Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
8. Yodhājīva Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
VIII. The Warrior
Sutta 75
Paṭhama Yodhājīvūpama Suttaṃ
The Warrior (a)
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park;
and there he addressed the monks,
saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, these five kinds of warriors
are found in the world.
What five?
Monks, in one case there is the warrior who,
just at the sight of the cloud of dust,[1]
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,[2]
nor is able to go down to battle.[3]
Monks, there is here
this [73] sort of warrior.
This, monks, is the first kind of warrior
found in the world.
■
Again, though another endure (the sight of) the dust cloud,
just on seeing a standard lifted up,[4]
he loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to go down to battle.
Monks, there is here
this sort of warrior.
This, monks, is the second kind of warrior
found in the world.
■
Again, though another endure the dust-cloud
and the standard,
at the sound of tumult[5]
he loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to go down to battle.
Monks, there is here
this sort of warrior.
This, monks, is the third kind of warrior
found in the world.
■
Though another endure the dust-cloud,
the standard
and the tumult,
when struck[6] in conflict
he fails.
Monks, there is here
this sort of warrior.
This, monks, is the fourth kind of warrior
found in the world.
■
Then there is one who endures the dust-cloud,
the standard,
the tumult
and the conflict;
victorious in battle,
winning the fight,
he continues at the head[7] of the battle.
Monks, there is here
this sort of warrior.
This, monks, is the fifth kind of warrior
found in the world.
Monks, these are the five kinds of warrior
found in the world.
Even so, monks, these five kinds of persons,
like warriors,
are found among monks.
What five?
Monks, in the case of the monk
who on seeing the dust-cloud
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to stay the course[8]
of the godly life —
he declares his weakness,[9]
gives up the training
and returns to the lower life.
And what for him is the dust-cloud?
Monks, that monk hears:
"Tis said,[10]
in such and such a village or town
there are women and girls,
passing fair to look upon,
lovely,
with a wondrous lotus-like [74] beauty!"[11]
And when he hears this,
he loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is he able to stay the course
of the godly life,
but declares his weakness,
gives up the training
and returns to the lower life.
This for him
is the dust-cloud.[12]
Monks, just as the warrior
on seeing the dust-cloud
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to go down to battle;
like that, monks, I say,
is this person.
Monks, there is here
this sort of person.
This, monks, is the first kind of person,
like a warrior,
found among monks.
§
Again, monks, a monk endures the dust-cloud,
but at the sight of the standard
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to stay the course
of the godly life —
he declares his weakness,
gives up the training
and returns to the low(er) life.
And what for him is the standard?
In this case the monk does not merely hear
that in such and such a village or town
there are some lovely women and girls,
passing fair to look upon,
with wondrous lotus-like beauty —
but when he sees it for himself;
he loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is he able to stay the course
of the godly life,
but declares his weakness,
gives up the training
and returns to the low(er) life.
This for him is the standard.
Monks, just as the warrior endures the dust-cloud,
but at the sight of the standard
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to go down to battle;
like that, monks, I say,
is this person.
Monks, there is here
this sort of person.
This, monks, is the second kind of person,
like a warrior,
found among monks.
§
Again, monks, a monk endures
both the dust-cloud
and the standard,
but at the sound of the tumult[13]
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to stay the course
of the godly life —
he declares his weakness,
gives up the training
and returns to the low(er) life.
And what for him is the tumult?
In this case, monks, some woman comes along,
when he has gone to forest,
tree root
or lonely[14] place,
and laughs him to scorn,
rails[15] on him,
snaps her fingers at him[16]
and mocks[17] him;
and being so treated by a woman he
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to stay the course
of the godly life —
he declares his weakness,
gives up the training
and returns to the low(er) life.
This for him is the tumult.
[75] Monks, just as the soldier
endures both the dust-cloud
and the standard,
but at the sound of the tumult
loses heart
and falters
and stiffens not,
nor is able to go down to battle;
like that, monks, I say,
is this person.
Monks, there is here this sort of person.
This, monks, is the third kind of person,
like a warrior,
found among monks.
§
Again, monks, a monk
a monk endures the dust-cloud
and the standard,
and the tumult,
but being struck;[18] in conflict,
fails.
And what for him is the conflict?
In this case, monks,
some woman comes along,
when he has gone to forest,
tree-root
or some lonely place,
and sits down close beside him,
lies down close beside him
and cuddles up to him;[19]
and being treated thus by a woman,
without giving up the training,
without declaring his weakness,
he gives himself over to fornication.
This to him is the conflict.
Monks, just as the warrior
endures the dust-cloud,
and the standard
and the tumult, but,
when struck in conflict,
fails;
like that, monks, I say,
is this person.
Monks, there is here this sort of person.
This, monks, is the fourth kind of person,
like a warrior,
found among monks.
§
Again, monks, there is the monk
who endures the dust-cloud,
the standard,
the tumult
and the conflict;
victorious in battle,
winning the fight,
he continues at the head of the battle.
And what to him is victory in battle?
Herein also, monks,
some woman comes along,
when the monk has gone to forest,
tree-root
or some lonely place,
and sits down close beside him,
lies down close beside him
and cuddles up to him;
but being treated thus by a woman,
he disentangles
and frees himself
and goes off whithersoever he will.
■
And[20] he resorts to some secluded spot:
forest,
tree-root,
mountain,
glen,
rock-cave,
cemetery,
wooded upland,
open space
or heap of straw;
and come to forest,
tree-root
or empty hut,
he sits cross-legged,
with body erect,
setting mindfulness in front of him.
■
Putting away all hankering,
he abides with heart free therefrom;
he cleanses his mind of hankering; [76]
patting away ill-will and hatred,
he abides with heart free therefrom;
kindly and compassionate to all creatures,
he cleanses his mind of ill-will and hatred:
putting away sloth and torpor,
he abides free therefrom;
conscious of light,
mindful and self-possessed,
he cleanses his mind of sloth and torpor:
putting away flurry and worry,
he abides poised;
with heart serene within,
he cleanses his mind of flurry and worry:
putting away doubt,
be abides with doubt passed by;
no more he questions "Why?"
of right things;
he cleanses his mind of doubt.
■
Putting away these five hindrances,
when the mind's corruptions are weakened by insight,
aloof from sensuous appetites
enters and abides in the first musing,[21]
wherein applied and sustained thought works,
which is born of solitude
and is full of joy and ease;
suppressing applied and sustained thought,
he enters and abides in the second musing,
which is self-evolved,
born of concentration,
full of zest and ease,
free from applied and sustained thought,
and there the mind becomes calm and one-pointed;
free from the fervour of zest,
mindful and self-possessed,
he enters and abides in the third musing,
and experiences in his being
that ease whereof the Ariyans declare:
'He that is tranquil and mindful dwells at ease;
putting away ease
and by putting away ill,
by the passing away of happiness and misery
he was wont to feel,
he enters and abides in the fourth musing,
which is utter purity of mindfulness,
which comes of disinterestedness
and is free of ease and ill.
■
With[22] the heart thus serene,
purified,
cleansed,
spotless,
devoid of defilement,
supple,
ready to act,
firm and imperturbable,
he bends the mind to know
the destruction of the cankers.
As it really is, he understands:
This is Ill —
as it really is, he understands:
This is the origin of Ill —
as it really is, he understands:
This is the ending of Ill —
as it really is, he understands:
This is the way leading to the ending of Ill.
As it really is, he understands the thought;
These are the cankers —
This the origin of the cankers —
This the ending of the cankers —
This the way leading to the ending of the cankers.
■
Knowing this,
seeing this,
his heart is free from the canker of lust,
free from the canker of becomings,[23]
free from the canker of ignorance,
and in the freedom
comes the knowledge of that freedom,
and he knows:
Birth is destroyed;
lived is the godly life;
done is what had to be done;
there is no more of this state.
This to him is victory in battle.
§
Monks, just as the warrior endures the dust-cloud,
the standard,
the tumult
and the conflict;
and, victorious in battle,
winning the fight,
continues even at the head of the battle;
like that, monks, I say,
is this person.
Monks, there is [77] here
this sort of person.
This, monks, is the fifth kind of person,
like a warrior,
found among monks.
These, monks,are the five kinds of persons,
like a warriors,
found among monks.
[1] Rajaggaṃ. Comy. as J, v, 187: rajakkhandhaṃ: of elephants, horses, etc.
[2] Na santhambhati. Cf. Hamlet I, v: 'And you, my sinews ... bear me stiffly up.'
[3] Cf. Pug. 65, below V, § 139 for this phraseology.
[4] Comy. set up on the backs of elephants, horses, etc., in chariots.
[5] Ussādanaṃ; so S.e. and Comy. explaining: the noise of elephants, etc.
[6] Haññati; both S.e. and Comy. read āhaññati.
[7] Saṃgāmasīsa. Comy. taṃ yeva jaya-kkhandhāvāra-ṭṭhānaṃ.
[8] Santānetuṃ, v.l. sandhāretuṃ, S.e. and Comy. as text; this form is not in P.E.D. Comy. explains: brahmacariya-vāsaṃ anupacchijjamānaṃ gopetuṃ na sakkoti, he cannot provide against uninterruptedly living the godly life.
[9] See above, § 55.
[10] Nāma.
[11] This is stock; Cf. D. i, 114; S. i, 95; A. ii, 203; Vin. i, 268.; DA. i, 282 is much the same as Mp. 632.
[12] Rajo (dust) is etymologically associated with rajati, sensuous excitement or pleasure. Cf. below, sutta 81: rajanīya (enticing).
[13] Ussādanaṃ.
[14] Suññā, empty.
[15] Ullapati. Comy. merely katheti; in Sk. ullāpa means abuse.
[16] ujjhaggeti; both S.e. and Comy. so, the latter observing: ppāṇiṃ paharitvā mahā-hasitaṃ hasitaṃ; lit. to laugh out at.
[17] Uppaṇḍeti. Comy. uppaṇḍena kaihaṃ katheti(!)
[18] S.e. reads ā-, as above.
[19] Comy. having won him over, she sits down on the same seat or - very near him.
[20] This passage recurs at D. i, 71; M. i, 260; A. i, 241; Vin. ii, 146, etc.
[21] Jhāna.
[22] This is stock; see D. i, 83; M. i, 23; A. iv, 178.
[23] Bhavāsava, here bhavānaṃ āsavo, 'bhava' having the meaning of 'lives' or 'world.' See Manual of Buddhism, 1932, p. 127; G.S. i, 203.
