Du sĩ ngoại đạo Vacchagotta : -- Thưa Tôn giả Gotama, một Tỷ-kheo được tâm giải thoát như vậy sanh khởi chỗ nào?

Buddha: '"Reappear," Vaccha, doesn't apply.'

Đức Thế Tôn:-- Sanh khởi, này Vaccha, không có áp dụng.

'At this point, Venerable Gotama, I am befuddled; at this point, confused. The modicum of clarity coming to me from your earlier conversation is now obscured.'

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'Of course you're befuddled, Vaccha. Of course you're confused. Deep, Vaccha, is this phenomenon, hard to see, hard to realize, tranquil, refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by the wise. For those with other views, other satisfactions, other aims, other teachers, it is difficult to know. That being the case, I will now put some questions to you. Answer as you see fit. What do you think, Vaccha: If a fire were burning in front of you, would you know that, "This fire is burning in front of me"?'

-- Này Vaccha, thôi vừa rồi, vô tri của Ông! Thôi vừa rồi, mê mờ (của Ông)! Này Vaccha, sâu kín là pháp này, khó thấy, khó giác ngộ, an tịnh, thù thắng, không thể luận bàn, tế nhị, chỉ bậc trí mới hiểu. Thật rất khó cho Ông có thể hiểu được, khi Ông thuộc tri kiến khác, kham nhẫn khác, lý tưởng khác, hành trì khác, đạo sư khác. Và này Vaccha, nay Ta trở lại hỏi Ông. Hãy trả lời nếu Ông kham nhẫn. Này Vaccha, Ông nghĩ thế nào? Nếu một ngọn lửa cháy đỏ trước mặt Ông, Ông có biết: "Ngọn lửa này cháy đỏ trước mặt tôi?" -- Tôn giả Gotama, nếu một ngọn lửa cháy đỏ trước mặt tôi, tôi có biết: "Ngọn lửa này cháy đỏ trước mặt tôi".

'And suppose someone were to ask you, Vaccha, "This fire burning in front of you, dependent on what is it burning?" Thus asked, how would you reply?'

-- Nhưng nếu, này Vaccha, có người hỏi Ông như sau: "Ngọn lửa này cháy đỏ trước mặt Ông, ngọn lửa này do duyên gì mà cháy đỏ?", nếu được hỏi vậy, này Vaccha, Ông trả lời như thế nào?

'...I would reply, "This fire burning in front of me is burning dependent on grass and timber as its sustenance."'

-- Thưa Tôn giả Gotama, nếu có người hỏi tôi như sau: "Ngọn lửa này cháy đỏ trước mặt Ông, ngọn lửa này do duyên gì mà cháy đỏ?", nếu được hỏi vậy, thưa Tôn giả Gotama, tôi sẽ trả lời như sau: "Ngọn lửa cháy đỏ trước mặt tôi, ngọn lửa này cháy đỏ do duyên nhiên liệu cỏ và củi".

'If the fire burning in front of you were to go out, would you know that, "This fire burning in front of me has gone out"?'

-- Này Vaccha, nếu ngọn lửa ấy bị tắt trước mặt Ông, Ông có biết: "Ngọn lửa này đã tắt trước mặt tôi?" -- Tôn giả Gotama, nếu ngọn lửa ấy được tắt trước mặt tôi, tôi sẽ biết: "Ngọn lửa này đã tắt trước mặt tôi".

'And suppose someone were to ask you, "This fire that has gone out in front of you, in which direction from here has it gone? East? West? North? Or south?" Thus asked, how would you reply?'

-- Này Vaccha, nếu có người hỏi Ông như sau: "Ngọn lửa này đã tắt trước mặt Ông, ngọn lửa ấy từ đây đã đi về phương hướng nào, phương Ðông, phương Tây, phương Bắc, hay phương Nam?", được hỏi vậy, này Vaccha, Ông trả lời thế nào?

'That doesn't apply, Venerable Gotama. Any fire burning dependent on a sustenance of grass and timber, being unnourished — from having consumed that sustenance and not being offered any other — is classified simply as "out."'

-- Không có thể áp dụng ở đây, Tôn giả Gotama. Vì rằng, này Tôn giả Gotama, ngọn lửa ấy đã cháy vì duyên nhiên liệu cỏ và củi. Khi cỏ và củi ấy hết và vì không có nhiên liệu khác, nên được xem là không có nhiên liệu, đã bị tắt.

'Even so, Vaccha, any physical form by which one describing the Tathagata would describe him: That the Tathagata has abandoned, its root destroyed, like an uprooted palm tree, deprived of the conditions of existence, not destined for future arising. Freed from the classification of form, Vaccha, the Tathagata is deep, boundless, hard-to-fathom, like the sea. "Reappears" does not apply. "Does not reappear" does not apply. "Both does and does not reappear" does not apply. "Neither reappears nor does not reappear" does not apply.

-- Cũng vậy, này Vaccha, do sắc pháp này, nhờ đó mà một người nhận biết Như Lai có thể nhận biết được, sắc pháp ấy đã được Như Lai đoạn diệt, cắt tận gốc rễ, làm cho như thân cây tala không được tái sanh, không thể sanh khởi trong tương lai. Giải thoát khỏi cái gọi là sắc, này Vaccha, là Như Lai, thâm sâu, vô lượng, khó dò đến đáy như đại dương. Khởi lên không có áp dụng, không khởi lên không có áp dụng, khởi lên và không khởi lên không có áp dụng, không khởi lên và không không khởi lên không có áp dụng.

'Any feeling... Any perception... Any mental fabrication...

Do tưởng này, nhờ đó mà một người nhận biết Như Lai có thể nhận biết được, tưởng ấy đã được Như Lai đoạn diệt, cắt đứt tận gốc rễ, làm cho như thân cây tala không được tái sanh, không thể sanh khởi trong tương lai. Giải thoát cái gọi là tưởng, này Vaccha, là Như Lai, thâm sâu, vô lượng, khó dò đến đáy đại dương, khởi lên không có áp dụng, không khởi lên không có áp dụng, khởi lên và không khởi lên không có áp dụng, không khởi lên và không không khởi lên không có áp dụng. Do những hành này, nhờ đó mà một người nhận biết Như Lai có thể nhận biết được, các hành ấy đã được Như Lai đoạn diệt, cắt đứt tận gốc rễ, làm cho như thân cây tala không được tái sanh, không thể sanh khởi trong tương lai. Giải thoát những cái gọi là hành, này Vaccha, là Như Lai, thâm sâu, vô lượng khó dò đến đáy đại dương, khởi lên không có áp dụng, không khởi lên không có áp dụng, khởi lên và không khởi lên không có áp dụng, không khởi lên và không không khởi lên, không có áp dụng. Do thức này, nhờ đó mà một người nhận biết Như Lai có thể nhận biết được, cái thức ấy đã được Như Lai đoạn diệt, cắt đứt được tận gốc rễ, làm cho như thân cây tala không được tái sanh, không thể sanh khởi trong tương lai. Giải thoát cái gọi là thức, này Vaccha, là Như Lai, thâm sâu, vô lượng, khó dò đến đáy như đại dương.

Sangha

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There is the case where a Tathagata appears in the world, worthy and rightly self-awakened. He teaches the Dhamma admirable in its beginning, admirable in its middle, admirable in its end. He proclaims the holy life both in its particulars and in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.

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A householder or householder's son, hearing the Dhamma, gains conviction in the Tathagata and reflects: 'Household life is confining, a dusty path. The life gone forth is like the open air. It is not easy living at home to practice the holy life totally perfect, totally pure, like a polished shell. Suppose I were to go forth?'

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So after some time he abandons his mass of wealth, large or small; leaves his circle of relatives, large or small; shaves off his hair and beard, puts on the saffron robes, and goes forth from the household life into homelessness.

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When he has thus gone forth, he lives restrained by the rules of the monastic code, seeing danger in the slightest faults. Consummate in his virtue, he guards the doors of his senses, is possessed of mindfulness and presence of mind, and is content...

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Now, how does a monk guard the doors of his senses? On seeing a form with the eye, he does not grasp at any theme or variations by which — if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the eye — evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. (Similarly with the ear, nose, tongue, body, and intellect.)

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And how is a monk possessed of mindfulness and alertness? When going forward and returning, he acts with alertness. When looking toward and looking away... when bending and extending his limbs... when carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe, and his bowl... when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting... when urinating and defecating... when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and remaining silent, he acts with alertness.

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And how is a monk content? Just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden; so too is he content with a set of robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Wherever he goes, he takes only his barest necessities along.

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He seeks out a secluded dwelling: a forest, the shade of a tree, a mountain, a glen, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle grove, the open air, a heap of straw. After his meal, returning from his alms round, he sits down, crosses his legs, holds his body erect, and brings mindfulness to the fore. He purifies his mind from greed, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and anxiety, and uncertainty. As long as these five hindrances are not abandoned within him, he regards it as a debt, a sickness, a prison, slavery, a road through desolate country. But when these five hindrances are abandoned within him, he regards it as unindebtedness, good health, release from prison, freedom, a place of security. Seeing that they have been abandoned within him, he becomes glad, enraptured, tranquil, sensitive to pleasure. Feeling pleasure, his mind becomes concentrated.

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Quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities, he enters and remains in the first jhana: rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal. Just as if a skilled bathman or bathman's apprentice would pour bath powder into a brass basin and knead it together, sprinkling it again and again with water, so that his ball of bath powder — saturated, moisture-laden, permeated within and without — would nevertheless not drip; even so, the monk permeates... this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of withdrawal. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal. This is a reward of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime.

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Furthermore, with the stilling of directed thought and evaluation, he enters and remains in the second jhana: rapture and pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought and evaluation — internal assurance. He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of composure. Just like a lake with spring-water welling up from within, having no inflow from the east, west, north, or south, and with the skies supplying abundant showers time and again, so that the cool fount of water welling up from within the lake would permeate and pervade, suffuse and fill it with cool waters, there being no part of the lake unpervaded by the cool waters; even so, the monk permeates... this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of composure. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture and pleasure born of composure. This, too, is a reward of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime.

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And furthermore, with the fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, mindful & alert, and physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters and remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous and mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture. Just as in a lotus pond, some of the lotuses, born and growing in the water, stay immersed in the water and flourish without standing up out of the water, so that they are permeated and pervaded, suffused and filled with cool water from their roots to their tips, and nothing of those lotuses would be unpervaded with cool water; even so, the monk permeates... this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded with pleasure divested of rapture. This, too, is a reward of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime.

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And furthermore, with the abandoning of pleasure and stress — as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress — he enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither-pleasure nor stress. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness. This, too, is a reward of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime...

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With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, he directs it to the knowledge of the ending of the mental fermentations. Just as if there were a pool of water in a mountain glen — clear, limpid, and unsullied — where a man with good eyesight standing on the bank could see shells, gravel, and pebbles, and also shoals of fish swimming about and resting, and it would occur to him, 'This pool of water is clear, limpid, and unsullied. Here are these shells, gravel, and pebbles, and also these shoals of fish swimming about and resting.' In the same way, the monk discerns, as it is actually present, that 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress... These are mental fermentations... This is the origination of fermentations... This is the cessation of fermentations... This is the way leading to the cessation of fermentations.' His heart, thus knowing, thus seeing, is released from the fermentations of sensuality, becoming, and ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, 'Released.' He discerns that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.' This, too, is a reward of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime. And as for another visible fruit of the contemplative life, higher and more sublime than this, there is none.

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Aids to Awakening

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But then the thought occurred to Sariputta the wanderer: "This is the wrong time to question him. He is going for alms in the town. What if I were to follow behind this monk who has found the path for those who seek it?"

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Then Ven. Assaji, having gone for alms in Rajagaha, left, taking the alms he had received. Sariputta the wanderer approached him and, on arrival, having exchanged friendly greetings and courtesies, stood to one side. As he stood there he said, "Your faculties are bright, my friend, your complexion pure and clear. On whose account have you gone forth? Who is your teacher? Of whose Dhamma do you approve?"

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"There is, my friend, the Great Contemplative, a son of the Sakyans, gone forth from a Sakyan family. I have gone forth on account of that Blessed One. That Blessed One is my teacher. It is of that Blessed One's Dhamma that I approve."

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"But what is your teacher's teaching? What does he proclaim?"

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"I am new, my friend, not long gone forth, only recently come to this doctrine and discipline. I cannot explain the doctrine in detail, but I can give you the gist in brief."

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Then Sariputta the wanderer spoke thus to the Ven. Assaji:

Speak a little or a lot,
	but tell me just the gist.
The gist is what I want.
	What use is a lot of rhetoric?

Whatever phenomena arise from cause:
	their cause
		& their cessation.
Such is the teaching of the Tathagata,
		the Great Contemplative.

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Then Mahapajapati Gotami [the first nun, and the Buddha's foster mother] approached the Blessed One and on arrival, having bowed down, stood to one side. As she was standing there, she said, "It would be good if the Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma in brief so that I, having heard the Dhamma, might dwell alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, and resolute."

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"...Gotami, the qualities of which you may know, 'These qualities lead to dispassion, not to passion; to being unfettered and not to being fettered; to self-effacement and not to self-aggrandizement; to modesty and not to ambition; to contentment and not to discontent; to seclusion and not to entanglement; to the arousing of persistence and not to laziness; to being unburdensome and not to being burdensome': You may definitely hold, 'This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction.'"

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[According to the commentaries, Mahapajapati Gotami gained arahantship soon after receiving this instruction.]

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Sister Sona on Aging

Ten children I bore
from this physical heap.
Then weak from that, aged,
I went to a nun.
She taught me the Dhamma:
	aggregates, sense spheres, elements.
Hearing the Dhamma,
I cut off my hair and ordained.
Having purified the divine eye
while still a probationer,
I know my previous lives,
where I lived in the past.
I develop the theme-less meditation:
	well-focused singleness.
I gain the liberation of immediacy —
from lack of clinging, unbound.
The five aggregates, comprehended,
stand like a tree with its root cut through.
	I spit on old age.
There is now no further becoming.

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Punna on Death

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"But if they hit you with their hands...?"

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"But if they hit you with a clod...?"

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"But if they hit you with a stick...?"

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"But if they hit you with a knife...?"

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"But if they take your life with a sharp knife...?"

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"Good, Punna, very good. Possessing such calm and self-control you are fit to dwell among the Sunaparantans. Now it is time to do as you see fit."

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Then Ven. Punna, delighting and rejoicing in the Blessed One's words, rising from his seat, bowed down to the Blessed One and left, keeping him on his right side. Setting his dwelling in order and taking his robe and bowl, he set out for the Sunaparanta country and, after wandering stage by stage, he arrived there. There he lived. During that Rains retreat he established 500 male and 500 female lay followers in the practice, while he realized the three knowledges. At a later time, he attained total (final) Unbinding.

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Sister Patacara on Awakening

Washing my feet, I noticed
		the
		water.
And in watching it flow from high
		to
		low,
	my heart was composed
	like a fine thoroughbred steed.
Then taking a lamp, I entered the hut,
	checked the bedding,
	sat down on the bed.
And taking a pin, I pulled out the wick:
	Like the flame's unbinding
	was the liberation
		of awareness.

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