Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
55. Sot'Āpatti Saṃyutta
6. Sappañña Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
5. The Great Chapter
55. Kindred Sayings on Streamwinning
6. Discreet
Sutta 54
Gilāyana Suttaṃ
Visiting the Sick
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Kapilavatthu,
in Banyan Park.
Now on that occasion
a number of monks were busied
making robes for the Exalted One,
"for," said they,
"when the rains are over,
the Exalted One will go forth on his rounds."
Now Mahānāma the Sakyan heard it said:
"A number of monks are busied
making robes for the Exalted One,
'for,' said they,
'when the rains are over,
the Exalted One will go forth on his rounds'"
and he went to the Exalted One,
saluted him
and sat down at one side.
So seated
Mahanama the Sakyan said this to the Exalted One:
"I hear it said, lord,
that a number of monks are busied
making robes for the Exalted One
with the idea that,
when the rains are over,
the Exalted One will set forth on his rounds.
Now, lord, we have never heard[1]
from the Exalted One's own lips
how a discreet[2] lay-disciple who is sick,
afflicted,
suffering from a sore disease,
should be admonished by another discreet lay-disciple."
"A discreet lay-disciple, Mahānāma,
who is sick,
afflicted,
suffering from a sore disease,
should be admonished by another discreet lay-disciple
with the four comfortable assurances,
thus:
'Take comfort, dear sir,
in your unwavering loyalty to the Buddha,
saying:
"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."
Take comfort, dear sir, in your 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."
Take comfort, dear sir,
in your 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."
Take comfort, dear sir, in your possession of the virtues dear to the Ariyans,[3]
virtues unbroken,
whole,
unspotted,
untarnished,
giving freedom,
praised by the wise:
virtues untainted (by craving or delusion),
which lead to concentration of the mind.'
A discreet lay-disciple, Mahānāma,
who is sick,
afflicted,
suffering from a sore disease,
should be [350] admonished by another discreet lay-disciple
with these four comfortable assurances.
§
Then, supposing he has longing for his parents,
he should thus be spoken to:
If he say:
'I have longing for my parents,'
the other should reply:
'But, my dear sir,
you are subject to death.
Whether you feel longing for your parents or not,
you will have to die.
'Twere just as well for you
to abandon the longing you have
for your parents.'
If he should say:
'That longing for my parents
is now abandoned,'
the other should reply:
'Yet, my dear sir,
you still have longing for your children.
As you must die in any case,
'twere just as well for you
to abandon that longing for your children.'
If he should say:
'That longing for my children
is now abandoned,'
the other should reply:
"Yet my dear sir,
you still have longing
for the five human pleasures of sense.'
Then, if he say:
'That longing for the five human pleasures of sense
is now abandoned,'
the other should reply:
'My friend, the heavenly delights
are more excellent
than the five human pleasures of sense.
'Twere well for you, worthy sir,
to remove your thoughts from them
and fix them on the Four Deva Kings.'
Suppose the sick man say:
'My thoughts are removed
from human pleasures of sense
and fixed upon the Four Deva Kings.'
■
then let the other say:
'More excellent than the Four Deva Kings
and more choice
are the Devas of Delight.
'Twere well for you, worthy sir,
to remove your thoughts from them
and fix them on the Devas of Delight.'
Suppose the sick man say:
'My thoughts are removed
from the Four Deva Kings
and fixed upon the Devas of Delight.'
■
then let the other say:
'More excellent than the Devas of Delight
and more choice
are the Creative Devas.
'Twere well for you, worthy sir,
to remove your thoughts from them
and fix them on the Creative Devas.'
Suppose the sick man say:
'My thoughts are removed
from the Devas of Delight
and fixed upon the Creative Devas.'
■
then let the other say:
'More excellent than the Creative Devas
and more choice
are the Devas who rejoice in the work of other Devas.
'Twere well for you, worthy sir,
to remove your thoughts from them
and fix them on the Devas who rejoice in the work of other Devas.'
Suppose the sick man say:
'My thoughts are removed
from the Creative Devas
and fixed upon the Devas who rejoice in the work of other Devas.'
■
then let the other say:
'More excellent than the Devas who rejoice in the work of other Devas
and more choice
is the Brahma World.
'Twere well for you, worthy sir,
to remove your thoughts from them
and fix them on the Brahma World.'
Suppose the sick man say:
'My thoughts are removed
from the Devas who rejoice in the work of other Devas
and fixed upon the Brahma World.'
■
Then let the other say:
'My friend, even the Brahma World is impermanent,
not lasting,
prisoned in a person.[4]
Well for you, friend,
if [351] you raise your mind above the Brahma World
and fix it on cessation from the person-pack.'
And if the sick man say be has done so,
then, Mahānāma, I declare
that there is no difference
between the lay-disciple who thus avers
and the monk whose heart is freed from the āsavas,
that is, between the release of the one
and the release of the other."[5]
[1] Text, na kho te etaṇ ... sutaṇ; but Comy. na kho pan'etaṇ = na kho amhehi eva.
[2] Sappañño = sotāpanno. Comy.
[3] Text has ariyakantāni sīlāni, etc., which I think should be ariya-kantehi sīlehi, etc.
[4] Sakkāya pariyāpannā (subject to individuality), as at S. iii, 85; K.S. iii, 71.
[5] Nānākaraṇaṇ yadidaṇ vimuttiyā vimuttin ti. Comy. 'in the matter of path-and-fruit penetration.'
