Today, we are honored to present more selections from the Purâbhedasutta and the Kalahavivâdasutta in Chapter 4 of the Atthakavagga, part of the Sutta Nipāta. These passages are translated by V. Fausböll.
ATTHAKAVAGGA PURÂBHEDASUTTA
“Definition of a calm Muni. ‘With what view and with what virtue is one called calm, tell me that, O Gotama, (when) asked about the best man?’ ‘He whose desire is departed before the dissolution (of his body),’ --so said Bhagavat,-- ‘who does not depend upon beginning and end, nor reckons upon the middle, by him there is nothing preferred. ‘He who is free from anger, free from trembling, free from boasting, free from misbehavior, he who speaks wisely, he who is not elated, he is indeed a Muni who has restrained his speech. ‘Without desire for the future he does not grieve for the past, he sees seclusion in the phassas (touch), and he is not led by (any philosophical) views. ‘He is unattached, not deceitful, not covetous, not envious, not impudent, not contemptuous, and not given to slander. ‘Without desire for pleasant things and not given to conceit, and being gentle, intelligent, not credulous, he is not displeased (with anything). ‘Not from love of gain does he learn, and he does not get angry on account of loss, and untroubled by desire, he has no greed for sweet things. ‘Equable (upekhaka), always thoughtful, he does not think himself equal (to others) in the world, nor distinguished, nor low: for him there are no desires (ussada). ‘The man for whom there is nothing upon which he depends, who is independent, having understood the Dhamma, for whom there is no desire for coming into existence or leaving existence, ‘Him I call calm, not looking for sensual pleasures; for him, there are no ties, he has overcome desire. ‘For him there are no sons, cattle, fields, wealth, nothing grasped or rejected is to be found in him, ‘That fault of which common people and Samanas and Brâhmanas say that he is possessed, is not possessed by him, therefore he is not moved by their talk. ‘Free from covetousness, without avarice, the Muni does not reckon himself amongst the distinguished, nor amongst the plain, nor amongst the low; he does not enter time, being delivered from time. ‘He for whom there is nothing in the world (which he may call) his own, who does not grieve over what is no more, and does not walk amongst the Dhammas (after his wish), he is called calm.’ Purâbhedasutta is ended.”
ATTHAKAVAGGA KALAHAVIVÂDASUTTA
“The origin of contentions, disputes, Etc. […] ‘From where arise contentions and disputes, sorrow and lamentation, envy and arrogance, conceit and slander? Pray, tell me this.’ ‘From dear (objects) spring up contentions and disputes, lamentation and sorrow together with envy; arrogance and conceit together with slander; contentions and disputes are joined with envy, and there is slander in the disputes arisen.’ ‘The dear (objects) in the world from where do they originate? and from where comes the covetousness that prevails in the world, and desire and fulfilment from where do they originate, which are (of consequence) for the future state of a man?’ ‘From wish originate the dear (objects) in the world, and the covetousness that prevails in the world, and desire and fulfilment originate from it, which are (of consequence) for the future state of a man.’ ‘From what has wish in the world its origin, and resolutions from where do they spring, anger and falsehood and doubt, and the Dhammas which are made known by the Samana (Gotama?)’ ‘What they call pleasure and displeasure in the world, by that wish springs up; having seen decay and origin in (all) bodies, a person forms (his) resolutions in the world.’ ‘Anger and falsehood and doubt, these Dhammas are a couple; let the doubtful learn in the way of knowledge, knowingly the Dhammas have been proclaimed by the Samana.’ ‘From where do pleasure and displeasure originate? For want of what do these not arise? This notion, which (you mention), namely, “decay and origin,” tell me from what does this arise.’ ‘Pleasure and displeasure have their origin from phassa (touch), when there is no touch they do not arise. This notion which (you mention), namely, “decay and origin,” this I tell you has its origin from this.’ ‘From what has phassa its origin in the world, and from what does grasping spring up? For want of what is there no egotism, by the cessation of what do the touches not touch?’ ‘On account of name and form the touches (exist), grasping has its origin in wish; by the cessation of wishes there is no egotism, by the cessation of form the touches do not touch.’ ‘How is one to be constituted that (his) form may cease to exist, and how do joy and pain cease to exist? Tell me this, how it ceases, that we should like to know, such was my mind?’ ‘Let one not be with a natural consciousness, nor with a mad consciousness, nor without consciousness, nor with (his) consciousness gone; for him who is thus constituted form ceases to exist, for what is called delusion has its origin in consciousness?’ ‘What we have asked you, you have explained unto us; we will ask you another question, answer us that: Do not some (who are considered) wise in this world tell us that the principal (thing) is the purification of the yakkha, or do they say something different from this?’ ‘Thus some (who are considered) wise in this world say that the principal (thing) is the purification of the yakkha; but some of them say samaya (annihilation), the expert says (that the highest purity lies) in anupâdisesa (none of the five attributes remaining).’ ‘And having known these to be dependent, the investigating Muni, having known the things we depend upon, and after knowing them being liberated, does not enter into dispute, the wise (man) does not go to reiterated existence.’ Kalahavivâdasutta is ended.”
