3.
The Discourse on "What Do You Think About Me?"
34. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Pisinārā in the Baliharaṇa jungle thicket. There the Blessed One addressed the monks - "Monks." "Venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this - "What do you think about me, monks - 'The ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of robes, or the ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of almsfood, or the ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of lodging, or the ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of this or that existence'?" "Indeed, venerable sir, we do not think thus about the Blessed One - 'The ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of robes, or the ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of almsfood, or the ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of lodging, or the ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of this or that existence.'"
"And if indeed you do not think thus about me, monks - 'The ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of robes, etc. or the ascetic Gotama teaches the Teaching because of this or that existence'; then what indeed do you think about me, monks?" "Thus indeed, venerable sir, we think about the Blessed One - 'The Blessed One is compassionate, seeking our welfare; he teaches the Teaching out of compassion.'" "And if indeed you think thus about me, monks - 'The Blessed One is compassionate, seeking our welfare; he teaches the Teaching out of compassion.'"
35. "Therefore, monks, those teachings that have been taught by me through direct knowledge, as follows - the four establishments of mindfulness, the four right strivings, the four bases for spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, the noble eightfold path - therein all should train in unity, being joyful, not disputing. And, monks, while you are in unity, being joyful, not disputing, training, there might be two monks having different views on the higher teaching. If therein you should think thus - 'These venerable ones are indeed different in meaning and different in phrasing,' therein whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones are indeed different in meaning and different in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is difference in meaning and difference in phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention.' Then, of the other monks on one side, whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones are indeed different in meaning and different in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is difference in meaning and difference in phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention.' Thus what is misapprehended should be kept as misapprehended, what is rightly taken should be kept as rightly taken. Having kept what is misapprehended as misapprehended, having kept what is rightly taken as rightly taken, whatever is the Teaching, whatever is the monastic discipline, that should be spoken.
36. "If therein you should think thus - 'These venerable ones are indeed different in meaning, but agree in phrasing,' therein whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones are indeed different in meaning, but agree in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is difference in meaning, but agreement in phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention.' Then, of the other monks on one side, whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones are indeed different in meaning, but agree in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is difference in meaning, but agreement in phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention.' Thus what is misapprehended should be kept as misapprehended, what is rightly taken should be kept as rightly taken. Having kept what is misapprehended as misapprehended, having kept what is rightly taken as rightly taken, whatever is the Teaching, whatever is the monastic discipline, that should be spoken.
37. "If therein you should think thus - 'These venerable ones indeed agree in meaning, but are different in phrasing,' therein whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones indeed agree in meaning, but are different in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is agreement in meaning, but difference in phrasing. But this is a trifling matter, that is to say - the phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention over a trifle.' Then, of the other monks on one side, whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones indeed agree in meaning, but are different in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is agreement in meaning, but difference in phrasing. But this is a trifling matter, that is to say - the phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention over a trifle.' Thus what is rightly taken should be kept as rightly taken, what is misapprehended should be kept as misapprehended. Having kept what is rightly taken as rightly taken, having kept what is misapprehended as misapprehended, whatever is the Teaching, whatever is the monastic discipline, that should be spoken.
38. "If therein you should think thus - 'These venerable ones indeed agree in meaning and agree in phrasing,' therein whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones indeed agree in meaning and agree in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is agreement in meaning and agreement in phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention.' Then, of the other monks on one side, whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'The venerable ones indeed agree in meaning and agree in phrasing. May the venerable ones know this by this method too - how there is agreement in meaning and agreement in phrasing. May the venerable ones not commit contention.' Thus what is rightly taken should be kept as rightly taken. Having kept what is rightly taken as rightly taken, whatever is the Teaching, whatever is the monastic discipline, that should be spoken.
39. "And, monks, while you are in unity, being joyful, not disputing, training, if there should be an offence or a transgression by a certain monk, there, monks, one should not be hasty with accusation. The person should be examined - 'Thus there will be non-harming for me and non-injury for the other person, for the other person is without wrath, without resentment, not holding views firmly, relinquishing them easily, and I am able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome.' If, monks, it is thus, it is proper for speaking.
"But if, monks, it is thus - 'There will be non-harming for me and injury for the other person, for the other person is prone to wrath, bears grudges, not holding views firmly, relinquishing them easily, and I am able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome. But this is a trifling matter, that is to say - the injury to the other person. Then this indeed is more - that I am able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome.' If, monks, it is thus, it is proper for speaking.
"But if, monks, it is thus - 'There will be harming for me and non-injury for the other person. For the other person is without wrath, without resentment, holding views firmly, relinquishing them with difficulty, and I am able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome. But this is a trifling matter, that is to say - the harming to me. Then this indeed is more - that I am able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome.' If, monks, it is thus, it is proper for speaking.
"But if, monks, it is thus - 'There will be harming for me and injury for the other person. For the other person is prone to wrath, bears grudges, holding views firmly, relinquishing them with difficulty, and I am able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome. But this is a trifling matter, that is to say - there will be harming for me and injury for the other person. Then this indeed is more - that I am able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome.' If, monks, it is thus, it is proper for speaking.
"But if, monks, it is thus - 'There will be harming for me and injury for the other person. For the other person is prone to wrath, bears grudges, holding views firmly, relinquishing them with difficulty, and I am not able, having raised this person up from the unwholesome, to establish him in the wholesome.' Towards such a person, monks, equanimity should not be disregarded.
40. "And, monks, while you are in unity, being joyful, not disputing, training, there might arise among you mutual verbal exchange, insolence of views, mental resentment, displeasure, and dissatisfaction. Therein, of the monks on one side, whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'That which has arisen among us, friends, while we were in unity, being joyful, not disputing, training - mutual verbal exchange, insolence of views, mental resentment, displeasure, and dissatisfaction - knowing this, the ascetic would censure us.' Answering rightly, monks, a monk would answer thus: 'That which has arisen among us, friends, while we were in unity, being joyful, not disputing, training - mutual verbal exchange, insolence of views, mental resentment, displeasure, and dissatisfaction - knowing this, the ascetic would censure us. But, friend, without abandoning this mental state, could one realize Nibbāna?' Answering rightly, monks, a monk would answer thus: 'Friend, without abandoning this mental state, one could not realize Nibbāna.'
"Then, of the other monks on one side, whichever monk you consider easier to admonish, having approached him, he should be addressed thus - 'That which has arisen among us, friends, while we were in unity, being joyful, not disputing, training - mutual verbal exchange, insolence of views, mental resentment, displeasure, and dissatisfaction - knowing this, the ascetic would censure us.' Answering rightly, monks, a monk would answer thus: 'That which has arisen among us, friends, while we were in unity, being joyful, not disputing, training - mutual verbal exchange, insolence of views, mental resentment, displeasure, and dissatisfaction - knowing this, the ascetic would censure us. But, friend, without abandoning this mental state, could one realize Nibbāna?' Answering rightly, monks, a monk would answer thus: 'Friend, indeed without abandoning this mental state, one could not realize Nibbāna.'"
"If, monks, others were to ask that monk thus - 'Were these monks raised up from the unwholesome and established in the wholesome by the venerable one?' Answering rightly, monks, a monk would answer thus: 'Here I, friends, approached the Blessed One. To me the Blessed One taught the Teaching. Having heard that Teaching, I spoke to those monks. Those monks, having heard that Teaching, rose up from the unwholesome and became established in the wholesome.' Answering thus, monks, a monk neither exalts himself nor scoffs at others, and he explains what is in conformity with the Teaching, and no reasonable counter-argument comes to a blameworthy position."
This is what the Blessed One said. Those monks, delighted, rejoiced in what the Blessed One had said.
The Discourse on What Do You Think of Me is concluded as third.