8.
The Discourse on Uttara's Failure
8.
On one occasion the Venerable Uttara was dwelling at Mahisavatthu on the Saṅkheyya mountain in Vaṭajālikā.
There the Venerable Uttara addressed the monks -
"Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews one's own failure.
Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews another's failure.
Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews one's own success.
Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews another's success."
Now at that time the great king Vessavaṇa was going from the northern direction to the southern direction on some business. The great king Vessavaṇa heard the Venerable Uttara expounding the Teaching thus to the monks at Mahisavatthu on the Saṅkheyya mountain in Vaṭajālikā - "Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews one's own failure. Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews another's failure. Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews one's own success. Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews another's success."
Then the great king Vessavaṇa - just as a strong man might extend his bent arm or bend his extended arm, even so, having vanished from Mahisavatthu on the Saṅkheyya mountain in Vaṭajālikā, appeared among the gods of the Thirty-three. Then the great king Vessavaṇa approached Sakka, the lord of the gods; having approached, he said this to Sakka, the lord of the gods - "May you know, sir! This Venerable Uttara at Mahisavatthu on the Saṅkheyya mountain in Vaṭajālikā expounds the Teaching thus to the monks - 'Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews one's own failure. Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews another's failure... etc. one's own success... reviews another's success.'"
Then Sakka, the lord of the gods, just as a strong man might extend his bent arm or bend his extended arm, even so, having vanished from among the gods of the Thirty-three, appeared before the Venerable Uttara at Mahisavatthu on the Saṅkheyya mountain in Vaṭajālikā. Then Sakka, the lord of the gods, approached the Venerable Uttara; having approached, he paid respect to the Venerable Uttara and stood to one side. Standing to one side, Sakka, the lord of the gods, said this to the Venerable Uttara -
"Is it true, venerable sir, that the Venerable Uttara expounds the Teaching thus to the monks - 'Good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews one's own failure, good, friends, a monk from time to time reviews another's failure... etc. one's own success... reviews another's success'?" "Yes, lord of the gods." "But is this, venerable sir, the Venerable Uttara's own inspiration, or is it the word of that Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One?" "Well then, lord of the gods, I will make a simile for you. By means of a simile some wise men here understand the meaning of what is said."
"Just as, lord of the gods, not far from a village or a town there might be a great heap of grain. From there a great multitude of people might bring grain - with carrying poles, with baskets, on their hips, in their cupped hands. If someone, lord of the gods, having approached that great multitude of people, were to ask thus - 'Where are you bringing this grain from?' - how answering, lord of the gods, would that great multitude of people answer rightly?" "'We are bringing it from that great heap of grain,' venerable sir, that great multitude of people would answer rightly." "So too, lord of the gods, whatever is well spoken, all that is the word of that Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One. Taking from that again and again, we and others speak."
"Wonderful, venerable sir, marvellous, venerable sir! How well spoken is this by the Venerable Uttara - 'Whatever is well spoken, all that is the word of that Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One. Taking from that again and again, we and others speak.' On one occasion, Venerable Uttara, the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha on the Vulture's Peak mountain, not long after Devadatta had departed. There the Blessed One, referring to Devadatta, addressed the monks -
"Good, monks, a monk from time to time reviews one's own failure. Good, monks, a monk from time to time reviews another's failure, etc. one's own success... reviews another's success. Monks, overcome by eight bad qualities, with mind consumed, Devadatta is bound for the realm of misery, doomed to hell, will remain there for an aeon, incurable. Which eight? Indeed, monks, overcome by material gain, with mind consumed, Devadatta is bound for the realm of misery, doomed to hell, will remain there for an aeon, incurable; by loss, monks, etc. by fame, monks, by disgrace, monks, by honour, monks, by dishonour, monks, by evil desire, monks, by evil friendship, monks, overcome, with mind consumed, Devadatta is bound for the realm of misery, doomed to hell, will remain there for an aeon, incurable. By these eight bad qualities, monks, overcome, with mind consumed, Devadatta is bound for the realm of misery, doomed to hell, will remain there for an aeon, incurable.
"Good, monks, a monk should dwell having overcome again and again arisen material gain; arisen loss, etc. arisen fame, arisen disgrace, arisen honour, arisen dishonour, arisen evil desire, should dwell having overcome again and again arisen evil friendship.
"And what, monks, is the reason dependent on which a monk should dwell having overcome again and again arisen material gain; arisen loss, etc. arisen fame, arisen disgrace, arisen honour, arisen dishonour, arisen evil desire, should dwell having overcome again and again arisen evil friendship?
"For whatever mental corruptions, vexations, and fevers would arise for one dwelling without overcoming arisen material gain, monks, for one dwelling having overcome arisen material gain, those mental corruptions, vexations, and fevers do not exist. For whatever mental corruptions, vexations, and fevers would arise for one dwelling without overcoming arisen loss, monks, etc. arisen fame, arisen disgrace, arisen honour, arisen dishonour, arisen evil desire, For whatever mental corruptions, vexations, and fevers would arise for one dwelling without overcoming arisen evil friendship, for one dwelling having overcome arisen evil friendship, those mental corruptions, vexations, and fevers do not exist. This, monks, is the reason dependent on which a monk should dwell having overcome again and again arisen material gain; arisen loss, etc. arisen fame, arisen disgrace, arisen honour, arisen dishonour, arisen evil desire, should dwell having overcome again and again arisen evil friendship.
"Therefore, monks, you should train thus - 'We will dwell having overcome again and again arisen material gain, arisen loss... etc. arisen fame, arisen disgrace, arisen honour, arisen dishonour, arisen evil desire, we will dwell having overcome again and again arisen evil friendship.' Thus indeed, monks, should you train."
"To this extent, Venerable Uttara, among human beings there are four assemblies - monks, nuns, male lay followers, and female lay followers. This exposition of the Teaching has not been established anywhere. May the Venerable Uttara learn this exposition of the Teaching. May the Venerable Uttara master this exposition of the Teaching. May the Venerable Uttara remember this exposition of the Teaching. This exposition of the Teaching is beneficial, venerable sir, and is fundamental to the holy life." The eighth.