1. Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthi, in
Jeta's Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. At that time the wanderer
Potthapāda was in the debating-hall near the Tinduka tree, in the
single-halled park of Queen Mallikā, with a large crowd of about 300 wanderers.
2. Then the Buddha, rising early, took his robe
and bowl and went to Sāvatthi for alms. But it occurred to him: 'It is
too early to go to Sāvatthi for alms. Suppose I were to go to the
debating-hall to see the wanderer Pothapāda?' And he did so.
3.
There Potthapāda was sitting with his wanderer-disciples, all shouting
and making a great commotion, indulging in various kinds of unedifying
conversation [animal talk], such as about: kings, robbers, ministers, armies, dangers,
wars, food, drink, clothes, beds, garlands, perfumes, relatives,
carriages, villages, towns and cities, countries, women, heroes, street-
and well-gossip, talk of the departed, desultory chat, speculations
about [the origins of] land and sea, talk of being and non-being.
4. But Potthapāda saw him coming from a distance. So he
called his followers to order, saying: "Be quiet, gentlemen! Don't make a
noise, gentlemen! That ascetic Gotama is coming, and he likes quiet and
speaks in praise of quiet. If he sees that this company is quiet, he
will most likely want to come and visit us." At this the wanderers fell
silent.
5. The Buddha came to Potthapāda, who said: "Come,
reverend sir, welcome, reverend sir! At last the reverend has
gone out of his way to come here. Be seated, reverend. A seat is prepared."
The Buddha sat down on the prepared seat, and Potthapāda took a low stool and sat down to one side. The Buddha said:
"Potthapāda, what were you all talking about? What conversation have I interrupted?"
6.
Potthapāda replied: "Reverend, never mind the conversation we were having
just now. It will not be difficult for the Venerable One to hear about that
later. In the past few days, reverend sir, the discussion among the ascetics and
brahmins of various schools, sitting together and meeting in the
debating-hall, has concerned the higher extinction of consciousness and
how this takes place.
"Some said: 'One's perceptions arise and cease
without cause or condition. When they arise, one is conscious. When they
cease, one is unconscious.' That is how they explained it."
"But
somebody else said: 'No, that is not how it is. Perceptions are a
person's self, which comes and goes. When it comes, one is conscious. When it goes, one is unconscious.'
"Another said: 'That is not how it is.
There are ascetics and brahmin priests of great power, of great influence.
They draw down consciousness into a person and withdraw it. When they draw
it down in, one is conscious. When they withdraw it, one is
unconscious.'
"And another said: 'No, that is not how it is. There are
deities [
devas] of great powers, of great influence. They draw down
consciousness into a person and withdraw it. When they draw it down, one is conscious. When they withdraw it, one is unconscious.'
"It was
in this connection that I thought of the Blessed One: 'Ah, surely, the Blessed One, the Well-Farer is supremely knowledgeable about these matters! The
Blessed One well understands the higher extinction of consciousness.' What then, venerable sir, is this higher extinction of consciousness?"
7.
"In this matter, Potthapāda, those ascetics and brahmins who say one's
perceptions arise and cease without cause or condition are totally
wrong.
"Why is that? One's perceptions arise and cease owing to a cause
and conditions. Some perceptions arise through training, and some pass
away through training.
"What is this training?
Potthapāda, a
Tathāgata [Wayfarer] arises in this world -- an arhat, fully-enlightened
buddha, endowed with wisdom and conduct, Well-Farer, Knower
of the worlds, incomparable Trainer of humans to be tamed, Teacher of
devas
and humans, enlightened and blessed.
"One, having realized it by one's own
super-knowledge, proclaims this world with its
devas [shining ones],
māras [destroyers],
brahmās [creators], its princes, and people. One teaches the Dharma which is lovely
in its beginning, middle, ending, in the
spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully- perfected and purified
supreme life.
A disciple goes forth and practices the virtues...
8. "And then, Potthapāda, that meditator who is perfected in virtue sees no danger from any side..."
The 8 Meditative Absorptions
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| Meditate, alone or together, to know and see. |
9-10.
One guards the sense-doors... Having
reached the first meditative absorption (
jhāna), one remains in it. And whatever sensations of
lust that one previously had disappear. At that time there is present a
true but subtle perception of delight and happiness, born of detachment,
and one is conscious of this delight and happiness. In
this way some perceptions arise through training, and some pass away
through training. And this is that training," said the Buddha.
11. "Again, a meditator, with the subsiding of applied and sustained attention, by
gaining inner tranquility and unity of mind, reaches and remains in the
second absorption, which is free from applied and sustained attention, born of
concentration, filled with delight and happiness. One's former true but
subtle perception of delight and happiness born of detachment vanishes.
At that time there arises a true but subtle perception of delight and
happiness born of concentration, and one becomes conscious of
this delight and happiness. In this way some perceptions arise through
training, and some pass away through training.
12. "Again, after
the fading away of delight one dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly
aware, one experiences in one's body that pleasant feeling of which
the Noble Ones say:
'Happy dwells the person of equanimity and
mindfulness.'
"And one reaches and remains in the third absorption. One's former
true but subtle sense of delight and happiness born of concentration
vanishes. There arises at that time a true but subtle sense of
equanimity and happiness. And one becomes conscious of this
true but subtle sense of equanimity and happiness. In this way some
perceptions arise through training, and some pass away through training.
13. "Again, with the abandonment of pleasure and pain, and with the
disappearance of previous joy and grief, one reaches and remains in the
fourth absorption, a state beyond pleasure and pain, purified by equanimity
and mindfulness. One's former true but subtle sense of equanimity and
happiness vanishes. There arises a true but subtle sense of neither
happiness nor unhappiness, and one is conscious of this
true but subtle sense of neither happiness nor unhappiness. In this way
some perceptions arise through training, and some pass away through
training.
The 4 Immaterial Absorptions
14. "Again, by passing entirely beyond bodily
sensations, by the disappearance of all sense of resistance and by
non-attraction to the perception of diversity [called
mental proliferation (
papañca), the opposite of which (
nippapañca) is a synonym for nirvana], seeing that space is
unbounded, one reaches and remains in [the fifth absorption called] the Sphere of Unbounded Space. In
this way some perceptions arise through training, and some pass away
through training.
15. "Again, by passing entirely beyond the
Sphere of Unbounded Space, seeing that consciousness is unbounded, one
reaches and remains in [the sixth absorption called] the
Sphere of Unbounded Consciousness. In this way
some perceptions arise through training, and some pass away through
training.
16. "Again, by passing entirely beyond the Sphere of
Unbounded Consciousness, seeing that there is no thing, one reaches and
remains in [the seventh absorption called] the Sphere of No-Thingness. And one becomes
conscious of this true but subtle perception of the Sphere of
No-Thingness. In this way some perceptions arise through training, and
some pass away through training. And this is that training," said the Buddha.
17. "Potthapāda, from the moment when a meditator has gained
this controlled perception, that person proceeds from stage to stage until
reaching the limit of perception [the eighth absorption, which is called the Sphere of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception]. When one has reached the limit of
perception it occurs to the successful meditator: 'Mental activity is worse for me; lack of
mental activity is better. If I were to think and imagine, these
perceptions [that I have attained] would cease, and coarser perceptions
would arise in me. Suppose I were not to think or imagine?'
"So one
neither thinks nor imagines. And then, in this person, just these [fine] perceptions
arise. But other, coarser perceptions do not arise. One attains
cessation. And that, Potthapāda, is the way in which the cessation of
perception is brought about by successive steps.
18. "What do
you think, Potthapāda? Have you heard of this before?"
"No, venerable sir. As I
understand it, the Venerable One has said: 'Potthapāda, from the moment when a
meditator has gained this controlled perception, one proceeds from stage to
stage until reaching the limit of perception... One attains
cessation. And that is the way in which the cessation of perception is
brought about by successive steps.'"
"That is right, Potthapāda."
19. "Venerable sir, do you teach that the summit of perception is just one or that
it is many?"
"I teach it as both one and many."
"Venerable sir, how is it one,
and how is it many?"
"According as one attains successively to the
cessation of each perception, so I teach the summit of that perception: Thus I teach both one summit of perception, and I also teach many."
20. "Venerable sir, does perception arise before knowledge, or does knowledge arise
before perception, or do both arise simultaneously?"
"Perception arises
first, Potthapāda, then knowledge, and from the arising of perception
comes the arising of knowledge. And one knows: 'Thus conditioned,
knowledge arises.' In this way one can see how perception arises first,
and then knowledge, and that from the arising of perception comes the
arising of knowledge."
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| The sublime, peaceful Dharma is often represented by an eight-spoke wheel of the path (BPS) |
The "Self"
21. "Venerable sir, is perception a person's self,
or is perception one thing and self another?"
"Well, Potthapāda, do
you postulate a self?"
"Venerable sir, I postulate a gross self, material,
composed of the four [great] elements [solidity, cohesion, support, temperature] and feeding on solid food."
"But with
such a gross self, Potthapāda, perception would be one thing, and the
self another. One can see that in this way. Given such a gross self,
certain perceptions would arise in a person, and others pass away. In
this way one can see that perception must be one thing, the self
another."
22. "Venerable sir, I postulate a mind-made self complete with
all its parts, not defective in [or not lacking] any sense-organ."
"But with such a
mind-made self, perception would be one thing, and the self another…
23.
"Venerable sir, I assume a formless self, made up of perception."
"But with such
a formless self, perception would be one thing, and self another...'
24. "But venerable sir, is it possible for me to know whether perception is a
person's self, or whether perception is one thing and self another?"
"Potthapāda, it is difficult for one of different views, a different
doctrine, under different influences, with different pursuits and a
different training to know whether these are two different things or
not."
Fruitless Philosophical Speculations
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| Tibetan monks from different sects (wn.com) |
25. "Well, venerable sir, if this question of self and perceptions
is difficult for one like me -- tell me: Is the world eternal? Is only
this [view] true and the opposite false?"
"Potthapāda, I have not declared
that the world is eternal and that the opposite view is false."
"Well,
venerable sir, is the world not eternal?"
"I have not declared that the world is
not eternal..."
"Well, venerable sir, is the world infinite...not infinite?..."
"I have not declared that the world is not infinite and that the
opposite view is false.'
26. "Well, venerable sir, is the soul the same
as the body... is the soul one thing and the body another?"
"I have not
declared that the soul is one thing and the body another."
27. "Well, venerable sir, does the Tathāgata [a fully perfected and liberated person] exist after death? Is only this true and
all else false?"
"I have not declared that the Tathāgata exists after
death."
"Well, venerable sir, does the Tathāgata not exist after death... both
exist and not exist after death? ...neither exist nor not exist after
death?" [These are the four exhaustive logical categories in which teachers were placed.]
"I have not declared that the Tathāgata neither exists nor does
not exist after death, and that all else is false."
 |
| Monks ritually dispute and argue (wn.com) |
28. "But, venerable sir, why has the Venerable One not declared these things?"
Potthapāda, that is
not conducive to the purpose [liberation], not conducive to Dharma [liberating truth], not the way to
embark on the supreme life; it does not lead to disenchantment, to
dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to higher knowledge, to
enlightenment, to nirvana. That is why I have not declared it."
29.
"But, venerable sir, what has the Venerable One declared?"
"Potthapāda, I have declared: 'This is suffering, this is the origin of suffering, this is the
cessation of suffering, and this is the path leading to the cessation of
suffering.'" [These are the Four
Ennobling Truths that summarize Buddhism in a nutshell since the Buddha teaches only suffering or disappointment and the complete end of suffering.]
30. "But, venerable sir, why has the Venerable One declared this?"
"Because, Potthapāda, this is conducive to the purpose [liberation], conducive to
Dharma, the way to embark on the supreme life; it leads to disenchantment,
to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to higher knowledge, to
enlightenment, to nirvana. That is why I have declared it."
"So
it is, venerable sir. So it is, Well-Farer. And now is the time for the Blessed One to do as he sees fit." [Potthapada's reply was actually a more neutral expression that might be translated as: "That may be, venerable sir, that may be..."]
Then the Buddha rose from his seat and went
away.
31. Then the wanderers, as soon as the Buddha had left,
reproached, sneered, and jeered at Potthapāda from all sides, saying:
'Whatever the ascetic Gotama says, Potthapāda agrees with him: "So it
is, venerable sir. So it is, Well-Farer!' We don't understand a word of the
ascetic Gotama's whole discourse: 'Is the world eternal or not? -- Is it
finite or infinite? -- Is the soul the same as the body or different? --
Does the Tathāgata exist after death or not, or both, or neither?'"
Potthapāda
replied: "I don't understand either about whether the world is eternal
or not... or whether the Tathāgata exists after death or not, or both,
or neither. But the ascetic Gotama teaches a true and real way of
practice which is consonant with Dharma and grounded in Dharma. And why
should not a person like me express approval of such a true and real
practice, so well taught by the ascetic Gotama?"
32. Two or
three days later, Citta, the son of the elephant-trainer, went with
Potthapāda to see the Buddha. Citta prostrated himself before the Buddha and
sat down to one side. Potthapāda exchanged courtesies with the Buddha,
sat down to one side, and told him what had happened.
33. "Potthapāda, all those wanderers are blind and sightless. You alone among
them are sighted. Some things I have taught and pointed out,
Potthapāda, as being certain and others as being uncertain. Which are the
things I have pointed out as uncertain? 'The world is eternal'... 'The Tathāgata exists after death...' I have
declared to be uncertain. Why?
Because they are not conducive [to the purpose, to
Dharma, no way to embark on the supreme life; they do not lead to disenchantment,
to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to higher knowledge, to
enlightenment,] to nirvana. That is why I have
declared them as uncertain.
"But what things have I pointed out
as certain? 'This is suffering, this is the origin of suffering, this is
the cessation of suffering, this is the path leading to the cessation
of suffering.' Why? Because they are conducive to the purpose, conducive
to Dharma, the way to embark on the supreme life; they lead to
disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to higher
knowledge, to enlightenment, to nirvana. That is why I have declared
them as certain.
34. "Potthapāda, there are some [wandering] ascetics and
brahmin [priests] who declare and believe that after death the self is entirely
happy and free from ill. I approached them and asked if this was
indeed what they declared and believed.
"And they replied: 'Yes.' Then I
said: 'Do you, friends, living in the world, know and see it as an
entirely happy place?' and they replied: 'No.' I said: 'Have you ever
experienced a single night or day, or half a night or day, that was
entirely happy?' and they replied: 'No.'
"I said: 'Do you know a path or a
practice whereby an entirely happy world might be brought about?' and
they replied: 'No.' I said: 'Have you heard the voices of
devas who
have been reborn in an entirely happy world, saying: "The attainment of
an entirely happy world has been well and rightly gained, and we,
gentlemen, have been reborn in such a realm?"' and they replied: 'No.'
"What do you think, Potthapāda? Such being the case, does not the talk of
those ascetics and brahmins turn out to be foolish?
The Most Beautiful Girl
35. "It is
just as if a man were to say: 'I am going to seek out and love the most
beautiful girl in the country.' They might say to him: 'Well, as to this
most beautiful girl in the country, do you know whether she belongs to
the warrior caste, the brahmin, the merchant, or the artisan caste?' and he
would say: 'No.' Then they might say: 'Well, do you know her name, her
clan, whether she is tall or short or of medium height, whether she is
dark or light-complexioned or sallow-skinned, or what village or town or
city she comes from?' and he would say: 'No.' And they might say: 'Well
then, you don't know or see the one you seek for and desire?' and he
would say: 'No.' Does not the talk of that man turn out to be foolish?"
"Certainly, venerable sir."
36. "And so it is with those ascetics and
brahmins who declare and believe that after death the self is entirely
happy and free from ill... Does not their talk turn out to be
foolish?"
"Certainly, venerable sir."
37. "It is just as if a man were to
build a staircase for a palace at a crossroads. People might say to him: 'Well now, this staircase for a palace that you are building -- do you
know whether the palace will face east, or west, or north, or south, or
whether it will be high, low, or of medium height?' and he would say:
'No.' And they might say: 'Well then, you don't know or see what kind of
a palace you are building the staircase for?' and he would say: 'No.'
Don't you think that man's talk would turn out to be foolish?"
"Certainly, venerable sir."
38. (
as Verse 34)
39.
"Potthapāda, there are three kinds of 'acquired self':
- the gross
acquired self
- the mind-made acquired self
- the formless acquired self.
"What is the gross acquired self? It has form, is composed of the four
great elements, nourished by material food. What is the mind-made self?
It has form, complete with all its parts, not [lacking] any
sense-organ. What is the formless acquired self? It is without form, and
made up of perception.
"That is NOT how it should
be regarded. If defiling states disappear... nothing but happiness and
delight develops, tranquility, mindfulness and clear awareness -- and
that is a happy state.
48. At
this, Citta, son of the elephant-trainer, said to the Buddha: "Venerable sir,
whenever the gross acquired self is present, would it be wrong to assume
the existence of the mind-made acquired self or of the formless
acquired self? Does only the gross acquired self truly exist then? And
similarly with the mind-made acquired self and the formless acquired
self?"
49. "Citta, whenever the gross acquired self is present,
we do not at that time speak of a mind-made acquired self, we do not
speak of a formless acquired self. We speak only of a gross acquired
self. Whenever the mind-made acquired self is present, we speak only of a
mind-made acquired self. And whenever the formless acquired self is
present, we speak only of a formless acquired self.
"Citta,
suppose they were to ask you: 'Did you exist in the past or didn't you? Will you exist in the future or won't you? Do you exist now or don't
you?' how would you answer?"
"Venerable sir, if I were asked such a
question, I would say: 'I did exist in the past; I did not not exist. I
shall exist in the future; I shall not not exist. I do exist now; I do
not not exist.' That, venerable sir, would be my answer."
50. "But,
Citta, if they asked: 'The past acquired self that you had, is that your
only true acquired self, and are the future and present ones false? Or
is the one you will have in the future the only true one, and are the
past and present ones false? Or is your present acquired self the only
true one, and are the past and future ones false?' how would you reply?"
"Venerable sir,
if they asked me these things, I would reply: 'My past acquired self
was at the time my only true one, whereas the future and present ones were
false. My future acquired self will then be the only true one, whereas the past
and present ones will be false. My present acquired self is now the only
true one, whereas the past and future ones are false.' That is how I would
reply."
51. "In just the same way, Citta, whenever the gross
acquired self is present, we do not at that time speak of a mind-made
acquired self... [or] of a formless acquired self.
52. "In just
the same way, Citta, from the cow we get milk, from the milk curds, from
the curds butter, from the butter ghee [clarified butter], and from the ghee cream of
ghee [creme de la creme]. And when there is milk we don't speak of curds, of butter, of ghee,
or of cream of ghee. We speak of milk. When there are curds we don't
speak of butter... When there is cream of ghee... we speak of cream of
ghee.
53. "So too, whenever the gross acquired self is present,
we do not speak of the mind-made or formless acquired self; whenever
the mind-made acquired self is present, we do not speak of the gross or
formless acquired self; whenever the formless acquired self is present,
we do not speak of the gross acquired self or the mind-made acquired
self. We speak of the formless acquired self.
But, Citta, these are
merely names [conventional speech], expressions, turns of speech, designations in common use
in the world, which the Tathāgata uses without misapprehending them."
And
at these words Potthapāda the wanderer said to the Buddha: "Excellent, venerable sir, excellent! It is as if someone were to set up what had been
knocked down, or to point out the way to one who had gotten lost, or to
bring a lamp into a dark place, so that those with eyes could see
what was there.
"Just so has the Blessed One expounded the Dharma in
various ways. Venerable sir, I go for refuge to the Venerable One, the Dharma, and the
[Noble] Sangha. May the Venerable One accept me as a lay-follower who has gone for guidance to
him from this day forth as long as life shall last!"
55. But
Citta, son of the elephant-trainer, said to the Buddha: "Excellent, venerable sir,
excellent! It is as if someone were to set up what had been knocked
down, or to point out the way to one who had gotten lost, or to bring a lamp into a dark place, so that those with eyes could see what was
there. Just so has the Blessed One expounded the Dharma in various
ways. Venerable sir, I go for guidance to the Venerable One, the Dharma, and the [Noble] Sangha. May
I, venerable sir, receive the going-forth at the Venerable One's hands. May I receive
[monastic] ordination!"
 |
| Enlightenment is the arising of insight-wisdom. |
56. And Citta, son of the elephant-trainer,
received the going-forth at the Buddha's hands and was ordained. And
the newly-ordained Venerable Citta, withdrawn, secluded, unwearying,
zealous [with balanced effort], and resolute, in a short time attained to that for the sake of
which young people of good birth go forth from the household life into
homelessness, that unexcelled culmination of the supreme life, having
realized it here and now by his own super-knowledge and dwelled therein,
knowing: "Birth is destroyed, the supreme life has been lived, what had to
be done has been done, there is nothing further here."
And Venerable Citta, son of the elephant-trainer, became another of the arhats [enlightened ones].
PHOTOS
