9: The Book of the Nines
11. Lion's Roar
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi (More copyright information)
1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:
"Bhante, I have completed the rains residence at Sāvatthī. I want to depart on a tour of the countryside."
"You may go, Sāriputta, at your own convenience."
Then the Venerable Sāriputta rose from his seat, paid homage to the Blessed One, circumambulated him keeping the right side toward him, and departed. Then, not long after the Venerable Sāriputta had left, a certain bhikkhu said to the Blessed One: "Bhante, the Venerable Sāriputta struck me and then set out on tour without apologizing." [n.1851] Mp glosses āsajja with ghaṭṭetvā, implying physical violence, and appaṭinissajja with akkhamāpetvā, "without asking pardon." Mp continues: "Why did he bear resentment (against Sāriputta)? It is said that after the elder had paid homage to the Buddha, the edge of his robe hit the monk's body as he was walking away …. Because of this the monk became resentful, so when he saw the elder leaving with a large retinue, out of envy he thought to obstruct his journey; thus he spoke as he did."
Then the Blessed One addressed a certain bhikkhu: "Go, bhikkhu, in my name call Sāriputta, telling him: ‘The Teacher is calling you, friend Sāriputta.’’’ [n.1852] Mp explains that if the Buddha had tried to exonerate Sāriputta, the bhikkhu would have thought that the Teacher was taking the side of his chief disciple and not the side of a junior monk; thus he would have harbored hatred against the Buddha, too. By calling Sāriputta and asking him about the matter, the Buddha will get Sāriputta to exonerate himself.
"Yes, Bhante," that bhikkhu replied. Then he approached the Venerable Sāriputta and said: "The Teacher is calling you, friend Sāriputta.’’
"Yes, friend," the Venerable Sāriputta replied.
2Now on that occasion the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna and the Venerable Ānanda took a key and wandered from dwelling to dwelling, calling out: "Come forth, venerables! Come forth, venerables! Now the Venerable Sāriputta will roar his lion's roar in the presence of the Blessed One!"
Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One said to him: "Sāriputta, one of your fellow monks has made a complaint about you, saying: ‘Bhante, the Venerable Sāriputta struck me and then set out on tour without apologizing.’"
3(1) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
4Just as they throw pure and impure things on the earth—feces, urine, spittle, pus, and blood—yet the earth is not repelled, humiliated, or disgusted because of this; so too, Bhante, I dwell with a mind like the earth, vast, exalted, and measureless, without enmity and ill will.
(2) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
5Just as they wash pure and impure things in water—feces, urine, spittle, pus, and blood—yet the water is not repelled, humiliated, or disgusted because of this; so too, Bhante, I dwell with a mind like water, vast, exalted, and measureless, without enmity and ill will.
(3) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
6Just as fire burns pure and impure things—feces, urine, spittle, pus, and blood—yet the fire is not repelled, humiliated, or disgusted because of this; so too, Bhante, I dwell with a mind like fire, vast, exalted, and measureless, without enmity and ill will.
(4) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
7Just as air blows upon pure and impure things—feces, urine, spittle, pus, and blood—yet the air is not repelled, humiliated, or disgusted because of this; so too, Bhante, I dwell with a mind like air, vast, exalted, and measureless, without enmity and ill will.
(5) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
8Just as a duster wipes off pure and impure things—feces, urine, spittle, pus, and blood—yet the duster is not repelled, humiliated, or disgusted because of this; so too, Bhante, I dwell with a mind like a duster, vast, exalted, and measureless, without enmity and ill will.
(6) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
9Just as an outcast boy or girl, clad in rags and holding a vessel, enters a village or town with a humble mind; so too, Bhante, I dwell with a mind like an outcast boy, vast, exalted, and measureless, without enmity and ill will.
(7) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
10Just as a bull with his horns cut, mild, well tamed and well trained, wanders from street to street and from square to square without hurting anyone with its feet or horns; so too, Bhante, I dwell with a mind like that of a bull with horns cut, vast, exalted, and measureless, without enmity and ill will.
(8) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
11Just as a woman or a man—young, youthful, and fond of ornaments, with head bathed—would be repelled, humiliated, and disgusted if the carcass of a snake, a dog, or a human being were slung around her or his neck; so too, Bhante, I am repelled, humiliated, and disgusted by this foul body.
(9) "Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk and then set out on tour without apologizing.
12Just as a person might carry around a cracked and perforated bowl of liquid fat that oozes and drips; so too, Bhante, I carry around this cracked and perforated body that oozes and drips.
"Bhante, one who has not established mindfulness directed to the body in regard to his own body might strike a fellow monk here and then set out on tour without apologizing."
13Then that accusing bhikkhu rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, prostrated himself with his head at the Blessed One's feet, and said to the Blessed One: "Bhante, I have committed a transgression in that I so foolishly, stupidly, and unskillfully slandered the Venerable Sāriputta on grounds that are untrue, baseless, and false. Bhante, may the Blessed One accept my transgression seen as a transgression for the sake of future restraint."
"Surely, bhikkhu, you have committed a transgression in that you so foolishly, stupidly, and unskillfully slandered the Venerable Sāriputta on grounds that are untrue, baseless, and false. But since you see your transgression as a transgression and make amends for it in accordance with the Dhamma, we accept it. For it is growth in the Noble One's discipline that one sees one's transgression as a transgression, makes amends for it in accordance with the Dhamma, and undertakes future restraint."
14The Blessed One then addressed the Venerable Sāriputta: "Sāriputta, pardon this hollow man before his head splits into seven pieces right there."
"I will pardon this venerable one, Bhante, if this venerable one says to me: ‘And let the venerable one pardon me.’" [n.1853] Khamāmahaṁ bhante tassa āyasmato sace maṁ so āyasmā evam āha "khamatu ca me so āyasmā" ti. As I understand this sentence, Sāriputta is simply saying that he will pardon the accusing bhikkhu if the latter asks him for pardon. Mp, however, explains this sentence otherwise: "The elder (Sāriputta), having pardoned the monk for his transgression, apologizes to him before the Buddha." This explanation, it seems, has influenced the translation in Gradual Sayings: "Lord, I do pardon that venerable one, if he speak thus to me; and let him, too, pardon me" (AN4.252). It is also reflected in NDB 233: "I shall forgive him, Lord, if this revered monk asks for my pardon. And he, too, may forgive me." The text itself, however, says nothing about Sāriputta offering an apology to his accuser, since he has done nothing that calls for an apology. Sāriputta is not himself addressing these words to the monk; he is saying that the monk should address these words to him in order to obtain pardon. In other words, so far the monk has apologized only to the Buddha, not to Sāriputta. On principle, Sāriputta can only pardon the monk if the latter asks for pardon. The word ca, "and," occurs in the sentence to be spoken by the monk, presumably, to mean "in addition to the Buddha, let Sāriputta also pardon me."
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
"Vuttho me, bhante, sāvatthiyaṁ vassāvāso. Icchāmahaṁ, bhante, janapadacārikaṁ pakkamitun"ti.
"Yassadāni tvaṁ, sāriputta, kālaṁ maññasī"ti.
Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi. Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu acirapakkante āyasmante sāriputte bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "āyasmā maṁ, bhante, sāriputto āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkanto"ti.
Atha kho bhagavā aññataraṁ bhikkhuṁ āmantesi: "ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mama vacanena sāriputtaṁ āmantehi: ‘satthā taṁ, āvuso sāriputta, āmantetī’"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato paṭissutvā yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca: "satthā taṁ, āvuso sāriputta, āmantetī"ti.
"Evamāvuso"ti kho āyasmā sāriputto tassa bhikkhuno paccassosi.
2Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno āyasmā ca ānando avāpuraṇaṁ ādāya vihāre āhiṇḍanti: "abhikkamathāyasmanto, abhikkamathāyasmanto. Idānāyasmā sāriputto bhagavato sammukhā sīhanādaṁ nadissatī"ti.
Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ bhagavā etadavoca: "idha te, sāriputta, aññataro sabrahmacārī khīyanadhammaṁ āpanno: ‘āyasmā maṁ, bhante, sāriputto āsajja appaṭinissajjacārikaṁ pakkanto’"ti.
3"Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya.
4Seyyathāpi, bhante, pathaviyaṁ sucimpi nikkhipanti asucimpi nikkhipanti gūthagatampi nikkhipanti muttagatampi nikkhipanti kheḷagatampi nikkhipanti pubbagatampi nikkhipanti lohitagatampi nikkhipanti, na ca tena pathavī aṭṭīyati vā harāyati vā jigucchati vā; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, pathavīsamena cetasā viharāmi vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (1)
5Seyyathāpi, bhante, āpasmiṁ sucimpi dhovanti asucimpi dhovanti gūthagatampi … muttagatampi … kheḷagatampi … pubbagatampi … lohitagatampi dhovanti, na ca tena āpo aṭṭīyati vā harāyati vā jigucchati vā; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, āposamena cetasā viharāmi vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (2)
6Seyyathāpi, bhante, tejo sucimpi ḍahati asucimpi ḍahati gūthagatampi … muttagatampi … kheḷagatampi … pubbagatampi … lohitagatampi ḍahati, na ca tena tejo aṭṭīyati vā harāyati vā jigucchati vā; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, tejosamena cetasā viharāmi vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (3)
7Seyyathāpi, bhante, vāyo sucimpi upavāyati asucimpi upavāyati gūthagatampi … muttagatampi … kheḷagatampi … pubbagatampi … lohitagatampi upavāyati, na ca tena vāyo aṭṭīyati vā harāyati vā jigucchati vā; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, vāyosamena cetasā viharāmi vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (4)
8Seyyathāpi, bhante, rajoharaṇaṁ sucimpi puñchati asucimpi puñchati gūthagatampi … muttagatampi … kheḷagatampi … pubbagatampi … lohitagatampi puñchati, na ca tena rajoharaṇaṁ aṭṭīyati vā harāyati vā jigucchati vā; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, rajoharaṇasamena cetasā viharāmi vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (5)
9Seyyathāpi, bhante, caṇḍālakumārako vā caṇḍālakumārikā vā kaḷopihattho nantakavāsī gāmaṁ vā nigamaṁ vā pavisanto nīcacittaṁyeva upaṭṭhapetvā pavisati; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, caṇḍālakumārakacaṇḍālakumārikāsamena cetasā viharāmi vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (6)
10Seyyathāpi, bhante, usabho chinnavisāṇo sūrato sudanto suvinīto rathiyāya rathiyaṁ siṅghāṭakena siṅghāṭakaṁ anvāhiṇḍanto na kiñci hiṁsati pādena vā visāṇena vā; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, usabhachinnavisāṇasamena cetasā viharāmi vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (7)
11Seyyathāpi, bhante, itthī vā puriso vā daharo yuvā maṇḍanakajātiko sīsaṁnhāto ahikuṇapena vā kukkurakuṇapena vā manussakuṇapena vā kaṇṭhe āsattena aṭṭīyeyya harāyeyya jiguccheyya; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, iminā pūtikāyena aṭṭīyāmi harāyāmi jigucchāmi.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyya. (8)
12Seyyathāpi, bhante, puriso medakathālikaṁ parihareyya chiddāvachiddaṁ uggharantaṁ paggharantaṁ; evamevaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, imaṁ kāyaṁ pariharāmi chiddāvachiddaṁ uggharantaṁ paggharantaṁ.
Yassa nūna, bhante, kāye kāyagatāsati anupaṭṭhitā assa, so idha aññataraṁ sabrahmacāriṁ āsajja appaṭinissajja cārikaṁ pakkameyyā"ti. (9)
13Atha kho so bhikkhu uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Accayo maṁ, bhante, accagamā yathābālaṁ yathāmūḷhaṁ yathāakusalaṁ, yo ahaṁ āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ asatā tucchā musā abhūtena abbhācikkhiṁ. Tassa me, bhante, bhagavā accayaṁ accayato paṭiggaṇhatu āyatiṁ saṁvarāyā"ti.
"Taggha taṁ, bhikkhu, accayo accagamā yathābālaṁ yathāmūḷhaṁ yathāakusalaṁ, yo tvaṁ sāriputtaṁ asatā tucchā musā abhūtena abbhācikkhi. Yato ca kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikarosi, taṁ te mayaṁ paṭiggaṇhāma. Vuḍḍhihesā, bhikkhu, ariyassa vinaye yo accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikaroti āyatiṁ saṁvaraṁ āpajjatī"ti.
14Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ āmantesi: "khama, sāriputta, imassa moghapurisassa, purā tassa tattheva sattadhā muddhā phalatī"ti. "Khamāmahaṁ, bhante, tassa āyasmato sace maṁ so āyasmā evamāha: ‘khamatu ca me so āyasmā’"ti.
Paṭhamaṁ.