2.
The Discourse on the Precipice
1112.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha on the Vulture's Peak mountain.
Then the Blessed One addressed the monks:
"Come, monks, let us approach the Paṭibhāna Peak for the day residence."
"Yes, venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
Then the Blessed One together with several monks approached the Paṭibhāna Peak.
A certain monk saw a great precipice at the Paṭibhāna Peak.
Having seen the Blessed One, he said this -
"This is indeed a great precipice, venerable sir, a very frightful precipice, venerable sir.
Is there indeed, venerable sir, another precipice greater and more frightful than this precipice?"
"There is indeed, monk, another precipice greater and more frightful than this precipice."
"But which, venerable sir, is another precipice greater and more frightful than this precipice?" "Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, who do not understand as it really is 'This is suffering', who do not understand as it really is 'This is the origin of suffering', who do not understand as it really is 'This is the cessation of suffering', who do not understand as it really is 'This is the practice leading to the cessation of suffering', they delight in activities conducive to birth, they delight in activities conducive to ageing, they delight in activities conducive to death, they delight in activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish. They, delighting in activities conducive to birth, delighting in activities conducive to ageing, delighting in activities conducive to death, delighting in activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish, generate activities conducive to birth, generate activities conducive to ageing, generate activities conducive to death, generate activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish. They, having generated activities conducive to birth, having generated activities conducive to ageing, having generated activities conducive to death, having generated activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish, fall into the precipice of birth, fall into the precipice of ageing, fall into the precipice of death, fall into the precipice of sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish. They are not released from birth, from ageing, from death, from sorrows, from lamentations, from sufferings, from displeasures, from anguishes. 'They are not released from suffering', I say."
"But whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, who understand as it really is 'This is suffering', etc. who understand as it really is 'This is the practice leading to the cessation of suffering', they do not delight in activities conducive to birth, they do not delight in activities conducive to ageing, they do not delight in activities conducive to death, they do not delight in activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish. They, not delighting in activities conducive to birth, not delighting in activities conducive to ageing, not delighting in activities conducive to death, not delighting in activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish, do not generate activities conducive to birth, do not generate activities conducive to ageing, do not generate activities conducive to death, do not generate activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish. They, not having generated activities conducive to birth, not having generated activities conducive to ageing, not having generated activities conducive to death, not having generated activities conducive to sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish, do not fall into the precipice of birth, do not fall into the precipice of ageing, do not fall into the precipice of death, do not fall into the precipice of sorrow, lamentation, suffering, displeasure, and anguish. They are released from birth, from ageing, from death, from sorrows, from lamentations, from sufferings, from displeasures, from anguishes. 'They are released from suffering', I say."
"Therefore, monks, exertion is to be done regarding 'This is suffering', etc. exertion is to be done regarding 'This is the practice leading to the cessation of suffering.'" The second.