95 (5) Bribery
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who abstain from the crooked ways of bribery, deception, and fraud. But these beings are more numerous who do not so abstain.…”
96 (6)-101 (11) Mutilating, Etc.
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who abstain from mutilating, murder, binding, robbery, plunder, and violence. [474] But these beings are more numerous who do not so abstain. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, they have not seen the Four Noble Truths. What four? The noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.
“Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is suffering.’… An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’”
XI. THE FIVE DESTINATIONS REPETITION SERIES
102 (1) Passing Away as Humans (1)
Then the Blessed One took up a little bit of soil in his fingernail and addressed the bhikkhus thus:
“What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the little bit of soil in my fingernail or the great earth?”
“Venerable sir, the great earth is more. The little bit of soil that the Blessed One has taken up in his fingernail is trifling. Compared to the great earth, the little bit of soil that the Blessed One has taken up in his fingernail is not calculable, does not bear comparison, does not amount even to a fraction.”
“So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among human beings. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in hell. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, they have not seen the Four Noble Truths. What four? The noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.
“Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is suffering.’… An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’”
103 (2) Passing Away as Humans (2)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among human beings. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in the animal realm.…” [475]
104 (3) Passing Away as Humans (3)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among human beings. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in the domain of ghosts.…”
105 (4)-107 (6) Passing Away as Humans (4-6)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn among the devas. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away as human beings, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…”
108 (7)-110 (9) Passing Away as Devas (1-3)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn among the devas. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…”
111 (10)-113 (12) Passing Away as Devas (4-6)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn among human beings. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away as devas, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…”
114 (13)-116 (15) Passing Away from Hell (1-3)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn among human beings. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…” [476]
117 (16)-119 (18) Passing Away from Hell (4-6)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn among the devas. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from hell, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…”
120 (19)-122 (21) Passing Away from the Animal Realm (1-3)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn among human beings. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…”
123 (22)-125 (24) Passing Away from the Animal Realm (4-6)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn among the devas. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from the animal realm, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…”
126 (25)-128 (27) Passing Away from the Domain of Ghosts (1 -3)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn among human beings. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn in hell … in the animal realm … in the domain of ghosts.…”
129 (28) Passing Away from the Domain of Ghosts (4)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn among the devas. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn in hell.” [477]
130 (29) Passing Away from the Domain of Ghosts (5)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn among the devas. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn in the animal realm.”
131 (30) Passing Away from the Domain of Ghosts (6)
… “So too, bhikkhus, those beings are few who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn among the devas. But those beings are more numerous who, when they pass away from the domain of ghosts, are reborn in the domain of ghosts. For what reason? Because they have not seen the Four Noble Truths. What four? The noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.
“Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is suffering.’ An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the origin of suffering.’ An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the cessation of suffering.’ An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’”
This is what the Blessed One said. Elated, those bhikkhus delighted in the Blessed One’s statement. [478]
The Great Book is finished.
Notes
45. Maggasaṃyutta
1 Also at AN V 214, but with micchāñāṇa and micchāvimutti added to the “dark side,” and sammāñāṇa and sammāvimutti added to the “bright side.” The opening statements about ignorance and (just below) true knowledge are at It 34,6-10. See too MN III 76,1-9.Spk: Ignorance is the forerunner (pubbaṅgama) in two modes, as a conascent condition (sahajātavasena, a condition for simultaneously arisen states) and as a decisive-support condition (upanissayavasena, a strong causal condition for subsequently arisen states). Spk-pṭ: It is a forerunner by way of conascence when it makes associated states conform to its own mode of confusion about the object, so that they grasp impermanent phenomena as permanent, etc.; it is a forerunner by way of both conascence and decisive support when a person overcome by delusion engages in immoral actions. Shamelessness (ahirika) has the characteristic of lack of shame (alajjanā, or lack of conscience regarding evil); fearlessness of wrongdoing (anottappa), the characteristic of lack of fear (abhāyanā, regarding evil conduct). Spk glosses anudeva (or anvadeva in Be): sah’ eva ekato’
va, na vinā tena uppajjati; “it arises along with it, in unison, not without it.”
2 Spk: True knowledge (vijjā) is knowledge of one’s responsibility for one’s own action (kammassakatāñāṇa). Here, too, it is a forerunner by way of both conascence and decisive support. Shame (hiri) and fear of wrongdoing (ottappa) are called “the guardians of the world” (ANI 51,19-28). For a detailed discussion of hiri and ottappa, see As 124-27, presented more concisely at Vism 464-65 (Ppn 14:142).
3 Spk says that at the moment of the mundane path these are not all found together, but they are found together at the moment of the supramundane path. Even in the development of the mundane path it would be a mistake to see the eight factors as following in direct sequence. Right view is the guide for all the other path factors and the direct condition for right intention. Right view and right intention jointly condition the next three factors, which make up the virtue group. These in turn serve as the foundation for right effort and right mindfulness, the effort being the application of energy to the practice of the four establishments of mindfulness. The fruit of right effort and right mindfulness is right concentration.
4 This entire sutta is quoted by the Buddha at 3:18, in a conversation with King Pasenadi. Spk has commented on the text there and thus passes over it here. I draw the excerpts below from Spk’s exegesis of the earlier text. In Be and Ee the name of the town is Sakkara.
5 Kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā. The three are synonymous. Spk: When he was in seclusion Ānanda thought, “This practice of an ascetic succeeds for one who relies on good friends and on his own manly effort, so half of it depends on good friends and half on one’s own manly effort.”
6 C.Rh.D renders kalyāṇamitto bhikkhu “a bhikkhu who is a friend of righteousness” (KS 1:113); Woodward, “a monk who is a friend of what is lovely” (KS 5:2); Ireland, “a bhikkhu who is a friend of the good” (SN-Anth 1:75). These renderings all rest on a misunderstanding of the grammatical form of the expression. As an independent substantive, kalyāṇamitta means a good friend, i.e., a spiritual friend who gives advice, guidance, and encouragement. When used in apposition to bhikkhu, however, kalyāṇamitta becomes a bahubbbīhi compound, and the whole expression means “a bhikkhu who has a good friend.” To represent this formally: yassa bhikkhuno kalyāṇamittaṃ hoti (not yo bhikkhu kalyāṇassa mittaṃ hoti), so kalyāṇamitto bhikkhū ti vuccati (my own etymology). On the importance of the good friend, see below 45:49, 63, 77, and also AN IV 351-53 (= Ud 34-37).Spk: With children, it isn’t possible to say, “So much comes from the mother, so much from the father”; the same is true in this case too. One cannot say, “So much of right view, etc., comes from good friends, so much from one’s own manly effort.” The Blessed One says in effect: “The four paths, the four fruits, etc., are all rooted in the good friend.”
7 The vivekanissita formula is affixed to the path factors at Vibh 236. Spk explains seclusion (viveka) in the light of the commentarial notion of the fivefold seclusion: (i) “in a particular respect” (tadaṅga, temporarily, by the practice of insight); (ii) by suppression (vikkhambhana, temporarily, by attainment of jhāna); (iii) by eradication (samuccheda, permanently, by the supramundane path); (iv) by subsiding (paṭippassaddhi, permanently, in fruition); and (v) by escape (nissaraṇa, permanently, in Nibbāna). In the next two paragraphs I translate from Spk.“He develops right view dependent on seclusion (vivekanissitaṃ ): dependent on seclusion in a particular respect, dependent on seclusion by eradication, dependent on seclusion by escape. For at the moment of insight this meditator, devoted to the development of the noble path, develops right view dependent on seclusion in a particular respect by way of function and dependent on seclusion by escape as inclination (since he inclines to Nibbāna); at the time of the path, he develops it dependent on seclusion by eradication as function and dependent on seclusion by escape as object (since the path takes Nibbāna as object). The same method of explanation is also extended to the terms ‘dependent on dispassion’ (virāganissita) and ‘dependent on cessation’ (nirodhanissita).
“Release (vossagga) is twofold, release as giving up (pariccāga ) and release as entering into (pakkhandana). ‘Release as giving up’ is the abandoning (pahāna) of defilements: in a particular respect (tadaṅgavasena) on the occasion of insight, by eradication (samucchedavasena) at the moment of the supramundane path. ‘Release as entering into’ is the entering into Nibbāna: by way of inclination towards that (tadninnabhāvena) on the occasion of insight, and by making it the object (ārammaṇakaraṇena) at the moment of the path. Both methods are suitable in this exposition, which combines the mundane (insight) and the supramundane (the path). The path is maturing in release (vossaggapariṇāmi) because it is maturing towards or has matured in release, meaning that it is ripening towards or has ripened (in release). The bhikkhu engaged in developing the path is ‘ripening’ the path for the sake of giving up defilements and entering into Nibbāna, and he develops it so that it has ‘ripened’ thus.”
When I translate vossagga as “release,” this should be understood as the act of releasing or the state of having released rather than as the experience of being released. Vossagga and paṭinissagga are closely related, both etymologically and in meaning, but as used in the Nikāyas a subtle difference seems to separate them. Paṭinissagga, here translated “relinquishment,” pertains primarily to the phase of insight and thus might be understood as the active elimination of defilements through insight into the impermanence of all conditioned things. Vossagga, as that in which the path matures, probably signifies the final state in which all attachment is utterly given up, and thus comes close in meaning to Nibbāna as the goal of the path. Paṭinissagga occurs as a distinct contemplation, the last, in the sixteen steps in the development of mindfulness of breathing (see 54:1). Though Spk glosses it in the same way as it does vossagga (see n. 293 below), in the suttas themselves the two terms are used with different nuances.
8 Spk: Because Ānanda had not reached the peak in the knowledge of a disciple’s perfections he did not know that the entire holy life of the path depends on a good friend, but since the General of the Dhamma (Sāriputta) had reached the peak in the knowledge of a disciple’s perfections he knew this; therefore he spoke thus and the Blessed One applauded him.
9 The brahmin Jāṇussoṇi was a chaplain of King Pasenadi. He departs from Sāvatthī in a white chariot also at MNI 175, 15-17 and MNII 208, 24-25. According to Spk, once every six months he rode around the city in his chariot “as if strewing the city with the excellence of his glory and prosperity.”
10 Brahmaṃ vata bho yānaṃ, brahmayānarūpaṃ vata hoti. Here, brahma has the sense of best (seṭṭha).
11 The relative pronoun yassa with which the verses begin is completed only by the demonstrative etad in the last verse. Since English does not lend itself to such complex syntax, I am compelled to break up the passage into shorter sentences. I rely on Spk in interpreting the verses. See the other chariot simile at 1:46.
12 Jhānakkho. Spk: “The axle made of jhāna by way of the five jhāna factors accompanying insight.” The five jhāna factors are thought, examination, rapture, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind. Though when fully mature they bring the mind to the first jhāna, these factors are also present, though less prominently, in the concentration that accompanies insight meditation.
13 I read vammasannāho with Se, as against Be camma- and Ee dhamma-.
14 Spk: This vehicle of the path (maggayāna) is said to “originate within oneself” (attani sambhūtaṃ) because it is gained in dependence on one’s own manly effort.
15 Spk: The removal of lust, etc., is a designation for the unconditioned, deathless Nibbāna element. The destruction of the taints is arahantship. The removal of lust, etc., is a name for arahantship too.
16 The definitions of the path factors to follow are also at DN II 311-13 and MN III 251-52. In the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, they are incorporated into the formal tre
atment of the path according to the sutta method in the Suttantabhājaniya at Vibh 235-36 (but see the following note). In the Abhidhamma-bhājaniya the path factors are considered as exclusively supramundane.
17 All eds. of SN have here abrahmacariyā veramaṇī, but elsewhere the reading is kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī, “abstinence from sexual misconduct” (see DN II 312, 12-13; MN III 74,22, III 251, 24-25; Vibh 235, 18-19). The former phrase is found in the precept observed by monks and nuns, the latter in the precept undertaken by the laity. Spk does not comment, which suggests that the SN reading is the result of a scribal error, probably introduced after the age of the commentary; otherwise Spk surely would have explained the variant. I have therefore translated on the assumption that the correct reading should be kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī.
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha Page 207