|
Translated
from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.
...
[The
Buddha is speaking to Saccaka Aggivessana:]
"Before
my Awakening, when I was still an unawakened Bodhisatta, the thought occurred
to me: 'The household life is crowded, a dusty road. Life gone
forth is the open air. It isn't easy, living in a home, to lead the holy life
that is totally perfect, totally pure, a polished shell. What if I, having
shaved off my hair & beard and putting on the ochre robe, were to go forth
from the home life into homelessness?'
"So
at a later time, when I was still young, black-haired, endowed with the
blessings of youth in the first stage of life, having shaved off my hair &
beard -- though my parents wished otherwise and were grieving with tears on
their faces -- I put on the ochre robe and went forth from the home life into
homelessness.
"Having
gone forth in search of what might be skillful, seeking the unexcelled state of
sublime peace, I went to Alara Kalama and, on arrival, said
to him: 'Friend Kalama, I want to practice in this doctrine & discipline.'
"When
this was said, he replied to me, 'You may stay here, my friend. This doctrine
is such that a wise person can soon enter & dwell in his own teacher's
knowledge, having realized it for himself through direct knowledge.'
"It
was not long before I learned the doctrine. As far as mere lip-reciting &
repetition, I could speak the words of knowledge, the words of the elders, and
I could affirm that I knew & saw -- I, along with others.
"I
thought: 'It isn't through mere conviction alone that Alara Kalama declares,
"I have entered & dwell in this Dhamma, having realized it for myself
through direct knowledge." Certainly he dwells knowing & seeing this
Dhamma.' So I went to him and said, 'To what extent do you declare that you
have entered & dwell in this Dhamma?' When this was said, he declared the
sphere of nothingness.
"I
thought: 'Not only does Alara Kalama have conviction, persistence, mindfulness,
concentration, & discernment. I, too, have conviction, persistence,
mindfulness, concentration, & discernment. What if I were to endeavor to
realize for myself the Dhamma that Alara Kalama declares he has entered &
dwells in, having realized it for himself through direct knowledge.' So it was
not long before I quickly entered & dwelled in that Dhamma, having realized
it for myself through direct knowledge. I went to him and said, 'Friend Kalama,
is this the extent to which you have entered & dwell in this Dhamma, having
realized it for yourself through direct knowledge?'
"'Yes,
my friend...'
"'This,
friend, is the extent to which I, too, have entered & dwell in this Dhamma,
having realized it for myself through direct knowledge.'
"'It
is a gain for us, my friend, a great gain for us, that we have such a companion
in the holy life. So the Dhamma I declare I have entered & dwell in, having
realized it for myself through direct knowledge, is the Dhamma you declare you
have entered & dwell in, having realized it for yourself through direct
knowledge. And the Dhamma you declare you have entered & dwell in, having
realized it for yourself through direct knowledge, is the Dhamma I declare I
have entered & dwell in, having realized it for myself through direct
knowledge. The Dhamma I know is the Dhamma you know; the Dhamma you know is the
Dhamma I know. As I am, so are you; as you are, so am I. Come friend, let us
now lead this community together.'
"In
this way did Alara Kalama, my teacher, place me, his pupil, on the same level
with himself and pay me great honor. But the thought occurred to me, 'This
Dhamma leads not to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to stilling,
to direct knowledge, to Awakening, nor to Unbinding, but only to reappearance
in the sphere of nothingness.' So, dissatisfied with that Dhamma, I left.
"In
search of what might be skillful, seeking the unexcelled state of sublime
peace, I went to Uddaka Ramaputta and, on arrival, said to
him: 'Friend Uddaka, I want to practice in this doctrine & discipline.'
"When
this was said, he replied to me, 'You may stay here, my friend. This doctrine
is such that a wise person can soon enter & dwell in his own teacher's
knowledge, having realized it for himself through direct knowledge.'
"It
was not long before I quickly learned the doctrine. As far as mere lip-reciting
& repetition, I could speak the words of knowledge, the words of the
elders, and I could affirm that I knew & saw -- I, along with others.
"I
thought: 'It wasn't through mere conviction alone that Rama declared, "I
have entered & dwell in this Dhamma, having realized it for myself through
direct knowledge." Certainly he dwelled knowing & seeing this Dhamma.'
So I went to Uddaka and said, 'To what extent did Rama declare that he had
entered & dwelled in this Dhamma?' When this was said, Uddaka declared the
sphere of neither perception nor non-perception.
"I
thought: 'Not only did Rama have conviction, persistence, mindfulness,
concentration, & discernment. I, too, have conviction, persistence,
mindfulness, concentration, & discernment. What if I were to endeavor to
realize for myself the Dhamma that Rama declared he entered & dwelled in,
having realized it for himself through direct knowledge.' So it was not long
before I quickly entered & dwelled in that Dhamma, having realized it for
myself through direct knowledge. I went to Uddaka and said, 'Friend Uddaka, is
this the extent to which Rama entered & dwelled in this Dhamma, having
realized it for himself through direct knowledge?'
"'Yes,
my friend...'
"'This,
friend, is the extent to which I, too, have entered & dwell in this Dhamma,
having realized it for myself through direct knowledge.'
"'It
is a gain for us, my friend, a great gain for us, that we have such a companion
in the holy life. So the Dhamma Rama declared he entered & dwelled in,
having realized it for himself through direct knowledge, is the Dhamma you
declare you have entered & dwell in, having realized it for yourself
through direct knowledge. And the Dhamma you declare you have entered & dwell
in, having realized it for yourself through direct knowledge, is the Dhamma
Rama declared he entered & dwelled in, having realized it for himself
through direct knowledge. The Dhamma he knew is the Dhamma you know; the Dhamma
you know is the Dhamma he knew. As he was, so are you; as you are, so was he.
Come friend, lead this community.'
"In
this way did Uddaka Ramaputta, my companion in the holy life, place me in the
position of teacher and pay me great honor. But the thought occurred to me,
'This Dhamma leads not to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to
stilling, to direct knowledge, to Awakening, nor to Unbinding, but only to
reappearance in the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception.' So,
dissatisfied with that Dhamma, I left.
"In
search of what might be skillful, seeking the unexcelled state of sublime
peace, I wandered by stages in the Magadhan country and came to the military
town of Uruvela. There I saw some delightful countryside, with an inspiring
forest grove, a clear-flowing river with fine, delightful banks, and villages
for alms-going on all sides. The thought occurred to me: 'How delightful is
this countryside, with its inspiring forest grove, clear-flowing river with
fine, delightful banks, and villages for alms-going on all sides. This is just
right for the striving of a clansman intent on striving.' So I sat down right
there, thinking, 'This is just right for striving.'
"Then
these three similes -- spontaneous, never before heard -- appeared to me. Suppose there were a wet, sappy piece of timber lying in the
water, and a man were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll
light a fire. I'll produce heat.' Now what do you think? Would he be able to
light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the wet, sappy
timber lying in the water?"
"No,
Master Gotama. Why is that? Because the timber is wet & sappy, and besides
it is lying in the water. Eventually the man would reap only his share of
weariness & disappointment."
"So
it is with any priest or contemplative who does not live withdrawn from
sensuality in body & mind, and whose desire, infatuation, urge, thirst,
& fever for sensuality is not relinquished & stilled within him:
Whether or not he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings due to his striving
[for Awakening], he is incapable of knowledge, vision, & unexcelled
self-awakening. This was the first simile -- spontaneous, never before heard --
that appeared to me.
"Then
a second simile -- spontaneous, never before heard -- appeared to me. Suppose
there were a wet, sappy piece of timber lying on land far from water, and a man
were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll light a fire. I'll
produce heat.' Now what do you think? Would he be able to light a fire and
produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the wet, sappy timber lying on
land far from water?"
"No,
Master Gotama. Why is that? Because the timber is wet & sappy, even though
it is lying on land far from water. Eventually the man would reap only his
share of weariness & disappointment."
"So
it is with any priest or contemplative who lives withdrawn from sensuality in
body only, but whose desire, infatuation, urge, thirst, & fever for
sensuality is not relinquished & stilled within him: Whether or not he feels
painful, racking, piercing feelings due to his striving, he is incapable of
knowledge, vision, & unexcelled self-awakening. This was the second simile
-- spontaneous, never before heard -- that appeared to me.
"Then
a third simile -- spontaneous, never before heard -- appeared to me. Suppose
there were a dry, sapless piece of timber lying on land far from water, and a
man were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll light a fire.
I'll produce heat.' Now what do you think? Would he be able to light a fire and
produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the dry, sapless timber lying
on land?"
"Yes,
Master Gotama. Why is that? Because the timber is dry & sapless, and
besides it is lying on land far from water."
"So
it is with any priest or contemplative who lives withdrawn from sensuality in
body & mind, and whose desire, infatuation, urge, thirst, & fever for
sensuality is relinquished & stilled within him: Whether or not he feels
painful, racking, piercing feelings due to his striving, he is capable of
knowledge, vision, & unexcelled self-awakening. This was the third simile
-- spontaneous, never before heard -- that appeared to me.
"I
thought: 'Suppose that I, clenching my teeth and pressing my tongue against the
roof of my mouth, were to beat down, constrain, & crush my mind with my
awareness.' So, clenching my teeth and pressing my tongue against the roof of
my mouth, I beat down, constrained, & crushed my mind with my awareness.
Just as a strong man, seizing a weaker man by the head or the throat or the
shoulders, would beat him down, constrain, & crush him, in the same way I
beat down, constrained, & crushed my mind with my awareness. As I did so,
sweat poured from my armpits. And although tireless persistence was aroused in
me, and unmuddled mindfulness established, my body was aroused & uncalm
because of the painful exertion. But the painful feeling that arose in this way
did not invade my mind or remain.
"I
thought: 'Suppose I were to become absorbed in the trance of non-breathing.' So
I stopped the in-breaths & out-breaths in my nose & mouth. As I did so,
there was a loud roaring of winds coming out my earholes, just
like the loud roar of winds coming out of a smith's bellows... So I stopped
the in-breaths & out-breaths in my nose & mouth & ears. As I did
so, extreme forces sliced through my head, just as if a strong
man were slicing my head open with a sharp sword... Extreme pains arose in my
head, just as if a strong man were tightening a turban made
of tough leather straps around my head... Extreme forces carved up my stomach
cavity, just as if a butcher or his apprentice were to carve up the stomach
cavity of an ox... There was an extreme burning in my body, just as if two
strong men, grabbing a weaker man by the arms, were to roast & broil him
over a pit of hot embers. And although tireless persistence was aroused in me,
and unmuddled mindfulness established, my body was aroused & uncalm because
of the painful exertion. But the painful feeling that arose in this way did not
invade my mind or remain.
"Devas,
on seeing me, said, 'Gotama the contemplative is dead.' Other devas said, 'He
isn't dead, he's dying.' Others said, 'He's neither dead nor dying, he's an
arahant, for this is the way arahants live.'
"I
thought: 'Suppose I were to practice going altogether without food.' Then devas
came to me and said, 'Dear sir, please don't practice going altogether without
food. If you go altogether without food, we'll infuse divine nourishment in
through your pores, and you will survive on that.' I thought, 'If I were to
claim to be completely fasting while these devas are infusing divine
nourishment in through my pores, I would be lying.' So I dismissed them,
saying, 'Enough.'
"I
thought: 'Suppose I were to take only a little food at a time, only a handful
at a time of bean soup, lentil soup, vetch soup, or pea soup.' So I took only a
little food at a time, only handful at a time of bean soup, lentil soup, vetch
soup, or pea soup. My body became extremely emaciated. Simply from my eating so
little, my limbs became like the jointed segments of vine stems or bamboo
stems... My backside became like a camel's hoof... My spine stood out like a
string of beads... My ribs jutted out like the jutting rafters of an old,
run-down barn... The gleam of my eyes appeared to be sunk deep in my eye
sockets like the gleam of water deep in a well... My scalp shriveled &
withered like a green bitter gourd, shriveled & withered in the heat &
the wind... The skin of my belly became so stuck to my spine that when I
thought of touching my belly, I grabbed hold of my spine as well; and when I
thought of touching my spine, I grabbed hold of the skin of my belly as well...
If I urinated or defecated, I fell over on my face right there... Simply from
my eating so little, if I tried to ease my body by rubbing my limbs with my
hands, the hair -- rotted at its roots -- fell from my body as I rubbed, simply
from eating so little.
"People
on seeing me would say, 'Gotama the contemplative is black. Other people would
say, 'Gotama the contemplative isn't black, he's brown.' Others would say,
'Gotama the contemplative is neither black nor brown, he's golden-skinned. So
much had the clear, bright color of my skin deteriorated, simply from eating so
little.
"I
thought: 'Whatever priests or contemplatives in the past have felt painful,
racking, piercing feelings due to their striving, this is the utmost. None have
been greater than this. Whatever priests or contemplatives in the future will
feel painful, racking, piercing feelings due to their striving, this is the
utmost. None will be greater than this. Whatever priests or contemplatives in
the present are feeling painful, racking, piercing feelings due to their
striving, this is the utmost. None is greater than this. But with this racking
practice of austerities I haven't attained any superior human state, any
distinction in knowledge or vision worthy of the noble ones. Could there be
another path to Awakening?'
"I
thought: 'I recall once, when my father the Sakyan was working, and I was
sitting in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree, then -- quite withdrawn from
sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities -- I entered &
remained in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal,
accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. Could that be the path to
Awakening?' Then, following on that memory, came the realization: 'That is the
path to Awakening.' I thought: 'So why am I afraid of that pleasure that has
nothing to do with sensuality, nothing to do with unskillful mental qualities?'
I thought: 'I am no longer afraid of that pleasure that has nothing to do with
sensuality, nothing to do with unskillful mental qualities, but it is not easy
to achieve that pleasure with a body so extremely emaciated. Suppose I were to
take some solid food: some rice & porridge.' So I took some solid food:
some rice & porridge. Now five monks had been attending on me, thinking,
'If Gotama, our contemplative, achieves some higher state, he will tell us.'
But when they saw me taking some solid food -- some rice & porridge -- they
were disgusted and left me, thinking, 'Gotama the contemplative is living
luxuriously. He has abandoned his exertion and is backsliding into abundance.'
"So
when I had taken solid food and regained strength, then -- quite withdrawn from
sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities, I entered &
remained in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal,
accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. But the pleasant feeling that
arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain. With the stilling of
directed thought & evaluation, I entered & remained in the second
jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free
from directed thought & evaluation -- internal assurance. But the pleasant
feeling that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain. With the
fading of rapture I remained in equanimity, mindful & alert, and physically
sensitive of pleasure. I entered & remained in the third jhana, of which the
Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.'
But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did not invade my mind or
remain. With the abandoning of pleasure & pain -- as with the earlier
disappearance of elation & distress -- I entered & remained in the
fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor
pain. But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did not invade my mind or
remain.
"When
the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of
defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, & attained to imperturbability, I
directed it to the knowledge of recollecting my past lives. I recollected my
manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two... five, ten... fifty, a hundred, a
thousand, a hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of
cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion: 'There I had
such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food,
such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing
away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged
to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of
pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose
here.' Thus I remembered my manifold past lives in their modes & details.
"This
was the first knowledge I attained in the first watch of the night. Ignorance
was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed; light arose -- as
happens in one who is heedful, ardent, & resolute. But the pleasant feeling
that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain.
"When
the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of
defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, & attained to imperturbability, I
directed it to the knowledge of the passing away & reappearance of beings.
I saw -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human --
beings passing away & re-appearing, and I discerned how they are inferior
& superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance
with their kamma: 'These beings -- who were endowed with bad conduct of body,
speech, & mind, who reviled the noble ones, held wrong views and undertook
actions under the influence of wrong views -- with the break-up of the body,
after death, have re-appeared in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination,
the lower realms, in hell. But these beings -- who were endowed with good
conduct of body, speech & mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held
right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views -- with
the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good
destinations, in the heavenly world.' Thus -- by means of the divine eye,
purified & surpassing the human -- I saw beings passing away &
re-appearing, and I discerned how they are inferior & superior, beautiful
& ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma.
"This
was the second knowledge I attained in the second watch of the night. Ignorance
was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed; light arose -- as
happens in one who is heedful, ardent, & resolute. But the pleasant feeling
that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain.
"When
the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of
defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, & attained to imperturbability, I
directed it to the knowledge of the ending of the mental fermentations. I
discerned, as it was actually present, that 'This is stress... This is the
origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way
leading to the cessation of stress... These are fermentations... This is the
origination of fermentations... This is the cessation of fermentations... This
is the way leading to the cessation of fermentations.' My heart, thus knowing,
thus seeing, was released from the fermentation of sensuality, released from
the fermentation of becoming, released from the fermentation of ignorance. With
release, there was the knowledge, 'Released.' I discerned that 'Birth is ended,
the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this
world.'
"This
was the third knowledge I attained in the third watch of the night. Ignorance
was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness was destroyed; light arose -- as
happens in one who is heedful, ardent, & resolute. But the pleasant feeling
that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain."
...
|