Vajirāsutta
With Vajirā
Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.
Then the nun Vajirā robed up in the morning and, taking her bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.
Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya.
She wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on her return from almsround, she went to the Dark Forest for the day’s meditation,
Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.
plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a tree to meditate.
Atha kho māro pāpimā vajirāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena vajirā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā vajiraṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Vajirā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:
“Kenāyaṁ pakato satto, “Who created this sentient being?
kuvaṁ sattassa kārako; Where is its maker?
Kuvaṁ satto samuppanno, Where has the being arisen?
kuvaṁ satto nirujjhatī”ti. And where does it cease?”
Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
Then the nun Vajirā thought,
“ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti?
“Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”
Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi:
Then she thought,
“māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti.
“This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from immersion!”
Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā, māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:
Then Vajirā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:
“Kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi, “Why do you believe there’s such a thing as a
‘sentient being’? māra diṭṭhigataṁ nu te; Māra, is this your theory?
Suddhasaṅkhārapuñjoyaṁ, This is just a pile of conditions,
nayidha sattupalabbhati. you won’t find a sentient being here.
Yathā hi aṅgasambhārā, When the parts are assembled
hoti saddo ratho iti; we use the word ‘chariot’.
Evaṁ khandhesu santesu, So too, when the aggregates are present
hoti sattoti sammuti.
‘sentient being’ is the convention we use.
Dukkhameva hi sambhoti, But it’s only suffering that comes to be,
dukkhaṁ tiṭṭhati veti ca; lasts a while, then disappears.
Nāññatra dukkhā sambhoti, Naught but suffering comes to be,
nāññaṁ dukkhā nirujjhatī”ti. naught but suffering ceases.”
Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ vajirā bhikkhunī”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Vajirā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.
Āḷavikā ca somā ca,
Gotamī vijayā saha;
Uppalavaṇṇā ca cālā,
Upacālā sīsupacālā ca;
Selā vajirāya te dasāti.
Bhikkhunīsaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.
The Linked Discourses on Nuns are completed.
