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Translated
from the Pali by Ñanamoli Thera
edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi.
For free distribution only.
From The Lion's Roar: Two Discourses of the Buddha
(WH 390/391), edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi, (Kandy: Buddhist
Publication Society, 1993). Copyright ©1993 Buddhist Publication Society. Used
with permission.
1.
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in
Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus:
"Bhikkhus." -- "Venerable sir," they replied. The Blessed
One said this:
2.
"Bhikkhus, only here is there a recluse, only here a second recluse, only
here a third recluse, only here a fourth recluse. The doctrines of others are
devoid[*p.64] of recluses: that is how you should rightly roar your lion's
roar.1
3.
"It is possible, bhikkhus, that wanderers of other sects might ask: 'But on
the strength of what (argument) or with the support of what (authority) do the
venerable ones say thus?' Wanderers of other sects who ask thus may be answered
in this way: 'Friends, four things have been declared to us by the Blessed One
who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened; on seeing these in
ourselves we say thus: "Only here is there a recluse, only here a second
recluse, only here a third recluse, only here a fourth recluse. The doctrines
of others are devoid of recluses." What are the four? We have confidence
in the Teacher, we have confidence in the Dhamma, we have fulfilled the
precepts, and our companions in the Dhamma are dear and agreeable to us whether
they are layfolk or those gone forth. These are the four things declared to us
by the Blessed One who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened, on
seeing which in ourselves we say as we do.'
4.
"It is possible, bhikkhus, that wanderers of other sects might say thus:
'Friends, we too have confidence in the Teacher, that is, in our Teacher; we
too have confidence in the Dhamma, that is, in our Dhamma; we too have
fulfilled the precepts, that is, our precepts; our companions in the Dhamma are
dear and agreeable to us too whether they are layfolk or those gone forth. What
is the distinction here, friends, what is the variance, what is the difference
between you and us?'
5.
"Wanderers of other sects who ask thus may be answered in this way: 'How
then, friends, is the goal one or many?' Answering rightly, the wanderers of
other sects would answer thus: 'Friends, the goal is one, not many.'2
-- 'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by lust or free from lust?'
Answering rightly, the wanderers of other sects would answer thus: 'Friends,
that goal is for one free from lust, not for one affected by lust.' -- 'But,
friends, is that goal for one affected by hate or free from hate?' Answering
rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one free from hate, not
for one affected by hate.' -- 'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by
delusion or free from delusion?' Answering rightly, they would answer:
'Friends, that goal is for one free from delusion, not for one affected by
delusion.' -- 'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by craving or free
from craving?'[*p.65] Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal
is for one free from craving, not for one affected by craving.' -- 'But,
friends, is that goal for one affected by clinging or free from clinging?'
Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one free from
clinging, not for one affected by clinging.' -- 'But, friends, is that goal for
one who has vision or for one without vision?' Answering rightly, they would
answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one with vision, not for one without
vision.' -- 'But, friends, is that goal for one who favors and opposes, or for
one who does not favor and oppose?' Answering rightly, they would answer:
'Friends, that goal is for one who does not favor and oppose, not for one who
favors and opposes.'3 -- 'But, friends is that goal for one who
delights in and enjoys proliferation, or for one who does not delight in and
enjoy proliferation?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal
is for one who does not delight in and enjoy proliferation, not for one who
delights in and enjoys proliferation.'4
6.
"Bhikkhus, there are these two views: the view of being
and the view of non-being. Any recluses or brahmans who rely on the view of
being, adopt the view of being, accept the view of being, are opposed to the
view of non-being. Any recluses or brahmans who rely on the view of non-being,
adopt the view of non-being, accept the view of non-being, are opposed to the
view of being.5
7.
"Any recluses or brahmans who do not understand as they actually are the
origin, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger and the
escape6 in the case of these two views are affected by lust, affected
by hate, affected by delusion, affected by craving, affected by clinging,
without vision, given to favoring and opposing, and they delight in and enjoy
proliferation. They are not freed from birth, aging and death, from sorrow,
lamentation, pain, grief and despair; they are not freed from suffering, I say.
8.
"Any recluses or brahmans who understand as they actually are the origin,
the disappearance, the gratification, the danger and the escape in the case of
these two views are without lust, without hate, without delusion, without
craving, without clinging, with vision, not given to favoring and opposing, and
they do not delight in and enjoy proliferation. They are freed from birth,
aging and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair; they are
freed from suffering, I say.[*p.66]
9.
"Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of clinging. What four? Clinging to
sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rules and observances, and
clinging to a doctrine of self.
10.
"Though certain recluses and brahmans claim to propound the full
understanding of all kinds of clinging, they do not completely describe the
full understanding of all kinds of clinging.7 They describe the full
understanding of clinging to sensual pleasures without describing the full
understanding of clinging to views, clinging to rules and observances, and
clinging to a doctrine of self. Why is that? Those good recluses and brahmans
do not understand these three instances of clinging as they actually are.
Therefore, though they claim to propound the full understanding of all kinds of
clinging, they describe only the full understanding of clinging to sensual
pleasures without describing the full understanding of clinging to views,
clinging to rules and observances, and clinging to a doctrine of self.
11.
"Though certain recluses and brahmans claim to propound the full
understanding of all kinds of clinging... they describe the full understanding
of clinging to sensual pleasures and clinging to views without describing the
full understanding of clinging to rules and observances and clinging to a
doctrine of self. Why is that? They do not understand two instances...
therefore they describe only the full understanding of clinging to sensual
pleasures and clinging to views without describing the full understanding of
clinging to rules and observances and clinging to a doctrine of self.
12.
"Though certain recluses and brahmans claim to propound the full
understanding of all kinds of clinging... they describe the full understanding
of clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, and clinging to rules and
observances without describing the full understanding of clinging to a doctrine
of self. They do not understand one instance... therefore they describe only
the full understanding of clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, and
clinging to rules and observances without describing the full understanding of
clinging to a doctrine of self.8
13.
"Bhikkhus, in such a Dhamma and Discipline as that it is plain that
confidence in the Teacher is not rightly directed, that confidence in the
Dhamma is not rightly directed, that fulfillment of the precepts is not rightly
directed, and that the affection among companions in the Dhamma is not rightly
directed. Why is that? Because that is how it is when the Dhamma and Discipline
is[*p.67] badly proclaimed and badly expounded, unemancipating, unconducive to
peace, expounded by one who is not fully enlightened.
14.
"Bhikkhus, when a Tathagata, accomplished and fully enlightened, claims to
propound the full understanding of all kinds of clinging, he completely
describes the full understanding of all kinds of clinging: he describes the
full understanding of clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views,
clinging to rules and observances, and clinging to a doctrine of self.9
15.
"Bhikkhus, in such a Dhamma and Discipline as that it is plain that
confidence in the Teacher is rightly directed, that confidence in the Dhamma is
rightly directed, that fulfillment of the precepts is rightly directed, and
that the affection among companions in the Dhamma is rightly directed. Why is
that? Because that is how it is when the Dhamma and Discipline is well
proclaimed and well expounded, emancipating, conducive to peace, expounded by
one who is fully enlightened.
16.
"Now these four kinds of clinging have what as their source, what as their
origin, from what are they born and produced? These four kinds of clinging have
craving as their source, craving as their origin, they are born and produced
from craving.10 Craving has what as its source...? Craving has feeling
as its source... Feeling has what as its source...? Feeling has contact as its
source... Contact has what as its source...? Contact has the sixfold base as
its source... The sixfold base has what as its source...? The sixfold base has
mentality-materiality as its source... Mentality-materiality has what as its
source...? Mentality-materiality has consciousness as its source...
Consciousness has what as its source...? Consciousness has formations as its
source... Formations have what as their source...? Formations have ignorance as
their source, ignorance as their origin; they are born and produced from
ignorance.
17.
"Bhikkhus, when ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge has arisen in a
bhikkhu, then with the fading away of ignorance and the arising of true
knowledge he no longer clings to sensual pleasures, no longer clings to views,
no longer clings to rules and observances, no longer clings to a doctrine of
self.11 When he does not cling, he is not agitated. When he is not
agitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He understands: 'Birth is destroyed,
the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no
more coming to any state of being.'"12 [*p.68]
That
is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the
Blessed One's words.
[*p.###] The page numbers enclosed in square brackets in the above
text are the page numbers of the Pali Text Society edition of the Pali text.
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