Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saṃyutta
3. Dasa-Balā Vagga
Sutta 22
Dutiya Dasa-Balā Suttaṃ
Ten Powers (2)
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.
There then The Lucky Man addressed the beggars, saying:
"Beggars!"
And the beggars responding "Bhante!"
The Lucky Man said this to them:
It is through having ten powers, beggars,
and through having four perfections in wisdom
that the Tathāgata
takes the bull's place,
roars the lion's roar
in assemblies,
rolls the Brahma wheel,
saying:
Here is form,
here is the self-arising of form,
here is the extinction of form.
Here is sense-experience,
here is the self-arising of sense-experience,
here is the extinction of sense-experience.
Here is perception,
here is the self-arising of perception,
here is the extinction of perception.
Here is own-making,
here is the self-arising of own-making,
here is the extinction of own-making.
Here is consciousness,
here is the self-arising of consciousness,
here is the extinction of consciousness.
Here,
this being
that becomes.
From the arising of this
the becoming of that.
This not being
that does not become.
This ending
that comes to an end.
That is to say:
Rebounding off blindness, beggars,
own-making
rebounding off own-making,
consciousness
rebounding off consciousness,
named-form
rebounding off named-form,
the six-realms
rebounding off the six-realms,
touch
rebounding off touch,
sensation
rebounding off sensation,
thirst
rebounding off thirst,
bind-ups
rebounding off bind-ups,
existence
rebounding off existence,
birth
rebounding off birth,
aging and death
grief and lamentation
pain and misery
and despair
become one's own.
Even thus
is the self-arising
of this pile of pain
made to be.
But the remainderless dispassionate ending of blindness,
ends own-making;
ending own-making
ends consciousness;
ending consciousness
ends named form;
ending named form
ends the six realms;
ending the six realms
ends touch;
ending touch
ends sensation;
ending sensation
ends hunger/thirst;
ending thirst
ends bind-ups;
ending bind-ups
ends existence;
ending existence
ends birth;
ending birth
ends aging and death,
grief and lamentation
pain and misery,
and despair.
Even thus
is the ending of the self-arising
of this pile of pain
made to be.
§
Thus, beggars,
is my Dhamma
well shown,
laid out,
opened up,
explained,
tailored to fit.[1]
My Dhamma, beggars,
being thus
well shown,
laid out,
opened up,
explained,
tailored to fit,
it is enough
for the son of a good family
gone forth out of faith
to exert energy
vowing:
'With pleasure but that
skin, and
sinews, and
bones
be left
the flesh and blood
of the body
dry up
before the energy is gone
which a man
through development of this emaciated body,
can by the vitality of man
by what can be done by a man
win what can be won.[2]
Indeed painful, beggars,
is the life of the lazy
full of bad unskillful things.
And great
the good
that is lost.
Pleasant, beggars,
is the life of the energetic
separated from bad unskillful things.
And great
the good
that is gained.
Not, beggars, by the low
is the winning of the high to be had,
by the high
is the winning of the high to be had.
To be drunk like cream, beggars,
is the best of lives.
The Master has come to you
face to face,
therefore, beggars,
set going energy
to attain the unattained,
to get what has not been got,
to realize the as yet unrealized,
thinking:
'Thus will our going forth
not be barren
but yield bountifully,
our essentials of
robes,
alms bowl,
lodging, and
medicine for use during sickness
becoming of great fruit
of great advantage.'
Even so, beggars,
should you train yourselves.
Indeed, beggars,
considering one's own position
it is enough to not be careless
in striving.
Indeed, beggars,
considering another's position
it is enough to not be careless
in striving.
Indeed, beggars,
considering the positions of both
it is enough to not be careless
in striving.
[1] Chinna-püotiko, Mrs. Rhys Davids "stripped of its swathings" which I think is also very descriptive.
