Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XIII: Bhaya Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
XIII: Fears
Sutta 122
Udakoroha Bhaya Suttaṃ
The Wave[1]
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] Thus have I heard:
On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these four perils to be looked for
in him who goes down to the water.
What four?
Peril of waves,
peril of crocodiles,
peril of whirlpools,
and peril of sea-monsters.[2]
These are the four perils.
In like manner, monks, in some clansman here
who has gone forth from the home
to the homeless life
under this Dhamma-discipline
these four perils may be looked for.
What four?
Peril of waves,
peril of crocodiles,
peril of whirlpools
and peril of sea-monsters.
■
And of what sort, monks, is peril of waves?
In this case a certain clansman
who has in faith gone forth
from home to the homeless life,
thinks thus:
'Here am I, launched upon birth,
old age
and death,
on sorrow and grief,
woe,
lamentation
and despair,
launched upon Ill,
overwhelmed by Ill.
Maybe of all this mass of Ill
some ending may be shown.
To such an one who has thus[3] gone forth
his fellows in the God-life preach,
and admonish him,
saying:
'Thus should you retreat,
thus advance;
thus should you look forward
and backward,
bend or unbend (your arm);
thus should you bear outer robe
and bowl
and inner robe.'
Then it occurs to him:
'I who aforetime lived at home
was wont to preach to
and admonish others.
Yet these people,
who are to my thinking
no more than sons or grandsons,-
these people think that I am one to be preached to
and admonished.
Thus he, angered and offended,[4]
abandons the training
and turns back to the low life.
This one, monks, is called
'a monk who abandons the training
and turns back to the low life,
scared by the peril of waves.'
'Peril of the waves,' monks,
is a term for wrath and resentment.[5]
This is called
'peril of waves.'
■
[128] And of what sort, monks,
is peril of crocodiles?
In this case a certain clansman
has in faith gone forth
from the home to the homeless life.
He thinks thus:
'Here am I, launched upon birth,
old age and death,
on sorrow and grief,
woe,
lamentation
and despair,
launched upon Ill,
overwhelmed by Ill.
Maybe of all this mass of Ill
some ending may be shown.
To such an one
who has thus gone forth
his fellows in the God-life
preach and admonish him thus:
'You should eat this,
not that.
You should swallow[6] this,
not that.
You should taste this,
not that.
You should drink this,
not that.
You should eat,
swallow,
taste
and drink
what is fitting,
not what is unfitting.
You should eat,
swallow,
taste
and drink
at the proper,
not at the improper time.'
Then he thinks thus:
'I who aforetime lived at home
used to eat,
swallow,
taste
and drink
just what I liked,
and refused to eat,
swallow,
taste
and drink
what I did not like.
I used to eat,
swallow,
taste
and drink
both what was fitting
and unfitting,
and that too
whether the time was proper
or improper.
But now
when believing householders offer me choice food
both hard and soft
at an improper time,
methinks they are putting a bridle[7] on my mouth.
Thus he abandons the training
and turns back to the low life.
This one, monks, is called
'a monk who abandons the training
and turns back to the low life
because he is scared by the peril of crocodiles.'
'Peril of crocodiles,' monks,
is a term for gluttony.
This is called
'peril of crocodiles.'
■
And of what sort, monks,
is peril of whirlpools?
In this case a certain clansman[8]
has in faith gone forth
from home to the homeless life.
He thinks thus:
'Here am I launched upon birth,
old age and death,
on sorrow and grief,
woe,
lamentation
and despair,
launched upon Ill,
overwhelmed by Ill.
Maybe of all this mass of Ill
some ending may be shown.
He having thus gone forth,
robing himself in the forenoon
and taking bowl and robe,
sets out for village or township
to beg an alms,
with body unguarded,
with speech unguarded,
with thoughts unguarded,
with mind- [129] fullness not established,
with faculties uncontrolled.
Then he sees a housefather
or son of a housefather
indulging in,
provided with
and practising the five sense-pleasures.
Then he thinks thus:
'I too aforetime
when living at home
indulged in,
was provided with
and practised the five sense-pleasures.
Moreover
since wealth exists in my family,
I could enjoy it
and do good works therewith.
How now if I were to abandon the training,
turn back to the low life,
enjoy my wealth
and do good deeds therewith?
Accordingly he abandons the training,
turna back to the low life.
This one, monks, is called
'a monk who abandons the training
and turns back to the low life
because he is scared by the peril of whirlpools.'
'Peril of whirlpools,' monks,
is a term for the five sense-pleasures.
This, monks, is called
'peril of whirlpools.'
■
And what, monks, is the peril of sea-monsters?
In this case, monks, a certain clansman
who has in faith gone forth
from the home to the homeless life
thinks thus:
'Here am I launched upon birth,
old age and death,
on sorrow and grief,
woe,
lamentation
and despair,
launched upon Ill,
overwhelmed by Ill.
Maybe of all this mass of Ill
some ending may be shown.
He, having thus gone forth,
robes himself in the forenoon
and taking bowl and robe,
sets out for village or township
to beg an alms,
with body unguarded,
with speech unguarded,
with thoughts unguarded,
with mindfulness not established,
with faculties uncontrolled.
Then he sees womenfolk
partly clothed,
partly attired.
On seeing that sight
passion assails[9] his heart.
With heart assailed by passion
he abandons the training
and turns back to the low life.
This one, monks, is called
'a monk who, scared by the peril of sea-monsters,
abandons the training
and turns back to the low life.'
'Peril of sea-monsters,'
monks, is a term for womenfolk.
This, monks, is called
'peril of sea-monsters.'
So these, monks, are the four perils
to be looked for in some clansman here
who has rightly gone forth from home
to the homeless life under this Dhamma-discipline.'
[1] At M. i, 460 (Cātuma); Sisters, 174.
[2] Susukā. Cf. SA. i, 211. It is a big fish (Comy. caṇḍa-maccha) which makes a hissing sound (? sea-cow), not an alligator (as P.Dict.), which has already been mentioned. Cf. K.S. iv, 97 (The Ocean).
[3] Text should read tathā as on next page.
[4] Text should read anattamano.
[5] Sa-ummī. Cf. M. i, 360; It. 114, where the idea is that of swelling up.
[6] The difference between khādati and bhuñjati seems to be that between chewing, biting hard food and swallowing soft food. Just below our text reads khāyitaṃ for khāditaṃ (of M.).
[7] Mukhāvaraṇaṃ, lit. 'locking or bolting.'
[8] Text should read kulaputto.
[9] Anuddhaṃseti, at A. i, 266. Comy. expl. as paribhāsati, codeti.
