31 (1) Brahmā
(1) “Bhikkhus, those families dwell with Brahmā where at home the mother and father are revered by their children. (2) Those families dwell with the first teachers where at home the mother and father are revered by their children. (3) Those families dwell with the gift-worthy where at home the mother and father are revered by their children.
“‘Brahmā,’ bhikkhus, is a designation for mother and father. ‘First teachers’ is a designation for mother and father. ‘Giftworthy’ is a designation for mother and father. For what reason? Mother and father are helpful to their children: they raise them, nurture them, and show them the world.”
Mother and father are called “Brahmā”
and also “first teachers.”
They are worthy of gifts from their children,
for they have compassion for their offspring.
Therefore a wise person should revere them,
and show them due honor,
serve them with food and drink,
with clothes and bedding,
by massaging and bathing them,
and by washing their feet.
Because of this service
to mother and father,
the wise praise one in this world
and after death one rejoices in heaven.
32 (2) Ānanda
Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:
“Bhante, could a bhikkhu obtain such a state of concentration that (1) he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; (2) he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and (3) he would enter and dwell in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it?”366
“He could, Ānanda.”
“But how, Bhante, could he obtain such a state of concentration?” [133]
“Here, Ānanda, a bhikkhu thinks thus: ‘This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is, the stilling of all activities, the relinquishing of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, nibbāna.’ In this way, Ānanda, a bhikkhu could obtain such a state of concentration that he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and he would enter and dwell in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it. And it was with reference to this that I said in the Pārāyana, in ‘The Questions of Puṇṇaka’:367
“Having comprehended the highs and lows in the world,
he is not perturbed by anything in the world.
Peaceful, fumeless, untroubled, wishless,
he has, I say, crossed over birth and old age.”
33 (3) Sāriputta368
Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him:
“Sāriputta, I can teach the Dhamma briefly; I can teach the Dhamma in detail; I can teach the Dhamma both briefly and in detail. It is those who can understand that are rare.”
“It is the time for this, Blessed One. It is the time for this, Fortunate One. The Blessed One should teach the Dhamma briefly; he should teach the Dhamma in detail; he should teach the Dhamma both briefly and in detail. There will be those who can understand the Dhamma.”
“Therefore, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves thus: (1) ‘There will be no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; (2) there will be no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and (3) we will enter and dwell in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it.’ It is in this way, Sāriputta, that you should train yourselves.
“When, Sāriputta, a bhikkhu [134] has no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; when he has no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and when he enters and dwells in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it, he is called a bhikkhu who has cut off craving, stripped off the fetter, and, by completely breaking through conceit, has made an end of suffering. And it was with reference to this that I said in the Pārāyana, in ‘The Questions of Udaya’:369
“The abandoning of both
sensual perceptions and dejection;
the dispelling of dullness,
the warding off of remorse;370
“purified equanimity and mindfulness
preceded by reflection on the Dhamma:
this, I say, is emancipation by final knowledge,
the breaking up of ignorance.”371
34 (4) Causes
“Bhikkhus, there are these three causes for the origination of kamma. What three? Greed is a cause for the origination of kamma; hatred is a cause for the origination of kamma; delusion is a cause for the origination of kamma.
(1) “Any kamma, bhikkhus, fashioned through greed, born of greed, caused by greed, originated by greed, ripens wherever the individual is reborn. Wherever that kamma ripens, it is there that one experiences its result, either in this very life, or in the [next] rebirth, or on some subsequent occasion.372
(2) “Any kamma fashioned through hatred, born of hatred, caused by hatred, originated by hatred, ripens wherever the individual is reborn. Wherever that kamma ripens, it is there that one experiences its result, either in this very life, or in the [next] rebirth, or on some subsequent occasion.
(3) “Any kamma fashioned through delusion, born of delusion, caused by delusion, originated by delusion, ripens wherever the individual is reborn. Wherever that kamma ripens, [135] it is there that one experiences its result, either in this very life, or in the [next] rebirth, or on some subsequent occasion.
“Suppose, bhikkhus, seeds that are intact, unspoiled, not damaged by wind and the sun’s heat, fecund, well preserved, were deposited in well-prepared ground in a good field and receive proper rainfall: in this way, those seeds would grow, increase, and mature. So too, any kamma that is fashioned through greed … hatred … delusion, born of delusion, caused by delusion, originated by delusion, ripens wherever the individual is reborn. Wherever that kamma ripens, it is there that one experiences its result, either in this very life, or in the [next] rebirth, or on some subsequent occasion.
“These are the three causes for the origination of kamma.
“Bhikkhus, there are these three [other] causes for the origination of kamma. What three? Non-greed is a cause for the origination of kamma; non-hatred is a cause for the origination of kamma; non-delusion is a cause for the origination of kamma.
(1) “Any kamma, bhikkhus, fashioned through non-greed, born of non-greed, caused by non-greed, originated by non-greed, is abandoned when greed has vanished; it is cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to future arising.373
(2) “Any kamma fashioned through non-hatred, born of non-hatred, caused by non-hatred, originated by non-hatred, is abandoned when hatred has vanished; it is cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to future arising.
(3) “Any kamma fashioned through non-delusion, born of non-delusion, caused by non-delusion, originated by non-delusion, is abandoned when delusion has vanished; it is cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to future arising.
“Suppose, bhikkhus, there are seeds that are intact, unspoiled, [136] not damaged by wind and the sun’s heat, fecund, well preserved. Then a man would burn them in a fire, reduce them to ashes, and winnow the ashes in a strong wind or let them be carried away by the swift current of a river. In this way, those seeds would be cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that they are no more subject to future arising. So too, any kamma that is fashioned through non-greed … non-hatred … non-delusion, born of non-delusion, caused by non-delusion, originated by non-delusion, is abandoned when delusion has vanished; it is cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to future arising.”
“These, bhikkhus, are the three causes for the origination of kamma.”
Whatever kamma an ignorant person [has done]
born of greed, hatred, and delusion,
whether what was fashioned by him be little or much,
it is to be experienced right here:
there exists no other site [for it].374
Therefore a wise person should abandon
[any deed] born of greed, hatred, and delusion.
A bhikkhu, giving rise to knowledge,
should abandon all bad destinations.375
35 (5) Hatthaka
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Āḷavī on a heap of leaves spread out on a cow track in a siṃsapā grove. Then Hatthaka of Āḷavī,376 while walking and wandering for exercise, saw the Blessed One sitting there. He then approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to the Blessed One:
“Bhante, did the Blessed One sleep well?”
“Yes, prince, I slept well. I am one of those in the world who sleep well.”
“But, Bhante, the winter nights are cold. It is the eight-day interval, the time when snow falls.377 The ground trampled by the hooves of cattle is rough, the spread of leaves is thin, [137] the leaves on the tree are sparse, the ochre robes leave one cold, and the gale wind blows cold. Yet the Blessed One says thus: ‘Yes, prince, I slept well. I am one of those in the world who sleep well.’”
“Well then, prince, I will question you about this matter. You should answer as you see fit. What do you think, prince? A householder or a householder’s son might have a house with a peaked roof, plastered inside and out, draft-free, with bolts fastened and shutters closed. There he might have a couch spread with rugs, blankets, and covers, with an excellent covering of antelope hide, with a canopy above and red bolsters at both ends. An oil lamp would be burning and his four wives would serve him in extremely agreeable ways. What do you think, would he sleep well or not, or what do you think about this?”
“He would sleep well, Bhante. He would be one of those in the world who sleep well.”
(1) “What do you think, prince? Might there arise in that householder or householder’s son bodily and mental fevers born of lust, which would torment him so that he would sleep badly?”
“Yes, Bhante.”
“There might arise in that householder or householder’s son bodily and mental fevers born of lust, which would torment him so that he would sleep badly; but the Tathāgata has abandoned such lust, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising. Therefore I have slept well.
(2) “What do you think, prince? Might there arise in that householder or householder’s son bodily and mental fevers born of hatred … (3) … bodily and mental fevers born of delusion, which would torment him so that he would sleep badly?”
“Yes, Bhante.”
“There might arise in that householder or householder’s son bodily and mental fevers born of delusion, which would torment him so that he would sleep badly; but the Tathāgata has abandoned such delusion, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, [138] obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising. Therefore I have slept well.”
He always sleeps well,
the brahmin who has attained nibbāna,
cooled off, without acquisitions,
not tainted by sensual pleasures.
Having cut off all attachments,
having removed anguish in the heart,
the peaceful one sleeps well,
having attained peace of mind.378
36 (6) Messengers379
“Bhikkhus, there are these three divine messengers.380 What three?
“Here, bhikkhus, someone engages in misconduct by body, speech, and mind. In consequence, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell. There the wardens of hell grab him by both arms and show him to King Yama,381 [saying]: ‘This person, your majesty, did not behave properly toward his mother and father; he did not behave properly toward ascetics and brahmins; and he did not honor the elders of the family. May your majesty inflict due punishment on him!’
(1) “Then King Yama questions, interrogates, and cross-examines him about the first divine messenger: ‘Good man, didn’t you see the first divine messenger that appeared among human beings?’ And he replies: ‘No, lord, I didn’t see him.’
“Then King Yama says to him: ‘But, good man, didn’t you ever see among human beings a man or a woman, eighty, ninety or a hundred years of age, frail, bent like a roof bracket, crooked, wobbling as they go along leaning on a stick, ailing, youth gone, with broken teeth, with grey and scanty hair or bald, with wrinkled skin and blotched limbs?’ And the man replies: ‘Yes, lord, I have seen this.’
“Then King Yama says to him: ‘Good man, didn’t it occur to you, an intelligent and mature person: “I too am subject to old age, I am not exempt from old age. Let me now do good by body, speech, and mind”?’ [139] – ‘No, lord, I could not. I was heedless.’
“Then King Yama says: ‘Through heedlessness, good man, you failed to do good by body, speech, or mind. Surely, they will treat you in a way that fits your heedlessness. That bad kamma of yours was not done by your mother or father, nor by your brother or sister, nor by your friends and companions, nor by your relatives and family members, nor by the deities, nor by ascetics and brahmins. Rather, you were the one who did that bad kamma, and you yourself will have to experience its result.’
(2) “When King Yama has questioned, interrogated, and cross-examined him about the first divine messenger, he again questions, interrogates, and cross-examines him about the second divine messenger: ‘Good man, didn’t you see the second divine messenger that appeared among human beings?’ And he replies: ‘No, lord, I didn’t see him.’
“Then King Yama says to him: ‘But, good man, didn’t you ever see among human beings a man or a woman, sick, afflicted, gravely ill, lying in his own urine and excrement, having to be lifted up by some and put down by others?’ And he replies: ‘Yes, lord, I have seen this.’
“Then King Yama says to him: ‘Good man, didn’t it occur to you, an intelligent and mature person: “I too am subject to illness, I am not exempt from illness. Let me now do good by body, speech, and mind”?’ – ‘No, lord, I could not. I was heedless.’
“Then King Yama says: [140] ‘Through heedlessness, good man, you failed to do good by body, speech, or mind. Surely, they will treat you in a way that fits your heedlessness. That bad kamma of yours was not done by your mother or father, nor by your brother or sister, nor by your friends and companions, nor by your relatives and family members, nor by the deities, nor by ascetics and brahmins. Rather, you were the one who did that bad kamma, and you yourself will have to experience its result.’
(3) “When King Yama has questioned, interrogated, and cross-examined him about the second divine messenger, he again questions, interrogates, and cross-examines him about the third divine messenger: ‘Good man, didn’t you see the third divine messenger that appeared among human beings?’ And he replies: ‘No, lord, I didn’t see him.’
“Then King Yama says to him: ‘But, good man, didn’t you ever see among human beings a man or a woman, one, two, or three days dead, the corpse bloated, livid, and festering?’ And he replies: ‘Yes, lord, I have seen this.’
“Then King Yama says to him: ‘Good man, didn’t it occur to you, an intelligent and mature person: “I too am subject to death, I am not exempt from death. Let me now do good by body, speech, and mind”?’ – ‘No, lord, I could not. I was heedless.’
“Then King Yama says: ‘Through heedlessness, good man, you failed to do good by body, speech, or mind. Surely, they will treat you in a way that fits your heedlessness. That bad kamma of yours was not done by your mother or father, nor by your brother or sister, nor by your friends and companions, nor by your relatives and family members, nor by the deities, nor by ascetics and brahmins. Rather, you were the one who did that bad kamma, and you yourself will have to experience its result.’
“When, bhikkhus, King Yama has questioned, interrogated, and cross-examined him about the third divine messenger, he falls silent. [141] Then the wardens of hell torture him with the fivefold transfixing. They drive a red-hot iron stake through one hand and another red-hot iron stake through the other hand; they drive a red-hot iron stake through one foot and another red-hot iron stake through the other foot; they drive a red-hot iron stake through the middle of his chest. There he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings,382 yet he does not die so long as that bad kamma is not exhausted.
“Next the wardens of hell throw him down and pare him with axes. There he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that bad kamma is not exhausted. Next the wardens of hell turn him upside down and pare him with adzes…. Next the wardens of hell harness him to a chariot and drive him back and forth across ground that is burning, blazing, and glowing…. Next the wardens of hell make him climb up and down a great mound of coals that are burning, blazing, and glowing…. Next the wardens of hell turn him upside down and plunge him into a red-hot copper cauldron that is burning, blazing, and glowing. He is cooked there in a swirl of foam. And as he is being cooked there in a swirl of foam, he is swept now up, now down, and now across. There he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that bad kamma is not exhausted.
“Next the wardens of hell throw him into the great hell. Now, bhikkhus, as to that great hell:
“It has four corners and four doors
and is divided into separate compartments;
it is surrounded by iron ramparts
and shut in with an iron roof. [142]
“Its floor as well is made of iron
and heated till it glows with fire.
The range is a full hundred yojanas
which it ever covers pervasively.
“Once, bhikkhus, in the past King Yama thought: ‘Those in the world who do evil deeds are punished with such diverse tortures. Oh, that I might attain the human state! That a Tathāgata, Arahant, Perfectly Enlightened One might arise in the world! That I might attend upon that Blessed One! That the Blessed One might teach me the Dhamma, and that I might come to understand his Dhamma!’
“Bhikkhus, I am not repeating something that I heard from another ascetic or brahmin, but rather I am speaking about a matter that I have actually known, seen, and understood myself.”
Though warned by the divine messengers,
those people who remain heedless
sorrow for a long time,
having fared on to a lower realm.
But those good people here who,
when warned by the divine messengers,
never become heedless
in regard to the noble Dhamma;
who, having seen the peril in clinging
as the origin of birth and death,
are liberated by non-clinging
in the extinction of birth and death:
those happy ones have attained security;383
they have reached nibbāna in this very life.
Having overcome all enmity and peril,
they have transcended all suffering.
37 (7) Kings (1)
“Bhikkhus, (1) on the eighth of the fortnight, the ministers and assembly members of the four great kings wander over this world,384 [thinking]: ‘We hope there are many people who behave properly toward their mother and father, behave properly toward ascetics and brahmins, honor the elders of the family, observe the uposatha, keep the extra observance days, and do meritorious deeds.’385 (2) On the fourteenth of the fortnight, the sons of the four great kings wander over this world, [thinking]: ‘We hope there are many people who behave properly toward their mother and father … [143] … and do meritorious deeds.’ (3) On the fifteenth, the uposatha day, the four great kings themselves wander over this world, [thinking]: ‘We hope there are many people who behave properly toward their mother and father … and do meritorious deeds.’
“If, bhikkhus, there are few people who behave properly toward their mother and father … and do meritorious deeds, the four great kings report this to the Tāvatiṃsa devas when they meet and are sitting together in the Sudhamma council hall: ‘Revered sirs, there are few people who behave properly toward their mother and father … and do meritorious deeds.’ Then, because of this, the Tāvatiṃsa devas become displeased, [saying]: ‘Alas, the celestial company will decline and the company of asuras will flourish!’
“But if there are many people who behave properly toward their mother and father … and do meritorious deeds, the four great kings report this to the Tāvatiṃsa devas when they meet and are sitting together in the Sudhamma council hall: ‘Revered sirs, there are many people who behave properly toward their mother and father, behave properly toward ascetics and brahmins, honor the elders of the family, observe the uposatha, keep the extra observance days, and do meritorious deeds.’ Then, because of this, the Tāvatiṃsa devas become elated, [saying]: ‘Indeed, the celestial company will flourish and the company of asuras will decline!’”
“Bhikkhus, once in the past, when Sakka, ruler of the devas, was guiding the Tāvatiṃsa devas, he recited this verse:386 [144]
“‘The person who would be like me
should observe the uposatha
complete in the eight factors,
on the fourteenth, fifteenth,
and eighth of the fortnight,
and during special fortnights.’387
“This verse, bhikkhus, was badly recited by Sakka, ruler of the devas, not well recited. It was badly stated, not well stated. For what reason? Because Sakka, ruler of the devas, is not devoid of lust, hatred, and delusion. But in the case of a bhikkhu who is an arahant—one whose taints are destroyed, who has lived the spiritual life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached his own goal, utterly destroyed the fetters of existence, one completely liberated through final knowledge—it is fitting for him to say:
“‘The person who would be like me …
and during special fortnights.’
“For what reason? Because that bhikkhu is devoid of lust, hatred, and delusion.”
38 (8) Kings (2)
“Bhikkhus, once in the past, when Sakka, ruler of the devas, was guiding the Tāvatiṃsa devas, on that occasion he recited this verse:388
“‘The person who would be like me …
and during special fortnights.’
“This verse, bhikkhus, was badly recited by Sakka, ruler of the devas, not well recited. It was badly stated, not well stated. For what reason? Because Sakka, ruler of the devas, is not free from birth, old age and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and anguish; he is not free from suffering, I say. But in the case of a bhikkhu who is an arahant—one whose taints are destroyed … one completely liberated through final knowledge—it is fitting for him to say:
“‘The person who would be like me …
and during special fortnights.’ [145]
“For what reason? Because that bhikkhu is free from birth, old age and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and anguish; he is free from suffering, I say.”
39 (9) Delicate
“Bhikkhus, I was delicately nurtured, most delicately nurtured, extremely delicately nurtured. At my father’s residence lotus ponds were made just for my enjoyment: in one of them blue lotuses bloomed, in another red lotuses, and in a third white lotuses.389 I used no sandalwood unless it came from Kāsi and my headdress, jacket, lower garment, and upper garment were made of cloth from Kāsi.390 By day and by night a white canopy was held over me so that cold and heat, dust, grass, and dew would not settle on me.
“I had three mansions: one for the winter, one for the summer, and one for the rainy season.391 I spent the four months of the rains in the rainy-season mansion, being entertained by musicians, none of whom were male,392 and I did not leave the mansion. While in other people’s homes slaves, workers, and servants are given broken rice together with sour gruel for their meals, in my father’s residence they were given choice hill rice, meat, and boiled rice.
(1) “Amid such splendor and a delicate life, it occurred to me: ‘An uninstructed worldling, though himself subject to old age, not exempt from old age, feels repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when he sees another who is old, overlooking his own situation.393 Now I too am subject to old age and am not exempt from old age. Such being the case, if I were to feel repelled, humiliated, [146] and disgusted when seeing another who is old, that would not be proper for me.’ When I reflected thus, my intoxication with youth was completely abandoned.
(2) “[Again, it occurred to me:] ‘An uninstructed worldling, though himself subject to illness, not exempt from illness, feels repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when he sees another who is ill, overlooking his own situation. Now I too am subject to illness and am not exempt from illness. Such being the case, if I were to feel repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when seeing another who is ill, that would not be proper for me.’ When I reflected thus, my intoxication with health was completely abandoned.
(3) “[Again, it occurred to me:] ‘An uninstructed worldling, though himself subject to death, not exempt from death, feels repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when he sees another who has died, overlooking his own situation. Now I too am subject to death and am not exempt from death. Such being the case, if I were to feel repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when seeing another who has died, that would not be proper for me.’ When I reflected thus, my intoxication with life was completely abandoned.
“There are, bhikkhus, these three kinds of intoxication.394 What three? Intoxication with youth, intoxication with health, and intoxication with life. (1) An uninstructed worldling, intoxicated with youth, engages in misconduct by body, speech, and mind. With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell. (2) An uninstructed worldling, intoxicated with health, engages in misconduct by body, speech, and mind. With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell. (3) An uninstructed worldling, intoxicated with life, engages in misconduct by body, [147] speech, and mind. With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell.
“Intoxicated with youth, a bhikkhu gives up the training and reverts to the lower life; or intoxicated with health, he gives up the training and reverts to the lower life; or intoxicated with life, he gives up the training and reverts to the lower life.
“Worldlings subject to illness,
old age, and death, are disgusted
[by other people] who exist
in accordance with their nature.395
“If I were to become disgusted
with beings who have such a nature,
that would not be proper for me
since I too have the same nature.
“While I was dwelling thus,
having known the state without acquisitions,
I overcame all intoxications—
intoxication with health,
with youth, and with life—
having seen security in renunciation.396
“Zeal then arose in me
as I clearly saw nibbāna.
Now I am incapable
of indulging in sensual pleasures.
Relying on the spiritual life,
never will I turn back.”397
40 (10) Authorities
“Bhikkhus, there are these three authorities. What three? Oneself as one’s authority, the world as one’s authority, and the Dhamma as one’s authority.398
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is oneself as one’s authority? Here, having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut, a bhikkhu reflects thus: ‘I did not go forth from the household life into homelessness for the sake of a robe, almsfood, or lodging, or for the sake of becoming this or that,399 but rather [with the thought]: “I am immersed in birth, old age, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and anguish. I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.” [148] As one who has gone forth from the household life into homelessness, it would not be proper for me to seek out sensual pleasures similar to or worse than those that I have discarded.’ He then reflects thus: ‘Energy will be aroused in me without slackening; mindfulness will be established without confusion; my body will be tranquil without disturbance; my mind will be concentrated and one-pointed.’ Having taken himself as his authority, he abandons the unwholesome and develops the wholesome; he abandons what is blameworthy and develops what is blameless; he maintains himself in purity. This is called oneself as one’s authority.
(2) “And what, bhikkhus, is the world as one’s authority? Here, having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut, a bhikkhu reflects thus: ‘I did not go forth from the household life into homelessness for the sake of a robe … but rather [with the thought]: “I am immersed in birth, old age, and death … Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.” As one who has gone forth from the household life into homelessness, I might think sensual thoughts, thoughts of ill will, or thoughts of harming. But the abode of the world is vast. In the vast abode of the world there are ascetics and brahmins with psychic potency and the divine eye who know the minds of others. They see things from a distance but they are not themselves seen even when they’re close; they know the minds [of others] with their own mind. They would know me thus: “Look at this clansman: though he has gone forth from the household life into homelessness out of faith, he is tarnished by bad unwholesome states.” There are deities, too, with psychic potency and the divine eye who know the minds of others. They see even from a distance but are not seen themselves even when close; they too know the minds [of others] with their own mind. They too would know me thus: “Look at this clansman: though he has gone forth from the household life into homelessness out of faith, he is tarnished by bad unwholesome states.”’ He then reflects thus: ‘Energy will be aroused in me [149] without slackening; mindfulness will be established without confusion; my body will be tranquil without disturbance; my mind will be concentrated and one-pointed.’ Having taken the world as his authority, he abandons the unwholesome and develops the wholesome; he abandons what is blameworthy and develops what is blameless; he maintains himself in purity. This is called the world as one’s authority.
(3) “And what, bhikkhus, is the Dhamma as one’s authority? Here, having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut, a bhikkhu reflects thus: ‘I did not go forth from the household life into homelessness for the sake of a robe … but rather [with the thought]: “I am immersed in birth, old age, and death … Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.” The Dhamma is well expounded by the Blessed One, directly visible, immediate, inviting one to come and see, applicable, to be personally experienced by the wise. There are fellow monks of mine who know and see. As one who has gone forth from the household life into homelessness in this well-expounded Dhamma and discipline, it would be improper for me to be lazy and heedless.’ He then reflects thus: ‘Energy will be aroused in me without slackening; mindfulness will be established without confusion; my body will be tranquil without disturbance; my mind will be concentrated and one-pointed.’ Having taken the Dhamma as his authority, he abandons the unwholesome and develops the wholesome; he abandons what is blameworthy and develops what is blameless; he maintains himself in purity. This is called the Dhamma as one’s authority.
“These, bhikkhus, are the three authorities.”
For one performing an evil deed
there is no place in the world called “hidden.”
The self within you knows, O person,
whether it is true or false.400
Indeed, sir, you the witness
despise your good self;
you conceal the evil self
existing within yourself.401 [150]
The devas and Tathāgatas see the fool
acting unrighteously in the world.
Therefore one should fare mindfully,
taking oneself as authority;
alert and meditative, taking the world as authority;
and fare in accordance with the Dhamma,
taking the Dhamma as authority.
Truly exerting himself, a sage does not decline.
Having vanquished Māra
and overcome the end-maker,
the striver has finished with birth.
Such a sage, wise, a world-knower,
identifies with nothing at all.402
366 Mp explains the compound ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā as “I-making by views, mine-making by craving, and the underlying tendency to conceit. These are the defilements in relation to oneself and others.” Mp explains bahiddhā ca sabbanimittesu (“and all external objects”) as the five sense objects, the eternalist (and other) views, the person, and Dhamma. It calls this samādhi the fruition attainment of arahantship (arahattaphalasamāpatti).
367 Sn 1048. The Pārāyana, the fifth and final chapter of the Suttanipāta, consists of a framing story and sixteen sections in each of which the Buddha answers the questions of the students of the elder brahmin Bāvāri. Verses from the Pārāyana are cited and explained elsewhere in AN and other Nikāyas, which testifies to its antiquity. It must have existed as an independent work before being incorporated into Sn. The Pārāyana is the subject of an ancient canonical commentary, the Cūḷaniddesa, included in the Khuddaka Nikāya.
368 Ee takes this sutta to belong to the preceding one and thus assigns only one number to them. In Ce and Be, which I follow, it is separate. Thus from this point on my numbering exceeds Ee by one.
369 Sn 1106–7.
370 This is an allusion to the abandoning of the five hindrances, of which four are mentioned here.
371 Mp takes this to be the fruit of arahantship based on the fourth jhāna, which is suggested by the line upekkhāsatisaṃsuddhaṃ, echoing the stock formula for the fourth jhāṇa.
372 There are some differences in the readings: Ce diṭṭhe vā dhamme, upapajje vā, apare vā pariyāye; Be diṭṭhe vā dhamme upapajja vā apare vā pariyāye; Ee diṭṭh’ eva dhamme upapajje vā apare vā pariyāye. Mp says: “This is stated to show that the kamma is [of the type] either to be experienced in this present life, or to be experienced following rebirth, or to be experienced in some subsequent existence.” For an Abhidhamma explanation of this triad, see CMA 205.
Some scholars have argued from the variant readings that only two alternatives are involved: either in this life or upon rebirth. However, I translate in accordance with the commentarial understanding. While the commentaries may be imposing a later interpretation on more archaic texts that asserted only two ways in which kamma can ripen, as a translator I feel responsible to the text that has been transmitted rather than to theories about a more archaic original. The recognition of a threefold ripening of kamma is not exclusive to the Theravāda school but is also found in the treatises of the Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma system. Definitions of the three types—for example, in the Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣā Śāstra at T XXVII 592a22–593b8, and in the Abhidharmakośa at T XXIX 81c10–16—are exactly the same as in the Pāli tradition and thus likely precede the division of the schools.
373 This statement has to be carefully interpreted. For an arahant—who has abandoned greed, hatred, and delusion—kamma created earlier, whether good or bad, is still capable of ripening during the final life. But because there is no more rebirth, with his passing all accumulated kamma from the past becomes defunct. Thus the intention of this statement is not that an arahant’s past kamma cannot ripen while the arahant lives, but that it becomes defunct with the arahant’s passing; for there will be no further continuum of existence within which its fruits might arise. Brahmāli writes: “There must be a distinction here between ‘non-greed’ (alobha) and the situation when ‘greed has vanished’ (lobhe vigata). The former must refer to the motivation behind a particular action, the latter to the full uprooting of greed, attained only by the non-returner or even the arahant. Only in the light of this distinction does this statement make sense.”
374 I read with Ce and Be mohajañ cāpaviddasu, as against Ee’s mohajañ cāpi ’viddasu. Mp (both Ce and Be) also reads mohajañ cāpaviddasu, which it resolves into mohajañcāpi aviddasu. It paraphrases the meaning thus: “Whatever kamma the blind, ignorant worldling creates born of greed, hatred, and delusion—whether the kamma so fashioned be little or much—it is to be experienced right here (idh’eva taṃ vedaniyaṃ), that is, it is to be experienced by the fool here in his very own being (idha sake attabhāveyeva); this means that it ripens in his own individual being. There exists no other site [for it] (vatthuṃ aññaṃ na vijjati): there is no other site for the ripening of that kamma; for the kamma done by one person does not ripen in another’s being.”
375 Tasmā lobhaṃ ca dosaṃ ca, mohajaṃ cāpi viddasu. Ee reads the last pāda mohañ cāpi ‘viddasu, which is missing a syllable. The text does lack a verb and direct object qualifed by mohajaṃ. Mp supplies these in its paraphrase: “Therefore a wise person does not do that kamma born of greed and so forth” (yo vidū … taṃ lobhajādibhedaṃ kammaṃ na karoti). It will be noted that Mp considers lobhaṃ and dosaṃ to be truncated forms of lobhajaṃ and dosajaṃ, and I translate accordingly. For the verb, I see jahe of pāda d to implicitly extend up into pādas a and b, thus doing a dual service.
376 See 1:251.
377 Antaraṭṭhako himapātanasamayo. Mp: “A period of eight days when snow falls. It is the last four days of the month of Māgha and the first four days of Phagguṇa (roughly in mid-February).”
378 Similar verses are spoken to Anāthapiṇḍika at SN 10:8, I 212.
379 A version of this sutta is at MN 130, but with four divine messengers, beginning with birth.
380 Mp: “The old person, the sick one, and the corpse are called ‘divine messengers’ (devadūta) because they inspire a sense of urgency, as if warning one: ‘Now you must go into the presence of death.’”
381 The legendary god of death and the judge of one’s future destiny.
382 Reading with Ce dukkhā tibbā khaṭukā vedanā. Be and Ee add a fourth adjective, kharā.
383 I read with Ee te khemappattā sukhitā. Ce te khoppattā sukhitā and Be te appamattā sukhino are both faulty.
384 The eighth of the fortnight is the day of the quarter moon, both waxing and waning. The “four great kings” (catumahārājāno) are the rulers of the lowest of the six sense-sphere heavenly worlds, the realm closest to the human. We find here a graded sequence: on the eighth, their ministers and assembly members (amaccā pārisajjā) inspect the world; on the fourteenth (the day before the full moon and new moon), their sons (puttā) inspect the world; and on the fifteenth, the actual full-moon and new-moon days, the four great kings themselves inspect the world.
385 Mp: “When they observe the uposatha, they undertake the uposatha factors eight times per month. Keeping the extra observance days (paṭijāgaranti), in a single fortnight they do so by anticipating and following up (paccuggamanānugamana) the four uposatha days. Anticipating the uposatha of the fifth, they undertake the uposatha on the fourth; and following up, on the sixth. Anticipating the uposatha of the eighth, they observe it on the seventh; and following up, on the ninth. Anticipating the uposatha of the fourteenth, they observe it on the thirteenth, and following up the uposatha of the fifteenth, they observe the uposatha at the beginning [of the next fortnight]. They do meritorious deeds (puññāni karonti) in various ways: by going for refuge, constantly observing the precepts, offering flowers, listening to the Dhamma, offering lights, making dwellings, etc. Having wandered around, [the ministers and assembly members] write down the names of the merit-makers on a golden sheet and present it to the four great kings.” For canonical accounts of the uposatha observance, see 3:70 and 8:41, 8:42.
386 I follow Be as against Ce and Ee in the division between this sutta and the next. Ce and Ee take this sentence as the beginning of 3:38 (No. 37 in Ee’s scheme) and the second narrative that begins bhūtapubbaṃ bhikkhave (“Bhikkhus, once in the past”)—several paragraphs below—as a continuation of the sutta. Be, however, takes the first narrative about Sakka to be a continuation of 3:37, and the second narrative to mark the beginning of 3:38. A Chinese parallel, SĀ 1117 (T II 295c10–296a23), agrees with Be on this but merges into one the two statements about Sakka and the liberated bhikkhu.
387 Pāṭihāriyapakkha. Mp says that they undertake a continuous uposatha observance for the full three months of the rains (antovasse temāsaṃ); if they cannot manage this, they should observe it for a full month after the rains, between the two invitation days, or at least for a two-week period following the first invitation day. The “invitation” (pavāraṇa) is the occasion, at the end of the rains, when bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs “invite” (pavāreti) their fellows to point out any faults in their behavior during the rains. Spk I 307,9–16, commenting on pāṭihāriyapakkha at SN 10:5, I 208,27, explains the term in a broader sense (see CDB p. 480, note 573).
388 Be treats this sentence as the beginning of 3:38. Strangely, Be titles this “The Second on the Four Great Kings” even though the sutta makes no mention of them.
389 Mp defines paduma as a white lotus (paṇḍarapadumaṃ) and puṇḍarīka as a red lotus (rattapadumaṃ). SED, however, defines puṇḍarīka as “a lotus flower (esp. a white lotus),” adding that the word is used to mean “white” in general. Numerous websites I consulted also define puṇḍarīka as a white lotus.
390 Kāsi was one of the sixteen great states of India, with its capital at Bārāṇasī.
391 These are the three seasons of northern India: the winter lasts roughly from November to March, the hot season from March to July, and the rainy season from July to November. Mp says that the winter mansion had nine stories, which were low in order to retain heat; the summer mansion had five stories, which were high in order to allow the air to cool; and the rains mansion had seven stories, which were neither high nor low in order to establish a medium temperature.
392 Nippurisehi. Mp says that not only the musicians but all the posts in the palaces were occupied by women (itthiyo). Thus for four months another man did not get to see him.
393 Attānaṃyeva atisitvā. Atisitvā is absolutive of atisarati. See DOP sv atisarati.
394 Ee takes this sentence to mark the beginning of a new sutta, 3:39 in its numbering. But Ce and Be, which I follow, treat this passage as a continuation of the sutta that began with the Buddha’s recollection of his delicate upbringing. In Ce and Be, this entire sutta is 3:39, so that at this point the numbering in all three editions coincides.
395 The third pāda is obscure: yathā dhammā tathā santā. I translate it literally. In explaining the fourth pāda, Mp adds parapuggalaṃ as an object of the verb jigucchanti.
396 Ce and Be read nekkhamme daṭṭhu khemataṃ. Ee has nekkhammaṃ daṭṭhu khemato as its primary reading but mentions the Ce and Be variants in its notes. Mp (both Ce and Be) uses the Ce and Be reading as the lemma, which it glosses nibbāne khemabhāvaṃ disvā, but it then cites the Ee reading as a variant, glossed nibbānaṃ khemato disvā. Thus here Ee has chosen the variant as the primary reading.
397 Mp says that these verses refer to his own energy as it arose while he was sitting beneath the bodhi tree.
398 In Pāli: attādhipateyyaṃ lokādhipateyyaṃ dhammādhipateyyaṃ. Although Bucknell (2004) does not list a Chinese parallel of this sutta, by chance I recently discovered a parallel cited in the *Śāriputrābhidharmaśāstra, at T XXVIII 679c22–680a27. While the prose portion there is simpler than that of the Pāli, the two convey essentially the same meaning. Their verses, with the exception of the last, also closely correspond.
399 Na itibhavābhavahetu. Mp takes the long vowel connecting the two occurrences of bhava to signify repetition, not negation: “Not for the sake of this or that prosperous future state of existence, [wishing]: ‘[Let me obtain] such an existence [or] such an existence’” (iti bhavo, iti bhavo ti evaṃ āyatiṃ na tassa tassa sampattibhavassa hetu).
400 Attā te purisa jānāti saccaṃ vā yadi vā musā. Mp: “You yourself know, of whatever you do, whether it is of this or that nature. For this reason, it should be understood that, for one who does an evil deed, there is no place in the world that can be called ‘hidden.’”
401 The Pāli is obscure here and Mp is not particularly helpful in resolving the difficulty. The Chinese parallel (at 680a20–21, but following the Song, Yuan, Ming reading) has: 
. This conveys a somewhat different point, which I would render: “One who says ‘It is not false’ is better, for then one does not damage oneself. If a transgression exists and one knows it, do not conceal it.”
402 The Chinese (at 680a26–27) is quite different: 
. I would render: “Having discarded and abandoned the six sense faculties, he ends suffering and does not take [another] existence. Having passed away, he does not come back, being forever freed from birth and death.”