4: The Book of the Fours
196. Sāḷha
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi (More copyright information)
1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī in the hall with the peaked roof in the Great Wood. Then Sāḷha the Licchavi and Abhaya the Licchavi approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. Sāḷha the Licchavi then said to the Blessed One:
2"Bhante, there are some ascetics and brahmins who proclaim the crossing of the flood through two things: by means of purification of virtuous behavior and by means of austerity and disgust. [n.923] The crossing of the flood (oghassa nittharaṇa) is a metaphor for the crossing of saṁsāra or the eradication of defilements. The two factors mentioned by Sāḷha are sīlavisuddhi and tapojigucchā. The latter comprises diverse types of austerity and self-mortification rejected by the Buddha in his formulation of the "middle way." In his reply, the Buddha accepts purification of virtuous behavior as one of the factors of asceticism (sāmaññanga), but rejects austerity and disgust. What does the Blessed One say about this?"
3"I say, Sāḷha, that purification of virtuous behavior is one of the factors of asceticism. But those ascetics and brahmins who advocate austerity and disgust, who regard austerity and disgust as the essence, and who adhere to austerity and disgust are incapable of crossing the flood. [n.924] See AN3.78. Also, those ascetics and brahmins whose bodily, verbal, and mental behavior are impure, and whose livelihood is impure, are incapable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment.
4"Suppose, Sāḷha, a man desiring to cross a river were to take a sharp axe and enter a grove. There he would see a large sal sapling, straight, fresh, without a fruit-bud core. He would cut it down at its root, cut off the top, completely strip off the branches and foliage, trim it with axes, trim it further with hatchets, scrape it with a scraping tool, polish it with a stone ball, and set out to cross the river.
5What do you think, Sāḷha? Could that man cross the river?"
"No, Bhante.
For what reason?
Because although that sal sapling has been thoroughly prepared externally, it has not been purified within. It can be expected that the sal sapling will sink and the man will meet with calamity and disaster."
6"So too, Sāḷha, those ascetics and brahmins who advocate austerity and disgust, who regard austerity and disgust as the essence, and who adhere to austerity and disgust are incapable of crossing the flood. Also, those ascetics and brahmins whose bodily, verbal, and mental behavior are impure, and whose livelihood is impure, are incapable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment.
7"But, Sāḷha, those ascetics and brahmins who do not advocate austerity and disgust, who do not regard austerity and disgust as the essence, and who do not adhere to austerity and disgust are capable of crossing the flood. Also, those ascetics and brahmins whose bodily, verbal, and mental behavior are pure, and whose livelihood is pure, are capable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment.
8"Suppose, Sāḷha, a man desiring to cross a river were to take a sharp axe and enter a grove. There he would see a large sal sapling, straight, fresh, without a fruit-bud core. He would cut it down at its root, cut off the top, completely strip off the branches and foliage, trim it with axes, trim it further with hatchets, take a chisel and thoroughly cleanse it within, scrape it with a scraping tool, polish it with a stone ball, and make it into a boat. Then he would equip it with oars and a rudder and set out to cross the river.
9What do you think, Sāḷha? Could that man cross the river?"
"Yes, Bhante.
For what reason? Because that sal sapling has been thoroughly prepared externally, well purified within, made into a boat, and equipped with oars and a rudder. It can be expected that the sal sapling will not sink and the man will safely reach the other shore."
10(1) "So too, Sāḷha, those ascetics and brahmins who do not advocate austerity and disgust, who do not regard austerity and disgust as the essence, and who do not adhere to austerity and disgust are capable of crossing the flood. Also, those ascetics and brahmins whose bodily, verbal, and mental behavior are pure, and whose livelihood is pure, are capable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment.
"Even though a warrior knows many different feats that can be done with arrows, it is only if he possesses three qualities that he is worthy of a king, an accessory of a king, and reckoned a factor of kingship. What three? He is a long-distance shooter, a sharp-shooter, and one who splits a great body.
11(2) "Just as the warrior is a long-distance shooter, so too the noble disciple has right concentration. Whatever kind of form there is—whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near—a noble disciple with right concentration sees all form as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ Whatever kind of feeling there is … Whatever kind of perception there is … Whatever kind of volitional activities there are … Whatever kind of consciousness there is—whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near—a noble disciple with right concentration sees all consciousness as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’
12(3) "Just as the warrior is a sharp-shooter, so too the noble disciple has right view. The noble disciple with right view understands as it really is: ‘This is suffering.’ He understands as it really is: ‘This is the origin of suffering.’ He understands as it really is: ‘This is the cessation of suffering.’ He understands as it really is: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’
13(4) "Just as the warrior splits a great body, so too the noble disciple has right liberation. The noble disciple with right liberation has split the great mass of ignorance." [n.925] I assume this sutta is included in the Fours by way of moral purity (of body, speech, mind, and livelihood), right concentration, right view, and right liberation. However, the sutta itself is not sufficiently explicit about this and thus my numbering is hypothetical.
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ. Atha kho sāḷho ca licchavi abhayo ca licchavi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho sāḷho licchavi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
2"Santi, bhante, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā dvayena oghassa nittharaṇaṁ paññapenti – sīlavisuddhihetu ca tapojigucchāhetu ca. Idha, bhante, bhagavā kimāhā"ti?
3"Sīlavisuddhiṁ kho ahaṁ, sāḷha, aññataraṁ sāmaññaṅganti vadāmi. Ye te, sāḷha, samaṇabrāhmaṇā tapojigucchāvādā tapojigucchāsārā tapojigucchāallīnā viharanti, abhabbā te oghassa nittharaṇāya. Yepi te, sāḷha, samaṇabrāhmaṇā aparisuddhakāyasamācārā aparisuddhavacīsamācārā aparisuddhamanosamācārā aparisuddhājīvā, abhabbā te ñāṇadassanāya anuttarāya sambodhāya.
4Seyyathāpi, sāḷha, puriso nadiṁ taritukāmo tiṇhaṁ kuṭhāriṁ ādāya vanaṁ paviseyya. So tattha passeyya mahatiṁ sālalaṭṭhiṁ ujuṁ navaṁ akukkuccakajātaṁ. Tamenaṁ mūle chindeyya; mūle chetvā agge chindeyya; agge chetvā sākhāpalāsaṁ suvisodhitaṁ visodheyya; sākhāpalāsaṁ suvisodhitaṁ visodhetvā kuṭhārīhi taccheyya; kuṭhārīhi tacchetvā vāsīhi taccheyya; vāsīhi tacchetvā lekhaṇiyā likheyya; lekhaṇiyā likhitvā pāsāṇaguḷena dhoveyya; pāsāṇaguḷena dhovetvā nadiṁ patāreyya.
5Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sāḷha, bhabbo nu kho so puriso nadiṁ taritun"ti?
"No hetaṁ, bhante".
"Taṁ kissa hetu"?
"Asu hi, bhante, sālalaṭṭhi bahiddhā suparikammakatā anto avisuddhā. Tassetaṁ pāṭikaṅkhaṁ – sālalaṭṭhi saṁsīdissati, puriso anayabyasanaṁ āpajjissatī"ti.
6"Evamevaṁ kho, sāḷha, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā tapojigucchāvādā tapojigucchāsārā tapojigucchāallīnā viharanti, abhabbā te oghassa nittharaṇāya. Yepi te, sāḷha, samaṇabrāhmaṇā aparisuddhakāyasamācārā aparisuddhavacīsamācārā aparisuddhamanosamācārā aparisuddhājīvā, abhabbā te ñāṇadassanāya anuttarāya sambodhāya.
7Ye ca kho te, sāḷha, samaṇabrāhmaṇā na tapojigucchāvādā na tapojigucchāsārā na tapojigucchāallīnā viharanti, bhabbā te oghassa nittharaṇāya. Yepi te, sāḷha, samaṇabrāhmaṇā parisuddhakāyasamācārā parisuddhavacīsamācārā parisuddhamanosamācārā parisuddhājīvā, bhabbā te ñāṇadassanāya anuttarāya sambodhāya.
8Seyyathāpi, sāḷha, puriso nadiṁ taritukāmo tiṇhaṁ kuṭhāriṁ ādāya vanaṁ paviseyya. So tattha passeyya mahatiṁ sālalaṭṭhiṁ ujuṁ navaṁ akukkuccakajātaṁ. Tamenaṁ mūle chindeyya; mūle chinditvā agge chindeyya; agge chinditvā sākhāpalāsaṁ suvisodhitaṁ visodheyya; sākhāpalāsaṁ suvisodhitaṁ visodhetvā kuṭhārīhi taccheyya; kuṭhārīhi tacchetvā vāsīhi taccheyya; vāsīhi tacchetvā nikhādanaṁ ādāya anto suvisodhitaṁ visodheyya; anto suvisodhitaṁ visodhetvā lekhaṇiyā likheyya; lekhaṇiyā likhitvā pāsāṇaguḷena dhoveyya; pāsāṇaguḷena dhovetvā nāvaṁ kareyya; nāvaṁ katvā phiyārittaṁ bandheyya; phiyārittaṁ bandhitvā nadiṁ patāreyya.
9Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, sāḷha, bhabbo nu kho so puriso nadiṁ taritun"ti?
"Evaṁ, bhante".
"Taṁ kissa hetu"? "Asu hi, bhante, sālalaṭṭhi bahiddhā suparikammakatā, anto suvisuddhā nāvākatā phiyārittabaddhā. Tassetaṁ pāṭikaṅkhaṁ: ‘nāvā na saṁsīdissati, puriso sotthinā pāraṁ gamissatī’"ti.
10"Evamevaṁ kho, sāḷha, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā na tapojigucchāvādā na tapojigucchāsārā na tapojigucchāallīnā viharanti, bhabbā te oghassa nittharaṇāya. Yepi te, sāḷha, samaṇabrāhmaṇā parisuddhakāyasamācārā parisuddhavacīsamācārā parisuddhamanosamācārā parisuddhājīvā, bhabbā te ñāṇadassanāya anuttarāya sambodhāya.
Seyyathāpi, sāḷha, yodhājīvo bahūni cepi kaṇḍacitrakāni jānāti; atha kho so tīhi ṭhānehi rājāraho hoti rājabhoggo, rañño aṅganteva saṅkhaṁ gacchati. Katamehi tīhi? Dūrepātī ca, akkhaṇavedhī ca, mahato ca kāyassa padāletā.
11Seyyathāpi, sāḷha, yodhājīvo dūrepātī; evamevaṁ kho, sāḷha, ariyasāvako sammāsamādhi hoti. Sammāsamādhi, sāḷha, ariyasāvako yaṁ kiñci rūpaṁ atītānāgatapaccuppannaṁ ajjhattaṁ vā bahiddhā vā oḷārikaṁ vā sukhumaṁ vā hīnaṁ vā paṇītaṁ vā yaṁ dūre santike vā sabbaṁ rūpaṁ ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya passati. Yā kāci vedanā … yā kāci saññā … ye keci saṅkhārā … yaṁ kiñci viññāṇaṁ atītānāgatapaccuppannaṁ ajjhattaṁ vā bahiddhā vā oḷārikaṁ vā sukhumaṁ vā hīnaṁ vā paṇītaṁ vā yaṁ dūre santike vā, sabbaṁ viññāṇaṁ ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya passati.
12Seyyathāpi, sāḷha, yodhājīvo akkhaṇavedhī; evamevaṁ kho, sāḷha, ariyasāvako sammādiṭṭhi hoti. Sammādiṭṭhi, sāḷha, ariyasāvako ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti … pe … ‘Ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
13Seyyathāpi, sāḷha, yodhājīvo mahato kāyassa padāletā; evamevaṁ kho, sāḷha, ariyasāvako sammāvimutti hoti. Sammāvimutti, sāḷha, ariyasāvako mahantaṁ avijjākkhandhaṁ padāletī"ti.
Chaṭṭhaṁ.