4:12 The Smaller Discourse on Deployment

878“Settled each in his own view,
contending, the skilled make diverse assertions:
‘One who knows this has understood the Dhamma;
rejecting this, one is not consummate.’ (1)

879“Having contended thus, they dispute
and say: ‘The opponent is a fool, unskilled.’
Which assertion among these is truthful,
for they all claim to be skilled?” (2) [172]

880“If one who does not affirm the opponent’s doctrine
is thereby a fool, a brute,Note 205. Reading with Ce and Ee bālo mago as against Be bālomako. deficient in wisdom,
all indeed are fools, utterly deficient in wisdom:
for all these are settled in their views. (3)

881“But if by their own view they are cleansed,There are both negative and affirmative readings of this line. I follow the affirmative reading of Ee sandiṭṭhiyā ce pana vīvadātā, as against the negative readings of Ce sandiṭṭhiyā c’eva na vevadātā and Be sandiṭṭhiyā c’eva na vīvadātā. Pj II glosses on the basis of the negative reading but admits the affirmative as an alternative.
pure in wisdom, skilled, intelligent,
there is none among them defective in wisdom,
for their views are similarly taken up. (4)

882“I do not say, ‘This is correct,’
as the fools in pairs say to one another.
They all take their own view to be true;
therefore they consider the opponent a fool.” (5)

883“That which some say is ‘true, correct,’
others say is ‘hollow, false.’
Having contended thus, they dispute.
Why don’t ascetics speak in unison?” (6)

884“Truth, indeed, is one — there is no second;
a person who understands this would not dispute.Note 207. I read the text as in Be and Ce, yasmiṃ pajā no vivade pajānaṃ, which is supported by Pj II. Ee has yasmiṃ pajāno vivade pajānaṃ.
These proclaim their own diverse truths;
therefore ascetics do not speak in unison.” (7) [173]

885“But why do they assert diverse truths,
those proponents who claim to be skilled?
Are those truths actually many and diverse,
or do they follow a line of reasoning?” (8)

886“Truths surely are not many and diverse,
except by [mistakenly] perceiving permanent things in the world.
But having formulated reasoning about views,
they assert the dyad ‘true’ and ‘false.’ (9)

887“The seen, heard, good behavior and observances,
the sensed — dependent on these, he shows disdain.
Based on a judgment, derisive,
he says: ‘The opponent is a fool, unskilled.’ (10)

888“As he considers the opponent a fool,
on the same ground he describes himself as ‘skilled.’
Of his own accord, claiming himself skilled,
he disdains the other, yet speaks in the same way.Reading with Ce and Ee tath’eva as against Be tadeva. (11)

889“Inflated by that extremist view,
intoxicated with conceit, thinking himself perfect,
on his own accord he has mentally anointed himself,
for that view of his is taken up in such a manner. (12)

890“If one is deficient because of the opponent’s word,
the opponent himself is similarly deficient in wisdom.
But if he is himself a master of knowledge, a wise man,
then there is no fool among ascetics. (13) [174]

891“Those who assert a teaching
different from this to be defective
have failed to reach purity:
thus the sectarians speak in separate ways,
for they are attached to their own views. (14)

892“‘Here only is purity’ they assert;
they say there is no purification in other teachings.
Thus, too, the sectarians, separately entrenched,
firmly assert their own way there. (15)

893“Asserting firmly his own way,
what opponent here could one consider a fool?
He himself would just provoke strife
by calling his opponent a fool of impure character. (16)

894“Based on a judgment, taking himself as the measure,
he enters upon further disputes in the world.
Having abandoned all judgments,
a person does not create strife in the world.” (17)

Cūḷabyūhasutta

878"Sakaṁsakaṁdiṭṭhiparibbasānā,
Viggayha nānā kusalā vadanti;
Yo evaṁ jānāti sa vedi dhammaṁ,
Idaṁ paṭikkosamakevalī so.

879 Evampi viggayha vivādayanti,
Bālo paro akkusaloti cāhu;
Sacco nu vādo katamo imesaṁ,
Sabbeva hīme kusalāvadānā".

880 "Parassa ce dhammamanānujānaṁ,
Bālomako hoti nihīnapañño;
Sabbeva bālā sunihīnapaññā,
Sabbevime diṭṭhiparibbasānā.

881 Sandiṭṭhiyā ceva na vīvadātā,
Saṁsuddhapaññā kusalā mutīmā;
Na tesaṁ koci parihīnapañño,
Diṭṭhī hi tesampi tathā samattā.

882 Na vāhametaṁ tathiyanti brūmi,
Yamāhu bālā mithu aññamaññaṁ;
Sakaṁ sakaṁ diṭṭhimakaṁsu saccaṁ,
Tasmā hi bāloti paraṁ dahanti".

883 "Yamāhu saccaṁ tathiyanti eke,
Tamāhu aññe tucchaṁ musāti;
Evampi vigayha vivādayanti,
Kasmā na ekaṁ samaṇā vadanti".

884 "Ekañhi saccaṁ na dutīyamatthi,
Yasmiṁ pajā no vivade pajānaṁ;
Nānā te saccāni sayaṁ thunanti,
Tasmā na ekaṁ samaṇā vadanti".

885 "Kasmā nu saccāni vadanti nānā,
Pavādiyāse kusalāvadānā;
Saccāni sutāni bahūni nānā,
Udāhu te takkamanussaranti".

886 "Na heva saccāni bahūni nānā,
Aññatra saññāya niccāni loke;
Takkañca diṭṭhīsu pakappayitvā,
Saccaṁ musāti dvayadhammamāhu.

887 Diṭṭhe sute sīlavate mute vā,
Ete ca nissāya vimānadassī;
Vinicchaye ṭhatvā pahassamāno,
Bālo paro akkusaloti cāha.

888 Yeneva bāloti paraṁ dahāti,
Tenātumānaṁ kusaloti cāha;
Sayamattanā so kusalāvadāno,
Aññaṁ vimāneti tadeva pāva.

889 Atisāradiṭṭhiyā so samatto,
Mānena matto paripuṇṇamānī;
Sayameva sāmaṁ manasābhisitto,
Diṭṭhī hi sā tassa tathā samattā.

890 Parassa ce hi vacasā nihīno,
Tumo sahā hoti nihīnapañño;
Atha ce sayaṁ vedagū hoti dhīro,
Na koci bālo samaṇesu atthi.

891 Aññaṁ ito yābhivadanti dhammaṁ,
Aparaddhā suddhimakevalī te;
Evampi titthyā puthuso vadanti,
Sandiṭṭhirāgena hi tebhirattā.

892 Idheva suddhiṁ iti vādayanti,
Nāññesu dhammesu visuddhimāhu;
Evampi titthyā puthuso niviṭṭhā,
Sakāyane tattha daḷhaṁ vadānā.

893 Sakāyane vāpi daḷhaṁ vadāno,
Kamettha bāloti paraṁ daheyya;
Sayaṁva so medhagamāvaheyya,
Paraṁ vadaṁ bālamasuddhidhammaṁ.

894 Vinicchaye ṭhatvā sayaṁ pamāya,
Uddhaṁsa lokasmiṁ vivādameti;
Hitvāna sabbāni vinicchayāni,
Na medhagaṁ kubbati jantu loke"ti.

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Cūḷabyūhasuttaṁ dvādasamaṁ.