1Then Kesi the horse trainer approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him:

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"Kesi, you are reputed to be a horse trainer. Just how do you discipline a horse to be tamed?"

"Bhante, I discipline one kind of horse gently, another kind sternly, and still another kind both gently and sternly."

"But, Kesi, if a horse to be tamed by you won’t submit to discipline by any of these methods, how do you deal with him?"

"Bhante, if a horse to be tamed by me won’t submit to discipline by any of these methods, then I kill him. For what reason? So that there will be no disgrace to my teacher's guild.

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2But, Bhante, the Blessed One is the unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed. Just how does the Blessed One discipline a person to be tamed?"

"I discipline one kind of person gently, another kind sternly, and still another kind both gently and sternly.

(1) This, Kesi, is the gentle method: ‘Such is bodily good conduct, such the result of bodily good conduct; such is verbal good conduct, such the result of verbal good conduct; such is mental good conduct, such the result of mental good conduct; such are the devas, such are human beings.’

(2) This is the stern method: ‘Such is bodily misconduct, such the result of bodily misconduct; such is verbal misconduct, such the result of verbal misconduct; such is mental misconduct, such the result of mental misconduct; such is hell, such the animal realm, such the sphere of afflicted spirits.’

3(3) This is the gentle and stern method: ‘Such is bodily good conduct, such the result of bodily good conduct; such is bodily misconduct, such the result of bodily misconduct. Such is verbal good conduct, such the result of verbal good conduct; such is verbal misconduct, such the result of verbal misconduct. Such is mental good conduct, such the result of mental good conduct; such is mental misconduct, such the result of mental misconduct. Such are the devas, such are human beings; such is hell, such the animal realm, such the sphere of afflicted spirits.’"

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4"But, Bhante, if a person to be tamed by you won’t submit to discipline by any of these methods, how does the Blessed One deal with him?"

(4) "If a person to be tamed by me won’t submit to discipline by any of these methods, then I kill him."

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"But, Bhante, it isn’t allowable for the Blessed One to destroy life. Yet he says, ‘Then I kill him.’"

"It is true, Kesi, that it isn’t allowable for the Tathāgata to destroy life. However, when a person to be tamed won’t submit to discipline by the gentle method, the stern method, or the method that is both gentle and stern, then the Tathāgata thinks he should not be spoken to and instructed, and his wise fellow monks, too, think he should not be spoken to and instructed. For this, Kesi, is ‘killing’ in the Noble One's discipline: the Tathāgata thinks one should not be spoken to and instructed, and one's wise fellow monks, too, think one should not be spoken to and instructed."

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5"He is indeed well slain, Bhante, when the Tathāgata thinks he should not be spoken to and instructed, and his wise fellow monks, too, think he should not be spoken to and instructed.

"Excellent, Bhante! Excellent, Bhante! The Blessed One has made the Dhamma clear in many ways, as though he were turning upright what had been overthrown, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the darkness so those with good eyesight can see forms. I now go for refuge to the Blessed One, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. Let the Blessed One consider me a lay follower who from today has gone for refuge for life."

1Atha kho kesi assadammasārathi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho kesiṁ assadammasārathiṁ bhagavā etadavoca:

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"tvaṁ khosi, kesi, paññāto assadammasārathīti. Kathaṁ pana tvaṁ, kesi, assadammaṁ vinesī"ti?

"Ahaṁ kho, bhante, assadammaṁ saṇhenapi vinemi, pharusenapi vinemi, saṇhapharusenapi vinemī"ti.

"Sace te, kesi, assadammo saṇhena vinayaṁ na upeti, pharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, saṇhapharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, kinti naṁ karosī"ti?

"Sace me, bhante, assadammo saṇhena vinayaṁ na upeti, pharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, saṇhapharusena vinayaṁ na upeti; hanāmi naṁ, bhante. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Mā me ācariyakulassa avaṇṇo ahosī’ti.

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2Bhagavā pana, bhante, anuttaro purisadammasārathi. Kathaṁ pana, bhante, bhagavā purisadammaṁ vinetī"ti?

"Ahaṁ kho, kesi, purisadammaṁ saṇhenapi vinemi, pharusenapi vinemi, saṇhapharusenapi vinemi.

Tatridaṁ, kesi, saṇhasmiṁ – iti kāyasucaritaṁ iti kāyasucaritassa vipāko, iti vacīsucaritaṁ iti vacīsucaritassa vipāko, iti manosucaritaṁ iti manosucaritassa vipāko, iti devā, iti manussāti.

Tatridaṁ, kesi, pharusasmiṁ – iti kāyaduccaritaṁ iti kāyaduccaritassa vipāko, iti vacīduccaritaṁ iti vacīduccaritassa vipāko, iti manoduccaritaṁ iti manoduccaritassa vipāko, iti nirayo, iti tiracchānayoni, iti pettivisayoti.

3Tatridaṁ, kesi, saṇhapharusasmiṁ – iti kāyasucaritaṁ iti kāyasucaritassa vipāko, iti kāyaduccaritaṁ iti kāyaduccaritassa vipāko, iti vacīsucaritaṁ iti vacīsucaritassa vipāko, iti vacīduccaritaṁ iti vacīduccaritassa vipāko, iti manosucaritaṁ iti manosucaritassa vipāko, iti manoduccaritaṁ iti manoduccaritassa vipāko, iti devā, iti manussā, iti nirayo, iti tiracchānayoni, iti pettivisayo"ti.

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4"Sace te, bhante, purisadammo saṇhena vinayaṁ na upeti, pharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, saṇhapharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, kinti naṁ bhagavā karotī"ti?

"Sace me, kesi, purisadammo saṇhena vinayaṁ na upeti, pharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, saṇhapharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, hanāmi naṁ, kesī"ti.

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"Na kho, bhante, bhagavato pāṇātipāto kappati. Atha ca pana bhagavā evamāha: ‘hanāmi naṁ, kesī’"ti.

"Saccaṁ, kesi. Na tathāgatassa pāṇātipāto kappati. Api ca yo purisadammo saṇhena vinayaṁ na upeti, pharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, saṇhapharusena vinayaṁ na upeti, na taṁ tathāgato vattabbaṁ anusāsitabbaṁ maññati, nāpi viññū sabrahmacārī vattabbaṁ anusāsitabbaṁ maññanti. Vadho heso, kesi, ariyassa vinaye – yaṁ na tathāgato vattabbaṁ anusāsitabbaṁ maññati, nāpi viññū sabrahmacārī vattabbaṁ anusāsitabbaṁ maññantī"ti.

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5"So hi nūna, bhante, suhato hoti – yaṁ na tathāgato vattabbaṁ anusāsitabbaṁ maññati, nāpi viññū sabrahmacārī vattabbaṁ anusāsitabbaṁ maññantīti.

Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante … pe … upāsakaṁ maṁ, bhante, bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan"ti.

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Paṭhamaṁ.