Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Ven. Thanissaro (original translation), Kesi Sutta: "To Kesi the Horse Trainer" (AN 4.111 PTS: A ii 111) from accesstoinsight.org
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| The Buddha sits on a skull (ปลอดค่าลิขสิทธิ์) |
"Kesi, trained man that you are, trainer of horses to be tamed, tell me, how do you train a horse to be tamed?"
"Venerable sir, I train a horse to be tamed with gentleness, or [sometimes] with harshness, or with a skillful mix of both gentleness and harshness."
"But, Kesi, what if a horsed to be tamed submits neither to mild training nor to harsh training nor to a skillful mix of both mild and harsh training, what do you do?"
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| I will kill you, you untamable demon-horse! |
"Venerable sir, if a horse to be tamed neither submits to mild training nor to harsh training nor to a skillful mix of both mild and harsh training then I kill it. And, sir, why is that? [I kill it thinking,] 'Do not let this be a disgrace to my lineage of teachers.' But, venerable sir, the Blessed One is the unexcelled trainer of [gods and men, that is, devas and human beings] those to be tamed. How do you train a person to be tamed?"
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| Prince Sid had a famous white pony, Kanthaka |
"Kesi, I train a person to be tamed with gentleness, or [sometimes] with harshness, or with a skillful mix of both gentleness and harshness.
"In training with gentleness [I teach],
- 'Such is skillful bodily conduct [karma]. Such is the result of skillful bodily conduct.
- Such is skillful verbal conduct. Such is the result of skillful verbal conduct.
- Such is skillful mental conduct. Such is the result of skillful mental conduct.
- Such are the shining ones (devas). Such are human beings.'
"In training with harshness [I teach],
- 'Such is unskillful bodily conduct. Such is the result of unskillful bodily conduct.
- Such is unskillful verbal conduct. Such is the result of unskillful verbal conduct.
- Such is unskillful mental conduct. Such is the result of unskillful mental conduct.
- Such is [rebirth in] hell(s).
- Such is [rebirth in] the realm of animals.
- Such is [rebirth in] the realm of hungry ghosts.'
"In using a skillful mix of both gentleness and harshness [I teach],
- 'Such is skillful bodily conduct. Such is the result of skillful bodily conduct.
- Such is unskillful bodily conduct. Such is the result of unskillful bodily conduct.
- Such is skillful verbal conduct. Such is the result of skillful verbal conduct.
- Such is unskillful verbal conduct. Such is the result of unskillful verbal conduct.
- Such is skillful mental conduct. Such is the result of skillful mental conduct.
- Such is unskillful mental conduct. Such is the result of unskillful mental conduct.
- Such is [rebirth among] devas.
- Such is [rebirth among] humans.
- Such is [rebirth among] hellions.
- Such is [rebirth among] animals.
- Such is [rebirth among] hungry ghosts.'"
"But, venerable sir, what if a person to be tamed submits neither to mild training nor to harsh training nor to a skillful mix of mild and harsh training, what do you do?"
"Kesi, if a person to be tamed submits neither to mild training nor to harsh training nor to a skillful mix of both mild and harsh training then I kill the person."
"But, venerable sir, it is improper for the Blessed One to take life! Yet the Blessed One just said, 'I kill the person'!"
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| Venerable sir, teach and guide us to awaken. - This is skillful, this is not. Go practice Dhamma. |
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"Kesi, it is true that it is improper for a Tathagata [Wayfarer, the Buddha referring to himself] to take life. But if a person to be tamed submits neither to mild training nor to harsh training nor to a skillful mix of both mild and harsh training then the Tathagata regards that person as being neither worth speaking to nor admonishing.
- [NOTE: The Buddha never killed nor called for anyone to be literally killed. He did, however, lay down a "higher punishment" (brahma = "supreme" + danda = "rod," a figurative brahmastra). What is it? It is being shunned and ignored by the Sangha (the community of monks and nuns). This is not excommunication because it is not final, only a last resort to try to bring someone to his or her senses and correct a pernicious "wrong view" that person may be holding and acting on. See the case of Channa, the Buddha's charioteer who took care of his horse, Kanthaka. He later became a monk but was very proud of his affiliation with the Buddha as Prince Siddhartha. Indeed, this penalty had the intended effect: Ven. Channa came to his senses and, far from being "killed" was cured of his pride. See Channa Sutta.]
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| Buddha in the Ocean of Blood (Tatiana Basova) |
"Kesi, this is what it means to be 'utterly destroyed in this Doctrine and Discipline' [the Buddha's Teaching and Training] -- when the Tathagata regards one as being neither worth speaking to nor admonishing, and one's noble friends in the pure life regard one as being neither worth speaking to nor admonishing."
"Indeed, venerable sir, one is utterly destroyed [killed] if the Tathagata regards that person as being neither worth speaking to nor admonishing — and even one's noble friends in the pure life regard that person as being neither worth speaking to nor admonishing!
"Magnificent, venerable sir, magnificent! It is just as if one were to set upright what had been overturned, as if to reveal what had been hidden, as if to show the way to one who were lost, as if to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms!
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| Kesi (Hinduism) is a demon in shape of a horse |
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