Majjhima Nikāya
3. Upari Paṇṇāsa
4. Vibhaṇga Vagga
Sutta 131
Bhadd'Eka-Ratta Suttaṃ
One Lucky Day
Being a Translation of the verses
with
a brief summary of its analysis.
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
[1][pts][ntbb][than][upal] I Hear Tell:
Once Upon a Time, The Lucky Man, Sāvatthī-town
Anāthapiṇḍika's Jeta Grove,
came-a revisiting.
There, to the Beggars gathered round, he said:
Beggars!
And the beggars responding:
"Broke Tooth!"
Bhagava said:
"I will teach you, beggars the verses and the analysis of One Lucky Day.
Give ear!
Give your mind over to studious attention!
I will speak!"
And the beggars responding:
"Even so, Bhante!"
Bhagava said:
One Lucky Day[1]
Turn not again to what is past,
nor after futures hanker.
Let go the past,
and futures not yet come.
But do research
those things appearing here,
And taken not in, nor shaken by
what's found from man has sprung,
This Very Day in duty's doing, burning
for certain good; — for sure is death tomorrow;
No pacts are ever made
with Judgment's great battalions! —
Live you therefore ardent,
unremitting Night and Day,
If indeed you'd have it said: 'One Lucky Day
he became a sage at peace'.
■
[4][pts][nana][ntbb][than] And how beggars, is there turning again to what is past?
Thinking:
'Thus was my form in time past'
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Thus were my sense-experiences in time past'
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Thus were my perceptions in time past'
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Thus was my own-making in time past'
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Thus was my re-knowing-knowing-knowledge in time past'
and at such taking delight.
This then, beggars is turning again to what is past.
■
And how beggars, is there not turning again to what is past?
Though thinking:
'Thus was my form in time past'
at such taking no delight.
Though thinking:
'Thus were my sense-experiences in time past'
at such taking no delight.
Though thinking:
'Thus were my perceptions in time past'
at such taking no delight.
Though thinking:
'Thus was my own-making in time past'
at such taking no delight.
Though thinking:
'Thus was my re-knowing-knowing-knowledge in time past'
at such taking no delight.
This then, beggars is not turning again to what is past.
■
And what, beggars is hankering after the future?
Thinking:
'Let my form be thus in future time',
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Let my sense-experiences be thus in future time'
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Let my perceptions be thus in future time'
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Let my own-making be thus in future time'
and at such taking delight.
Thinking:
'Let my re-knowing-knowing-knowledge be thus in future time'
and at such taking delight.
This then, beggars is hankering after the future.
■
And what, beggars is not hankering after the future?
Though thinking:
'Let my form be thus in future time',
at such taking no delight.
Thinking:
'Let my sense-experiences be thus in future time'
at such taking no delight.
Thinking:
'Let my perceptions be thus in future time'
at such taking no delight.
Thinking:
'Let my own-making be thus in future time'
at such taking no delight.
Thinking:
'Let my re-knowing-knowing-knowledge be thus in future time'
at such taking no delight.
This then, beggars is not hankering after the future?
■
And how, beggars, is there being taken in and shaken
by things of the present?
In the case of this case, Beggars,
we have the case of the untamed,
untrained,
uneducated
common man;
untamed to the discipline of the aristocrats,
untrained in the manners of the aristocrats,
uneducated to the teachings of the aristocrats,
untamed to the ways of the good man,
untrained in the craft of the good man,
uneducated in the lore of the good man,
he regards form as the self, or,
he regards the self as having form, or,
he regards form as an aspect of self, or,
he regards self as an aspect of form; or,
he regards sense experience as the self, or,
he regards the self as having sense experience, or,
he regards sense experience as an aspect of self, or,
he regards self as an aspect of sense experience; or,
he regards perception as the self, or,
he regards the self as having perception, or,
he regards perception as an aspect of self, or,
he regards self as an aspect of perception; or,
he regards own-making as the self, or,
he regards the self as having own-making, or,
he regards own-making as an aspect of self, or,
he regards self as an aspect of own-making; or,
he regards re-knowing-knowing-knowledge as the self, or,
he regards the self as having re-knowing-knowing-knowledge, or,
he regards re-knowing-knowing-knowledge as an aspect of self, or,
he regards self as an aspect of re-knowing-knowing-knowledge.
This is how, beggars, there is being taken in and shaken
by things of the present.
■
And how, beggars, is there not being taken in and shaken by things of the present?
In the case of this case, Beggars,
we have the case of the well tamed,
well trained,
well educated
student of the aristocrats;
well tamed to the discipline of the aristocrats,
well trained in the manners of the aristocrats,
well educated to the teachings of the aristocrats,
well tamed to the ways of the good man,
well trained in the craft of the good man,
well educated in the lore of the good man,
he does not regard form as the self, or,
he does not regard the self as having form, or,
he does not regard form as an aspect of self, or,
he does not regard self as an aspect of form; or,
he does not regard sense experience as the self, or,
he does not regard the self as having sense experience, or,
he does not regard sense experience as an aspect of self, or,
he does not regard self as an aspect of sense experience; or,
he does not regard perception as the self, or,
he does not regard the self as having perception, or,
he does not regard perception as an aspect of self, or,
he does not regard self as an aspect of perception; or,
he does not regard own-making as the self, or,
he does not does not regards the self as having own-making, or,
he does not regard own-making as an aspect of self, or,
he does not regard self as an aspect of own-making; or,
he does not regard re-knowing-knowing-knowledge as the self, or,
he does not regard the self as having re-knowing-knowing-knowledge, or,
he does not regard re-knowing-knowing-knowledge as an aspect of self, or,
he does not regard self as an aspect of re-knowing-knowing-knowledge.
This is how, beggars, there is not being taken in and shaken by things of the present.
§
Turn not again to what is past,
nor after futures hanker.
Let go the past,
and futures not yet come.
But do research
those things appearing here,
And taken not in, nor shaken by
what's found from man has sprung,
This Very Day in duty's doing, burning
for certain good; — for sure is death tomorrow;
No pacts are ever made
with Judgment's great battalions! —
Live you therefore ardent,
unremitting Night and Day,
If indeed you'd have it said: 'One Lucky Day
he became a sage at peace'.
When, beggars, I said:
"I will teach you, beggars the verses and the analysis of One Lucky Night."
It was having this in mind that I said it."
So spoke the Lucky Man.
Pleased in mind,
these bhikkhus said:
"Wonderful!"
One Lucky Day
[1] Ratta = Night, the beginning of the Ancient Indian day. I don't buy the translation of this term as 'attachment'. First off, see verse five and then ponder the focus on the present day. Then, neither the verses nor the analysis hint of attachment as the subject. The idea, as I hear it, is that letting go of the past, not making plans for the future, one attends to the comprehension of the day at hand, cultivating insight into transience, pain and not-self through seeing its having been own-made and finding stability in such perception one is considered to have had a lucky day.
