‘Gladly, let only skin, sinews, and bones remain! Let the flesh and blood waste away in my body! I will not stop trying until I have achieved what is possible by manly strength, energy, and vigor.’ |
‘kāmaṃ taco ca nhāru ca aṭṭhi ca avasissatu, sarīre upassussatu maṃsalohitaṃ, yaṃ taṃ purisathāmena purisavīriyena purisaparakkamena pattabbaṃ na taṃ apāpuṇitvā vīriyassa saṇṭhānaṃ bhavissatī’ti. |
It was by diligence that I achieved awakening, and by diligence that I achieved the supreme sanctuary. |
Tassa mayhaṃ, bhikkhave, appamādādhigatā sambodhi, appamādādhigato anuttaro yogakkhemo. |
a monk lives like this, with keen energy, |
Evaṃ vihārī ātāpī, |
tireless all night and day, |
ahorattamatandito; |
developing skillful qualities, |
Bhāvayaṃ kusalaṃ dhammaṃ, |
in order to find sanctuary. |
yogakkhemassa pattiyā. |
A monk who loves to be diligent, |
Appamādarato bhikkhu, |
seeing fear in negligence, |
pamāde bhayadassi vā; |
can’t decline, |
Abhabbo parihānāya, |
and has drawn near to nirvana.” |
nibbānasseva santike”ti. |
But the monks who develop rememberfulness of death by wishing |
Yo ca khvāyaṃ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṃ maraṇassatiṃ bhāveti: |
to live as long as it takes to chew and swallow a single mouthful … |
‘aho vatāhaṃ tadantaraṃ jīveyyaṃ yadantaraṃ ekaṃ ālopaṃ saṅkhāditvā ajjhoharāmi, bhagavato sāsanaṃ manasi kareyyaṃ, bahu vata me kataṃ assā’ti. (5) |
| Yo cāyaṃ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṃ maraṇassatiṃ bhāveti: | |
or to live as long as it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out … |
‘aho vatāhaṃ tadantaraṃ jīveyyaṃ yadantaraṃ assasitvā vā passasāmi passasitvā vā assasāmi, bhagavato sāsanaṃ manasi kareyyaṃ, bahu vata me kataṃ assā’ti. (6) |
These are called monks who live diligently. They keenly develop rememberfulness of death for the ending of defilements. |
Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, bhikkhū appamattā viharanti tikkhaṃ maraṇassatiṃ bhāventi āsavānaṃ khayāya. (5–6.) |
So you should train like this: |
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṃ sikkhitabbaṃ: |
‘We will live diligently. We will keenly develop rememberfulness of death for the ending of defilements.’ |
‘appamattā viharissāma, tikkhaṃ maraṇassatiṃ bhāvessāma āsavānaṃ khayāyā’ti. |
That’s how you should train.” |
Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti. |
This is the ninth person … |
Ayaṃ, sāriputta, navamo puggalo saupādiseso kālaṃ kurumāno parimutto nirayā parimutto tiracchānayoniyā parimutto pettivisayā parimutto apāyaduggativinipātā. (9) |
These foolish, incompetent wanderers following other paths: who are they to know whether someone has something left over or not? |
Ke ca, sāriputta, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā bālā abyattā, ke ca saupādisesaṃ vā ‘saupādiseso’ti jānissanti, anupādisesaṃ vā ‘anupādiseso’ti jānissanti. |
These are the nine people who, dying with something left over, are exempt from hell, the animal realm, and the ghost realm. They’re exempt from places of loss, bad places, the underworld. |
Ime kho, sāriputta, nava puggalā saupādisesā kālaṃ kurumānā parimuttā nirayā parimuttā tiracchānayoniyā parimuttā pettivisayā parimuttā apāyaduggativinipātā. |
Up until now, Sāriputta, I have not felt the need to give this exposition of the teaching to the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. |
Na tāvāyaṃ, sāriputta, dhammapariyāyo paṭibhāsi bhikkhūnaṃ bhikkhunīnaṃ upāsakānaṃ upāsikānaṃ. |
Why is that? |
Taṃ kissa hetu? |
For I didn’t want those who heard it to introduce negligence. |
Māyimaṃ dhammapariyāyaṃ sutvā pamādaṃ āhariṃsūti. |
However, I have spoken it in order to answer your question.” |
Api ca mayā, sāriputta, dhammapariyāyo pañhādhippāyena bhāsito”ti. |
15. assiduity |
15. Appamādasutta |
“monks, the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, is said to be the best of all sentient beings—be they footless, with two feet, four feet, or many feet; with form or formless; with perception or without perception or with neither perception nor non-perception. |
“Yāvatā, bhikkhave, sattā apadā vā dvipadā vā catuppadā vā bahuppadā vā rūpino vā arūpino vā saññino vā asaññino vā nevasaññināsaññino vā, tathāgato tesaṃ aggamakkhāyati arahaṃ sammāsambuddho; |
In the same way, all skillful dharmas are rooted in assiduity and meet at assiduity, and assiduity is said to be the best of them. |
evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, ye keci kusalā dhammā, sabbe te appamādamūlakā appamādasamosaraṇā. Appamādo tesaṃ aggamakkhāyati. (1) |
Get up! |
♦ 334. |
Sit up! |
♦ uṭṭhahatha nisīdatha, |
Train firmly for the sake of peace. |
daḷhaṃ sikkhatha santiyā. |
Don’t let the king of death, |
♦ mā vo pamatte viññāya, |
—seeing you heedless— |
maccurājā amohayittha vasānuge. |
deceive you, |
|
bring you under his sway. |
“Diligence, great king, is one thing that, when developed and cultivated, secures benefits for both |
“Appamādo kho, mahārāja, eko dhammo, yo ubho atthe samadhiggayha tiṭṭhati— |
the present life and lives to come. |
diṭṭhadhammikañceva atthaṃ samparāyikañcāti. |
The footprints of all creatures that walk can fit inside an elephant’s footprint. So an elephant’s footprint is said to be the biggest of them all. |
Seyyathāpi, mahārāja, yāni kānici jaṅgalānaṃ pāṇānaṃ padajātāni, sabbāni tāni hatthipade samodhānaṃ gacchanti, hatthipadaṃ tesaṃ aggamakkhāyati—yadidaṃ mahantattena; |
In the same way, diligence is one thing that secures benefits for both |
evameva kho, mahārāja, appamādo eko dhammo, yo ubho atthe samadhiggayha tiṭṭhati— |
the present life and lives to come.” |
diṭṭhadhammikañceva atthaṃ samparāyikañcā”ti. |
15. Final nirvana |
15. Parinibbānasutta |
At one time the Buddha was staying between a pair of sal trees in the sal forest of the Mallas at Upavattana near Kusinārā at the time of his final nirvana. |
Ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā kusinārāyaṃ viharati upavattane mallānaṃ sālavane antarena yamakasālānaṃ parinibbānasamaye. |
Then the Buddha said to the monks: |
Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: |
“Come now, monks, I say to you all: |
“handa dāni, bhikkhave, āmantayāmi vo: |
‘(the)-Dharma-[law of]-vanishing (applies to all) co-doings [and their products]. |
‘vaya-dhammā saṅ-khārā, |
(With) assiduity (you must) strive [to attain the goal].’” |
appamādena sampādethā’”ti. |
These were the Realized One’s last words. |
Ayaṃ tathāgatassa pacchimā vācā. |
And how does someone live diligently? |
Kathañca, bhikkhave, appamādavihārī hoti? |
When you live with the eye faculty restrained, your mind doesn’t become polluted when it comes to sights known by the eye. |
Cakkhundriyaṃ saṃvutassa, bhikkhave, viharato cittaṃ na byāsiñcati cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu, |
When the mind isn’t polluted, joy springs up. |
tassa abyāsittacittassa pāmojjaṃ jāyati. |
Being joyful, rapture springs up. |
Pamuditassa pīti jāyati. |
When the mind is full of rapture, the body becomes pacified. |
Pītimanassa kāyo passambhati. |
When the body is pacified, one feels pleasure. |
Passaddhakāyo sukhaṃ viharati. |
And when pleasureful, the mind becomes undistractify-&-lucidifyd in samādhi. |
Sukhino cittaṃ samādhiyati. |
When the mind is undistractify-&-lucidifyd in samādhi, principles become clear. |
Samāhite citte dhammā pātubhavanti. |
Because principles have become clear, you’re considered to live diligently. |
Dhammānaṃ pātubhāvā appamādavihārītveva saṅkhaṃ gacchati … pe … |
And what is diligence? |
Katamo ca bhikkhave, appamādo? |
It’s when a monk looks after their mind when it comes to defilements and things that stimulate defilements. |
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cittaṃ rakkhati āsavesu ca sāsavesu ca dhammesu. |
“And how does a noble disciple live negligently? |
“Kathañca, nandiya, ariyasāvako pamādavihārī hoti? |
Firstly, a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha … |
Idha, nandiya, ariyasāvako buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti— |
| itipi so bhagavā … pe … satthā devamanussānaṃ buddho bhagavāti. | |
They’re content with that confidence, and don’t make a further effort for seclusion by day or solitude by night. |
So tena buddhe aveccappasādena santuṭṭho na uttari vāyamati divā pavivekāya, rattiṃ paṭisallānāya. |
When they live negligently, there’s no joy. |
Tassa evaṃ pamattassa viharato pāmojjaṃ na hoti. |
When there’s no joy, there’s no rapture. |
Pāmojje asati, pīti na hoti. |
When there’s no rapture, there’s no pacification. |
Pītiyā asati, passaddhi na hoti. |