6.
The Discourse on the Dart
254.
"An ignorant worldling, monks, feels pleasant feeling, feels unpleasant feeling, feels neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling.
A learned noble disciple, monks, feels pleasant feeling, feels unpleasant feeling, feels neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling.
Therein, monks, what is the distinction, what is the disparity, what is the difference between a learned noble disciple and an ignorant worldling?"
"The teachings have the Blessed One as their root, venerable sir, etc.
An ignorant
worldling, monks, being touched by unpleasant feeling, grieves, is wearied, laments, beats his breast and wails, falls into confusion.
He feels two feelings -
bodily and mental.
Just as, monks, one might pierce a man with a dart.
Then one might pierce him with a second dart following the first.
Thus indeed, monks, that man would feel the feeling of two darts.
So too, monks, an ignorant worldling, being touched by unpleasant feeling, grieves, is wearied, laments, beats his breast and wails, falls into confusion.
He feels two feelings -
bodily and mental.
Being touched by that same unpleasant feeling, he has aversion.
For him having aversion to unpleasant feeling, whatever underlying tendency to aversion regarding unpleasant feeling, that underlies him.
Being touched by unpleasant feeling, he delights in sensual happiness.
What is the reason for this?
For, monks, an ignorant worldling does not understand any escape from unpleasant feeling other than sensual happiness; and for him delighting in sensual happiness, whatever underlying tendency to lust regarding pleasant feeling, that underlies him.
He does not understand as it really is the origin, passing away, gratification, danger, and escape regarding those feelings.
For him not understanding as it really is the origin, passing away, gratification, danger, and escape regarding those feelings, whatever underlying tendency to ignorance regarding neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, that underlies him.
If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it bound.
If he feels an unpleasant feeling, he feels it bound.
If he feels a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, he feels it bound.
This is called, monks, 'an ignorant worldling bound to birth, to ageing, to death, to sorrows, to lamentations, to sufferings, to displeasures, to anguishes; bound to suffering,' I say.
"But a learned noble disciple, monks, being touched by unpleasant feeling, does not grieve, is not wearied, does not lament, does not beat his breast and wail, does not fall into confusion. He feels one feeling - bodily, not mental.
"Just as, monks, one might pierce a man with a dart. Then one would not pierce him with a second dart following the first. Thus indeed, monks, that man would feel the feeling of one dart. So too, monks, a learned noble disciple, being touched by unpleasant feeling, does not grieve, is not wearied, does not lament, does not beat his breast and wail, does not fall into confusion. He feels one feeling - bodily, not mental. Being touched by that same unpleasant feeling, he does not have aversion. For him not having aversion to unpleasant feeling, whatever underlying tendency to aversion regarding unpleasant feeling, that does not underlie him. Being touched by unpleasant feeling, he does not delight in sensual happiness. What is the reason for this? For, monks, a learned noble disciple understands an escape from unpleasant feeling other than sensual happiness. For him not delighting in sensual happiness, whatever underlying tendency to lust regarding pleasant feeling, that does not underlie him. He understands as it really is the origin, passing away, gratification, danger, and escape regarding those feelings. For him understanding as it really is the origin, passing away, gratification, danger, and escape regarding those feelings, whatever underlying tendency to ignorance regarding neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, that does not underlie him. If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it unbound. If he feels an unpleasant feeling, he feels it unbound. If he feels a neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, he feels it unbound. This is called, monks, 'a learned noble disciple unbound from birth, from ageing, from death, from sorrows, from lamentations, from sufferings, from displeasures, from anguishes; unbound from suffering,' I say. This, monks, is the distinction, this is the disparity, this is the difference between a learned noble disciple and an ignorant worldling."
Neither pleasure nor pain, though very learned;
And this is the great distinction
Of the wise one from the worldling.
Seeing with insight this world and the next;
Desirable phenomena do not churn the mind,
Nor does he come to repulsion from the undesirable.
Are scattered, passed away, they do not exist;
And having known the state, stainless, sorrowless,
He rightly understands, one gone beyond existence." The sixth.