4.
The Discourse to Dīghanakha
201. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha on the Vulture's Peak mountain, in the Boar's Cave. Then the wandering ascetic Dīghanakha approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged friendly greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the pleasant and memorable talk, he stood to one side. Standing to one side, the wandering ascetic Dīghanakha said this to the Blessed One - "Indeed, Master Gotama, I hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Nothing is agreeable to me.'" "This view of yours, Aggivessana - 'Nothing is agreeable to me' - is this view also not agreeable to you?" "If this view were agreeable to me, Master Gotama, that too would be just the same, that too would be just the same." "Therefore, Aggivessana, there are many, indeed more, in the world who say thus - 'That too would be just the same, that too would be just the same.' They do not abandon that very view and they cling to another view. Therefore, Aggivessana, there are few, indeed fewer, in the world who say thus - 'That too would be just the same, that too would be just the same.' They abandon that very view and do not cling to another view. There are, Aggivessana, some ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Everything is agreeable to me'; there are, Aggivessana, some ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Nothing is agreeable to me'; there are, Aggivessana, some ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me.' Therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Everything is agreeable to me' - for them this view is near to lust, near to bondage, near to delight, near to holding, near to clinging; therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Nothing is agreeable to me' - for them this view is near to non-lust, near to non-bondage, near to non-delight, near to non-holding, near to non-clinging."
202. When this was said, the wandering ascetic Dīghanakha said this to the Blessed One - "Master Gotama exalts my wrong view, Master Gotama greatly exalts my wrong view." "Therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me.' For whatever view is agreeable to them, that view is near to lust, near to bondage, near to delight, near to holding, near to clinging; for whatever view is not agreeable to them, that view is near to non-lust, near to non-bondage, near to non-delight, near to non-holding, near to non-clinging. Therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Everything is agreeable to me' - therein an intelligent person considers thus: 'This view of mine - "Everything is agreeable to me" - if I were to declare this view with tenacity and adherence, having clung to it - "Only this is the truth, anything else is vain"; there would be strife for me with two - with whatever ascetic or brahmin who holds such a doctrine and such a view - "Nothing is agreeable to me", and with whatever ascetic or brahmin who holds such a doctrine and such a view - "Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me" - with these two there would be strife. Thus when there is strife, there is contention; when there is contention, there is vexation; when there is vexation, there is harming.' Thus he, seeing strife and contention and vexation and harming in himself, abandons that very view and does not cling to another view. Thus there is the abandoning of these views, thus there is the relinquishment of these views.
203. "Therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Nothing is agreeable to me' - therein an intelligent person considers thus: 'This view of mine - "Nothing is agreeable to me" - if I were to declare this view with tenacity and adherence, having clung to it - "Only this is the truth, anything else is vain"; there would be strife for me with two - with whatever ascetic or brahmin who holds such a doctrine and such a view - "Everything is agreeable to me", and with whatever ascetic or brahmin who holds such a doctrine and such a view - "Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me" - with these two there would be strife. Thus when there is strife, there is contention; when there is contention, there is vexation; when there is vexation, there is harming.' Thus he, seeing strife and contention and vexation and harming in himself, abandons that very view and does not cling to another view. Thus there is the abandoning of these views, thus there is the relinquishment of these views.
204. "Therein, Aggivessana, those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and such a view - 'Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me' - therein an intelligent person considers thus: 'This view of mine - "Some things are agreeable to me, some things are not agreeable to me" - if I were to declare this view with tenacity and adherence, having clung to it - "Only this is the truth, anything else is vain"; there would be strife for me with two - with whatever ascetic or brahmin who holds such a doctrine and such a view - "Everything is agreeable to me", and with whatever ascetic or brahmin who holds such a doctrine and such a view - "Nothing is agreeable to me" - with these two there would be strife. Thus when there is strife, there is contention; when there is contention, there is vexation; when there is vexation, there is harming.' Thus he, seeing strife and contention and vexation and harming in himself, abandons that very view and does not cling to another view. Thus there is the abandoning of these views, thus there is the relinquishment of these views.
205. "But this body, Aggivessana, is material, made of the four great elements, originating from mother and father, built up from cooked rice and food made with flour, subject to impermanence, to rubbing, massaging, breaking up and destruction, should be regarded as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a boil, as a dart, as misery, as an affliction, as alien, as disintegrating, as empty, as non-self. For one regarding this body as impermanent, as suffering, as a disease, as a boil, as a dart, as misery, as an affliction, as alien, as disintegrating, as empty, as non-self, whatever desire for the body, affection for the body, subservience to the body there is in the body - that is abandoned.
"There are these three feelings, Aggivessana - pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling, neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling. Aggivessana, at the time when one feels a pleasant feeling, at that time one does not feel an unpleasant feeling, nor does one feel a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling; at that time one feels only a pleasant feeling. Aggivessana, at the time when one feels an unpleasant feeling, at that time one does not feel a pleasant feeling, nor does one feel a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling; at that time one feels only an unpleasant feeling. Aggivessana, at the time when one feels a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, at that time one does not feel a pleasant feeling, nor does one feel an unpleasant feeling; at that time one feels only a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling. Pleasant feeling indeed, Aggivessana, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, subject to falling, subject to fading away, having the nature of cessation; unpleasant feeling indeed, Aggivessana, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, subject to falling, subject to fading away, having the nature of cessation; neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling indeed, Aggivessana, is impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen, subject to destruction, subject to falling, subject to fading away, having the nature of cessation. Seeing thus, Aggivessana, a learned noble disciple becomes disenchanted with pleasant feeling, becomes disenchanted with unpleasant feeling, becomes disenchanted with neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling; being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate; through dispassion, he becomes liberated. When liberated, there is the knowledge: 'Liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no more of this state of being.' A monk with mind thus liberated, Aggivessana, does not agree with anyone, does not dispute with anyone, and whatever is said in the world, he uses that without adhering to it."
206. Now at that time the Venerable Sāriputta was standing behind the Blessed One, fanning the Blessed One. Then this occurred to the Venerable Sāriputta: "The Blessed One has indeed declared the abandoning of those various mental states through direct knowledge, the Fortunate One has indeed declared the relinquishment of those various mental states through direct knowledge." Thus indeed, as the Venerable Sāriputta reflected, his mind was liberated from the mental corruptions by non-clinging. But in the wandering ascetic Dīghanakha the stainless, spotless eye of the Teaching arose: "Whatever has the nature of arising, all that has the nature of cessation." Then the wandering ascetic Dīghanakha, having seen the Teaching, having attained the Teaching, having understood the Teaching, having penetrated the Teaching, having crossed over doubt, having gone beyond uncertainty, having attained self-confidence, not relying on others in the Teacher's instruction, said this to the Blessed One: "Excellent, Master Gotama, excellent, Master Gotama! Just as, Master Gotama, one might set upright what had been overturned, or reveal what had been concealed, or point out the path to one who was lost, or hold up an oil lamp in the darkness - so that those with eyes might see forms - just so, the Teaching has been made clear by Master Gotama in many ways. I go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the Teaching, and to the Community of monks. May Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth for life."
The Discourse on Dīghanakha is concluded as fourth.