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Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
55. Sot'Āpatti Saṃyutta
3. Saraṇāni (or Sarakāni) Vagga

The Book of the Kindred Sayings
5. The Great Chapter
55. Kindred Sayings on Streamwinning
3. Sarakāni

Sutta 27

Dutiya Dussīlya or Anāthapiṇḍika Suttaṃ

Immoral or Anāthapiṇḍika (b)

Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids

Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[332]

[1][than] Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

Now at that time the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika was sick,
afflicted,
suffering from a sore disease.

Then the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika called to a certain man, saying:

"Come hither, good fellow!

Go you to the venerable Ānanda,
and on coming to him
worship in my name
with your head at the feet of the venerable Ānanda
and say:

'Sir, the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika is sick,
afflicted,
suffering from a sore disease.'

Then say:

'It were well, sir,
if the venerable Ānanda would come to the house of the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika,
out of compassion for him.'"

"Very well, master,"
replied that man.

Then he went to see the venerable Ānanda
on coming to him greeted him courteously,
and after the exchange of greetings and compliments
sat down at one side.

Seated at one side he said this to the venerable Ānanda:

"Sir, the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika is sick,
afflicted,
suffering from a sore disease.

He says:

'It were well, sir,
if the venerable Ānanda would come to the house of the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika,
out of compassion for him.'"

And the venerable Ānanda consented by silence.

So the venerable Ānanda,
robing himself in the forenoon
and taking bowl and outer robe,
set off for the dwelling of the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika,
and on reaching it
sat down on a seat made ready.

Having sat down
he said this to the housefather Anāthapiṇḍika:

"Well, housefather!

Are you bearing up?

Are you enduring?

Do your pains abate
and not increase?

Is there any sign of their abating
and not increasing?"

"No. sir, I am not enduring.

I am not bearing up.

Strong pains come upon me.

They do not abate.

There is no sign of their abating
but of their increasing."

"Housefather, terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter, -
these come upon the uneducated manyfolk
who have four qualities.

What four?

Herein, housefather, the uneducated manyfolk have disloyalty to the Buddha.

When they bethink them of their disloyalty to the Buddha,
terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
come upon them.

Again, housefather, the uneducated manyfolk have disloyalty to the Norm.

When they bethink them of their disloyalty to the Norm,
terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
come upon them.

Again, housefather, the uneducated manyfolk have disloyalty to the Order.

When they bethink them of their disloyalty to the Order,
terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
come upon them.

Again, housefather, the uneducated manyfolk have immorality.

When they bethink them of their immorality
terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
come upon them.

These, housefather, are the four things,
possessed of which,
terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
come upon the uneducated manyfolk.

 

§

 

But, housefather, the educated Ariyan disciple,
possessing four qualities,
has no such terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter.

[333] Herein, housefather, the educated Ariyan disciple is blessed
with unwavering loyalty to the Buddha,
thus:

'He it is the Exalted One,
Arahant,
a fully Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
a Happy One,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer
of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One.'

When he bethinks him of this unwavering loyalty to the Buddha
which he is blessed with,
no terror,
no trembling,
no fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
comes upon him.

He is blessed
with unwavering loyalty to the Norm,
thus:

'Well proclaimed by the Exalted One
is the Norm,
seen in this very life,
a thing not involving time,
inviting one to come and see,
leading onward,
to be known for themselves
by the wise.'

When he bethinks him of this unwavering loyalty to the Norm
which he is blessed with,
no terror,
no trembling,
no fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
comes upon him.

He is blessed
with unwavering loyalty to the Order,
thus:

'Walking righteously is the Exalted One's Order,
walking uprightly,
walking in the right way,
walking dutifully
is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples:
namely,
the four pairs of men,
the eight sorts of men.

That is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples.

Worthy of honour are they,
worthy of reverence,
worthy of offerings,
worthy of salutations with clasped hands, -
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.'

When he bethinks him of this unwavering loyalty to the Buddha
which he is blessed with,
no terror,
no trembling,
no fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
comes upon him.

He is blessed
with the virtues dear to the Ariyans,
virtues unbroken,
whole,
unspotted,
untarnished,
giving freedom,
praised by the wise:
virtues untainted (by craving or delusion),
which lead to concentration of the mind.'

When he bethinks him of these virtues dear to the Ariyans
which he is blessed with,
no terror,
no trembling,
no fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter,
comes upon him.

These, housefather, are the four possessions
of the educated Ariyan disciple,
possessing which,
he has no terror and trembling
and fear of death,
as to what may be hereafter."

 

§

 

"I am not afraid, master Ānanda!

How could I be afraid?

I have unwavering loyalty to the Buddha,
thus:

'He it is the Exalted One,
Arahant,
a fully Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
a Happy One,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer
of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One.'

I have unwavering loyalty to the Norm,
thus:

'Well proclaimed by the Exalted One
is the Norm,
seen in this very life,
a thing not involving time,
inviting one to come and see,
leading onward,
to be known for themselves
by the wise.'

I have unwavering loyalty to the Order,
thus:

'Walking righteously is the Exalted One's Order,
walking uprightly,
walking in the right way,
walking dutifully
is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples:
namely,
the four pairs of men,
the eight sorts of men.

That is the Exalted One's Order of Disciples.

Worthy of honour are they,
worthy of reverence,
worthy of offerings,
worthy of salutations with clasped hands, -
a field of merit unsurpassed for the world.'

Moreover, master Ānanda,
as to those obligations binding on a housefather,[1]
pointed out by the Exalted One,
I see not a single one of them
which is broken in me."

"Well for you, housefather!

Well gotten by you!

You have declared the fruits of stream-winning, housefather."

 


(1) pāṇa-tipātā veramaṇī, abstention from injuring breathing things (burning (? exhausting) breathers);
(2) adinn'ādānā veramaṇī abstention from taking what is not given;
(3) abrahmacariyā veramaṇī abstention from carrying on in an ungodly way (forgetting ethical standards in the pursuit of pleasure; often translated abstention from adultery, but this is too narrow. Where sexual transgressions are described in detail the idea is abstention from sexual intercourse in cases where the result would be dangerous to the self or harmful to another: with another man's wife or mate, with those still living with their parents, with those protected by the state or powerful individuals;
(4) musā-vādā veramaṇī abstention from intentionally saying untrue things; the idea of 'musā' is that which is said carelessly, not only lies;
(5) surā-meraya-majjapamāda-ṭṭhānā veramaṇī abstaining from careless behavior resulting from fermented or distilled drinks. This is alcohol. For us, with our pelethora of intoxicants, the general rule would be where the use of a substance causes careless behavior or neglegance. This 'rule' was a later addition to the first four, and we can see in the case of SN and other similar cases, that the emphasis is on the consequence in neglegance, not the consumption of the substance.

p.p. explains it all — p.p.

[1] Gihi-sāmīcikāni (sikkhāpadāni) = gihi-anucchavikāni. Comy.


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