv. 804-813

  Notes:

        [1]  There is a play on words here:  "bhavana," besides meaning
             "an abode of existence" also means "a house".  So as well
             as saying, he is not reborn into any realm of existence,
             the passage also indicates, he lives secluded and does not
             associate with people in the village.
  
        [2]  By any way other than the Noble Eightfold Path (Comy).

                                 * * *

  
  
                             11.  THE ARROW

  "Unindicated and unknown is the length of life of those subject to
  death.  Life is difficult and brief and bound up with suffering.
  There is no means by which those who are born will not die.  Having
  reached old age, there is death.  This is the natural course for a
  living being. With ripe fruits there is the constant danger that they
  will fall.  In the same way, for those born and subject to death,
  there is always the fear of dying.  Just as the pots made by a potter
  all end by being broken, so death is (the breaking up) of life.
  
      "The young and old, the foolish and the wise, all are stopped
  short by the power of death, all finally end in death. Of those
  overcome by death and passing to another world, a father cannot hold
  back his son, nor relatives a relation.  See! While the relatives are
  looking on and weeping, one by one each mortal is led away like an ox
  to slaughter.
  
      "In this manner the world is afflicted by death and decay.  But
  the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.  You
  do not know the path by which they came or departed.  Not seeing
  either end you lament in vain.  If any benefit is gained by lamenting,
  the wise would do it.  Only a fool would harm himself.  Yet through
  weeping and sorrowing the mind does not become calm, but still more
  suffering is produced, the body is harmed and one becomes lean and
  pale, one merely hurts oneself.  One cannot protect a departed one
  (//peta//) by that means.  To grieve is in vain.
        "By not abandoning sorrow a being simply undergoes more suffering.
  Bewailing the dead he comes under the sway of sorrow.  See other men
  faring according to their deeds!  Hence beings tremble here with fear
  when they come into the power of death.  Whatever they imagine, it
  (turns out) quite different from that.  This is the sort of
  disappointment that exists.  Look at the nature of the world!  If a
  man lives for an hundred years, or even more, finally, he is separated
  from his circle of relatives and gives up his life in the end.
  Therefore, having listened to the Arahant,[1]  one should give up
  lamenting.  Seeing a dead body, one should know,  "He will not be met
  by me again."  As the fire in a burning house is extinguished with
  water, so a wise, discriminating, learned and sensible man should
  quickly drive away the sorrow that arises, as the wind (blows off) a
  piece of cotton.  He who seeks happiness should withdraw the arrow:
  his own lamentations, longings and grief.
  
      "With the arrow withdrawn, unattached, he would attain to peace of
  mind; and when all sorrow has been transcended he is sorrow-free and
  has realized Nibbana.
                                        -- vv. 574-593
  
  Note:
  
        [1]  The Perfect One, i.e., the Buddha.

                                 * * *

  

                           12.  ON PURITY

  "'Here I see one who is pure, entirely free of sickness.  By seeing him
  a man may attain to purity!'
  
      "Convinced of that and thinking it 'the highest,' he believes it
  to be knowledge when he contemplates 'the pure one.'[1]  But if by
  sights man can gain purification or if through such knowledge he could
  leave suffering behind, then, one who still has attachments could be
  purified by another.[2]  However, this is merely the opinion of those
  who so assert.
  
      "The (true) brahmana[3] has said one is not purified by another,
  nor by what is seen, heard or perceived (by the other senses), nor, by
  the performance of ritual observances.  He (the true brahmana) is not
  defiled by merit or demerit.  Having given up what he had (previously)
  grasped at, he no longer engages in producing (any kamma).  Having
  left a former (object) they attach themselves to another, dominated by
  craving they do not go beyond attachment.  They reject and seize, like
  a monkey letting go of a branch to take hold of another.
  
      "A person having undertaken a ritual act goes this way and that,
  fettered by his senses.  But one with a wide wisdom, having understood
  and gone into the Dhamma with his experience, does not go this way and
  that.  For a person indifferent towards all conditions, whatever is
  seen, heard or cognized, he is one who sees it as it really is and
  lives with clarity (of mind).  With what could he be identified in the
  world?
  
      "They do not speculate nor pursue (any notion), they do not claim
  perfect purity.  Loosening the knot (of clinging) with which they are
  bound, they do not have longing anywhere in the world.  The (true)
  brahmana who has gone beyond limitations, having understood and seen
  there is no longer any assumption for him, he is neither disturbed by
  lust nor agitated by revulsion.  For him there is nothing upheld as
  'the highest'."
                                        -- vv. 788-795

  Notes:

        [1]  This refers to the old Indian belief in "auspicious sights"
             (//dittha-mangala//), the belief that by merely beholding
             something or someone regarded as a holy object or person,
             purity, or whatever else is desired, may be gained.
  
        [2]  By another method, other than that of the Noble Eightfold
             Path (Comy.);  but it could also mean,  "by the sight of
             another person".

        [3]  I.e., the Buddha.

                                 * * *

                             13.  ON VIEWS

  "A person who associates himself with certain views, considering them
  as best and making them supreme in the world, he says, because of
  that, that all other views are inferior;  therefore he is not free
  from contention (with others).  In what is seen, heard, cognized and
  in ritual observances performed, he sees a profit for himself.  Just
  by laying hold of that view he regards every other view as worthless.
  Those skilled (in judgement)[1] say that (a view becomes) a bond if,
  relying on it, one regards everything else as inferior.  Therefore a
  bhikkhu should not depend on what is seen, heard or cognized, nor upon
  ritual observances.  He should not present himself as equal to, nor
  imagine himself to be inferior, nor better than, another.  Abandoning
  (the views) he had (previously) held and not taking up (another), he
  does not seek a support even in knowledge.  Among those who dispute he
  is certainly not one to take sides.  He does not [have] recourse to a
  view at all.  In whom there is no inclination to either extreme, for
  becoming or non-becoming, here or in another existence, for him there
  does not exist a fixed viewpoint on investigating the doctrines
  assumed (by others).  Concerning the seen, the heard and the cognized
  he does not form the least notion.  That brahmana[2] who does not
  grasp at a view, with what could he be identified in the world?
  
      "They do not speculate nor pursue (any notion);  doctrines are not
  accepted by them.  A (true) brahmana[2] is beyond, does not fall back
  on views."
                                        -- vv. 796-803

  Notes:

        [1]  I.e., the Buddhas and their disciples who have realized
             the goal.
  
        [2]  I.e., a perfected one.

                                 * * *

  
  
                         14.  AJITA'S QUESTIONS

  //The Venerable Ajita//: "By what is the world enveloped?  Because of
  what is it not known?  With what do you say it is soiled?  What is its
  great fear?"
  
  //The Lord//: "The world is enveloped by ignorance, Ajita.  Because of
  wrongly directed desire and heedlessness it is not known (as it really
  is).  It is soiled by longings and its great fear is suffering."
  
  //Ajita//: "Everywhere flow the streams.[1]  What is the obstruction
  for the streams, tell me the restricting of them, by what are they cut
  off?"
  
  //The Lord//: "Whatever streams are in the world, it is mindfulness
  that obstructs them and restricts them, and by wisdom they are cut
  off."
  
  //Ajita//:  "It is just wisdom and mindfulness.  Now mind-and-body,
  sir, explain this:  where does it cease?"
  
  //The Lord//:  "This question you have asked, Ajita, I will answer for
  you:  where mind-and-body completely cease.  By the cessation of
  consciousness they cease."[2]
  
  //Ajita//:  "Those who have fully understood the Dhamma, those who are
  training and the other individuals here,[3] explain their (rule of)
  conduct."
  
  //The Lord//:  "Not craving for sensual pleasures and with a mind that
  is pure and tranquil[4] a bhikkhu should mindfully go forth, skillful
  in all situations."

                                        -- vv. 1032-1039

  Notes:

        [1]  "The streams" are cravings flowing out towards pleasurable and
              desirable objects in the world.
  
        [2]  This question and answer refers to the doctrine of
             dependent-arising (//paticca-samuppada//).  Where
             rebirth-consciousness (//pati-sandhi-vinnana//) does not
             arise there is no establishment of an individual
             (mind-and-body, //namarupa//) in a realm of existence, nor
             the consequent appearance of old age and death and the
             other sufferings inherent in life.
  
        [3]  "Those who have fully understood" are Arahants (perfected
             ones) who have reached the highest goal.  "Those who are
             training" are those noble beings (//ariya//) who are
             working towards and are assured of that goal.  The other
             individuals are ordinary beings (//puthujjana//) who have
             not yet reached assurance.
  
        [4]  The word //anavilo// means pure, clear, tranquil, unagitated,
             unmuddied, etc.  In the Dhammapada v. 82, the wise are
             compared to a deep lake with this quality.

  
                                 * * *

                        15.  PUNNAKA'S QUESTIONS

  //The Venerable Punnaka//:  "To him who is free from craving, who has
  seen the root (of things)[1]  I have come with a question:  for what
  reason did sages, warriors, brahmanas and other men prepare, here in
  this world, various sacrificial gifts for the gods (devata)?  I ask
  the Lord this, let him tell me the answer."
  
  //The Lord//:  "Whatever sages, warriors, brahmanas and other men,
  Punnaka, prepared various sacrificial gifts for the gods, they did so
  in the hope of this or that (future) existence, being induced by (the
  fact of) old age and decay."
  
  //Punnaka//:  "By preparing various sacrificial gifts for the gods,
  being zealous in sacrificing, do they cross beyond birth and decay,
  Lord?"
  
  //The Lord//:  "They hope and extol, pray and sacrifice for things of
  the senses, Punnaka.  For the sake of such reward they pray.  These
  devotees of sacrifice, infatuated by their passion for existence,[2]
  do not cross beyond birth and decay, I say."
  
  //Punnaka//:  "If these devotees of sacrifice do not cross beyond
  birth and decay through sacrifice, Sir, then by what practice does one
  cross beyond birth and decay in this world of gods and men?"
  
  //The Lord//:  "He who has comprehended in the world the here and the
  beyond, in whom there is no perturbation by anything in the world, who
  is calm, free from the smoldering fires,[3] untroubled and
  desireless, -- he has crossed beyond birth and decay, I say."

                                        -- vv. 1043-1048

  Notes:

        [1]  "The root of unwholesome actions, etc." (Comy).  There are
             six roots or basic conditions in a person leading to the
             performance of unwholesome (unskilled) and wholesome
             (skilled) actions: greed, aversion, delusion, non-greed
             (renunciation, detachment), non-aversion (love) and
             non-delusion(wisdom).  The Buddha has seen and understood
             this as it really is.
  
        [2]  Or, "burning with lust for life".
  
        [3]  The three "fires" of greed, aversion and delusion.  This is
             a punning reference, also to be seen in the previous note,
             to the brahmana's sacrificial fire.

                                 * * *

  

        16.  METTAGU'S QUESTIONS

  //The Venerable Mettagu//:  "I ask the Lord this question, may he tell
  me the answer to it.  I know him to be a master of knowledge and a
  perfected being.  From whence have arisen these many sufferings
  evident in the world?"
  
  //The Lord//:  "You have asked me the source of suffering.  Mettagu, I
  will tell it to you as it has been discerned by me.  These many
  sufferings evident in the world have arisen from worldly attachments.
  Whoever ignorantly creates an attachment, that stupid person comes
  upon suffering again and again.  Therefore a man of understanding
  should not create attachment, seeing it is the source of suffering."
  
  //Mettagu//:  "What I did ask you have explained, now I ask another
  question.  Come tell me this:  how do the wise cross the flood, birth
  and old age, sorrow and grief?  Explain it thoroughly to me, O sage,
  for this Dhamma has been understood[1] by you."
  
  //The Lord//:  "I will set forth the Dhamma, Mettagu, a teaching to be
  directly perceived,[2] not something based on hearsay, by experiencing
  which and living mindfully one may pass beyond the entanglements of
  the world."
  
  //Mettagu//:  "I rejoice in the thought of that highest Dhamma, great
  sage, by experiencing which and living mindfully one may pass beyond
  the entanglements of the world."
  
  //The Lord//:  "Whatever you clearly comprehend, Mettagu, above,
  below, across and in between, get rid of delight in it.  Rid yourself
  of habitual attitudes[3] and (life affirming) consciousness.[4]  Do
  not continue in existence.  Living thus, mindful and vigilant, a
  bhikkhu who has forsaken selfish attachments may, by understanding,
  abandon suffering, birth and old age, sorrow and grief, even here in
  this life."
  
  //Mettagu//:  "I rejoice in the words of the great sage.  Well
  explained, O Gotama, is the state of non-attachment.[5]  The Lord has
  surely abandoned suffering as this Dhamma has been realized by him.
  They will certainly abandon suffering who are constantly admonished by
  you, O Sage.  Having understood, I venerate it, Noble One.  May the
  Lord constantly admonish me also."
  
  //The Lord//:  "Whom you know as a true brahmana, a master of
  knowledge, owning nothing, not attached to sensual (-realm) existence,
  he has certainly crossed this flood.  Having crossed beyond he is
  untainted and freed from doubt.  One who has discarded this clinging
  (leading) to renewal of existence is a man who has realized the
  highest knowledge. Free from craving, undistressed, desireless, he has
  crossed beyond birth and old age, I say."

                                        -- vv. 1049-1060
  
  Notes:

        [1]  The Pali word "vidito" also means, found out, discovered.
  
        [2]  Ditthe dhamme:  to be seen for oneself in this life or here
             and now.  It is an expression used of Nibbana.

        [3]  Or, "fixed views".
  
        [4]  Or, "kamma-producing consciousness".
  
        [5]  I.e., Nibbana.

                                 * * *

  

                          17.  FURTHER QUESTIONS

  "From what arise contentions and disputes, lamentations and sorrows,
  along with selfishness and conceit, and arrogance along with slander?
  From where do these various things arise?  Come tell me this."
  
  "From being too endeared (to objects and persons) arise contentions
  and disputes, lamentations and sorrows along with avarice, selfishness
  and conceit, arrogance and slander.  Contentions and disputes are
  linked with selfishness, and slander is born of contention."

  "What are the sources of becoming endeared in the world?  What are the
  sources of whatever passions prevail in the world, of longings and
  fulfillments that are man's goal (in life)?"
  
  "Desires are the source of becoming endeared (to objects and persons)
  in the world, also of whatever passions prevail.  These are the
  sources of longings and fulfillments that are man's goal (in life)."[1]

  "Now what is the source of desire in the world?  What is the cause of
  judgements[2] that arise;  of anger, untruth, doubts and whatever
  other (similar) states that have been spoken of by the Recluse (i.e.,
  the Buddha)?"
  
  "It is pleasant, it is unpleasant," so people speak in the world; and
  based upon that arises desire.  Having seen the appearing and
  disappearing of material things a man makes his judgements in the
  world.[3]  Anger, untruth and doubts, these states arise merely
  because of the existence of this duality.[4]  Let a doubter train
  himself by way of insight to understand these states as taught by the
  Recluse."

  "What is the source of thinking things as pleasant or unpleasant? When
  what is absent are these states not present?  What is the meaning of
  appearing and disappearing?  Explain the source of it to me."
  
  "The pleasant and the unpleasant have their source in
  sense-impression.  When this sense-impression is absent, these states
  are not present.  The idea of appearing and disappearing is produced
  from this, I say."

  "What is the source of sense-impression?  From what arises so much
  grasping?  By the absence of what is there no selfish attachment?  By
  the disappearance of what is sense-impression not experienced?" --
  
  "Sense-impression is dependent upon the mental and the material.
  Grasping has its source in wanting (something).  What not being
  present there is no selfish attachment.  By the disappearance of
  material objects sense-impression is not experienced."

  "For whom does materiality disappear?  How do pleasure and
  discomfort cease to be?  Tell me how it ceases so that I may be satisfied
  in my mind that I have understood it."
  
  "His perception is not the ordinary kind, nor is his perception
  abnormal;[5]  he is not without perception nor is his perception (of
  materiality) suspended.[6] -- to such an one immateriality ceases.[7]
  Perception is indeed the source of the world of multiplicity." --

  "What we asked, you have explained.  We now ask another question. Tell
  us the answer to it.  Do not some of the learned declare purification
  of the spirit[8] as the highest state to be attained?  And do not
  others speak of something else as the highest?"
  
  "Some of the learned do declare purification of the spirit as the
  highest.  But contrary to them some teach a doctrine of annihilation.
  -- those clever ones declare this to be (final liberation) without
  basis of life's fuel remaining.  Knowing that these (theorists) rely
  on (mere opinions for their statements) a sage investigates that upon
  which they rely.  Having understood and being free (from theories) he
  will not dispute with anyone.  The wise do not enter into any
  existence."

                                        -- vv. 862-877

  Notes:

        [1]  Man's longings, hopes and aspirations and their
             satisfaction are his refuge giving him an aim in life.
  
        [2]  Judgements or evaluations of things motivated by craving
             for them or by opinions of them as being desirable or
             otherwise.
  
        [3]  The "appearing" of the pleasant and the "disappearing" of
             the unpleasant is judged to be "good".  The "appearance"
             of the unpleasant and the "disappearance" of the pleasant
             is judged to be "bad".
  
        [4]  I.e., of the pleasant and the unpleasant.
  
        [5]  He is neither insane nor mentally disturbed (Comy).
  
        [6]  He has not attained the state of cessation of perception
             [of perception] and feeling (//sanna-vedayita nirodha//)
             nor the immaterial absorptions (//arupajjhana//) (Comy).
             In the former perception completely ceases, but in the
             latter there is still the perception of an immaterial
             object.
  
        [7]  According to the commentary what remains after these four
             negations is the state of one who has reached the highest
             of the fine-material absorptions (//rupajjhana//) and is
             in the process of attaining the first immaterial
             absorption.  This answers the question "for whom does (the
             perception of) materiality disappear?"  And as "pleasure
             and discomfort" have previously been stated to "have their
             source in sense-impression," in other words, the
             Perception of material objects, the second question is
             answered too.
  
        [8]  The term "spirit" (//yakkha//) is equivalent here to
             "being" or "man".
  
        [9]  An alternative rendering of this sentence could be:  "Do
             not some of the learned declare (the immaterial
             attainments) as the highest state, as man's purification?"

                                 * * *

                       18.  MOGHARAJA'S QUESTION

  //The Venerable Mogharaja//:  "Twice have I asked Sakka[1] but the
  Seeing One has not answered me.  I have heard a divine sage replies
  when asked a third time.  I do not know the view of the greatly famous
  Gotama concerning this world, the next world and the Brahma-world with
  its deities.  To him of supreme vision I have come with a question:
  how should one regard the world so that one is not seen by the King
  of Death?"
  
  //The Lord//:  "Look upon the world as empty,[2] Mogharaja, ever
  mindful;  uprooting the view of self you may thus be one who overcomes
  death.  So regarding the world one is not seen by the King of Death."

                                        -- vv. 1116-1119
  
  Notes:
  
        [1]  The name "Sakka" is used here as a title for the Buddha. It
             means,  "a man of the Sakya clan."  The Buddha is also
             sometimes called  Sakyamuni, "the sage of the Sakyas."
  
        [2]  In the Samyutta-nikaya (vol. iv, p. 54) the Venerable
             Ananda asks:  "How is the world empty, venerable sir?"  And
             the Lord replies:  "Because, Ananda, it is empty of a self
             or what belongs to a self, therefore it is said,  'the
             world is empty.'"

                The "world," here and elsewhere, is not to be
             understood in the way we usually think of it, but is
             defined as the five aggregates (khandha) of material form,
             feeling, perception, activities and consciousness, or as
             the eye and visible objects, the ear and sounds, etc., that
             is to say, the whole of our subjective and objective
             experience.

                                 * * *

                         19.  PINGIYA'S REQUEST

  //The Venerable Pingiya//:  "I am old and feeble, the comeliness of
  youth has vanished.  My sight is weak and I am hard of hearing.  I do
  not wish to perish whilst still confused.  Teach me the Dhamma by
  understanding which I may abandon birth and decay."[1]

  //The Lord//:  "Seeing heedless people afflicted and suffering through
  their bodies, Pingiya, you should be heedful and renounce body so as
  to not come again to birth."

  //Pingiya//:  "In the ten directions -- the four quarters, four
  between, and those above and below -- there is nothing in the world
  not seen, heard, sensed or understood by you.  Teach me the Dhamma by
  understanding which I may abandon birth and decay."

  //The Lord//:  "Seeing men caught in craving, Pingiya, tormented and
  afflicted by old age,[2] you should be heedful and renounce craving so
  as to not come again to birth."

                                        -- vv. 1120-1123

  Notes:

        [1]  Jara:  decay, decrepitude, old age.
  
        [2]  The Noble Ones or //ariya// are the Buddhas and their
             disciples.

                                 * * *

  

                     20.  THE NOBLE ONE'S TEACHING

  "See how the world together with the devas has self-conceit for what
  is not-self.  Enclosed by mind-and-body it imagines,  'This is real.'
  Whatever they imagine it to be, it is quite different from that.  It
  is unreal, of a false nature and perishable.  Nibbana, not false in
  nature, that the Noble Ones[2] know as true.  Indeed, by the
  penetration of the true, they are completely stilled and realize final
  deliverance.
  
      "Forms, sounds, tastes, scents, bodily contacts and ideas which
  are agreeable, pleasant and charming, all these, while they last, are
  deemed to be happiness by the world with its devas.  But when they
  cease that is agreed by all to be unsatisfactory.  By the Noble Ones,
  the cessation of the existing body[1] is seen as happiness.  This is
  the reverse of the outlook of the whole world.
  
      "What others call happiness, that the Noble Ones declare to be
  suffering.  What others call suffering, that the Noble Ones have found
  to be happiness.  See how difficult it is to understand the Dhamma!
  Herein those without insight have completely gone astray.  For those
  under the veil (of ignorance) it is obscured, for those who cannot see
  it is utter darkness.  But for the good and the wise it is as obvious
  as the light for those who can see.  Even though close to it, the
  witless who do not know the Dhamma, do not comprehend it.
  
      "By those overcome by attachment to existence, those who drift with
  the stream of existence, those in the realm of Mara, this Dhamma is
  not properly understood.  Who other than the Noble Ones, are fit to
  fully understand that state, by perfect knowledge of which they
  realize final deliverance, free from defilements?[2]

                                        -- vv. 756-765
  
  Notes:

        [1]  The "existing body" (//sakkaya//) is a term for the five
             aggregates as objects of grasping.
  
        [2]  //Anusava//;  the defilements or //asava//, literally
             "out-flows," are dissipations of energy in the form of
             sensual desire, becoming (the perpetuation of existence),
             views and ignorance and are the same as the four "floods"
             mentioned earlier.  One who has destroyed the defilements
             (//khinasava//) is another name for an Arahant or Perfected
             One.

                            * * * * * * * *

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