Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saṃyutta
5. Gahapati Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
Part II. The Book Called the Nidāna-Vagga
Containing Kindred sayings on Cause
and Other Subjects
12. The Kindred Sayings on Cause
5. The Housefather
Sutta 41
Paṭhavi Pañca-Vera-Bhagayā Suttaṃ
The Fivefold Guilty Dread (1)
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward
Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī
at the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
Now housefather Anāthapiṇḍika came into the presence of the Exalted One,
saluted him,
and sat down at one side.
To him, so seated,
the Exalted One said:
"When, housefather, for the Ariyan disciple
the fivefold guilty dread[1] is mastered,
when his are the four possessions of the Streamwinner,
and when he has well seen,
well penetrated by insight
the Ariyan Law,[2]
he if he desire it
may declare himself by himself:
'I am he for whom purgatory is perished,
I am he for whom the womb of beasts is perished,
I am he for whom the Peta-realm is perished,
I am he for whom perished is the Waste,
the Woeful Way,
the Downfall.
Streamwinner am I!
Not for me is the falling back.
I am sure, having enlightenment as my goal!'
§
[48] Which 'fivefold guilty dread' has he mastered?
[1] That guilty dread
which even in this life
the taker of life,
conditioned by his lifetaking engenders,
the guilty dread which he engenders also
for a future state,
the mental suffering too,
the sorrow which he experiences: -
he abstaining from taking life
has mastered this guilty dread.
[2] That guilty dread
which even in this life
the taker of what is not given,
conditioned by that taking engenders,
the guilty dread as to a future state also which he engenders,
the mental suffering too,
the sorrow which he experiences: -
he abstaining from taking that which is not given
has mastered this guilty dread.
[3] That guilty dread
which even in this life
he who acts wrongly in sense-desires,
conditioned by that wrong action engenders;
the guilty dread also as to a future state which he engenders;
the mental suffering too,
the sorrow which he experiences: -
he abstaining from wrongful action in sense-desires
has mastered this guilty dread.
[4] That guilty dread
which even in this life the liar,
conditioned by lying engenders,
the guilty dread also as to a future state which he engenders;
the mental suffering too,
the sorrow which he experiences: -
he abstaining from lying
has mastered this guilty dread.
[5] That guilty dread
which even in this life
he who persists in indulging in strong drinks,
conditioned by that indulging engenders;
the guilty dread also as to a future state which he engenders;
the mental suffering too,
the sorrow which he experiences: -
he abstaining from that indulgence
has mastered this guilty dread.
This fivefold guilty dread has he mastered.
§
Which 'four possessions of the Streamwinner' are his?
[1] In this religion, housefather, the Ariyan disciple
possesses unwavering faith in the Buddha:[3]
He it is, the Exalted One,
Arahant supremely enlightened,
proficient in wisdom and [49] righteousness,
Wellfarer,
Worldknower,
peerless Driver of men to be tamed,
Teacher,
Buddha of devas and men,
Exalted One.
[2] He is possessed of unwavering faith in the Doctrine; -
Well proclaimed by the Exalted One is the Norm,
[a gospel] for the things we see,
not a matter of time,
[bidding man] come and see,
guiding him on,
to be understood by the intelligent,
each for himself.
[3] He is possessed of unwavering faith in the Order: -
Well practised is the Exalted One's Order of disciples,
upright is their practice,
practised are they in the Law[4],
practised in right lines of action,
to wit,
the four pairs,
the eight groups of persons,
this the Exalted One's Order of disciples,
worthy of offerings,
of oblations,
of gifts,
meet to be reverently saluted,
the world's peerless field for merit.
[4] He is possessed of the virtues dear to Ariyans,
kept unbroken,
intact,
unspotted,
unblemished,
enfranchizing,[5] praised by the intelligent, unperverted,
conducive to concentration.
His are these four possessions of the Streamwinner.
§
And which is the Ariyan truth that he has well seen by insight,
well penetrated?
Here, housefather, the Ariyan disciple
thoroughly and systematically gives his mind to the Causal Law,
thus: -
This being,
that comes to be;
this not being,
that does not come to be.
From the arising of this,
that arises;
from the ceasing of this,
that ceases.
Namely:
Conditioned by ignorance activities come to pass;
conditioned by activities consciousness,
conditioned by consciousness name-and-shape,
conditioned by name-and-shape sense,
conditioned by sense contact,
conditioned by contact feeling,
conditioned by feeling craving,
conditioned by craving grasping,
conditioned by grasping becoming,
conditioned by becoming birth,
conditioned by birth old age-and death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow, despair come to pass.
Even such is the uprising of this entire mass of ill.
But from the utter fading away and ceasing of ignorance [comes] ceasing of activities;
from ceasing of activities ceasing of consciousness;
from ceasing of consciousness ceasing of name-and-shape;
from ceasing of name-and-shape ceasing of sense;
from ceasing of sense ceasing of contact;
from ceasing of contact ceasing of feeling;
from ceasing of feeling ceasing of craving;
from ceasing of craving ceasing of grasping;
from ceasing of grasping ceasing of becoming;
from ceasing of becoming ceasing of birth;
from ceasing of birth,
old age-and-death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow, despair cease.
Such is the ceasing of this entire mass of ill.
§
And when, housefather, for the Ariyan disciple
this fivefold guilty dread is mastered,
when his are the four possessions of the Streamwinner,
and when he has by insight well seen and penetrated this Ariyan truth,
he, if he desire it,
may declare himself by himself:
'I am he for whom perished is purgatory,
[50] perished the womb of beasts,
perished the Peta-realm,
perished is the Waste,
the Woeful Way,
the Downfall.
Streamwinner am I!
Not for me is the falling back.
I am sure, having enlightenment as my goal.'"
[1] Pañca bhayāni verāni, in the title pañca verabhayāni. The Comy. calls them cetanāyo, volitions. Vera = hostile, from vīra, heroic. The Sutta occurs in Aṇguttara v, 152 f. [Ed.: There is nothing like this there, but see AN 5.179, which is on page 155 of The Book of the Fives; a sutta, AN 5.176, dealing with Anāthapiṇḍika but unrelated to this topic is found on page 152 there].
[2] Ñāyo. Often used in apposition with Dhamma and kusala. See Dialogues, ii, 167 (my Buddhism, p. 89 f.); Majjhima i, 181; Saṃyutta, v. 19; above i, 240, where 'truth' replaces ñāya. Identified with kalyāṇ-dhammatā, kusala-dhammatā ('law of righteousness, of goodness'), Aṇguttara ii, 36. Buddhaghosa quotes a text which says that the Causal Law and the Eightfold Path are both ñāyo.
[3] Cf. vol. i, 282. The text is a formula and identical. The rendering here is more literal.
[5] Reading bhujissāni. Cf. Dialogues, ii, 85.
