The Connected Discourses of the Buddha Page 18
Thus by the unfolding of kamma
The plunderer is plundered.”237 [86]
16 (6) Daughter
At Sāvatthī. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. Then a certain man approached King Pasenadi <194> and informed him in a whisper: “Sire, Queen Mallikā has given birth to a daughter.” When this was said, King Pasenadi was displeased. 238 Then the Blessed One, having understood that King Pasenadi was displeased, on that occasion recited these verses:408 “A woman, O lord of the people,
May turn out better than a man:
She may be wise and virtuous,
A devoted wife, revering her mother-in-law.239
409 “The son to whom she gives birth
May become a hero, O lord of the land.
The son of such a blessed woman
May even rule the realm.”240 <195>
17 (7) Diligence (1)
At Sāvatthī. Sitting to one side, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Blessed One: “Is there, venerable sir, one thing which secures both kinds of good, the good pertaining to the present life and that pertaining to the future life?”
“There is one thing, great king, which secures both kinds of good, the good pertaining to the present life and that pertaining to the future life.”
“But what, venerable sir, is that one thing?”
“Diligence, great king. Just as the footprints of all living beings that walk fit into the footprint of the elephant, and the elephant’s footprint is declared to be their chief by reason of its size, so diligence is the one <196> thing which secures both kinds of good, [87] the good pertaining to the present life and that pertaining to the future life.241
410 “For one who desires long life and health,
Beauty, heaven, and noble birth,
[A variety of] lofty delights
Following in succession,
The wise praise diligence
In doing deeds of merit.
411 “The wise person who is diligent
Secures both kinds of good:
The good visible in this very life
And the good of the future life.
The steadfast one, by attaining the good,
Is called a person of wisdom.”242
18 (8) Diligence (2)
At Sāvatthī. Sitting to one side, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Blessed One: <197> “Here, venerable sir, while I was alone in seclusion, the following reflection arose in my mind: ‘The Dhamma has been well expounded by the Blessed One, and that is for one with good friends, good companions, good comrades, not for one with bad friends, bad companions, bad comrades.’”243
“So it is, great king! So it is, great king! The Dhamma has been well expounded by me, and that is for one with good friends, good companions, good comrades, not for one with bad friends, bad companions, bad comrades.
“On one occasion, great king, I was living among the Sakyans, where there is a town of the Sakyans named Nāgaraka.244 Then the bhikkhu Ānanda approached me, paid homage to me, sat down to one side, and said: ‘Venerable sir, this is half of the holy life, that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. ’
“When this was said, great king, I told the bhikkhu Ānanda: ‘Not so, Ānanda! Not so, Ānanda! <198> This is the entire holy life, Ānanda, that is, good friendship, [88] good companionship, good comradeship. When a bhikkhu has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path. And how, Ānanda, does a bhikkhu who has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path? Here, Ānanda, a bhikkhu develops right view, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. He develops right intention … right speech … right action … right livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right concentration, which is based upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. It is in this way, Ānanda, that a bhikkhu who has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, develops and cultivates the Noble Eightfold Path.
“‘By the following method too, Ānanda, it may be understood how the entire holy life is good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship: <199> by relying upon me as a good friend, Ānanda, beings subject to birth are freed from birth; beings subject to aging are freed from aging; beings subject to illness are freed from illness; beings subject to death are freed from death; beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair are freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. By this method, Ānanda, it may be understood how the entire holy life is good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship.’
“Therefore, great king, you should train yourself thus: ‘I will be one who has good friends, good companions, good comrades. ’ It is in such a way that you should train yourself.
“When, great king, you have good friends, good companions, good comrades, [89] you should dwell with one thing for support: diligence in wholesome states.
“When, great king, you are dwelling diligently, with diligence for support, your retinue of harem women will think thus: ‘The king dwells diligently, with diligence for support. Come now, let us also dwell diligently, with diligence for support.’ <200>
“When, great king, you are dwelling diligently, with diligence for support, your retinue of khattiya vassals will think thus … your troops will think thus ... your subjects in town and countryside will think thus: ‘The king dwells diligently, with diligence for support. Come now, let us also dwell diligently, with diligence for support.’
“When, great king, you are dwelling diligently, with diligence for support, you yourself will be guarded and protected, your retinue of harem women will be guarded and protected, your treasury and storehouse will be guarded and protected.
412 “For one who desires lofty riches
Following in succession,
The wise praise diligence
In doing deeds of merit.
413 “The wise person who is diligent <201>
Secures both kinds of good:
The good visible in this very life
And the good of the future life.
The steadfast one, by attaining the good,
Is called a person of wisdom.”
19 (9) Childless (1)
At Sāvatthī. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him: “Where are you coming from, great king, in the middle of the day?”
“Here, venerable sir, a financier householder in Sāvatthī has died. I have come after conveying his heirless fortune to the palace, as he died intestate.245 There were eighty lakhs of gold, [90] not to speak of silver, and yet, venerable sir, that financier householder’s meals were like this: he ate red rice along with sour gruel. His clothes were like this: he wore a three-piece hempen garment. His vehicle was like this: <202> he went about in a dilapidated little cart with a leaf awning.”246
“So it is, great king! So it is, great king! When an inferior man gains abundant wealth, he does not make himself happy and pleased, nor does he make his mother and father happy and pleased, nor his wife and children, nor his slaves, workers, and servants, nor his friends and colleagues; nor does he establish an offering for ascetics and brahmins, one leading upwards, of heavenly fruit, resulting in happiness, conducive to heaven. Because his wealth is not being used properly, kings take it away, or thieves take it away, or fire burns it, or water carries it away, or unloved heirs take it. Such being the case, great king, that wealth, not being used properly, goes to waste, not to utilization.
“Suppose, great king, in a place uninhabited by human beings, there was a lotus pond with clear, cool, sweet, clean water, with good fords, <203> delightful; but no people would take that water, or drink it, or bathe in it, or use it for any purpose. In such a case, great king, that water, not being used properly, would
go to waste, not to utilization. So too, great king, when an inferior man gains abundant wealth ... that wealth, not being used properly, goes to waste, not to utilization.
“But, great king, when a superior man gains abundant wealth, he makes himself happy and pleased, and he makes his mother and father happy and pleased, and his wife and children, and his slaves, workers, and servants, and his friends and colleagues; <204> and he establishes an offering for ascetics and brahmins, one leading upwards, of heavenly fruit, resulting in happiness, conducive to heaven. Because his wealth is being used properly, [91] kings do not take it away, thieves do not take it away, fire does not burn it, water does not carry it away, and unloved heirs do not take it. Such being the case, great king, that wealth, being used properly, goes to utilization, not to waste.
“Suppose, great king, not far from a village or a town, there was a lotus pond with clear, cool, sweet, clean water, with good fords, delightful; and people would take that water, and drink it, and bathe in it, and use it for their purposes. In such a case, great king, that water, being used properly, would go to utilization, not to waste. So too, great king, when a superior man gains abundant wealth ... <205> that wealth, being used properly, goes to utilization, not to waste.
414 “As cool water in a desolate place
Evaporates without being drunk,
So when a scoundrel acquires wealth
He neither enjoys himself nor gives.
415 “But when the wise man obtains wealth
He enjoys himself and does his duty.
Having supported his kin, free from blame,
That noble man goes to a heavenly state.”
20 (10) Childless (2)
(As above, except that the amount is a hundred lakhs of gold, a lakh being equal to a hundred thousand:) [92] <206>
“So it is, great king! So it is, great king! Once in the past, great king, that financier householder provided a paccekabuddha named Tagarasikhī with almsfood. Having said, ‘Give alms to the ascetic,’ he rose from his seat and departed. But after giving, he later felt regret and thought: ‘It would have been better if the slaves or workers had eaten that almsfood!’ Moreover, he murdered his brother’s only son for the sake of his fortune.247
“Because that financier householder provided the paccekabuddha Tagarasikhī with almsfood, <207> as a result of that kamma he was reborn seven times in a good destination, in the heavenly world. As a residual result of that same kamma, he obtained the position of financier seven times in this same city of Sāvatthī. But because that financier householder later felt regret about giving, as a result of that kamma his mind did not incline to the enjoyment of excellent food, excellent clothing, and excellent vehicles, nor to the enjoyment of excellent items among the five cords of sensual pleasure. And because that financier householder murdered his brother’s only son for the sake of his fortune, as a result of that kamma he was tormented in hell for many years, for many hundreds of years, for many thousands of years, for many hundreds of thousands of years. As a residual result of that same kamma, he has furnished the royal treasury with this seventh heirless fortune.
“The old merit of that financier householder has been utterly exhausted, <208> and he had not accumulated any fresh merit. But today, great king, the financier householder is being roasted in the Great Roruva Hell.”248
“So, venerable sir, that financier householder has been reborn in the Great Roruva Hell?” [93]
“Yes, great king, that financier householder has been reborn in the Great Roruva Hell.
416 “Grain, wealth, silver, gold,
Or whatever other possessions there are,
Slaves, workers, messengers,
And those who live as one’s dependants:
Without taking anything one must go,
Everything must be left behind.
417 “But what one has done by body,
Or by speech or mind:
This is what is truly one’s own,
This one takes when one goes;
This is what follows one along
Like a shadow that never departs.
418 “Therefore one should do what is good <209>
As a collection for the future life.
Merits are the support for living beings
[When they arise] in the other world.”
III. THE THIRD SUBCHAPTER (THE KOSALAN PENTAD)
21 (1) Persons
At Sāvatthī. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him: <210>
“Great king, there are these four kinds of persons found existing in the world. What four? The one heading from darkness to darkness, the one heading from darkness to light, the one heading from light to darkness, the one heading from light to light.249 “And how, great king, is a person one heading from darkness to darkness? Here some person has been reborn in a low family—a family of caṇḍālas, bamboo workers, hunters, cartwrights, or flower-scavengers—a poor family in which there is little food and drink and which subsists with difficulty, [94] one where food and clothing are obtained with difficulty; and he is ugly, unsightly, deformed, chronically ill—purblind or cripple-handed or lame or paralyzed.250 He is not one who gains food, drink, clothing, and vehicles; garlands, scents, and unguents; bedding, housing, and lighting. He engages in misconduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, <211> after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell.
“Suppose, great king, a man would go from darkness to darkness, or from gloom to gloom, or from stain to stain: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from darkness to darkness.
“And how, great king, is a person one heading from darkness to light? Here some person has been reborn in a low family ... one where food and clothing are obtained with difficulty; and he is ugly ... or paralyzed. He is not one who gains food ... and lighting. He engages in good conduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world.
“Suppose, great king, a man would climb from the ground on to a palanquin, or from a palanquin on to horseback, <212> or from horseback to an elephant mount, or from an elephant mount to a mansion: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from darkness to light.
“And how, great king, is a person one heading from light to darkness? Here some person has been reborn in a high family—an affluent khattiya family, an affluent brahmin family, or an affluent householder family—one which is rich, with great wealth and property, [95] with abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and commodities, abundant wealth and grain; and he is handsome, attractive, graceful, possessing supreme beauty of complexion. He is one who gains food, drink, clothing, and vehicles; garlands, scents, and unguents; bedding, housing, and lighting. He engages in misconduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell.
“Suppose, great king, a man would descend from a mansion to an elephant mount, or from an elephant mount to horseback, or from horseback to a palanquin, or from a palanquin to the ground, or from the ground to underground darkness: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from light to darkness. <213>
“And how, great king, is a person one heading from light to light? Here some person has been reborn in a high family … with abundant wealth and grain; and he is handsome, attractive, graceful, possessing supreme beauty of complexion. He is one who gains food … and lighting. He engages in good conduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world.
“Suppose, great king, a man would cross over from palanqu
in to palanquin, or from horseback to horseback, or from elephant mount to elephant mount, or from mansion to mansion: this person, I say, is exactly similar. It is in this way, great king, that a person is one heading from light to light. [96]
“These, great king, are the four kinds of persons found existing in the world.
(i)
419 “The person, O king, who is poor,
Lacking in faith, stingy,
Niggardly, with bad intentions,
Wrong in views, disrespectful, <214>
420 Who abuses and reviles ascetics,
Brahmins, and other mendicants;
A nihilist, a scoffer, who hinders
Another giving food to beggars:
421 When such a person dies, O king,
He goes, lord of the people,
To the terrible hell,
Heading from darkness to darkness.
(ii)
422 “The person, O king, who is poor,
Endowed with faith, generous,
One who gives, with best intentions,
A person with unscattered mind
423 Who rises up and venerates ascetics,