7.
The Discourse to Gaṇaka Moggallāna
74. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in the Eastern Park, in Migāramātā's mansion. Then the brahmin Gaṇaka Moggallāna approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged friendly greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the pleasant and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the brahmin Gaṇaka Moggallāna said this to the Blessed One -
"Just as, Master Gotama, in this mansion of Migāramātā there is seen gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice, that is to say - as far as the lowest step; for indeed, Master Gotama, even for these brahmins there is seen gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice, that is to say - in recitation; for indeed, Master Gotama, even for these archers there is seen gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice, that is to say - in archery. For indeed, Master Gotama, even for us accountants who live by calculation there is seen gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice, that is to say - in reckoning. For we, Master Gotama, having obtained a pupil, first make him count thus - 'one one, two twos, three threes, four fours, five fives, six sixes, seven sevens, eight eights, nine nines, ten tens'; we make him count up to a hundred too, Master Gotama, and even more we make him count. Is it possible, Master Gotama, to declare in just the same way in this Teaching and discipline gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice?"
75. "It is possible, brahmin, to declare in this Teaching and discipline too gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice. Just as, brahmin, a skilled horse-trainer, having obtained a good thoroughbred horse, first trains it in the bridle, then trains it further; just so, brahmin, the Truth-finder, having obtained a person to be trained, first trains him thus - 'Come, monk, be virtuous, dwell restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, accomplished in good conduct and lawful resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, having accepted the training rules, train in them.'
"When, brahmin, a monk is virtuous, dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, accomplished in good conduct and lawful resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, having accepted the training rules he trains in them, the Truth-finder trains him further - 'Come, monk, be one with guarded doors in the sense faculties; having seen a form with the eye, do not be one who grasps at signs, nor one who grasps at features. Since, if you were to dwell with the eye-faculty unrestrained, covetousness, displeasure, and evil unwholesome mental states would flow in upon you, proceed to restrain it; guard the eye-faculty, commit to restraint of the eye-faculty. Having heard a sound with the ear. Etc. Having smelled an odour with the nose... etc... Having tasted a flavour with the tongue... etc. Having touched a tangible object with the body... etc... Having cognised a mental object with the mind, do not be one who grasps at signs, nor one who grasps at features. Since, if you were to dwell with the mind faculty unrestrained, covetousness, displeasure, and evil unwholesome mental states would flow in upon you, proceed to restrain it; guard the mind faculty, commit to restraint of the mind faculty.'
"When, brahmin, a monk is one with guarded doors in the sense faculties, the Truth-finder trains him further - 'Come, monk, be one who knows moderation in food. Having reflected wisely, you should take food - not for amusement, not for intoxication, not for adornment, not for beautification, only for the presence and sustenance of this body, for the cessation of harm, for the support of the holy life - thus: "I shall ward off the old feeling and shall not give rise to a new feeling, and there will be for me progress, blamelessness, and comfortable dwelling."'
"When, brahmin, a monk is one who knows moderation in food, the Truth-finder trains him further - 'Come, monk, dwell devoted to wakefulness; during the day by walking and sitting purify the mind of obstructive mental states; during the first watch of the night by walking and sitting purify the mind of obstructive mental states; during the middle watch of the night lie down in the lion's posture on the right side, overlapping foot upon foot, mindful and fully aware, having attended to the perception of rising; during the last watch of the night, having risen, by walking and sitting purify the mind of obstructive mental states.'
"When, brahmin, a monk is devoted to wakefulness, the Truth-finder trains him further - 'Come, monk, be endowed with mindfulness and full awareness; acting with full awareness when going forward and returning, acting with full awareness when looking ahead and looking aside, acting with full awareness when bending and stretching, acting with full awareness when wearing the double robe, bowl and robes, acting with full awareness when eating, drinking, chewing and tasting, acting with full awareness when defecating and urinating, acting with full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking and remaining silent.'
"When, brahmin, a monk is endowed with mindfulness and full awareness, the Truth-finder trains him further - 'Come, monk, resort to a secluded lodging - a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a grotto, a mountain cave, a cemetery, a deep forest, an open space, a heap of straw.' He resorts to a secluded lodging - a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a grotto, a mountain cave, a cemetery, a deep forest, an open space, a heap of straw. He, after the meal, having returned from his alms round, sits down, folding his legs crosswise, directing his body upright, having established mindfulness in front of him. He, having abandoned covetousness in the world, dwells with a mind free from covetousness; he purifies the mind of covetousness; having abandoned anger and malice, he dwells with a mind free from ill-will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings; he purifies the mind of anger and malice; having abandoned sloth and torpor, he dwells free from sloth and torpor, perceiving light, mindful and fully aware; he purifies the mind of sloth and torpor; having abandoned restlessness and remorse, he dwells unagitated, with a mind internally calmed; he purifies the mind of restlessness and remorse; having abandoned sceptical doubt, he dwells as one who has crossed over doubt, without uncertainty regarding wholesome mental states; he purifies the mind of sceptical doubt.
76. He, having abandoned these five mental hindrances, impurities of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome mental states, enters and dwells in the first meditative absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. With the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, with internal confidence... etc. he enters and dwells in the second meditative absorption. With the fading away of rapture... he enters and dwells in the third meditative absorption. With the abandoning of pleasure... he enters and dwells in the fourth meditative absorption.
"Those monks, brahmin, who are trainees, who have not attained their goal, dwelling aspiring for the unsurpassed freedom from bondage, for them this is my instruction of such a kind. But those monks who are Worthy Ones, who have eliminated the mental corruptions, who have lived the holy life, who have done what was to be done, who have laid down the burden, who have attained their own welfare, who have completely destroyed the fetter of becoming, who are completely liberated through final knowledge, for them these mental states lead to pleasant abiding in the present life and to mindfulness and full awareness."
When this was said, the brahmin Gaṇaka Moggallāna said this to the Blessed One - "Do all the disciples of Master Gotama, being thus exhorted by Master Gotama, being thus instructed, attain the absolute goal, Nibbāna, or do some not attain it?" "Some of my disciples, brahmin, being thus exhorted by me, being thus instructed, attain the absolute goal, Nibbāna, some do not attain it."
"What, Master Gotama, is the cause, what is the condition, that Nibbāna exists, the path leading to Nibbāna exists, Master Gotama exists as the instigator; and yet some disciples of Master Gotama, being thus exhorted by Master Gotama, being thus instructed, attain the absolute goal, Nibbāna, some do not attain it?"
77. "If so, brahmin, I will ask you a question about this very matter. As it pleases you, so you should answer it. What do you think, brahmin, are you skilled in the road leading to Rājagaha?" "Yes, sir, I am skilled in the road leading to Rājagaha." "What do you think, brahmin, suppose here a man were to come along wishing to go to Rājagaha. Having approached you, he would say thus - 'I wish, venerable sir, to go to Rājagaha; point out to me the road to Rājagaha.' You would say to him thus - 'Come, good man, this road goes to Rājagaha. Go along it for a while, having gone along it for a while you will see a village named such and such; go along it for a while, having gone along it for a while you will see a market town named such and such; go along it for a while, having gone along it for a while you will see Rājagaha's pleasant parks, pleasant forests, pleasant grounds, pleasant ponds.' He, being thus exhorted by you, being thus instructed, having taken a wrong road, might go facing the opposite direction. Then a second man might come along wishing to go to Rājagaha. Having approached you, he would say thus - 'I wish, venerable sir, to go to Rājagaha; point out to me the road to Rājagaha.' You would say to him thus - 'Come, good man, this road goes to Rājagaha. Go along it for a while, having gone along it for a while you will see a village named such and such; go along it for a while, having gone along it for a while you will see a market town named such and such; go along it for a while, having gone along it for a while you will see Rājagaha's pleasant parks, pleasant forests, pleasant grounds, pleasant ponds.' He, being thus exhorted by you, being thus instructed, might go safely to Rājagaha. What, brahmin, is the cause, what is the condition, that Rājagaha exists, the road leading to Rājagaha exists, you exist as the instigator; and yet, being thus exhorted by you, being thus instructed, one man, having taken a wrong road, might go facing the opposite direction, one might go safely to Rājagaha?" "What can I do about this, Master Gotama? I am one who shows the path, Master Gotama."
"Just so, brahmin, Nibbāna exists, the path leading to Nibbāna exists, I exist as the instigator; and yet some of my disciples, being thus exhorted by me, being thus instructed, attain the absolute goal, Nibbāna, some do not attain it. What can I do about this, brahmin? The Truth-finder is one who shows the path, brahmin."
78. When this was said, the brahmin Gaṇaka Moggallāna said this to the Blessed One - "Those persons, Master Gotama, who are faithless, who have gone forth from home into homelessness for the sake of livelihood, not through faith, who are fraudulent, deceitful, treacherous, agitated, arrogant, fickle, garrulous, of loose speech, with unguarded doors in the faculties, not knowing moderation in food, not devoted to wakefulness, without regard for asceticism, without keen respect for the training, luxurious, lax, forerunners in falling away, having laid down the responsibility for solitude, lazy, lacking in energy, unmindful, not fully aware, unconcentrated, with wandering minds, unwise, idiots - Master Gotama does not live together with them."
"But those sons of good family who have gone forth from home into homelessness through faith, who are not fraudulent, not deceitful, not treacherous, not agitated, not arrogant, not fickle, not garrulous, not of loose speech, with guarded doors in the faculties, knowing moderation in food, devoted to wakefulness, with regard for asceticism, with keen respect for the training, not luxurious, not lax, having laid down the responsibility for falling away, forerunners in solitude, putting forth strenuous energy, resolute, mindful, fully aware, concentrated, with unified minds, wise, not idiots - Master Gotama lives together with them.
"Just as, Master Gotama, whatever root odours there are, black orris is declared the foremost among them; whatever heartwood odours there are, red sandalwood is declared the foremost among them; whatever flower odours there are, jasmine is declared the foremost among them; just so is Master Gotama's exhortation supreme among present-day teachings.
"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 Gaṇaka Moggallāna is concluded as seventh.