And then these verses, which were neither supernaturally inspired, nor learned before in the past, occurred to me: ‘I’ve struggled hard to realize this, enough with trying to explain it! Then the divinity Sahampati, knowing my train of thought, thought, ‘Among the Magadhans there appeared in the past an impure teaching thought up by the stained. Fling open the door to freedom from death! Let them hear the teaching <j>the immaculate one discovered. Standing high on a rocky mountain, you can see t

‘The ascetic Gotama has no superhuman distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones …’ Unless they give up that speech and that thought, and let go of that view, they will be placed in hell as if delivered there. There are these five destinations. What five? Hell, the animal realm, the ghost realm, humanity, and the gods. I understand hell, and the path and practice that leads to hell. And I understand how someone practicing that way, when their body breaks up, after death, is reb

“That’s not my view, Vaccha.” “Then is this your view: ‘The soul is one thing, the body another. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “That’s not my view, Vaccha.” “Then is this your view: ‘A realized one still exists after death. This is the only truth, anything else is futile’?” “That’s not my view, Vaccha.”

Whenever you want, you will be capable of realizing these things, since each and every one is within range: ‘With clairaudience that is purified and superhuman, may I hear both kinds of sounds, human and heavenly, whether near or far.’ As far as you want, you will be capable of realizing these things, since each and every one is within range: and scattered mind as “scattered mind”; expansive mind as “expansive mind”, and unexpansive mind as “unexpansive mind”; mind that is not supreme as “mind t

This is called rebirth. And what is old age? The old age, decrepitude, broken teeth, grey hair, wrinkly skin, diminished vitality, and failing faculties of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings. This is called old age. And what is death? The passing away, passing on, disintegration, demise, mortality, death, decease, breaking up of the aggregates, laying to rest of the corpse, and cutting off of the life faculty of the various sentient beings in the various orders

Suppose a person had a house with eleven doors. If the house caught fire they’d be able to flee to safety through any one of those doors. In the same way, I’m able to flee to safety through any one of these eleven doors to freedom from death. Sir, those of other religions seek a fee for the tutor. Why shouldn’t I make an offering to Venerable Ānanda?” Then the householder Dasama, having assembled the Saṅgha from Vesālī and Pāṭaliputta, served and satisfied them with his own hands with delicious

“Well then, Nāgasamāla, you may remember this exposition of the teaching as ‘The Hair-raising Discourse’.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, Venerable Nāgasamāla approved what the Buddha said. And there’s no way Sunakkhatta will infer about me from the teaching: ‘That Blessed One, with clairaudience that is purified and superhuman, hears both kinds of sounds, human and heavenly, whether near or far.’ And there’s no way Sunakkhatta will infer about me from the teaching: scattered mind … ex

brother … sister … son … Now at that time a certain householder’s dear and beloved only child passed away. After their death he didn’t feel like working or eating. He would go to the cremation ground and wail, “Where are you, my only child? Where are you, my only child?” Once upon a time right here in Sāvatthī a certain woman went to live with her relative’s family. But her relatives wanted to divorce her from her husband and give her to another, who she didn’t want.

for finding the sanctuary, extinguishment. The Wicked One’s stream has been cut, it’s blown away and mown down. Be full of joy, mendicants, set your heart on sanctuary!” Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say: “This world and the other world have been clearly explained by one who knows; as well as Māra’s reach, and what’s out of Death’s reach.

Directly knowing the whole world, the Buddha who understands has opened the door to freedom from death, “Once upon a time, mendicants, there was an unintelligent Magadhan cowherd. In the last month of the rainy season, in autumn, without inspecting the near shore or the far shore, he drove his cattle across a place with no ford on the Ganges river to the northern shore among the Suvidehans. But the cattle bunched up in mid-stream and came to ruin right there. Why is that? Because the unintellige

Why is that? Because the intelligent cowherd inspected both shores before driving the cattle across at a ford. In the same way, there are ascetics and brahmins who are skilled in this world and the other world, skilled in Māra’s dominion and its opposite, and skilled in Death’s dominion and its opposite. If anyone thinks they are worth listening to and trusting, it will be for their lasting welfare and happiness. They breasted the stream of the Ganges and safely reached the far shore. Then he dr

Having practiced good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, when their body breaks up, after death, they’d be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm, in the company of the gods of the thirty-three. There they’d amuse themselves in the Garden of Delight, escorted by a band of nymphs, supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. Then they’d see a householder or a householder’s child amusing themselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimula

“This is that health, worthy Gotama, this is that extinguishment! For I am now healthy and happy, and have no afflictions.” “Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness. Of paths, the ultimate is eightfold— it’s safe, and leads to freedom from death.” When he said this, Māgaṇḍiya said to him, “It’s incredible, worthy Gotama, it’s amazing! How well said this was by the worthy Gotama! ‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.’

‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.’ For this verse was recited by the perfected ones, fully awakened Buddhas of the past: ‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness. Of paths, the ultimate is eightfold— it’s safe, and leads to freedom from death.’ These days it has gradually become a verse used by ordinary people. But Māgaṇḍiya, this body is a disease, a boil, a dart, a gloom, an affliction. Yet you say of this body: “I am quit

That too is how exertion and striving is fruitful. When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understood how sentient beings pass

‘I am practicing to give up and cut off the fetters that might cause me to kill living creatures. But if I were to kill living creatures, because of that I would reprimand myself; sensible people, after examination, would criticize me; and when my body breaks up, after death, I could expect to be reborn in a bad place. And killing living creatures is itself a fetter and a hindrance. The distressing and feverish defilements that might arise because of killing living creatures do not occur in some

but only with a residue of conditioned phenomena. ‘All that is conditioned and crude. But there is the cessation of conditions—<em>that</em> is real.’ Understanding this and seeing the escape from it, the Realized One has gone beyond all that. Now, the ascetics and brahmins who assert the annihilation, eradication, and nonexistence of an existing being reject those who assert a self that is free of disease after death, whether percipient or non-percipient or neither percipient non-percipient. Wh

how these four ways that negate the spiritual life have been explained by the Buddha. But worthy Ānanda, what are the four kinds of unreliable spiritual life?” “Sandaka, take a certain teacher who claims to be all-knowing and all-seeing, to know and see everything without exception, thus: ‘Knowledge and vision are constantly and continually present to me, while walking, standing, sleeping, and waking.’ They enter an empty house; they get no almsfood; a dog bites them; they encounter a wild eleph

They refrain from running errands and messages; buying and selling; falsifying weights, metals, or measures; bribery, fraud, cheating, and duplicity; mutilation, murder, abduction, banditry, plunder, and violence. They give up unchastity. They are chaste, set apart, avoiding the vulgar act of sex. They give up lying. They speak the truth and stick to the truth. They’re honest and dependable, and don’t trick the world with their words. They give up divisive speech. They don’t repeat in one place

So, Ānanda, I have taught the supreme development of the faculties in the training of the Noble One, I have taught the practicing trainee, and I have taught the noble one with developed faculties. Out of sympathy, I’ve done what a teacher should do who wants what’s best for their disciples. Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, Ānanda! Don’t be negligent! Don’t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, V