Pāḷi English Dictionary
Sutta SearchAṅguttara Nikāya
IX. Navaka Nipāta
II. Sīhanāda Vagga
The Book of Nines
Sutta 18
Nav'Aṅg'Uposatha Suttaṃ
The Nine Characteristics of Uposatha
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time
in Sāvātthi-town.
"Observed, possessed of
nine characteristics,[1] beggars, Uposatha[2]
is of great fruit,
great advantage,
great splendour,
great expanse.
And what, beggars,
are the nine characteristics
possessed of which
Uposatha is of great fruit
great advantage
great splendour
great expanse?
Here, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
lets go of harm to
breathing beings.
Abstaining from
destruction of life,
ashamed,
showing kindness,
he puts down the stick,
he puts down the knife, and
lives with
friendliness and compasssion
towards all breathing beings.
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
abstain from
destruction of life,
ashamed,
showing kindness,
putting down the stick,
putting down the knife, and
and living with
friendliness and compasssion
towards all breathing beings.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the first characteristic
possessed.
In this case, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
lets go of taking what has not been given.
Abstaining from
taking what has not been given
hoping only for what is given, and
not taking the grasped-after,
he lives clean,
unguarded.
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
abstain from
taking what has not been given
hoping only for what is given, and
not taking the grasped-after,
live clean,
unguarded.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the second characteristic
possessed.
In this case, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
lets go of not living the best of lives.
Living the best of lives
he lives well apart from
sexual intercourse
the village way.
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
live the best of lives
living well apart from
sexual intercourse
the village way.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the third characteristic
possessed.
In this case, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
lets go of saying things
that are not true.
Abstaining from
saying things
that are not true
speaking truth
given over to the truth
reliable
trustworthy
he breaks not his word
to the world.
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
abstain from
saying things
that are not true
speaking truth
given over to the truth
reliable
trustworthy
I will breaks not my word
to the world.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the fourth characteristic
possessed.
In this case, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
lets go of whiskies,
wines —
any substance
that is the basis of
careless behavior.[3]
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
abstain from
whiskies,
wines —
any substance
that is the basis of
careless behavior.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the fifth characteristic
possessed.
In this case, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
eats one meal a day
doing without nourishment
at night.[4]
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
eat one meal a day
doing without nourishment
at night.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the sixth characteristic
possessed.
In this case, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
gives up going to places
where there is
dancing,
singing,
instramental music,
watching
contortionists, and
off-color acts,
the scent of perfume,
the wearing of
finery, and
adornments.[5]
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
give up going to places
where there is
dancing,
singing,
instramental music,
watching
contortionists, and
off-color acts,
the scent of perfume,
the wearing of
finery, and
adornments.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the seventh characteristic
possessed.
In this case, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
reflects:
'Life-long the Arahant
gives up high and grand beds.
Abstaining from
the use of high and grand beds,
I, just for now,
this night, and
this day, will
abstain from
the use of a high and grand bed, and
make use of a humble bed, or
a heap of straw.
I will observe Uposatha
following the example of this characteristic
of the arahant.'
This is the eighth characteristic
possessed.
Then, beggars,
the student of the aristocrats
lives pervading the first direction[6]
lives pervading the second direction,
lives pervading the third direction,
lives pervading the fourth direction,
with a heart of friendliness.
Thus
above,
below,
on this level,
he lives pervading
the entire world,
everything,
everywhere,
with a heart of friendliness,
large,
got great,
boundless,
without hostility,
free from oppression.
This is the ninth characteristic
possessed.
"And thus observed, possessed of
nine characteristics, beggars, Uposatha
is of great fruit,
great advantage,
great splendour,
great expanse.
[1] aṅgehi Angle, limb. It initially refered to the thumb or elbow when bent at an angle.
[2] Uposatha PED: "At the time of the rise of Buddhism the word had come to mean the day preceding four stages of the moon's waxing and waning, viz. 1st, 8th, 15th, 23d nights of the lunar month that is to say, a weekly sacred day, a Sabbath. [Vedic upavasatha, the eve of the Soma sacrifice, day of preparation]." In order to enhance the experience of many drugs, the ancients often employed a period of fasting and quietude befor their use. The presumption here is that the same sort of preparitory period is useful for enhancing the understanding of Dhamma.
[3] Surā-mera-yamajja-pamā-daṭṭhānaṃ. The simplest way to think of this is to remember that the goal of this system (to let go of kamma-causing acts resulting in rebirth in saṃsara and the pain that accompanies that) is to give up everything connected to the senses. The obvious intent here is to construct a comprehensive list. Futile!
surā PED: spirituous (intoxicating) liquor ("drink"); Five kinds of surā are mentioned, viz. piṭṭha° (from flour), pūva° (cooked up), odana° (odaniya°) (from rice-gruel), kiṇṇa-pakkhitta° (fermented with added yeast), sambhāra-saṃyutta° (concocted from various ingredients);
mera PED: "a sort of intoxicating liquor, spirits, rum;" Wines; made from flowers, roots, honey, sugar, mollasses or combinations thereof;
yamajja ya = whatever + majja whatever intoxicates; Intoxicants are defined in the suttas as substances that result in careless behavior, specifically to be careless, slothful, negligent; to neglect, waste one's time.;
pamā PED: to become intoxicated;
daṭṭhānaṃ the grounds for.
[4] This is generally believed to mean eating (once or twice) from sunrise to noon. But night was understood at the time to mean noon to midnight. Also the practice has been subjected to contortions via clever use of the idea of medication and other inventions constructed to evade the basic idea which is to behave in a way consistant with the idea that the bhikkhu is a beggar and should not be troubling people or attempting to possess or obtain anything that is not essential.
[5] nacca-gīta-vādita-visūka-dassana-mālā-gandha-vilepana-dhāraṇa-maṇḍana-vibhusana-ṭ-ṭhānā One compound! All meanings from PED.
nacca- dancing
gīta- singing
vādita- instramental music
visūka- restless motion, wriggling, twisting, twitching
dassana- watching
mālā- anything impure, stain (literal and figurative), dirt
gandha- odour, smell, scent
vilepana- ointment, cosmetic, toilet perfume
dhāraṇa- wearing
maṇḍana- ornament, adornment, finery
vibhusana- adornment
ṭ-ṭhānā = location.
[6] That is, East: with the 2nd being West, the 3rd, South, the fourth North. Maybe. Apparently this order is not consistant throughout the suttas.
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