243 (1) Schism
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Kosambī in Ghosita’s Park. Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him:
“Has that disciplinary issue been settled yet, Ānanda?”948
“How could that disciplinary issue be settled, Bhante? The Venerable Anuruddha’s pupil Bāhiya is still fully intent on creating a schism in the Saṅgha, but the Venerable Anuruddha doesn’t think of saying even a single word about it.”
“But, Ānanda, when has Anuruddha ever concerned himself with disciplinary issues in the midst of the Saṅgha? Shouldn’t you, and Sāriputta and Moggallāna, settle any disciplinary issues that arise?
“Seeing these four advantages, Ānanda, an evil bhikkhu delights in a schism in the Saṅgha. What four?
(1) “Here, an evil bhikkhu is immoral, of bad character, impure, of suspect behavior, secretive in his actions, not an ascetic though claiming to be one, not a celibate though claiming to be one, [240] inwardly rotten, corrupt, depraved. It occurs to him: ‘If the bhikkhus find out that I am immoral … depraved, and they are united, they will expel me, but if they are divided into factions they won’t expel me.’ Seeing this first advantage, an evil bhikkhu delights in a schism in the Saṅgha.
(2) “Again, an evil bhikkhu holds wrong view; he resorts to an extremist view. It occurs to him: ‘If the bhikkhus find out that I hold wrong view, that I resort to an extremist view, and they are united, they will expel me, but if they are divided into factions they won’t expel me.’ Seeing this second advantage, an evil bhikkhu delights in a schism in the Saṅgha.
(3) “Again, an evil bhikkhu is of wrong livelihood; he earns his living by wrong livelihood. It occurs to him: ‘If the bhikkhus find out that I am of wrong livelihood and earn my living by wrong livelihood, and they are united, they will expel me, but if they are divided into factions they won’t expel me.’ Seeing this third advantage, an evil bhikkhu delights in a schism in the Saṅgha.
(4) “Again, an evil bhikkhu is desirous of gain, honor, and admiration. It occurs to him: ‘If the bhikkhus find out that I am desirous of gain, honor, and admiration, and they are united, they will not honor, respect, esteem, and venerate me; but if they are divided into factions they will honor, respect, esteem, and venerate me.’ Seeing this fourth advantage, an evil bhikkhu delights in a schism in the Saṅgha.
“Seeing these four advantages, Ānanda, an evil bhikkhu delights in a schism in the Saṅgha.”
244 (2) Offenses
“Bhikkhus, there are these four perils of offenses. What four?
(1) “Suppose, bhikkhus, they were to arrest a thief, a criminal, and show him to the king, saying: ‘Your majesty, this is a thief, a criminal. Let your majesty impose a penalty on him.’ The king would say to them: [241] ‘Go, sirs, and tie this man’s arms tightly behind his back with a strong rope, shave his head, and lead him around from street to street, from square to square, to the ominous beating of a drum. Then take him out through the south gate and behead him south of the city.’ The king’s men would do as instructed and behead that man south of the city. A man standing on the sidelines might think: ‘Truly, this man must have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by beheading, insofar as the king’s men tied his arms tightly behind his back with a strong rope … and beheaded him south of the city. Indeed, I should never do such an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by beheading.’
“So too, when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has set up such a keen perception of peril in regard to the pārājika offenses, it can be expected that one who has never yet committed a pārājika offense will not commit one; and one who has committed such an offense will make amends for it in accordance with the Dhamma.949
(2) “Suppose, bhikkhus, a man were to wrap himself in a black cloth, loosen his hair, put a club on his shoulder, and tell a large crowd of people: ‘Worthy sirs,950 I have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by clubbing. Let me do whatever will make you pleased with me.’ A man standing on the sidelines might think: ‘Truly, this man must have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by clubbing, insofar as he has wrapped himself in a black cloth, loosened his hair, put a club on his shoulder, and tells a large crowd of people: “Worthy sirs, I have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, deserving a clubbing. Let me do whatever will make you pleased with me.” [242] Indeed, I should never do such an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by clubbing.’
“So too, when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has set up such a keen perception of peril in regard to the saṅghādisesa offenses, it can be expected that one who has never yet committed a saṅghādisesa offense will not commit one, and one who has committed such an offense will make amends for it in accordance with the Dhamma.951
(3) “Suppose, bhikkhus, a man were to wrap himself in a black cloth, loosen his hair, put a sack of ashes on his shoulder, and tell a large crowd of people: ‘Worthy sirs, I have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by a sack of ashes.952 Let me do whatever will make you pleased with me.’ A man standing on the sidelines might think: ‘Truly, this man must have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by a sack of ashes, insofar as he has wrapped himself in a black cloth, loosened his hair, put a sack of ashes on his shoulder, and tells a large crowd of people: “Worthy sirs, I have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, punishable by a sack of ashes. Let me do whatever will make you pleased with me.” Indeed, I should never do such an evil deed, reprehensible, [to be punished with] a sack of ashes.’
“So too, when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has set up such a keen perception of peril in regard to the pācittiya offenses, it can be expected that one who has never yet committed a pācittiya offense will not commit one, and one who has committed such an offense will make amends for it in accordance with the Dhamma.953
(4) “Suppose, bhikkhus, a man were to wrap himself in a black cloth, loosen his hair, and tell a large crowd of people: ‘Worthy sirs, I have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, censurable. Let me do whatever will make you pleased with me.’ A man standing on the sidelines might think: ‘Truly, this man must have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, censurable, insofar as he has wrapped himself in a black cloth, loosened his hair, and tells a large crowd of people: [243] “Worthy sirs, I have committed an evil deed, reprehensible, censurable. Let me do whatever will make you pleased with me.” Indeed, I should never do such an evil deed, reprehensible, censurable.’
“So too, when a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has set up such a keen perception of peril in regard to the pāṭidesanīya offenses, it can be expected that one who has never yet committed a pāṭidesanīya offense will not commit one, and one who has committed such an offense will make amends for it in accordance with the Dhamma.954
“These, bhikkhus, are the four perils of offenses.”
245 (3) Training
“Bhikkhus, this spiritual life is lived with the training as its benefit, with wisdom as its supervisor, with liberation as its core, and with mindfulness as its authority.955
(1) “And how, bhikkhus, is training its benefit? Here, the training pertaining to proper conduct956 has been prescribed by me to my disciples so that those without confidence gain confidence and those with confidence increase [in their confidence]. One takes up this training pertaining to proper conduct in just the way that I have prescribed it to my disciples, keeping it unbroken, flawless, unblemished, and unblotched, so that those without confidence gain confidence and those with confidence increase [in their confidence]. Having undertaken them, one trains in the training rules.
“Again, the training fundamental to the spiritual life957 has been prescribed by me to my disciples for the utterly complete destruction of suffering. One takes up this training fundamental to the spiritual life in just the way that I have prescribed it to my disciples for the utterly complete destruction of suffering, keeping it unbroken, flawless, unblemished, and unblotched. Having undertaken them, one trains in the training rules. It is in this way that the training is its benefit.
(2) “And how is wisdom its supervisor? Here, the teachings have been taught by me to my disciples for the utterly complete destruction of suffering. One scrutinizes those teachings with wisdom in just the way that I have taught them to my disciples for the utterly complete destruction of suffering. It is in this way that wisdom is its supervisor.958 [244]
(3) “And how is liberation its core? Here, the teachings have been taught by me to my disciples for the utterly complete destruction of suffering. Through liberation one experiences those teachings in just the way that I have taught them to my disciples for the utterly complete destruction of suffering. It is in this way that liberation is its core.959
(4) “And how is mindfulness its authority? One’s mindfulness is well established internally thus: ‘In just such a way I will fulfill the training pertaining to good conduct that I have not yet fulfilled or assist with wisdom in various respects the training pertaining to good conduct that I have fulfilled.’960 And one’s mindfulness is well established internally thus: ‘In just such a way I will fulfill the training pertaining to the fundamentals of the spiritual life that I have not yet fulfilled or assist with wisdom in various respects the training pertaining to the fundamentals of the spiritual life that I have fulfilled.’ And one’s mindfulness is well established internally thus: ‘In just such a way I will scrutinize with wisdom the teachings that I have not yet scrutinized or assist with wisdom in various respects the teachings that I have scrutinized.’ And one’s mindfulness is well established internally thus: ‘In just such a way I will experience through liberation the Dhamma that I have not yet experienced or assist with wisdom in various respects the Dhamma that I have experienced.’ It is in this way that mindfulness is its authority.
“Thus when it was said: ‘Bhikkhus, this spiritual life is lived with the training as its benefit, with wisdom as its supervisor, with liberation as its core, and with mindfulness as its authority,’ it is because of this that this was said.”
246 (4) Lying Down
“Bhikkhus, there are these four postures for lying down. What four? The corpse’s posture, the sensualist’s posture, the lion’s posture, and the Tathāgata’s posture.
(1) “And what is the corpse’s posture? Corpses usually lie flat on their backs. This is called the corpse’s posture.
(2) “And what is the sensualist’s posture? The sensualist usually lies on his left side. This is called the sensualist’s posture.
(3) “And what is the lion’s posture? [245] The lion, the king of beasts, lies down on his right side, having covered one foot with the other and tucked his tail in between his thighs. When he awakens, he raises his front quarters and looks back at his hind quarters. If the lion sees any disorderliness or distension of his body, he is displeased. If he does not see any disorderliness or distension of his body, he is pleased. This is called the lion’s posture.
(4) “And what is the Tathāgata’s posture? Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, the Tathāgata enters and dwells in the first jhāna … the fourth jhāna. This is called the Tathāgata’s posture.
“These are the four postures.”
247 (5) Worthy of a Stūpa
“Bhikkhus, these four are worthy of a stupa. What four? The Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One; a paccekabuddha; a Tathāgata’s disciple; and a universal monarch. These four are worthy of a stupa.”961
248 (6) The Growth of Wisdom
“Bhikkhus, these four things lead to the growth of wisdom. What four? Association with good persons, hearing the good Dhamma, careful attention, and practice in accordance with the Dhamma. These four things lead to the growth of wisdom.”962
249 (7) Helpful963
“Bhikkhus, these four things are helpful to a human being. What four? Association with good persons, hearing the good Dhamma, careful attention, and practice in accordance with the Dhamma. [246] These four things are helpful to a human being.”
250 (8) Declarations (1)
“Bhikkhus, there are these four ignoble declarations. What four? Saying that one has seen what one has not seen, saying that one has heard what one has not heard, saying that one has sensed what one has not sensed, saying that one has cognized what one has not cognized. There are these four ignoble declarations.”
“Bhikkhus, there are these four noble declarations. What four? Saying that one has not seen what one has not seen, saying that one has not heard what one has not heard, saying that one has not sensed what one has not sensed, saying that one has not cognized what one has not cognized. There are these four noble declarations.”
252 (10) Declarations (3)
“Bhikkhus, there are these four ignoble declarations. What four? Saying that one has not seen what one has seen, saying that one has not heard what one has heard, saying that one has not sensed what one has sensed, saying that one has not cognized what one has cognized. There are these four ignoble declarations.”
253 (11) Declarations (4)
“Bhikkhus, there are these four noble declarations. What four? Saying that one has seen what one has seen, saying that one has heard what one has heard, saying that one has sensed what one has sensed, saying that one has cognized what one has cognized. There are these four noble declarations.”
948 Adhikaraṇaṃ vūpasantaṃ. See p. 1623, note 231.
949 The pārājikas are the most serious class of offenses. For bhikkhus, they consist of four offenses that entail expulsion from the Saṅgha: sexual intercourse, theft (to a degree punishable by law), murder of a human being, and making a false claim to a superhuman state of spiritual distinction. Bhikkhunīs have four additional pārājikas. The only way for one who has committed one of these offenses to “make amends for it in accordance with the Dhamma” is to admit it and relinquish one’s status as a fully ordained monk or nun. For details, see Ṭhānissaro 2007a, chap. 4.
950 The text uses the word bhante here. Apparently this word was not used solely to address monks but also others in a superior position. Thus I here translate it as “worthy sirs.”
951 The saṅghādisesas are the second most serious class of offenses. For bhikkhus, they include intentional emission of semen, touching a woman with a lustful mind, speaking lewdly to a woman, falsely accusing a virtuous bhikkhu of a pārājika, etc. Rehabilitation involves a complex process requiring formal meetings of the Saṅgha. For details, see Ṭhānissaro 2007a, chap. 5.
952 Ce and Ee assapuṭaṃ, Be bhasmapuṭaṃ. Mp: “[His deed] deserves to be punished with a reprehensible sack of ashes on his head” (garahitabbachārikāpuṭena matthake abhighātārahaṃ).
953 The pācittiyas are a class of offenses that can be cleared by confession to a fellow monastic. Presumably the nissaggiya-pācittiyas, offenses which also require the relinquishment of an unsuitable item, are also included under this heading. For details, see Ṭhānissaro 2007a, chaps. 7 and 8.
954 This is a smaller class of offenses that can be cleared by confession. For details, see Ṭhānissaro 2007a, chap. 9.
955 Sikkhānisaṃsam idaṃ bhikkhave brahmacariyaṃ vussati paññuttaraṃ vimuttisāraṃ satādhipateyyaṃ. In later suttas that use these metaphors (8:83, 9:14, 10:58), mindfulness precedes wisdom and liberation, but the present sutta explains the reason for the inversion of the normal sequence.
956 Ābhisamācārikā sikkhā. Mp: “This is a designation for the type of virtuous behavior that is prescribed by way of duties” (vattavasena paññattisīlass’etaṃ adhivacanaṃ). The commentaries draw a contrast between natural virtuous behavior (pakatisīla), modes of virtuous behavior with ethical significance, and prescription-based virtuous behavior (paññattisīla) derived from monastic rules prescribing conduct and deportment that are not intrinsically ethical, such as not eating after midday, not accepting money, not tickling another monk, etc. The latter are intended by ābhisamācārikā sikkhā.
957 Mp: “This is a designation for the four major types of virtuous behavior, which are the foundation for the spiritual life of the path” (maggabrahmacariyassa ādibhūtānaṃ catunnaṃ mahāsīlānam etaṃ adhivacanaṃ). Though Mp seems to confine this type of virtue to the four pārājika offenses, it certainly includes many more training rules included among the other classes of offenses.
958 Mp does not explain in what sense paññā is called uttarā, but says only: “They are well seen by the wisdom of the path along with insight” (sahavipassanāya maggapaññāya sudiṭṭhā honti).
959 Mp: “They are experienced by the experiential knowledge of the liberation of the fruit of arahantship” (arahattaphalavimuttiyā ñāṇaphassena phuṭṭhā honti).
960 As in 4:194. Mp says that insight wisdom (vipassanāpaññā) is intended here.
961 See 2:55.
962 As at SN 55:60, V 411. These are also called the four factors that lead to realization of the fruit of stream-entry (and the higher fruits). See SN 55–58, V 410–11.
963 Ee conjoins this sutta with the preceding one, whereas Ce and Be treat them as distinct.