Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saṃyutta
9. Thera Vagga
Sutta 84
Tissa Suttaṃ
Tissa
[Abridged]
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
[1][pts][than][bodh] I Hear Tell:
Once Upon a Time, the Lucky Man,
Sāvatthi Town,
Anāthapiṇḍika Park
came-a ReVisiting,
and at that time BrokeTooth Tissa,
Gotama's cousin
said this to a number of Beggars:
"Truth is, my friends,
its like my body is drugged,
the four directions are dim,
and the Dhamma is confusing to me.
Lazy Ways and Inertia overpower my Mind
and I am without Enthusiasm for the life.
I fear I am falling away."
At that, a number of those Beggars
went to The Lucky Man,
greeted him with closed palms,
and, sitting to one side, said:
"Bhaggava, BrokeTooth Tissa,
the Bhaggava's cousin
has said this:
'Truth is, my friends,
its like my body is drugged,
the four directions are dim,
and the Dhamma is confusing to me.
Lazy ways and inertia overpower my mind
and I am without enthusiasm for the Life.
I fear I am falling away.'"
So then the Lucky Man motioned to a certain Beggar:
"Come, Beggar,
go to Beggar Tissa and invite him,
saying:
'Friend Tissa, The Master wishes to speak with you.'"
"Yes BrokeTooth!" replied that Beggar,
and going to BrokeTooth Tissa, he said:
"Friend Tissa, the Master wishes to speak with you."
"So be it, Beggar!" said Tissa,
and coming to the Lucky Man,
greeted him with closed palms
and sat to one side.
So sitting, the Lucky Man said this to Tissa:
"Is it true, Tissa?
They say you said:
'Truth is, my friends,
its like my body is drugged,
the four directions are dim,
and the Dhamma is confusing to me.
Lazy ways and inertia overpower my mind
and I am without enthusiasm for the life.
I fear I am falling away.'"
"It is true, Bhagava."
"In that case, Tissa,
what do you think?
In form associated with lust,
associated with wanting,
associated with love,
associated with thirst,
associated with passion,
associated with (hunger),
is such form subject to setbacks and reversals,
grief and lamentation,
pain and misery?"
"It is that, Bhagava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
And is it not the same with perception,
sense experience,
the personal world,
and consciousness?"
[Text is abridged here, and mixes up the order.]"
"It is that, Bhagava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
So then, Tissa, what do you think?
In form,
free from lust,
free from wanting,
free from love,
free from thirst,
free from passion,
free from hunger,
is such form subject to setbacks and reversals,
grief and lamentation,
pain and misery?"
"It is not, Bhagava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
And is it not the same with perception,
sense experience,
the personal world,
and consciousness?"
"It is that, Bhagava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
So then, Tissa, what do you think?
Is form unchanging or changeable?"
"Changeable, Bhagava."
"And how is it with perception,
sense experience,
the personal world
and consciousness?
Unchangeable or changeable?"
"Changeable, Bhagava."
"So seeing, Tissa,
the well tamed,
well trained,
well educated student of the Aristocrats
disassociates from form,
disassociates from perception,
disassociates from sense experience,
disassociates from a world of his own,
disassociates from consciousness.
Disassociated, he does not Lust after it.
Not lusting after it, he is freed.
In freedom he sees freedom.
In freedom seeing freedom he knows:
'I am Free!'
and has penetrating knowledge that:
'Rebirth has been left behind.
Lived is the best life.
Done is duty's doing.
No more being any kind of an "it" at any place of being "at" for me!'
Imagine, Tissa, two men:
one unskilled about the way,
and the other skilled as to the way.
The one who is unskilled
asks directions of the one who is skilled.
The one skilled as to the way answers:
'This is the way, Good Man:
Go on a little further on this way,
and when you see the way divide,
leave the left hand way
and take the right hand way.
Go on a little further on this way,
and you will come to a deep forest.
Keep going on a little further on this way
and you will come to a swamp.
Keep going on a little further on this way
and you will come to a cliff.
Keep going on a little further on this way
and you will reach a pleasant patch of high ground.
This, Tissa, is the meaning of the parable I have devised:
By 'one unskilled about the way' is meant, the untamed, untrained, uneducated common man.
By 'one Skilled as to the way' is meant the Tathāgata, Arahato Sammā-sambuddhassa.
By 'seeing the way divide' is meant doubt.
'The left hand way' means the way contrary to the way.
'The right hand way' is a name for The Aristocratic Multidimensional Way, that is:
High Views,
High Principles,
High Talk,
High Works,
High Lifestyle,
High Self Control,
High Mind, and
High Serenity.
The 'deep forest' is a name for blindness.
The 'swamp' is a name for desire.
The 'cliff' is a name for dashed-hope-anger.
'A pleasant patch of high ground,' is a name for Nibbāna.
Be well, Tissa!
Be well, Tissa!
I have instructed you.
I have assisted you.
I have spoken to you."
Thus spake the Bhagava
and the BrokeTooth Tissa was given peace of mind
and made happy
as a consequence of what the Bhagava said.
