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Translated
from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.
"Magandiya, suppose that there was a leper covered
with sores and infections, devoured by worms, picking the scabs off the
openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterizing his body over a pit of
glowing embers. His friends, companions, & relatives would take him to a
doctor. The doctor would concoct medicine for him, and thanks to the medicine
he would be cured of his leprosy: well & happy, free, master of himself,
going wherever he liked. Then suppose two strong men, having seized hold of him
by both arms, were to drag him to a pit of glowing embers. What do you think?
Wouldn't he twist his body this way & that?"
"Yes,
master Gotama. Why is that? The fire is painful to the touch, very hot &
scorching."
"Now
what do you think, Magandiya? Is the fire painful to the touch, very hot &
scorching, only now, or was it also that way before?"
"Both
now & before is it painful to the touch, very hot & scorching, master
Gotama. It's just that when the man was a leper covered with sores and
infections, devoured by worms, picking the scabs off the openings of his wounds
with his nails, his faculties were impaired, which was why, even though the
fire was actually painful to the touch, he had the skewed perception of
'pleasant.'"
"In
the same way, Magandiya, sensual pleasures in the past were painful to the touch,
very hot & scorching; sensual pleasures in the future will be painful to
the touch, very hot & scorching; sensual pleasures at present are painful
to the touch, very hot & scorching; but when beings are not free from
passion for sensual pleasures -- devoured by sensual craving, burning with
sensual fever -- their faculties are impaired, which is why, even though
sensual pleasures are actually painful to the touch, they have the skewed
perception of 'pleasant.'
"Now
suppose that there was a leper covered with sores & infections, devoured by
worms, picking the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails,
cauterizing his body over a pit of glowing embers. The more he cauterized his
body over the pit of glowing embers, the more disgusting, foul-smelling, &
putrid the openings of his wounds would become, and yet he would feel a modicum
of enjoyment & satisfaction because of the itchiness of his wounds. In the
same way, beings not free from passion for sensual pleasures -- devoured by
sensual craving, burning with sensual fever -- indulge in sensual pleasures.
The more they indulge in sensual pleasures, the more their sensual craving
increases and the more they burn with sensual fever, and yet they feel a
modicum of enjoyment & satisfaction dependent on the five strands of
sensuality.
"Now
what do you think, Magandiya? Have you ever seen or heard of a king or king's
minister -- enjoying himself, provided & endowed with the five strands of
sensual pleasure, without abandoning sensual craving, without removing sensual
fever -- who has dwelt or will dwell or is dwelling free from thirst, his mind
inwardly at peace?"
"No,
master Gotama."
"Very
good, Magandiya. Neither have I ever seen or heard of a king or king's minister
-- enjoying himself, provided & endowed with the five strands of sensual
pleasure, without abandoning sensual craving, without removing sensual fever --
who has dwelt or will dwell or is dwelling free from thirst, his mind inwardly
at peace. But whatever priests or contemplatives who have dwelt or will dwell
or are dwelling free from thirst, their minds inwardly at peace, all have done
so having realized -- as it actually is present -- the origination &
disappearance, the allure, the danger, & the escape from sensual pleasures,
having abandoned sensual craving and removed sensual fever."
Then
at that moment the Blessed One exclaimed,
Freedom
from disease: the foremost good fortune.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.
The eightfold: the foremost of paths
going to the
Deathless,
Secure.
When
this was said, Magandiya the wanderer said to the Blessed One, "It's
amazing, master Gotama. It's astounding, how this, too, is well-stated by
master Gotama: 'Freedom from disease: the foremost good fortune. Unbinding: the
foremost ease.' We have also heard this said by earlier wanderers in the
lineage of our teachers: 'Freedom from disease: the foremost good fortune.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.' This agrees with that."
"But
as for what you have heard said by earlier wanderers in the lineage of your
teachers, Magandiya -- 'Freedom from disease: the foremost good fortune.
Unbinding: the foremost ease' -- which freedom from disease is that, which
Unbinding?"
When
this was said, Magandiya the wanderer rubbed his own limbs with his hand.
"This is that freedom from disease, master Gotama," he said.
"This is that Unbinding. For I am now free from disease, happy, and
nothing afflicts me."
"Magandiya,
it's just as if there were a man blind from birth who couldn't
see black objects... white... blue... yellow... red... or pink objects; who
couldn't see even or uneven places, the stars, the sun, or the moon. He would
hear a man with good eyesight saying, 'How wonderful, good sirs, is a white
cloth -- beautiful, spotless, & clean.' He would go in search of something
white. Then another man would fool him with a grimy, oil-stained rag: 'Here, my
good man, is a white cloth -- beautiful, spotless, & clean.' The blind man
would take it and put it on. Having put it on, gratified, he would exclaim
words of gratification, 'How wonderful, good sirs, is a white cloth --
beautiful, spotless, & clean.' Now what do you think, Magandiya? When that
man blind from birth took the grimy, oil-stained rag and put it on; and, having
put it on, gratified, exclaimed words of gratification, 'How wonderful, good
sirs, is a white cloth -- beautiful, spotless, & clean': Did he do so
knowing & seeing, or out of faith in the man with good eyesight?"
"Of
course he did it not knowing & not seeing, master Gotama, but out of faith
in the man with good eyesight."
"In
the same way, Magandiya, the wanderers of other sects are blind & eyeless.
Without knowing freedom from disease, without seeing Unbinding, they still
speak this verse:
'Freedom
from disease: the foremost good fortune.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.'
"This
verse was stated by earlier worthy ones, fully self-awakened:
'Freedom
from disease: the foremost good fortune.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.
The eightfold: the foremost of paths
going to the
Deathless,
Secure.'
"But
now it has gradually become a verse of run-of-the-mill people.
"This
body, Magandiya, is a disease, a cancer, an arrow, painful, an affliction. And
yet you say, with reference to this body, which is a disease, a cancer, an
arrow, painful, an affliction: 'This is that freedom from disease, master
Gotama. This is that Unbinding,' for you don't have the noble vision with which
you would know freedom from disease and see Unbinding."
"I'm
convinced, master Gotama, that you can teach me the Dhamma in such a way that I
would know freedom from disease, that I would see Unbinding."
"Magandiya,
it's just as if there were a man blind from birth who couldn't see black
objects... white... blue... yellow... red... the sun or the moon. His friends,
companions, & relatives would take him to a doctor. The doctor would
concoct medicine for him, but in spite of the medicine his eyesight would not
appear or grow clear. What do you think, Magandiya? Would that doctor have
nothing but his share of weariness & disappointment?"
"Yes,
master Gotama."
"In
the same way, Magandiya, if I were to teach you the Dhamma -- 'This is that
freedom from disease; this is that Unbinding' -- and you on your part did not
know freedom from disease or see Unbinding, that would be wearisome for me;
that would be troublesome for me."
"I'm
convinced, master Gotama, that you can teach me the Dhamma in such a way that I
would know freedom from disease, that I would see Unbinding."
"Magandiya,
it's just as if there were a man blind from birth who couldn't see black
objects... white... blue... yellow... red... the sun or the moon. Now suppose
that a certain man were to take a grimy, oil-stained rag and fool him, saying,
'Here, my good man, is a white cloth -- beautiful, spotless, & clean.' The
blind man would take it and put it on.
"Then
his friends, companions, & relatives would take him to a doctor. The doctor
would concoct medicine for him: purges from above & purges from below,
ointments & counter-ointments and treatments through the nose. And thanks
to the medicine his eyesight would appear & grow clear. Then together with
the arising of his eyesight, he would abandon whatever passion & delight he
felt for that grimy, oil-stained rag. And he would regard that man as an enemy
& no friend at all, and think that he deserved to be killed. 'My gosh, how
long have I been fooled, cheated, & deceived by that man & his grimy,
oil-stained rag! -- "Here, my good man, is a white cloth -- beautiful,
spotless, & clean."'
"In
the same way, Magandiya, if I were to teach you the Dhamma -- 'This is that
freedom from Disease; this is that Unbinding' -- and you on your part were to
know that freedom from Disease and see that Unbinding, then together with the
arising of your eyesight you would abandon whatever passion & delight you
felt with regard for the five clinging-aggregates. And it would occur to you,
'My gosh, how long have I been fooled, cheated, & deceived by this mind!
For in clinging, it was just form that I was clinging to... it was just
feeling... just perception... just fabrications... just consciousness that I
was clinging to. With my clinging as a requisite condition, there arises
becoming... birth... aging & death... sorrow, lamentation, pains,
distresses, & despairs. And thus is the origin of this entire mass of
stress.'"
"I'm
convinced, master Gotama, that you can teach me the Dhamma in such a way that I
might rise up from this seat cured of my blindness."
"In
that case, Magandiya, associate with men of integrity. When you associate with
men of integrity, you will hear the true Dhamma. When you hear the true Dhamma,
you will practice the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma. When you practice
the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma, you will know & see for yourself:
'These things are diseases, cancers, arrows. And here is where diseases,
cancers, & arrows cease without trace. With the cessation of my clinging
comes the cessation of becoming. With the cessation of becoming comes the
cessation of birth. With the cessation of birth then aging & death, sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair all cease. Such is the cessation of
this entire mass of suffering & stress."
When
this was said, Magandiya the wanderer said, "Magnificent, Master Gotama!
Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal
what was hidden, to point out the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp
into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has
Master Gotama -- through many lines of reasoning -- made the Dhamma clear. I go
to Master Gotama for refuge, to the Dhamma, & to the community of monks.
Let me obtain the going forth in Master Gotama's presence, let me obtain
admission."
"Anyone,
Magandiya, who has previously belonged to another sect and who desires the
going forth & admission in this doctrine & discipline, must first
undergo probation for four months. If, at the end of four months, the monks
feel so moved, they give him the going forth & admit him to the monk's
state. But I know distinctions among individuals in this matter."
"Master
Gotama, if anyone who has previously belonged to another sect and desires the
going forth & admission in this doctrine & discipline must first
undergo probation for four months; and if, at the end of four months, the monks
feel so moved, they give him the going forth & admit him to the monk's
state; then I am willing to undergo probation for four years. If, at the end of
four years, the monks feel so moved, let them give me the going forth &
admit me to the monk's state."
Then
Magandiya the wanderer received the going forth & the admission in the
Blessed One's presence. And not long after his admission -- dwelling alone,
secluded, heedful, ardent, & resolute -- he in no long time reached &
remained in the supreme goal of the holy life, for which clansmen rightly go
forth from home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for himself in
the here & now. He knew: "Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the
task done. There is nothing further for the sake of this world." And thus
Ven. Magandiya became another one of the Arahants.
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