9: The Book of the Nines
4. Nandaka
- 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. Now on that occasion the Venerable Nandaka was instructing, encouraging, inspiring, and gladdening the bhikkhus in the assembly hall with a Dhamma talk. Then, in the evening, the Blessed One emerged from seclusion and went to the assembly hall. He stood outside the door waiting for the talk to end. When he knew that the talk was finished, he cleared his throat and tapped on the bolt. The bhikkhus opened the door for him.
2The Blessed One then entered the assembly hall, sat down on the seat that was prepared for him, and said to the Venerable Nandaka: "You gave the bhikkhus a long exposition of the Dhamma. My back was aching while I stood outside the door waiting for the talk to end."
3When this was said, the Venerable Nandaka, feeling embarrassed, said to the Blessed One: "Bhante, I did not know that the Blessed One was standing outside the door. If I had known, I wouldn’t have spoken so long."
4Then the Blessed One, having understood the Venerable Nandaka's embarrassment, said to him: "Good, good, Nandaka! It is proper for clansmen like you who have gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness to sit together for the sake of a Dhamma talk. When you assemble, Nandaka, you should do one of two things: either talk on the Dhamma or maintain noble silence.
(1) "Nandaka, a bhikkhu may be endowed with faith but he is not virtuous; thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. [n.1836] This begins like AN8.71 but develops differently. He should fulfill that factor, thinking: ‘How can I be endowed with faith and also be virtuous?’ But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and is also virtuous, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
localhost/buddhaswords/an/an9.4.html5(2) "A bhikkhu may be endowed with faith and virtuous but he does not gain internal serenity of mind; [n.1837] Be has cetosamādhissa throughout, as against Ce and Ee cetosamathassa. thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, thinking: ‘How can I be endowed with faith and virtuous, and also gain internal serenity of mind?’ But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and is virtuous, and also gains internal serenity of mind, then he is complete with respect to that factor.
6(3) "A bhikkhu may be endowed with faith and virtuous, and he may gain internal serenity of mind, but he does not gain the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena; [n.1838] Adhipaññādhammavipassanā, glossed as "the insight knowledge that comprehends conditioned phenomena" (saṅkhārapariggāhakavipassanāñāṇa). thus he is incomplete with respect to that factor. Just as a four-legged animal with one lame or defective leg would be incomplete with respect to that limb; so too, when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and is virtuous, and gains internal serenity of mind, but he does not gain the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena, then he is incomplete with respect to that factor. He should fulfill that factor, thinking: ‘How can I be endowed with faith and virtuous, gain internal serenity of mind, and also gain the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena?’
7(4) But when a bhikkhu is i endowed with faith and ii is virtuous, iii and he gains internal serenity of mind and iv also gains the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena, then he is complete with respect to that factor."
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One rose from his seat and entered his dwelling.
8Then, not long after the Blessed One had left, the Venerable Nandaka addressed the bhikkhus: "Just now, friends, before he rose from his seat and entered his dwelling, the Blessed One revealed the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life in four terms: ‘Nandaka, a bhikkhu may be endowed with faith but not virtuous …. Nandaka here repeats the Buddha’s discourse down to: … But when a bhikkhu is endowed with faith and is virtuous, and he gains internal serenity of mind and also gains the higher wisdom of insight into phenomena, then he is complete with respect to that factor.’
9"There are, friends, these five benefits in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion on the Dhamma. What five?
(5) "Here, friends, a bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; he reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure. In whatever way the bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning … and reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure, in just that way the Teacher becomes pleasing and agreeable to him, respected and esteemed by him. [n.1839] I read here with Ee: tathā tathā'ssa satthā piyo ca hoti manāpo ca garu ca bhāvanīyo ca. Ce and Be have tathā tathā so satthu … garu ca bhāvanīyo ca, which means that the bhikkhu becomes respected and esteemed by the Buddha. This is the first benefit in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion on the Dhamma.
10(6) "Again, a bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; he reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure. In whatever way the bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning … and reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure, in just that way, in relation to that Dhamma, he experiences inspiration in the meaning and inspiration in the Dhamma. [n.1840] Tathā tathā so tasmiṁ dhamme atthapaṭisaṁvedī ca hoti dhammapaṭisaṁvedī ca; as at AN5.26, III 21–23. See AN5.26, n. 990. Strangely, though the theme of this passage is the benefit in listening to and discussing the Dhamma, the second, third, and fourth benefits (and perhaps the first as well) accrue to the monk who is teaching the Dhamma. This is the second benefit in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion on the Dhamma.
11(7) "Again, a bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; he reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure. In whatever way the bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning … and reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure, in just that way he sees in that Dhamma a deep and pithy matter after piercing it through with wisdom. [n.1841] Tathā tathā so tasmiṁ dhamme gambhīraṁ atthapadaṁ paññāya ativijjha passati. See AN6, n. 1346. This is the third benefit in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion on the Dhamma.
12(8) "Again, a bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; he reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure. In whatever way the bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning … and reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure, in just that way his fellow monks esteem him more highly, thinking: ‘Surely, this venerable has attained or will attain.’ This is the fourth benefit in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion on the Dhamma.
13(9) "Again, a bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing; he reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure. In whatever way the bhikkhu teaches the bhikkhus the Dhamma that is good in the beginning … and reveals the spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure, on hearing that Dhamma those bhikkhus there who are trainees, who have not attained their heart's ideal, who dwell aspiring for the unsurpassed security from bondage, arouse energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. But having heard that Dhamma, those bhikkhus who are arahants, whose taints are destroyed, who have lived the spiritual life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached their own goal, utterly destroyed the fetters of existence, and are completely liberated through final knowledge, are devoted simply to a pleasant dwelling in this very life. This is the fifth benefit in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion on the Dhamma."
"These are the five benefits in timely listening to the Dhamma, in timely discussion on the Dhamma."
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā nandako upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ bhikkhū dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṁseti. Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenupaṭṭhānasālā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bahidvārakoṭṭhake aṭṭhāsi kathāpariyosānaṁ āgamayamāno. Atha kho bhagavā kathāpariyosānaṁ viditvā ukkāsetvā aggaḷaṁ ākoṭesi. Vivariṁsu kho te bhikkhū bhagavato dvāraṁ.
2Atha kho bhagavā upaṭṭhānasālaṁ pavisitvā paññattāsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ nandakaṁ etadavoca: "dīgho kho tyāyaṁ, nandaka, dhammapariyāyo bhikkhūnaṁ paṭibhāsi. Api me piṭṭhi āgilāyati bahidvārakoṭṭhake ṭhitassa kathāpariyosānaṁ āgamayamānassā"ti.
3Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā nandako sārajjamānarūpo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "na kho pana mayaṁ, bhante, jānāma ‘bhagavā bahidvārakoṭṭhake ṭhito’ti. Sace hi mayaṁ, bhante, jāneyyāma ‘bhagavā bahidvārakoṭṭhake ṭhito’ti, ettakampi no nappaṭibhāseyyā"ti.
4Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ nandakaṁ sārajjamānarūpaṁ viditvā āyasmantaṁ nandakaṁ etadavoca: "sādhu sādhu, nandaka. Etaṁ kho, nandaka, tumhākaṁ patirūpaṁ kulaputtānaṁ saddhāya agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitānaṁ, yaṁ tumhe dhammiyā kathāya sannisīdeyyātha. Sannipatitānaṁ vo, nandaka, dvayaṁ karaṇīyaṁ – dhammī vā kathā ariyo vā tuṇhībhāvo.
Saddho ca, nandaka, bhikkhu hoti, no ca sīlavā. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ: ‘kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ sīlavā cā’ti. Yato ca kho, nandaka, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca, evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hoti.
5Saddho ca, nandaka, bhikkhu hoti sīlavā ca, no ca lābhī ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ: ‘kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ sīlavā ca lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissā’ti. Yato ca kho, nandaka, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa, evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hoti.
6Saddho ca, nandaka, bhikkhu hoti sīlavā ca lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa, na lābhī adhipaññādhammavipassanāya. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Seyyathāpi, nandaka, pāṇako catuppādako assa. Tassa eko pādo omako lāmako. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro assa. Evamevaṁ kho, nandaka, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa, na lābhī adhipaññādhammavipassanāya. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ: ‘kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ sīlavā ca lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa lābhī ca adhipaññādhammavipassanāyā’ti.
7Yato ca kho, nandaka, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa lābhī ca adhipaññādhammavipassanāya, evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hotī"ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ pāvisi.
8Atha kho āyasmā nandako acirapakkantassa bhagavato bhikkhū āmantesi: "idāni, āvuso, bhagavā catūhi padehi kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsetvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho: ‘saddho ca, nandaka, bhikkhu hoti, no ca sīlavā. Evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ – kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ sīlavā cā’ti. Yato ca kho, nandaka, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca, evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hoti. Saddho ca, nandaka, bhikkhu hoti sīlavā ca, no ca lābhī ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa … pe … lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa, na lābhī adhipaññādhammavipassanāya, evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti. Seyyathāpi, nandaka, pāṇako catuppādako assa, tassa eko pādo omako lāmako, evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro assa. Evamevaṁ kho, nandaka, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca, lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa, na lābhī adhipaññādhammavipassanāya, evaṁ so tenaṅgena aparipūro hoti, tena taṁ aṅgaṁ paripūretabbaṁ ‘kintāhaṁ saddho ca assaṁ sīlavā ca, lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa, lābhī ca adhipaññādhammavipassanāyā’ti. Yato ca kho, nandaka, bhikkhu saddho ca hoti sīlavā ca lābhī ca ajjhattaṁ cetosamādhissa lābhī ca adhipaññādhammavipassanāya, evaṁ so tenaṅgena paripūro hotīti.
9Pañcime, āvuso, ānisaṁsā kālena dhammassavane kālena dhammasākacchāya. Katame pañca?
Idhāvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti. Yathā yathā, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti tathā tathā so satthu piyo ca hoti manāpo ca garu ca bhāvanīyo ca. Ayaṁ, āvuso, paṭhamo ānisaṁso kālena dhammassavane kālena dhammasākacchāya.
10Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti. Yathā yathā, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ … pe … brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti tathā tathā so tasmiṁ dhamme atthappaṭisaṁvedī ca hoti dhammappaṭisaṁvedī ca. Ayaṁ, āvuso, dutiyo ānisaṁso kālena dhammassavane kālena dhammasākacchāya.
11Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti. Yathā yathā, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ … pe … brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti tathā tathā so tasmiṁ dhamme gambhīraṁ atthapadaṁ paññāya ativijjha passati. Ayaṁ, āvuso, tatiyo ānisaṁso kālena dhammassavane kālena dhammasākacchāya.
12Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ … pe … brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti. Yathā yathā, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ … pe … brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti tathā tathā naṁ sabrahmacārī uttari sambhāventi: ‘addhā ayamāyasmā patto vā pajjati vā’. Ayaṁ, āvuso, catuttho ānisaṁso kālena dhammassavane kālena dhammasākacchāya.
13Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti. Yathā yathā, āvuso, bhikkhu bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti, tattha ye kho bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, te taṁ dhammaṁ sutvā vīriyaṁ ārabhanti appattassa pattiyā anadhigatassa adhigamāya asacchikatassa sacchikiriyāya. Ye pana tattha bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, te taṁ dhammaṁ sutvā diṭṭhadhammasukhavihāraṁyeva anuyuttā viharanti. Ayaṁ, āvuso, pañcamo ānisaṁso kālena dhammassavane kālena dhammasākacchāya.
Ime kho, āvuso, pañca ānisaṁsā kālena dhammassavane kālena dhammasākacchāyā"ti.
Catutthaṁ.