8.
The Discourse on the Stone Splinter
38.
Thus have I heard -
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Deer Park at Maddakucchi.
Now at that time the Blessed One's foot had been cut by a stone splinter.
Severe indeed were the feelings that occurred to the Blessed One, bodily feelings that were painful, sharp, severe, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing;
these the Blessed One endured, mindful and fully aware, without being distressed.
Then the Blessed One, having prepared the double robe folded in four, lay down in the lion's posture on his right side, overlapping foot upon foot, mindful and fully aware.
Then seven hundred deities of the Satullapa group, when the night was far advanced, with surpassing beauty, having illuminated almost the entire Maddakucchi, approached the Blessed One; having approached, they paid respect to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, one deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "A bull elephant indeed, friend, is the ascetic Gotama; and with bull elephant-like nature he endures the arisen bodily feelings that are painful, sharp, severe, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, mindful and fully aware, without being distressed."
Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "A lion indeed, friend, is the ascetic Gotama; and with lion-like nature he endures the arisen bodily feelings that are painful, sharp, severe, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, mindful and fully aware, without being distressed."
Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "A thoroughbred indeed, friend, is the ascetic Gotama; and with thoroughbred-like nature he endures the arisen bodily feelings that are painful, sharp, severe, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, mindful and fully aware, without being distressed."
Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "A leading bull indeed, friend, is the ascetic Gotama; and with leading bull-like nature he endures the arisen bodily feelings that are painful, sharp, severe, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, mindful and fully aware, without being distressed."
Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "A beast of burden indeed, friend, is the ascetic Gotama; and with beast of burden-like nature he endures the arisen bodily feelings that are painful, sharp, severe, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, mindful and fully aware, without being distressed."
Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "Tamed indeed, friend, is the ascetic Gotama; and with tamed nature he endures the arisen bodily feelings that are painful, sharp, severe, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, mindful and fully aware, without being distressed."
Then another deity uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "See the concentration well developed and the mind well liberated, neither bent forward nor bent backward, nor restrained and checked by forceful suppression. Whoever would think that such a man-elephant, man-lion, man-thoroughbred, man-bull, man-beast of burden, man-tamed one should be overcome - what else could it be but blindness?"
Yet their minds are not rightly liberated, of inferior nature, they do not go to the far shore.
Yet their minds are not rightly liberated, of inferior nature, they do not go to the far shore.
Though dwelling alone in the forest, negligent, he cannot cross beyond the realm of Death."
While dwelling alone in the forest, diligent, he can cross beyond the realm of Death."