8.
The First Discourse on Fear and Enmity Allayed
1024.
At Sāvatthī.
To the householder Anāthapiṇḍika seated to one side, the Blessed One said this:
"When, householder, for a noble disciple five fears and enmities are allayed, and he is endowed with the four factors of stream-entry, and the noble method is well seen and thoroughly penetrated by him with wisdom, he may, if he wishes, declare of himself:
'For me, hell is eliminated, the animal realm is eliminated, the sphere of ghosts is eliminated, the realm of misery, the unfortunate realm, the nether world is eliminated;
I am a stream-enterer, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment.'
"What are the five fears and enmities that are allayed? Whatever fear and enmity, householder, one who kills living beings produces pertaining to the present life on account of killing living beings, and produces pertaining to the future life, and experiences mental suffering and displeasure. For one who abstains from killing living beings, that fear and enmity is thus allayed. Whatever, householder, one who takes what is not given... etc. Whatever, householder, one who engages in sexual misconduct... etc. Whatever, householder, a liar... etc. Whatever fear and enmity, householder, one who indulges in spirits, liquor and intoxicants causing heedlessness produces pertaining to the present life on account of indulging in spirits, liquor and intoxicants causing heedlessness, and produces pertaining to the future life, and experiences mental suffering and displeasure. For one who abstains from spirits, liquor and intoxicants that cause negligence, that fear and enmity is thus allayed. These are the five fears and enmities that are allayed.
"With which four factors of stream-entry is he endowed? Here, householder, a noble disciple is endowed with unwavering confidence in the Buddha: 'Thus indeed is the Blessed One, etc. Teacher of gods and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.' Towards the Teaching... etc. towards the Community, etc. He is endowed with morality pleasing to the noble ones, unbroken... etc. conducive to concentration. With these four factors of stream-entry he is endowed.
"And what is the noble method that is well seen and thoroughly penetrated by him with wisdom? Here, householder, a noble disciple attends wisely to dependent origination itself: 'Thus when this exists, that comes to be; from the arising of this, that arises; thus when this is absent, that does not exist; from the cessation of this, that ceases; that is to say, with ignorance as condition, activities; with activities as condition, consciousness... etc. Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. But with the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of activities; etc. from the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling; from the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving... Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering. This is the noble method that is well seen and thoroughly penetrated by him with wisdom.
"When, householder, for a noble disciple these five fears and enmities are allayed, he is endowed with these four factors of stream-entry, and this noble true method is well seen and thoroughly penetrated by wisdom, he may, if he wishes, declare of himself: 'For me, hell is eliminated, the animal realm is eliminated, the sphere of ghosts is eliminated, the realm of misery, the unfortunate realm, the nether world is eliminated; I am a stream-enterer, no longer subject to fall into lower realms, fixed in destiny, heading for the highest enlightenment.'" The eighth.