10.
The Discourse on Susīma
70.
Thus have I heard -
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Feeding Ground.
Now at that time the Blessed One was honoured, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed, an obtainer of the requisites of robes, almsfood, lodging and medicine for the sick.
The Community of monks too was honoured, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed, obtainers of the requisites of robes, almsfood, lodging and medicine for the sick.
But the heterodox wandering ascetics were not honoured, not respected, not revered, not venerated, not esteemed, not obtainers of the requisites of robes, almsfood, lodging and medicine for the sick.
Now at that time the wandering ascetic Susīma was dwelling at Rājagaha together with a great assembly of wandering ascetics. Then the assembly of the wandering ascetic Susīma said this to the wandering ascetic Susīma - "Come, friend Susīma, live the holy life under the ascetic Gotama. Having learnt the Teaching thoroughly, you should teach it to us. Having learnt that Teaching thoroughly, we shall teach it to the householders. Thus we too shall be honoured, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed, obtainers of the requisites of robes, almsfood, lodging and medicine for the sick." "Yes, friends," the wandering ascetic Susīma, having promised his assembly, approached the Venerable Ānanda; having approached, he exchanged friendly greetings with the Venerable Ānanda. Having concluded the pleasant and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the wandering ascetic Susīma said this to the Venerable Ānanda - "I wish, friend Ānanda, to live the holy life in this Teaching and discipline."
Then the Venerable Ānanda, having taken the wandering ascetic Susīma, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the Venerable Ānanda said this to the Blessed One - "Venerable sir, this wandering ascetic Susīma says thus - 'I wish, friend Ānanda, to live the holy life in this Teaching and discipline.'" "Then, Ānanda, give Susīma the going forth." Then the wandering ascetic Susīma received the going forth under the Blessed One, he received the full ordination.
Now at that time the final liberating knowledge had been declared by several monks in the presence of the Blessed One, saying: "We understand: 'Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being." The Venerable Susīma heard - "It is said that the final liberating knowledge has been declared by several monks in the presence of the Blessed One thus: 'We understand: "Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being."'" Then the Venerable Susīma approached those monks; having approached, he exchanged friendly greetings with those monks. Having concluded the pleasant and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the Venerable Susīma said this to those monks - "Is it true that the final liberating knowledge has been declared by the venerable ones in the presence of the Blessed One, saying: 'We understand: "Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being"'? "Yes, friend."
"But do you venerable ones, knowing thus, seeing thus, experience the various kinds of supernormal power - having been one, you become many; having been many, you become one; appearing, vanishing, you go unhindered through walls, through ramparts, through mountains, just as through space; you dive in and out of the earth just as in water; you go on water without breaking it just as on earth; you travel cross-legged through space just as a winged bird; you fondle and stroke with your hand even the moon and sun, so mighty and powerful; you exercise mastery with your body even as far as the Brahma world?" "No indeed, friend."
"But do you venerable ones, knowing thus, seeing thus, with the divine ear element, purified and surpassing the human, hear both sounds - divine and human, whether far or near?" "No indeed, friend."
"But do you venerable ones, knowing thus, seeing thus, understand the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with your own mind - do you understand a mind with lust as 'a mind with lust'; do you understand a mind without lust as 'a mind without lust'; do you understand a mind with hate as 'a mind with hate'; do you understand a mind without hate as 'a mind without hate'; do you understand a mind with delusion as 'a mind with delusion'; do you understand a mind without delusion as 'a mind without delusion'; do you understand a contracted mind as 'a contracted mind'; do you understand a distracted mind as 'a distracted mind'; do you understand an exalted mind as 'an exalted mind'; do you understand a not exalted mind as 'a not exalted mind'; do you understand a surpassed mind as 'a surpassed mind'; do you understand an unsurpassed mind as 'an unsurpassed mind'; do you understand a concentrated mind as 'a concentrated mind'; do you understand an unconcentrated mind as 'an unconcentrated mind'; do you understand a liberated mind as 'a liberated mind'; do you understand an unliberated mind as 'an unliberated mind'?" "No indeed, friend."
"But do you venerable ones, knowing thus, seeing thus, recollect manifold past lives, as follows - one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many cosmic cycles of universe-contraction, many cosmic cycles of universe-expansion, many cosmic cycles of universe-contraction and expansion - 'There I was, having such a name, such a clan, such beauty, such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a life span; passing away from there, I arose there; there too I was, having such a name, such a clan, such beauty, such food, experiencing such pleasure and pain, with such a life span; passing away from there, I arose here.' Thus with aspects and terms do you recollect manifold past lives?" "No indeed, friend."
"But do you venerable ones, knowing thus, seeing thus, with the divine eye, which is pure and surpasses the human, see beings passing away and arising, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and understand beings according to their actions - 'These beings indeed, sirs, endowed with bodily misconduct, endowed with verbal misconduct, endowed with mental misconduct, revilers of the noble ones, holding wrong views, undertaking actions based on wrong views, upon the body's collapse at death, they have arisen in a realm of misery, an unfortunate realm, a nether world, in hell; But these beings, sirs, endowed with bodily good conduct, endowed with verbal good conduct, endowed with mental good conduct, not revilers of the noble ones, holding right views, undertaking actions based on right views, upon the body's collapse at death, they have arisen in a fortunate realm, in a heavenly world' - thus with the divine eye, which is pure and surpasses the human, do you see beings passing away and arising, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and understand beings according to their actions?" "No indeed, friend."
"But do you venerable ones, knowing thus, seeing thus, having gone beyond material form, touch with the body and dwell in those peaceful deliverances that are immaterial?" "No indeed, friend."
"Here now, venerable ones, there is this declaration and the non-attainment of these states; what is this, friend?" "We are liberated by wisdom, friend Susīma."
"I do not understand in detail the meaning of what the venerable ones have spoken in brief. It would be good if the venerable ones would speak in such a way that I might understand in detail the meaning of what the venerable ones have spoken in brief." "Whether you understand or whether you do not understand, friend Susīma, we are liberated by wisdom."
Then the Venerable Susīma, having risen from his seat, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the Venerable Susīma reported to the Blessed One all the friendly conversation he had with those monks. "First, Susīma, comes knowledge of the causal relationship of phenomena, afterwards knowledge of Nibbāna."
"I, venerable sir, do not understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief. It would be good, venerable sir, if the Blessed One would speak in such a way that I might understand in detail the meaning of what the Blessed One has spoken in brief." "Whether you understand or whether you do not understand, Susīma, first comes knowledge of the causal relationship of phenomena, afterwards knowledge of Nibbāna."
"What do you think, Susīma, is materiality permanent or impermanent?" "Impermanent, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, is that suffering or happiness?" "Suffering, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, suffering, subject to change, is it proper to regard that - 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Is feeling permanent or impermanent?" "Impermanent, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, is that suffering or happiness?" "Suffering, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, suffering, subject to change, is it proper to regard that - 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Is perception permanent or impermanent?" "Impermanent, venerable sir." Etc. "Are activities permanent or impermanent?" "Impermanent, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, is that suffering or happiness?" "Suffering, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, suffering, subject to change, is it proper to regard that - 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?" "Impermanent, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, is that suffering or happiness?" "Suffering, venerable sir." "But what is impermanent, suffering, subject to change, is it proper to regard that - 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?" "No, Venerable Sir."
"Therefore, Susima, whatever materiality, past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, whether far or near, all materiality - 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Whatever feeling, past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, whether far or near, all feeling - 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Whatever perception... etc. Whatever activities, past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, whether far or near, all activities - 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Whatever consciousness, past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, whether far or near, all consciousness - 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom.
"Seeing thus, Susima, a learned noble disciple becomes disenchanted with materiality, becomes disenchanted with feeling, becomes disenchanted with perception, becomes disenchanted with activities, becomes disenchanted with consciousness. Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate; through dispassion, he becomes liberated; when liberated, there is the knowledge: 'Liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being.'
"Do you see, Susima, 'Birth is the condition for ageing and death'?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Do you see, Susima, 'Existence is the condition for birth'?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Do you see, Susima, 'Clinging is the condition for existence'?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Do you see, Susima, 'Craving is the condition for clinging'?" "Yes, venerable sir." "'Feeling is the condition for craving,' 'Contact is the condition for feeling,' 'The six sense bases are the condition for contact,' 'Mentality-materiality is the condition for the six sense bases,' 'Consciousness is the condition for mentality-materiality,' 'Activities are the condition for consciousness,' do you see, Susima, 'Ignorance is the condition for activities'?" "Yes, venerable sir."
"Do you see, Susima, 'From the cessation of birth comes the cessation of ageing and death'?" "Yes, venerable sir." "Do you see, Susima, 'From the cessation of existence comes the cessation of birth'?" "Yes, venerable sir." "'From the cessation of clinging comes the cessation of existence,' 'From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging,' 'From the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving,' 'From the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling,' 'From the cessation of the six sense bases comes the cessation of contact,' 'From the cessation of mentality-materiality comes the cessation of the six sense bases,' 'From the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of mentality-materiality,' 'From the cessation of activities comes the cessation of consciousness,' do you see, Susima, 'From the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of activities'?" "Yes, venerable sir."
"But do you, Susīma, thus knowing, thus seeing, experience the various kinds of supernormal power - having been one, you become many; having been many, you become one; appearing, vanishing, you go unhindered through walls, through ramparts, through mountains, just as through space; you dive in and out of the earth just as in water; you go on water without breaking it just as on earth; you travel cross-legged through space just as a winged bird; you fondle and stroke with your hand even the moon and sun, so mighty and powerful; you exercise mastery with your body even as far as the Brahma world?" "No, Venerable Sir."
"But do you, Susīma, thus knowing, thus seeing, with the divine ear element, purified and surpassing the human, hear both sounds - divine and human, whether far or near?" "No, Venerable Sir."
"But do you, Susīma, thus knowing, thus seeing, understand the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with your own mind - you understand a mind with lust as 'a mind with lust'... etc. you understand a liberated mind as 'a liberated mind'?" "No, Venerable Sir."
"But do you, Susīma, thus knowing, thus seeing, recollect manifold past lives, as follows - one birth... etc. thus with aspects and terms you recollect manifold past lives?" "No, Venerable Sir."
"But do you, Susīma, thus knowing, thus seeing, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, see beings passing away... etc. you understand beings according to their actions?" "No, Venerable Sir."
"But do you, Susīma, thus knowing, thus seeing, having gone beyond material form, touch with the body and dwell in those peaceful deliverances that are immaterial?" "No, Venerable Sir."
"Now here, Susīma, there is this declaration and the non-attainment of these states; what is this, Susīma, how is this?"
Then the Venerable Susīma, having fallen at the Blessed One's feet with his head, said this to the Blessed One - "A transgression overcame me, venerable sir, as one who was foolish, as one who was confused, as one who was unwholesome, in that I went forth as a thief of the Teaching in such a well-proclaimed Teaching and discipline. May the Blessed One accept my transgression as a transgression for the sake of restraint in the future."
"Truly, Susīma, a transgression overcame you as one who was foolish, as one who was confused, as one who was unwholesome, in that you went forth as a thief of the Teaching in such a well-proclaimed Teaching and discipline. Just as, Susīma, having seized a thief, a criminal, they might show him to the king - 'This, Sire, is a thief, a criminal; impose on him whatever punishment you wish.' The king might speak to him thus - 'Go, sirs, having bound this man with his hands tied behind his back with a strong rope, tightly bound, having shaved his head, having led him from road to road, from crossroads to crossroads with a harsh-sounding drum, having departed by the southern gate, to the south of the city, cut off his head.' The king's men, having bound that man with his hands tied behind his back with a strong rope, tightly bound, having shaved his head, having led him from road to road, from crossroads to crossroads with a harsh-sounding drum, having departed by the southern gate, to the south of the city, might cut off his head. What do you think, Susīma, would that man on that account experience suffering and displeasure?" "Yes, venerable sir."
"Whatever suffering and displeasure, Susīma, that man would experience on that account. Whatever going forth of one who steals the Teaching in such a well-proclaimed Teaching and discipline, this is more painful in result and more bitter in result than that, and moreover it leads to the nether world. But since you, Susīma, having seen the transgression as a transgression, make amends according to the Teaching, we accept it from you. For this is growth, Susīma, in the Noble One's discipline: whoever, having seen a transgression as a transgression, makes amends according to the Teaching, and commits to restraint in the future." The tenth.