Buddhist Suttas — SBE Vol. 11 (Clarendon Press, 1881) page scans

who have come shall dwell at ease

1 ' Ponobhavika' punabbhava-dâyika. (S. V. fol. /ti.)

2 'Pa££attaw yeva satiw upa/Mapessanti ' ti attano abbhantare satiw upa/Mapessanti. (S. V. fol. /ft.)

mahA-parinibbana-sutta.

p. 7

— so long may the brethren be expected, not to decline, but to prosper. So long as these seven conditions shall continue to exist among the brethren, so long as they are well-instructed in these conditions, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper/

7. * Other seven conditions of welfare will I teach you, O brethren. Listen well, and attend, and I will speak/

And on their expressing their assent, he spake as follows :

'So long as the brethren shall not engage in, or be fond of, or be connected with business — so iong- as the brethren shall not be in the habit °t or be fond of, or be partakers in idle talk — so Jongr- as the brethren shall not be addicted to, or fond of, or indulge in slothfulness — so long as tlie brethren shall not frequent, or be fond of, or indulge in society — so long as the brethren sha.ll neither have, nor fall under the influence of, sia-ful desires — so long as the brethren shall not become the friends, companions, or intimates of sUYriers — so long as the brethren shall not come to a stop on their way [to Nirv&^a 1 ] because they

^Oramattakend' tiavaramattakena appamattakena. 'Antara' ti arahattaw appatva'va etth* antare. 'Vosânan' ti osakkanam ida/» vuttaw hotL Yâva sila-parisuddhi-mattena va vipassana-mattena vd sotapanna-bhava-mattena va sakadagdmi-bhâva-mattena va anagâmi-bhâva-mattena va 'vosanara' na 'apa^issanti' nama 1 vuddhi yeva bhikkhftnaw paVikawkha no parihâni.' S. V. (fol. trt). This is an interesting analogue to Philippians iii. 13 : ' I count not myself to have apprehended : but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark/ &c. See also below, Chap. V, § 68.

p. 8

THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.

have attained to any lesser thing — so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper 'So long as these conditions shall continue to exist among the brethren, so long as they are instructed in these conditions, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper/

8. 4 Other seven conditions of welfare will I teach you,. O brethren. Listen well, and attend, and I will speak/

And on their expressing their assent, he spake as follows :

' So long as the brethren shall be full of faith, modest in heart, afraid of sin x , full of learning, strong in energy, active in mind, and full of wisdom, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper.

' So long as these conditions shall continue to exist among the brethren, so long as they are instructed in these conditions, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper/

9.

in mind, and full of wisdom, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper.

' So long as these conditions shall continue to exist among the brethren, so long as they are instructed in these conditions, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper/

9. ' Other seven conditions of welfare will I teach you, O brethren. Listen well, and attend, and I will speak/

And on their expressing their assent, he spake as follows :

1 The exact distinction between hiri and ottappa is here explained by Buddhaghosa as follows :

'Hirimana' ti papa-^igu^^ana-lakkhatfaya hiriyd yutta£itt&. 'Ottapi'ti papato bhaya-lakkhawena ottappena samanndgatd: that is, loathing sin as contrasted with fear of sin. But this is rather a gloss than an exact and exclusive definition. Ahirikd is shamelessness, anotappazra frowardness. At Gat. I, 207 we find hiri described as subjective, and ottappa as objective, modesty of heart as contrasted with decency in outward behaviour.

I.

maha-parinibbAna-sutta.

p. 9

' So long as the brethren shall exercise themselves in the sevenfold higher wisdom, that is to say, in mental activity, search after truth, energy, joy, peace, earnest contemplation, and equanimity of mind, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper.

'So long as these conditions shall continue to exist among the brethren, so long as they are instructed in these conditions, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper.'

10. ' Other seven conditions of welfare will I teach you, O brethren. Listen well, and attend, and I will speak/

And on their expressing their assent, he spake as follows :

* So long as the brethren shall exercise themselves in the sevenfold perception due to- earnest thought, that is to say, the perception of impermanency, of non-individuality 1 , of corruption, of the danger of sin, of sanetification,. of purity of heart, of Nirvd^a, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper.

* So long as these conditions shall continue to exist among the brethren, so long as they are instructed in these conditions,, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper/

11. 4 Six conditions of welfare will I teach you, O brethren. Listen well, and attend, and I will speak/

And on their expressing their assent, he spake as follows :

1 For a further explanation of the meaning of anattaw see
Gotama's second discourse in the Mahd Vagga I, 6 : 38-47.
Buddhaghosa makes no special comment here on either of the
seven perceptions.

IO

THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.

And on their expressing their assent, he spake as follows :

1 For a further explanation of the meaning of anattaw see
Gotama's second discourse in the Mahd Vagga I, 6 : 38-47.
Buddhaghosa makes no special comment here on either of the
seven perceptions.

IO

THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH.

4 So long as the brethren shall persevere in kindness of action, speech, and thought amongst the saints, both in public and in private— so long as they shall divide without partiality, and share in common with the upright and the holy, all such things as they receive in accordance with the just provisions of the order, down even to the mere contents of a begging bowl — so long as the brethren shall live among the saints in the practice, both in public and in private, of those virtues which (unbroken, intact, unspotted, unblemished) are productive of freedom x , and praised by the wise ; which are untarnished by the desire of future life, or by the belief in the efficacy of outward acts 2 ; and which are conducive to high and holy thoughts — so long as the brethren shall live among the saints, cherishing, both in public and in private, that noble and saving faith which leads to the complete destruction of the sorrow of him who acts according to it — so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper.

' So long as these six conditions shall continue to

1 Buddhaghosa takes this in a spiritual sense, 'tâni pan' etâni (silani) tawha-dasavyato mo£etv& bhu^issa-bhdva-kara- «ato bhu^issâni : ' that is, ' These virtues are bhu^is'sâni because they bring one to the state of a free man by delivering him from the slavery of craving/

2 Ta»ha-di/Mihi aparâma/Matt&, idam nama tvaw apannapubbo ti kena^i parama/Mutfz asakku# eyyattd £a, 'aparama/Mani' (S. V. fol. //u), that is, 'These virtues are called aparama/Mani ' because they are untarnished by craving or delusion, and because no one can say of him who practises them, " you have been already guilty of such and such a sin:'' ' Craving is here the hope of a future life in heaven, and delusion the belief in the efficacy of rites and ceremonies (the two nissayas) which are condemned as unworthy inducements to virtue.

I.

MA H A-P ARINTBB AN A-SUTTA .

exist among the brethren, so long as they are instructed in these six conditions, so long may the brethren be expected not to decline, but to prosper.'

12. And whilst the Blessed One stayed there at Ra£agaha on the Vultures Peak he held that comprehensive religious talk with the brethren on the nature of upright conduct, and of earnest contemplation, and of intelligence. * Great is the fruit, great the advantage of earnest contemplation when set round with upright conduct. Great is the fruit, great the advantage of intellect when set round with earnest contemplation.