5.
The Shorter Discourse on Undertaking Practices
468. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park. There the Blessed One addressed the monks - "Monks." "Venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this - "Monks, there are these four undertakings of practice. What are the four? There is, monks, an undertaking of practice that is pleasant in the present but has painful results in the future. There is, monks, an undertaking of practice that is painful in the present and has painful results in the future. There is, monks, an undertaking of practice that is painful in the present but has pleasant results in the future. There is, monks, an undertaking of practice that is pleasant in the present and has pleasant results in the future."
469. "And what, monks, is the undertaking of practice that is pleasant in the present but has painful results in the future? There are, monks, some ascetics and brahmins who hold such views and such opinions - 'There is no fault in sensual pleasures.' They commit to gulping down sensual pleasures. They amuse themselves with female wandering ascetics with bound-up hair. They said thus: 'Why indeed do those venerable ascetics and brahmins, seeing future danger in sensual pleasures, speak of the abandoning of sensual pleasures, declare the full understanding of sensual pleasures? Pleasant is the contact with the arm of this young, soft, hairy female wandering ascetic.' They commit to gulping down sensual pleasures. Having committed to gulping down sensual pleasures, upon the body's collapse at death, they are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell. There they experience painful, sharp, severe, bitter feelings. They said thus: 'This is what those venerable ascetics and brahmins, seeing future danger in sensual pleasures, spoke of the abandoning of sensual pleasures, declared the full understanding of sensual pleasures. For we, because of sensual pleasures, with sensual pleasures as the source, experience painful, sharp, severe, bitter feelings.' Just as, monks, in the last month of summer, a māluvā seed-pod might burst open. Then, monks, that māluvā seed might fall at the root of a certain sal tree. Then, monks, the deity dwelling in that sal tree, frightened and agitated, might fall into terror. Then, monks, the friends and colleagues, relatives and blood-relations of the deity dwelling in that sal tree - park deities, forest deities, tree deities, deities dwelling in medicinal plants, grasses, and forest trees - having come together and assembled, would console her thus: 'Do not fear, venerable one, do not fear, venerable one; perhaps this māluvā seed a peacock might swallow, or a wild animal might eat, or a forest fire might burn, or forest workers might pull it out, or termites might destroy it, or it might be seedless.' Then, monks, that māluvā seed neither a peacock would swallow, nor a wild animal would eat, nor a forest fire would burn, nor forest workers would pull it out, nor termites would destroy it, and that seed, rained upon by a rain cloud, would properly sprout. That māluvā creeper of hers, young, soft, hairy, hanging down, would cling to that sal tree. Then, monks, the deity dwelling in that sal tree would think thus: 'Why indeed did those venerable friends and colleagues, relatives and blood-relations - park deities, forest deities, tree deities, deities dwelling in medicinal plants, grasses, and forest trees - seeing future danger in the māluvā seed, having come together and assembled, console me thus: "Do not fear, venerable one, do not fear, venerable one; perhaps this māluvā seed a peacock might swallow, or a wild animal might eat, or a forest fire might burn, or forest workers might pull it out, or termites might destroy it, or it might be seedless"; pleasant is the contact with this young, soft, hairy, hanging māluvā creeper.' It would envelop that sal tree. Having enveloped that sal tree, it would make a canopy above. Having made a canopy above, it would produce a dense mass below. Having produced a dense mass, it would split apart the great, great branches of that sal tree. Then, monks, the deity dwelling in that sal tree would think thus: 'This is what those venerable friends and colleagues, relatives and blood-relations - park deities, forest deities, tree deities, deities dwelling in medicinal plants, grasses, and forest trees - seeing future danger in the māluvā seed, having come together and assembled, consoled me thus: "Do not fear, venerable one, do not fear, venerable one; perhaps this māluvā seed a peacock might swallow, or a wild animal might eat, or a forest fire might burn, or forest workers might pull it out, or termites might destroy it, or it might be seedless." And I, because of the māluvā seed, experience painful, sharp, severe, bitter feelings.' Just so, monks, there are some ascetics and brahmins who hold such views and such opinions: 'There is no fault in sensual pleasures.' They commit to gulping down sensual pleasures. They amuse themselves with female wandering ascetics with bound-up hair. They said thus: 'Why indeed do those venerable ascetics and brahmins, seeing future danger in sensual pleasures, speak of the abandoning of sensual pleasures, declare the full understanding of sensual pleasures? Pleasant is the contact with the arm of this young, soft, hairy female wandering ascetic.' They commit to gulping down sensual pleasures. Having committed to gulping down sensual pleasures, upon the body's collapse at death, they are reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell. There they experience painful, sharp, severe, bitter feelings. They said thus: 'This is what those venerable ascetics and brahmins, seeing future danger in sensual pleasures, spoke of the abandoning of sensual pleasures, declared the full understanding of sensual pleasures. For we, because of sensual pleasures, with sensual pleasures as the source, experience painful, sharp, severe, bitter feelings.' This is called, monks, the undertaking of practice that is pleasant in the present but has painful results in the future.
470. "And what, monks, is the undertaking of practice that is painful in the present and has painful results in the future? Here, monks, someone is a naked ascetic, of loose habits, licking his hands, not one who comes when asked 'Come, venerable sir,' not one who stops when asked 'Stop, venerable sir,' he does not accept food brought to him, nor food specifically prepared for him, nor an invitation. He does not accept food from the mouth of a pot, nor from the mouth of a bowl, nor across a threshold where a goat stands, nor across a stick, nor across a pestle, nor from two eating together, nor from a pregnant woman, nor from a nursing woman, nor from a woman who has gone among men, nor from where food has been collected, nor where a dog is standing by, nor where flies are swarming, nor fish, nor meat, nor liquor, nor fermented drink, nor rice-water does he drink. He is a one-house man taking one morsel, or a two-house man taking two morsels, etc. or a seven-house man taking seven morsels. He sustains himself with one small dish of food, he sustains himself with two small dishes of food, etc. he sustains himself with seven small dishes of food. He takes food once a day, he takes food once every two days, etc. he takes food once every seven days. Thus he dwells devoted to the practice of eating food in rotation even up to half a month. He is one who feeds on vegetables, or one who feeds on millet, or one who feeds on wild rice, or one who feeds on leather scraps, or one who feeds on moss, or one who feeds on rice bran, or one who feeds on rice scum, or one who feeds on sesame flour, or one who feeds on grass, or one who feeds on cow dung, or he sustains himself on forest roots and fruits, feeding on fallen fruits. He wears hempen garments, he wears mixed garments, he wears shroud-cloth, he wears rag-robes, he wears bark-cloth, he wears cheetah hide, he wears a cloak of cheetah hide, he wears kusa-grass garments, he wears bark garments, he wears wood-shaving garments, he wears a blanket of human hair, he wears a blanket of horse-tail hair, he wears owl-feather garments, he is one who plucks out hair and beard being devoted to the practice of plucking out hair and beard, he is one who stands upright having rejected seats, he is one who squats being devoted to the striving of squatting, he is one who lies on thorns making his sleeping place on a bed of thorns, he dwells devoted to the practice of going down into the water three times including the evening. Thus he dwells devoted to the practice of mortifying and tormenting the body in manifold ways. He, upon the body's collapse at death, is reborn in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell. This is called, monks, the undertaking of practice that is painful in the present and has painful results in the future.
471. "And what, monks, is the undertaking of practice that is painful in the present but has pleasant results in the future? Here, monks, someone is by nature of intense lust, and he constantly experiences suffering and displeasure born of lust; he is by nature of intense hate, and he constantly experiences suffering and displeasure born of hate; he is by nature of intense delusion, and he constantly experiences suffering and displeasure born of delusion. He, together with suffering, together with displeasure, with tearful face, weeping, lives the holy life that is complete and pure. Upon the body's collapse at death, he is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world. This is called, monks, the undertaking of practice that is painful in the present but has pleasant results in the future.
472. "And what, monks, is the undertaking of practice that is pleasant in the present and has pleasant results in the future? Here, monks, someone is by nature not of intense lust, and he does not constantly experience suffering and displeasure born of lust; he is by nature not of intense hate, and he does not constantly experience suffering and displeasure born of hate; he is by nature not of intense delusion, and he does not constantly experience suffering and displeasure born of delusion. He, 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, he enters and dwells in the second meditative absorption, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied thought and without sustained thought, with rapture and happiness born of concentration... etc. the third meditative absorption... he enters and dwells in the fourth meditative absorption. Upon the body's collapse at death, he is reborn in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world. This is called, monks, the undertaking of practice that is pleasant in the present and has pleasant results in the future. These, monks, are the four undertakings of practice."
This is what the Blessed One said. Those monks, delighted, rejoiced in what the Blessed One had said.
The Discourse on the Shorter Undertaking of Teachings is concluded as fifth.