1 I. e. the thirst (ta/M), which is declared in this Noble Truth to be the cause of suffering, must be abandoned.
I, 6, 30. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 97
cations and its twelve constituent parts1; so long, O
Bhikkhus, I knew that I had not yet obtained the
highest, absolute Sambodhi in the world of men and
gods, in Miras and Brahma's world, among all
beings, Samaras and Brahma^as, gods and men.
28. 'But since I possessed, O Bhikkhus, with per-
fect purity this true knowledge and insight into these
four Noble Truths, with its three modifications and
its twelve constituent parts, then I knew, O Bhikkhus,
that I had obtained the highest, universal Sambodhi in
the world of men and gods, .... (&c, as in § 27).
29. 'And this knowledge and insight arose in my
mind : " The emancipation of my mind cannot be
lost ; this is my last birth ; hence I shall not be born
again !"'
Thus the Blessed One spoke. The five Bhikkhus
were delighted, and they rejoiced at the words of
the Blessed One. And when this exposition was
propounded, the venerable Kondanna. obtained the
pure and spotless Eye of the Truth (that is to say,
the following knowledge): 'Whatsoever is subject
to the condition of origination, is subject also to the
condition of cessation/
30. And as the Blessed One had founded the
Kingdom of Truth (by propounding the four Noble
Truths), the earth-inhabiting devas shouted : * Truly
the Blessed One has founded at Benares, in the deer
park Isipatana, the highest kingdom of Truth, which
may be opposed neither by a Samara nor by a Brah-
mam, neither by a deva, nor by Mara, nor by Brahma,
nor by any being in the world.'
1 The three modifications and twelve constituent parts are those specified in §§ 23-26.
98 MAHAVAGGA. I, 6, 31.
Hearing the shout of the earth-inhabiting devas,
the /^atumahara^ika devas (gods belonging to
the world of the four divine mahara^as) shouted,
.... (&c, as above). Hearing the shout of the /£atu-
mahara^ika devas, the tavati^sa devas1, ....
the yama devas, .... the tusita devas, .... the
nimmanarati devas, .... the paranimmita-
vasavatti devas, .... the brahmakayika devas
shouted: 'Truly the Blessed One, ' (&c.,as above).
31. Thus in that moment, in that instant, in that
second the shout reached the Brahma world; and
this whole system of ten thousand worlds quaked,
was shaken, and trembled ; and an infinite, mighty
light was seen through the world, which surpassed
the light that can be produced by the divine power
of the devas.
And the Blessed One pronounced this solemn
utterance: ' Truly Ko/z^a/z/za has perceived it (" s.n-
/zasi"), truly Ko^am has perceived it!' Hence
the venerable Ko^a^ia received the name hnn^k-
tako/z^/a/Ha (Ko/z^a/Ha who has perceived the doc-
trine).
32. And the venerable Ann&takondanna, having
seen the Truth, having mastered the Truth, having
understood the Truth, having penetrated the Truth,
having overcome uncertainty, having dispelled all
doubts, having gained full knowledge, dependent on
nobody else for knowledge of the doctrine of the
Teacher, thus spoke to the Blessed One: 'Lord, let
1 The thirty-three devas of the Vedic mythology. This enumera- tion gives the gods who reside in the different worlds, beginning from the lowest (the bhumma deva, who inhabit the earth), and gradually ascending to the higher devalokas. See Hardy, Manual, p. 25.
I, 6, 35. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. 99
me receive the pabba^^a and upasampada ordi- nations from the Blessed One/
' Come, O Bhikkhu/ said the Blessed One, ' well
taught is the doctrine ; lead a holy life for the sake
of the complete extinction of suffering/ Thus this
venerable person received the upasampada ordi-
nation.
33. And the Blessed One administered to the
other Bhikkhus exhortation and instruction by dis-
courses relating to the Dhamma. And the venerable
Vappa, and the venerable Bhaddiya, when they
received from the Blessed One such exhortation and
instruction by discourses relating to the Dhamma,
obtained the pure and spotless Eye of the Truth
(that is to say, the following knowledge) : ' Whatso-
ever is subject to the condition of origination is
subject also to the condition of cessation/
34. And having seen the Truth, having mastered
the Truth, .... (&c, as in § 32), they thus spoke to
the Blessed One : ' Lord, let us receive the pabba^a
and upasampada ordinations from the Blessed One/
'Come, O Bhikkhus/ said the Blessed One, 'well
taught is the doctrine ; lead a holy life for the sake
of the complete extinction of suffering/ Thus these
venerable persons received the upasampada ordi-
nation.
35. And the Blessed One, living on what the
Bhikkhus brought him, administered to the other
Bhikkhus exhortation and instruction by discourse
relating to the Dhamma ; in this way the six persons
lived on what the three Bhikkhus1 brought home
from their alms pilgrimage.
1 Those three Bhikkhus of the five, who had been converted,
IOO MAHAVAGGA. I, 6, 36.
36, 37. And the venerable Mahanama and the
venerable Assa^i, when they received from the Blessed
One, .... (&c, as in §§ 33, 34, down to :). Thus these
venerable persons received the upasampada ordi-
nation.
38. And the Blessed One thus spoke to the five
Bhikkhus : 'The body (Rtipa), O Bhikkhus, is not
the self. If the body, O Bhikkhus, were the self,
the body would not be subject to disease, and we
should be able to say : " Let my body be such and
such a one, let my body not be such and such a one/'
But since the body, O Bhikkhus, is not the self,
therefore the body is subject to disease, and we are
not able to say : " Let my body be such and such a
one, let my body not be such and such a one."
39-41. 'Sensation (Vedana), O Bhikkhus, is not
the self, .... (&C.1) Perception (Sa/Ha) is not the
self, .... The Sa^kharas2 are not the self, ....
Consciousness (Vi^a^a) is not the self, .... (&C.1)
42. * Now what do you think, O Bhikkhus, is the body permanent or perishable ? '
went about for alms; while the Buddha remained with their two companions, and instructed them.
1 This is shown exactly in the same way and with the same words that are used in § 38 with regard to the body. Body, sensations, perceptions, sa/^kharas, and consciousness are the well- known five classes (k hand ha) of bodily and mental parts and powers ; see Rh. D., ' Buddhism,' p. 90 seq. The self (atta), which, if it exists at all, must be permanent and imperishable, is not to be found in any one of these five classes, which are all subject to origin and decay. This discourse of the Buddha's, which is frequently called the Anattalakkha^a Sutta (Sutta of the not having the signs of self), shows the perishable nature of the five khandhas, and that the khandhas are not the self. But it does not deal with the question, whether the self exists or not, in any other way.
2 See the note on chap. 1. 2.
I, 6, 47. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. IOI
4 It is perishable, Lord/
'And that which is perishable, does that cause pain or joy ?'
* It causes pain, Lord/
'And that which is perishable, painful, subject to
change, is it possible to regard that in this way:
' This is mine, this am I, this is my self ?'
' That is impossible, Lord/
43. 'Is sensation permanent or perishable ?' . . . .
44. f Therefore, O Bhikkhus, whatever body has
been, will be, and is now, belonging or not belonging
to sentient beings, gross or subtle, inferior or superior,
distant or near, all that body is not mine, is not me,
is not my self : thus it should be considered by right
knowledge according to the truth.
45. 'Whatever sensation, .... (&c.2)
46. 'Considering this, O Bhikkhus, a learned,
noble hearer of the word becomes weary of body,
weary of sensation, weary of perception, weary of the
Sa^kharas, weary of consciousness. Becoming
weary of all that, he divests himself of passion ; by
absence of passion he is made free ; when he is free,
he becomes aware that he is free ; and he realises
that re-birth is exhausted ; that holiness is completed ;
that duty is fulfilled ; and that there is no further
return to this world3/
47. Thus the Blessed One spoke; the five Bhik-
khus were delighted, and rejoiced at the words of the
Blessed One. And when this exposition had been
1 Here follow the same questions, answers, and rejoinders, with regard to sensation, perception, the sa^kharas, and consciousness.
2 The same with regard to the other four khandhas.
3 Compare Burnouf, * Lotus de la bonne Loi/ p. 481.
102 MAHAVAGGA. I, 7, 1.
propounded, the minds of the five Bhikkhus became
free from attachment to the world, and were released
from the Asavas1.
At that time there were six Arahats (persons who had reached absolute holiness) in the world.
End of the first Bha/zavara.
72.
1. At that time there was in Benares a noble
youth, Yasa by name, the son of a settki (or
treasurer3) and delicately nurtured. He had three
palaces, one for winter, one for summer, one for the
rainy season. In the palace for the rainy season
he lived during the four months (of that season),
surrounded with female musicians among whom no
1 See the note on § 9.
2 A well-known scene in the life of the Bodhisatta has evidently been represented after the model of this story. See Gataka I, p. 61; Lalita Vistara, p. 251; Bigandet, Life of Gaudama, p. 55. Nowhere in the Pali Pi/akas is the story told about the Bodhisatta himself.
3 This was a position of honour among the merchants. In the later literature we hear of an office of se/Mi (se/Mi-//Mna) in a city, to which any one with the requisite wealth and talent was eligible ((jrataka I, 120-122); and, according to the Mahavazrasa, the king appointed to an office called se///5ita, apparently at his court (Mah. p. 69). The Gahapati, or Treasurer, one of the seven jewels of a king, is explained by Buddhaghosa to be se/Mi- gahapati (see Rh. D.'s note on Maha-sudassana Sutta I, 41). 'The Se/Mi,' standing alone, or 'the Maha-se/Mi/ means Anatha Pi^ika (Gataka I, 95, 227-230; Dhammapada Com- mentary, p. 395). Below, in chapter 9, § 1, it would seem that the rank of se//Ai was hereditary, and this is confirmed by the later literature ; but this applies to the social rank only, and not to the office.
I, 7, 3. ADMISSION TO THE ORDER OF BHIKKHUS. IO3
man was, and he did not descend from that palace
(all that time). Now one day Yasa, the noble youth,
who was endowed with, and possessed of the five
pleasures of sense J, while he was attended (by those
female musicians), fell asleep sooner than usual ;
and after him his attendants also fell asleep. Now
an oil amp was burning through the whole night.
2. And Yasa, the noble youth, awoke sooner than
usual ; and he saw his attendants sleeping ; one had
her lute leaning against her arm-pit ; one had her
tabor leaning against her neck ; one had her drum
leaning against her arm-pit ; one had dishevelled
hair ; one had saliva flowing from her mouth ; and
they were muttering in their sleep. One would
think it was a cemetery one had fallen into 2. When
he saw that, the evils (of the life he led) manifested
themselves to him ; his mind became weary (of
worldly pleasures). And Yasa, the noble youth,
gave utterance to this solemn exclamation: ' Alas!
what distress ; alas ! what danger !'
3. And Yasa, the noble youth, put on his gilt
slippers, and went to the gate of his house. Non-
human beings opened the gate, in order that no
being might prevent Yasa the noble youth's leaving
the world, and going forth into the houseless state.
And Yasa, the noble youth, went to the gate of
the city. Non-human beings opened the gate, in
order that no being might prevent Yasa the noble
youths leav'ng the world, and going forth into the
houseless state. And Yasa, the noble youth, went
to the deer park Isipatana.
1 Pleasures of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and touch.
2 Hatthappatta^ susana^ marme, literally, 'one would think a cemetery had (suddenly) come to one's hand.'
104 Mahavagga. 1,7,4-
4. At that time the Blessed One, having arisen
in the night, at dawn was walking up and down in
the open air. And the Blessed One saw Yasa, the
noble youth, coming from afar. And when he saw
him, he left the place where he was walking, and
sat down on a seat laid out (for him). And Yasa,
the noble youth, gave utterance near the Blessed
One to that solemn exclamation: 'Alas! what dis-
tress; alas! what danger!' And the Blessed One
said to Yasa, the noble youth : * Here is no distress,
Yasa, here is no danger. Come here, Yasa, sit
down ; I will teach you the Truth (Dhamma).'
5. And Yasa, the noble youth, when he heard
that there was no distress, and that there was no
danger, became glad and joyful ; and he put off his
gilt slippers, and went to the place where the
Blessed One was ; having approached him and
having respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat
down near him. When Yasa, the noble youth, was
sitting near him, the Blessed One preached to him
in due course : that is to say, he talked about the
merits obtained by alms-giving, about the duties of
morality, about heaven, about the evils, the vanity,
and the sinfulness of desires, and about the blessings
of the abandonment of desire *.
6. When the Blessed One saw that the mind of
Yasa, the noble youth, was prepared, impressible,
free from obstacles (to understanding the Truth),
elated, and believing, then he preached what is the
principal doctrine of the Buddhas, namely, Suffering,