9.
The Discourse on Fools and Wise Men
19.
He was dwelling at Sāvatthī, etc.
"For a fool, monks, hindered by ignorance, associated with craving, thus this body has arisen.
Thus this body and externally mentality-materiality, thus this is a dyad, dependent on the dyad is contact, the six sense bases only, touched by which the fool experiences pleasure and pain, or by one or other of them."
"For a wise person, monks, hindered by ignorance, associated with craving, thus this body has arisen. Thus this body and externally mentality-materiality, thus this is a dyad, dependent on the dyad is contact, the six sense bases only, touched by which the wise person experiences pleasure and pain, or by one or other of them."
"Therein, monks, what is the distinction, what is the disparity, what is the difference between a wise person and a fool?" "The teachings have the Blessed One as their root, venerable sir, have the Blessed One as their guide, have the Blessed One as their refuge. It would be good indeed, venerable sir, if the meaning of this statement would occur to the Blessed One himself. Having heard from the Blessed One, the monks will remember it."
"Well then, monks, listen, pay close attention, I will speak." "Yes, venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
"By whatever ignorance, monks, the fool was hindered, by whatever craving he was associated, thus this body has arisen, that very ignorance of the fool has not been abandoned, that craving has not been eliminated. What is the reason for this? The fool, monks, did not practise the holy life rightly for the complete elimination of suffering. Therefore the fool, upon the body's collapse, goes to a new body; being one who goes to a new body, he is not released from birth, from ageing and death, from sorrows, from lamentations, from sufferings, from displeasures, from anguishes. He is not released from suffering, I say.
"By whatever ignorance, monks, the wise person was hindered, by whatever craving he was associated, thus this body has arisen, that very ignorance of the wise person has been abandoned, that craving has been eliminated. What is the reason for this? The wise person, monks, practised the holy life rightly for the complete elimination of suffering. Therefore the wise person, upon the body's collapse, does not go to a new body. Being one who does not go to a new body, he is released from birth, from ageing and death, from sorrows, from lamentations, from sufferings, from displeasures, from anguishes. He is released from suffering, I say. This, monks, is the distinction, this is the disparity, this is the difference between a wise person and a fool, that is to say, abiding by the holy life." The ninth.