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Translated
from the Pali by I.B. Horner.
For free distribution only.
From Taming the Mind: Discourses of the Buddha (WH
51), edited by the Buddhist Publication Society, (Kandy: Buddhist
Publication Society, 1983). Copyright ©1983 Buddhist Publication Society. Used
with permission.
Thus
have I heard: At one time the Lord was staying near Rajagaha in the Bamboo
Grove at the squirrels' feeding place. Now at that time the novice Aciravata was staying in the Forest Hut.1 Then prince Jayasena,2 who was always pacing up and down,
always roaming about on foot, approached the novice Aciravata; having approached
he exchanged greetings with the novice Aciravata; having exchanged greetings of
friendliness and courtesy, he sat down at a respectful distance. While he was
sitting down at a respectful distance, Prince Jayasena spoke thus to the novice
Aciravata:
"I
have heard, good Aggivessana, that if a monk is abiding here diligent, ardent,
self-resolute, he may attain one-pointedness of mind."
"That
is so, prince; that is so, prince. A monk abiding here diligent, ardent,
self-resolute, may attain one-pointedness of mind."
"It
were good if the reverend Aggivessana were to teach me dhamma as he has
heard it, as he has mastered it."
"I,
prince, am not able to teach you dhamma as I have heard it, as I have
mastered it. Now, if I were to teach you dhamma as I have heard it, as I
have mastered it, and if you could not understand the meaning of what I said,
that would be weariness to me, that would be a vexation to me."
"Let
the reverend Aggivessana teach me dhamma as he has heard it, as he has
mastered it. Perhaps I could understand the meaning of what the good
Aggivessana says."
"If
I were to teach you dhamma, prince, as I have heard it, as I have
mastered it, and if you were to understand the meaning of what I say, that
would be good; if you should not understand the meaning of what I say, you must
remain as you are: you must not question me further on the matter."
"Let
the reverend Aggivessana teach me dhamma as he has heard it, as he has
mastered it. If I understand the meaning of what the good Aggivessana says, that
will be good; if I do not understand the meaning of what the good Aggivessana
says, I will remain as I am; I will not question the reverend Aggivessana
further on this matter."
Then
the novice Aciravata taught dhamma to Prince Jayasena as he had heard it,
as he had mastered it. When this had been said, Prince Jayasena spoke thus to
the novice Aciravata:
"This
is impossible, good Aggivessana, it cannot come to pass that a monk abiding
diligent, ardent, self-resolute, should attain one-pointedness of mind."
Then Prince Jayasena, having declared to the novice Aciravata that this was
impossible and could not come to pass, rising from his seat, departed.
And
soon after Prince Jayasena had departed, the novice Aciravata approached the
Lord; having approached and greeted the Lord, he sat down at a respectful
distance. As he was sitting down at a respectful distance, the novice Aciravata
told the Lord the whole of the conversation he had with Prince Jayasena as far
as it had gone. When this had been said, the Lord spoke thus to the novice
Aciravata:
"What is the good of that, Aggivessana? That Prince Jayasena,
living as he does in the midst of sense-pleasures, enjoying sense-pleasures,
being consumed by thoughts of sense-pleasures, burning with the fever of sense-pleasures,
eager in the search for sense-pleasures, should know or see or attain or
realize that which can be known by renunciation, seen by renunciation, attained
by renunciation, realized by renunciation -- such a situation does not exist.
It is as if, Aggivessana, among elephants or horses or oxen to be tamed, two
elephants, two horses or two oxen are well tamed, well trained, and two are not
tamed, not trained. What do you think about this, Aggivessana? Would these two
elephants or horses or oxen that were to be tamed and that were well tamed,
well trained -- would these on being tamed reach tamed capacity, would they,
being tamed, attain a tamed stage?"
"Yes,
revered sir."
"But
those two elephants or horses or oxen that were to be tamed but that were
neither tamed nor trained -- would these, not being tamed, attain a tamed stage
as do the two elephants or horses or oxen to be tamed that were well tamed,
well trained?"
"No,
revered sir."
"Even
so, Aggivessana, that Prince Jayasena, living as he does in the midst of
sense-pleasures... should know or see or attain or realize that which can be
known and realized by renunciation -- such a situation does not exist. It is as
if, Aggivessana, there were a great mountain slope near a village or a market-town
which two friends, coming hand in hand from that village or market-town might
approach; having approached the mountain slope one friend might remain at the
foot while the other might climb to the top. Then the friend standing at the
foot of the mountain slope might speak thus to the one standing on the top: 'My
dear, what do you see as you stand on the top of the mountain slope?' He might
reply: 'As I stand on the top of the mountain slope I, my dear, see delightful
parks, delightful woods, delightful stretches of level ground delightful
ponds.' But the other might speak thus: 'This is impossible, it cannot come to
pass, my dear, that, as you stand on the top of the mountain slope, you should
see . . . delightful ponds.' Then the friend who had been standing on top of
the mountain slope having come down to the foot and taken his friend by the
arm, making him climb to the top of the mountain slope and giving him a moment
in which to regain his breath, might speak to him thus: 'Now, my dear, what is
it that you see as you stand on the top of the mountain slope?' He might speak
thus: 'I, my dear, as I stand on the top of the mountain slope, see delightful
parks... delightful ponds.' He might speak thus: 'Just now, my dear, we
understood you to say: This is impossible, it cannot come to pass that, as you
stand on the top of the mountain slope, you should see delightful... ponds. But
now we understand you to say: 'I, my dear, as I stand on the top of the
mountain slope, see delightful parks... delightful ponds.' He might speak thus:
'That was because I, my dear, hemmed in by this great mountain slope, could not
see what was to be seen.'
"Even
so but to a still greater degree, Aggivessana, is Prince Jayasena hemmed in,
blocked, obstructed, enveloped by this mass of ignorance. Indeed, that Prince
Jayasena, living as he does in the midst of sense-pleasures, enjoying
sense-pleasures, being consumed by thoughts of sense-pleasures, eager in the
search for sense-pleasures, should know or see or attain or realize that which
can be known... seen... attained... realized by renunciation -- such a
situation does not exist. Had these two similes occurred to you, Aggivessana,
for Prince Jayasena, Prince Jayasena naturally would have acted in the manner
of one having trust in you."
"But
how could these two similes for Prince Jayasena have occurred to me, revered
sir, seeing that they are spontaneous, that is to say to the Lord, and have
never been heard before?"
"As,
Aggivessana, a noble anointed king addresses an elephant hunter saying; 'You,
good elephant hunter, mount the king's elephant and go into an elephant forest.
When you see a forest elephant, tie him to the neck of the king's elephant.'
And, Aggivessana, the elephant hunter having answered: 'Yes, sire,' in assent
to the noble anointed king, mounts the king's elephant and goes into an
elephant forest. Seeing a forest elephant, he ties him to the neck of the
king's elephant. So the king's elephant brings him out into the open. But,
Aggivessana, the forest elephant has this longing, that is to say for the
elephant forest. But in regard to him the elephant hunter tells the noble
anointed king that the forest elephant has got out into the open. The noble
anointed king then addresses an elephant tamer, saying: 'Come you, good elephant
tamer, tame the forest elephant by subduing his forest ways, by subduing his
forest memories, and aspirations and by subduing his distress, his fretting and
fever for the forest, by making him pleased with the villages and by
accustoming him to human ways.'
"And,
Aggivessana, the elephant tamer, having answered 'Yes, sire,' in assent to the
noble anointed king, driving a great post into the ground ties the forest
elephant to it by his neck so as to subdue his forest ways... and accustom him
to human ways. Then the elephant tamer addresses him with such words as are
gentle, pleasing to the ear, affectionate, going to the heart, urbane, pleasant
to the manyfolk, liked by the manyfolk. And, Aggivessana, the forest elephant,
on being addressed with words that are gentle... liked by the manyfolk,
listens, lends ear and bends his mind to learning. Next the elephant tamer
supplies him with grass-fodder and water. When, Aggivessana, the forest
elephant has accepted the grass-fodder and water from the elephant tamer, it
occurs to the elephant tamer: 'The king's elephant will now live.' Then the
elephant tamer makes him do a further task, saying: 'Take up, put down.' When,
Aggivessana the king's elephant is obedient to the elephant tamer and acts on
his instructions to take up and put down, then the elephant tamer makes him do
a further task, saying: 'Get up, sit down.' When, Aggivessana, the king's
elephant is obedient to the elephant tamer and acts on his instructions to get
up and sit down, then the elephant tamer makes him do a further task; known as
'standing your ground': he ties a shield to the great beast's trunk; a man
holding a lance is sitting on his neck, and men holding lances are standing
surrounding him on all sides; and the elephant tamer, holding a lance with a
long shaft, is standing in front. While he is doing the task of 'standing your
ground' he does not move a fore-leg nor does he move a hind-leg, nor does he
move the forepart of his body, nor does he move the hindpart of his body, nor
does he move his head, nor does he move an ear, nor does he move a tusk, nor
does he move his tail, nor does he move his trunk. A king's elephant is one who
endures blows of sword, axe, arrow, hatchet, and the resounding din of drum and
kettle-drum, conch and tam-tam, he is [like] purified gold purged of all its
dross and impurities, fit for a king, a royal possession and reckoned as a
kingly attribute.
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