i. First Subchapter
296 (1)
“Bhikkhus, there is one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads exclusively to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to nibbāna.160 What is that one thing? Recollection of the Buddha.161 This is that one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads exclusively to disenchantment … to nibbāna.”
297 (2)–305 (10)162
(297) “Bhikkhus, there is one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads exclusively to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to nibbāna. What is that one thing? Recollection of the Dhamma…. (298) Recollection of the Saṅgha…. (299) Recollection of virtuous behavior…. (300) Recollection of generosity…. (301) Recollection of the devas…. (302) Mindfulness of breathing…. (303) Mindfulness of death…. (304) Mindfulness directed to the body…. (305) Recollection of peace.163 This is that one thing that, when developed and cultivated, leads exclusively to disenchantment … to nibbāna.”
ii. Second Subchapter164
306 (1)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing on account of which unarisen unwholesome qualities arise and arisen unwholesome qualities increase and expand so much as wrong view. For one of wrong view, unarisen unwholesome qualities arise and arisen unwholesome qualities increase and expand.”
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing on account of which unarisen wholesome qualities arise and arisen wholesome qualities increase and expand so much as right view. [31] For one of right view, unarisen wholesome qualities arise and arisen wholesome qualities increase and expand.”
308 (3)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing on account of which unarisen wholesome qualities do not arise and arisen wholesome qualities decline so much as wrong view.165 For one of wrong view, unarisen wholesome qualities do not arise and arisen wholesome qualities decline.”
309 (4)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing on account of which unarisen unwholesome qualities do not arise and arisen unwholesome qualities decline so much as right view.166 For one of right view, unarisen unwholesome qualities do not arise and arisen unwholesome qualities decline.”
310 (5)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing on account of which unarisen wrong view arises and arisen wrong view increases so much as careless attention. For one of careless attention, unarisen wrong view arises and arisen wrong view increases.”167
311 (6)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing on account of which unarisen right view arises and arisen right view increases so much as careful attention. For one of careful attention, unarisen right view arises and arisen right view increases.”168
312 (7)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing on account of which, with the breakup of the body, after death, beings are reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell, so much as wrong view. Possessing wrong view, with the breakup of the body, after death, beings are reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell.”
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing [32] on account of which, with the breakup of the body, after death, beings are reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world, so much as right view. Possessing right view, with the breakup of the body, after death, beings are reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world.”
314 (9)169
“Bhikkhus, for a person of wrong view, whatever bodily kamma, verbal kamma, and mental kamma he instigates and undertakes in accordance with that view, and whatever his volition, yearning, inclination, and volitional activities, all lead to what is unwished for, undesired, and disagreeable, to harm and suffering. For what reason? Because the view is bad.
“Suppose, bhikkhus, a seed of neem, bitter cucumber, or bitter gourd170 were planted in moist soil. Whatever nutrients it takes up from the soil and from the water would all lead to its bitter, pungent, and disagreeable flavor. For what reason? Because the seed is bad. So too, for a person of wrong view … all lead to what is unwished for, undesired, and disagreeable, to harm and suffering. For what reason? Because the view is bad.”
315 (10)
“Bhikkhus, for a person of right view, whatever bodily kamma, verbal kamma, and mental kamma he instigates and undertakes in accordance with that view, and whatever his volition, yearning, inclination, and volitional activities, all lead to what is wished for, desired, and agreeable, to well-being and happiness. For what reason? Because the view is good.
“Suppose, bhikkhus, a seed of sugar cane, hill rice, or grape were planted in moist soil. Whatever nutrients it takes up from the soil and from the water would all lead to its sweet, agreeable, and delectable flavor.171 For what reason? Because the seed is good. So too, for a person of right view … all lead to what is wished for, desired, and agreeable, to welfare and happiness. For what reason? Because the view is good.” [33]
iii. Third Subchapter172
316 (1)
“Bhikkhus, there is one person who arises in the world for the harm of many people, for the unhappiness of many people, for the ruin, harm, and suffering of many people, of devas and human beings. Who is that one person? It is one who holds wrong view and has an incorrect perspective. He draws many people away from the good Dhamma and establishes them in a bad Dhamma. This is that one person who arises in the world for the harm of many people, the unhappiness of many people, for the ruin, harm, and suffering of many people, of devas and human beings.”173
317 (2)
“Bhikkhus, there is one person who arises in the world for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people, for the good, welfare, and happiness of many people, of devas and human beings. Who is that one person? It is one who holds right view and has a correct perspective. He draws many people away from a bad Dhamma and establishes them in the good Dhamma. This is that one person who arises in the world for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people, for the good, welfare, and happiness of many people, of devas and human beings.”174
318 (3)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single thing so blameworthy as wrong view. Wrong view is the worst of things that are blameworthy.”
319 (4)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single person who is acting so much for the harm of many people, the unhappiness of many people, for the ruin, harm, and suffering of many people, of devas and human beings, as the hollow man Makkhali.175 Just as a trap set at the mouth of a river would bring about harm, suffering, calamity, and disaster for many fish, so too, the hollow man Makkhali is, as it were, a ‘trap for people’176 who has arisen in the world for the harm, suffering, calamity, and disaster of many beings.” [34]
320 (5)
“Bhikkhus, one who encourages [others] in a badly expounded Dhamma and discipline, and the one whom he encourages, and the one who, thus encouraged, practices in accordance with it, all generate much demerit. For what reason? Because that Dhamma is badly expounded.”
321 (6)
“Bhikkhus, one who encourages [others] in a well-expounded Dhamma and discipline, and the one whom he encourages, and the one who, thus encouraged, practices in accordance with it, all generate much merit. For what reason? Because that Dhamma is well expounded.”
322 (7)
“Bhikkhus, with a badly expounded Dhamma and discipline, moderation should be known by the giver [of a gift], not by the recipient.177 For what reason? Because that Dhamma is badly expounded.”
323 (8)
“Bhikkhus, with a well-expounded Dhamma and discipline, moderation should be known by the recipient [of a gift], not by the giver.178 For what reason? Because that Dhamma is well expounded.”
324 (9)
“Bhikkhus, whoever arouses energy in a badly expounded Dhamma and discipline dwells in suffering. For what reason? Because that Dhamma is badly expounded.”
325 (10)
“Bhikkhus, whoever is lazy in a well-expounded Dhamma and discipline dwells in suffering. For what reason? Because that Dhamma is well expounded.”
“Bhikkhus, whoever is lazy in a badly expounded Dhamma and discipline dwells in happiness. For what reason? Because that Dhamma is badly expounded.”
327 (12)
“Bhikkhus, whoever arouses energy in a well-expounded Dhamma and discipline dwells in happiness. For what reason? Because that Dhamma is well expounded.”
328 (13)
“Bhikkhus, just as even a trifling amount of feces is foul smelling, so too I do not praise even a trifling amount of existence, even for a mere finger snap.”179
329 (14)–332 (17)180
(329) “Bhikkhus, just as even a trifling amount of urine is foul smelling … (330) a trifling amount of saliva is foul smelling … (331) a trifling amount of pus is foul smelling … [35] … (332) a trifling amount of blood is foul smelling, so too I do not praise even a trifling amount of existence, even for a mere finger snap.”
iv. Jambudīpa Repetition Series [Fourth Subchapter]181
333 (1)–347 (15)182
(333) “Just as, bhikkhus, in this Jambudīpa,183 delightful parks, groves, landscapes, and lotus ponds are few, while more numerous are the hills and slopes, rivers that are hard to cross, places with stumps and thorns, and rugged mountains, so too those beings are few who are born on dry ground; more numerous are those beings who are born in water.”
(334) “… so too those beings are few who are reborn among human beings; more numerous are those beings who have been reborn elsewhere than among human beings.”
(335) “… so too those beings are few who are reborn in the middle provinces; more numerous are those who have been reborn in the outlying provinces among the uncouth foreigners.”184
(336) “… so too those beings are few who are wise, intelligent, astute, able to understand the meaning of what has been well stated and badly stated; more numerous are those who are unwise, stupid, obtuse, unable to understand the meaning of what has been well stated and badly stated.”
(337) “… so too those beings are few who are endowed with the noble eye of wisdom; more numerous are those beings who are confused and immersed in ignorance.”185
(338) “… so too those beings are few who get to see the Tathāgata; more numerous are those beings who do not get to see him.”
(339) “… so too those beings are few who get to hear the Dhamma and discipline expounded by the Tathāgata; [36] more numerous are those who do not get to hear it.”
(340) “… so too those beings are few who, having heard the Dhamma, retain it in mind; more numerous are those who, having heard the Dhamma, do not retain it in mind.”
(341) “… so too those beings are few who examine the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind; more numerous are those who do not examine the meaning of the teachings that have been retained in mind.”
(342) “… so too those beings are few who understand the meaning and the Dhamma and then practice in accordance with the Dhamma; more numerous are those who do not understand the meaning and the Dhamma and do not practice in accordance with the Dhamma.”186
(343) “… so too those beings are few who acquire a sense of urgency about things inspiring urgency; more numerous are those who do not acquire a sense of urgency about things inspiring urgency.”187
(344) “… so too those beings are few who, when inspired with a sense of urgency, strive carefully; more numerous are those who, when inspired with a sense of urgency, do not strive carefully.”
(345) “… so too those beings are few who gain concentration, one-pointedness of mind, based on release; more numerous are those who do not gain concentration, one-pointedness of mind, based on release.”188
(346) “… so too those beings are few who obtain the exquisite taste of delicious food; more numerous are those who do not gain such food but subsist on scraps brought in a bowl.”
(347) “… so too those beings are few who obtain the taste of the meaning, the taste of the Dhamma, the taste of liberation; more numerous are those who do not obtain the taste of the meaning, the taste of the Dhamma, the taste of liberation.189 Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will obtain the taste of the meaning, the taste of the Dhamma, the taste of liberation.’ It is in such a way that you should train yourselves.” [37]
348 (16)–377 (45)190
(348)–(350) “Just as, bhikkhus, in this Jambudīpa delightful parks, groves, landscapes, and lotus ponds are few, while more numerous are the hills and slopes, rivers that are hard to cross, places with stumps and thorns, and rugged mountains, so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”191
(351)–(353) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(354)–(356) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(357)–(359) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(360)–(362) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(363)–(365) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(366)–(368) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(369)–(371) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those [38] who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(372)–(374) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn among human beings. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
(375)–(377) “… so too those beings are few who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn among the devas. More numerous are those who, when they pass away from the sphere of afflicted spirits, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the sphere of afflicted spirits.”
159 Ce and Be divide this chapter (called Ekadhammapāḷi) into separate subchapters (called vaggas), as shown, whereas Ee treats the subchapters of Ce and Be as independent vaggas.
160 Mp: “Disenchantment (nibbidā) is dissatisfaction with the round [of rebirths]; dispassion (virāga) is the fading away of the round, or the fading away of such defilements as lust (rāga); cessation (nirodha) is the ceasing of lust, etc., or the ceasing of the round; peace (upasama) is the stilling of defilements; direct knowledge (abhiññā) is directly knowing the three characteristics; enlightenment (sambodha) is awakening to the four truths; and nibbāna is the realization of the non-conditioned nibbāna.”
161 Recollection of the Buddha (buddhānussati) is the first of the six recollections described more fully at 6:10 and elaborated at Vism 197–213, Ppn 7.1–67. Here is Mp (abridged): “Recollection of the Buddha serves two purposes: giving joy to the mind and promoting insight (cittasampahaṃsanatthañ c’eva vipassanatthañca). How? When a bhikkhu develops a meditation subject like unattractiveness [of the body], his mind may be disturbed, dissatisfied, and joyless. It does not remain on track but roams around like a wild bull. On that occasion, he should put aside his basic meditation subject and recollect the excellent qualities of the Tathāgata. As he recollects the Buddha, his mind becomes placid and free from hindrances. He can then return to his basic meditation object, develop insight, and reach the plane of the noble ones. Thus recollection of the Buddha gives joy to the mind. But one can also use this meditation subject directly for the purpose of developing insight. After recollecting the Buddha, one dissects the act of recollection into the five aggregates and defines them thus: ‘These five aggregates are, in brief, the truth of suffering. The craving that produced them is the truth of the origin. The cessation of craving is the truth of cessation; and the practice that understands cessation is the truth of the path.’ Thus one has defined the four truths in the preliminary portion [the stage of insight] and one step by step reaches the stage of the noble ones.”
162 In Be these nine suttas are combined into one, numbered 297 in Be’s cumulative numbering scheme. In Ce and Ee, they are numbered 2–10 (since these editions number the first sutta in each vagga as “1” without cumulative numbering). I follow Be in using a cumulative numbering scheme, but I follow Ce and Ee in counting these suttas separately. Thus my numbering scheme from here on will exceed Be by eight, but without being matched by any corresponding scheme in Ce or Ee. In parentheses I give the sutta number internal to the subchapters, called vaggas, but simply enumerated without proper title.
163 The meditation subjects from recollection of the Dhamma through recollection of the devas are the other five recollections, also discussed in 6:10 §§2–6 and elaborated at Vism 213–26, Ppn 7.68–118. Mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānassati) is dealt with more fully at 10:60 §10, SN 54:10, V 322–25, and SN 54:13, V 328–33. For the commentarial treatment, see Vism 267–93, Ppn 8.145–244. Mindfulness of death (maraṇassati) is at 6:19, 6:20, 8:73, and 8:74, elaborated at Vism 229–39, Ppn 8.1–41. Mindfulness directed to the body (kāyagatā sati), as the unattractive nature of the body, is at 10:60 §3, and elaborated at Vism 239–66, Ppn 8.42–144. Recollection of peace (upasamānussati) occurs only here and is not separately explained but is treated at Vism 293–94, Ppn 8.245–51; this treatment closely resembles the perception of dispassion and the perception of cessation at 10:60 §§6–7.
164 In Ee called vagga XVII and named “Seed” (Bīja).
165 Mp: “This is a designation for the sixty-two wrong views”; see DN 1.1.29–3.31, I 12–39. It seems, though, that the term micchādiṭṭhi is used in the Nikāyas solely in relation to three views: moral nihilism, the doctrine of non-doing, and the doctrine of non-causality (natthikavāda, akiriyavāda, ahetukavāda).
166 Mp: “This is a designation for the five kinds of right view.” Mp-ṭ: “[The views of] ownership of kamma, jhāna, insight, the path, and the fruit. The knowledge included in the jhāna consciousness is the right view of jhāna, while insight knowledge is the right view of insight.”
167 See 2:125, 10:93.
168 See 2:126, MN 43.13, I 294,1–4.
169 Ce considers this sutta and the next to contain seven suttas each: one each for bodily, verbal, and mental kamma, and for volition, yearning, aspiration, and volitional activities. Thus Ce counts twenty-two suttas for this section, as against ten in Be and Ee.
170 Nimbabījaṃ vā kosātakibījaṃ vā tittakalābubījaṃ vā.
171 Asecanakatta. Lit., “not causing surfeit.”
172 Ee counts this as vagga XVIII, named “Makkhali.”
173 Mp: “Devadatta together with the six [non-Buddhist] teachers and others who are similar.” For the views of the six teachers, see DN 2.16–33, I 52–59.
174 Mp: “When a Buddha has not arisen, this is a bodhisatta in the role of a wheel-turning monarch and others who are similar. When a Buddha has arisen, it is a Buddha and his disciples.”
175 Makkhali Gosāla was one of the six teachers contemporary with the Buddha. He was the founder (or perhaps just an eminent teacher) of the Ājīvakas (or Ājivikas). DN 2.20, I 53–54 ascribes to him the doctrine of non-causality (ahetukavāda), according to which there is no cause for the defilement or purification of beings, who have no energy, self-control, or capacity for free choice.
176 Manussakhippaṃ. Mp: “He has arisen in the world like a fish net for people, to prevent them from reaching the path leading to heaven and liberation.”
177 Dāyakena mattā jānitabbā no paṭiggāhakena. Mp: “One should give within measure. One should not give fully, in excess. He [the Buddha] does not say ‘one should not give,’ but ‘one should give a little, moderately.’ Why? Because even if one gives fully, in excess, one does not achieve [as the fruit of one’s gift] the state of a human being, or a heavenly rebirth, or the attainment of nibbāna. There is no need for the recipient to be moderate in receiving. Why? Because he does not have to be moderate when things are being given to him fully; he does not practice fewness of wishes based on receiving in moderation.”
178 Paṭiggāhakena mattā jānitabbā. Mp: “The person receiving should set the limit. How? By taking into account the donor, the item to be given, and one’s own capacity. For if the item to be given is plentiful, and the donor wishes to give a little, out of consideration for the donor one should accept a little. If there is only a little to be given, and the donor wishes to give a lot, out of consideration for the item to be given one should accept a little. If the item to be given is plentiful, and the donor wishes to give a lot, out of consideration for one’s own capacity one should accept moderately. Having thus known moderation, the recipient fulfills the practice of fewness of wishes. [In this way] those who did not get a share get one, and the gains acquired remain stable. Those without confidence acquire confidence; those with confidence increase in confidence; one becomes an example for the multitude; and one helps the Teaching to continue for a long time.”
179 Mp explains that after the Buddha had given a discourse on the rebirth of beings, saying that there are nine persons “freed from hell, the animal realm, and the sphere of afflicted spirits” (see 9:12), he considered: “If the bhikkhus, on hearing this discourse, think: ‘We are freed from hell, etc.,’ they may think there is no need to strive for the higher paths and fruits. Let me then stir up a sense of urgency in them.” Mp glosses the words, “I do not praise even a trifling amount of existence,” with: “I do not praise rebirth in any realm of existence even for a short time” (appamattakampi kālaṃ bhave paṭisandhiṃ na vaṇṇayāmi).
180 Ce and Ee count these as four separate suttas, whereas Be combines them into one.
181 Ce gives this vagga the title Jambudīpapeyyālo, the “Jambudīpa Repetition Series.” Ee counts this as vagga XIX and names it Appamattakaṃ, “Few.” Be simply calls it Catutthavaggo, “The Fourth (Sub-) Chapter.”
182 Ce counts fifteen suttas in this first series; Be, by combining the second and third suttas, counts fourteen; Ee counts them all as one sutta.
183 Jambudīpa: the “Rose-Apple Continent,” the southern continent in Buddhist geography. The other three continents are Aparagoyana to the west, Uttarakuru to the north, and Pubbavideha to the east. Mp says Jambudīpa is named after the “great rose-apple tree” in the Himalayas, which is a hundred yojanas wide, with branches fifty yojanas long and a trunk fifteen yojanas in diameter. PED estimates a yojana to be seven miles; SED gives several alternatives but takes nine miles to be the most accurate.
184 The “middle provinces” (majjhimā janapadā) correspond roughly to the northeastern and north-central states of present-day India. Mp cites Vin I 197,20–29, for an exact specification of its boundaries. It is said that Buddhas, paccekabuddhas, great disciples, etc., are born only here. Everything beyond these bounds is called the “outlying provinces” (paccantimā janapadā). That the definitions are flexible is seen in Mp’s statement that all of Jambudīpa can also be called the middle region and the other continents the outlying provinces. In Sri Lanka (in the time of the commentators), the Anurādhapura district was considered the middle region and the rest of the country the outlying provinces. On mleccha (the Skt equivalent of Pāli milakkha), SED offers: “a foreigner, barbarian, non-Āryan, man of an outcast race, any person who does not speak Sanskrit and does not conform to the usual Hindu institutions.”
185 Mp: “The noble eye of wisdom (ariya paññācakkhu): the path together with insight.”
186 Ce and Be ete va sattā bahutarā ye atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammaṃ na paṭipajjanti; Ee ete va sattā bahutarā ye na atthaṃ aññāya na dhammaṃ aññāya dhammānudhammaṃ na paṭipajjanti. I assume that in Ce and Be the negation na preceding the finite verb is intended to apply distributively to the preceding absolutives. The Ee reading is supported by an older Sri Lankan printed edition.
187 Saṃvejaniyesu ṭhānesu saṃvijjanti. On a sense of urgency (saṃvega), see 3:128, 4:113. The commentaries enumerate “eight bases of the sense of urgency” (aṭṭha saṃvegavatthūni): birth, old age, illness, death; the suffering in the realms of misery; the suffering rooted in one’s saṃsāric past; the suffering to be encountered in one’s saṃsāric future; and the suffering rooted in the search for nutriment. See Sv III 795,6–9, Ps I 298,24–28, Spk III 163,23–26, Mp II 68,9–12.
188 Mp: “Based on release (vavassaggārammaṇaṃ karitvā): release is nibbāna. The meaning is: having made that the object. Gain concentration (labhanti samādhiṃ): they obtain concentration of the path and concentration of the fruit.” I am not sure the expression vavassaggārammaṇaṃ karitvā need be interpreted in the technical sense (employed in the Abhidhamma) of the path and fruition cittas taking nibbāna as their object. The expression is also used in the definition of the concentration faculty at SN 48:9–10 (V 197,14–16, V 198,24–25). It may originally have meant simply a state of samādhi motivated by the aspiration for release. In SN, the noble eightfold path, the seven enlightenment factors, and five spiritual faculties are often described as vossaggapariṇāmiṃ, “evolving toward release” or “maturing in release,” vossagga and vavassagga being alternative forms of the same word.
189 Mp identifies the “taste of the meaning” (attharasa) with the four fruits, the “taste of the Dhamma” (dhammarasa) with the four paths, and the taste of liberation (vimuttirasa) with the deathless nibbāna (amatanibbāna). See 8:19: “This Dhamma and discipline has but one taste, the taste of liberation” (ayaṃ dhammavinayo ekaraso vimuttiraso). Again, Mp seems to impose on the sutta technical distinctions formulated only in a later period.
190 Ce and Be, which I follow, count thirty suttas in this group. Ee merges them into one.
191 These suttas correspond closely to SN 56:102–31, V 474–77.