6.
The Discourse to Sāḷha
196.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī in the Great Wood in the Pinnacled Hall.
Then Sāḷha the Licchavi and Abhaya the Licchavi approached the Blessed One;
having approached, they paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side.
Seated to one side, Sāḷha the Licchavi said this to the Blessed One -
"There are, venerable sir, some ascetics and brahmins who declare the crossing over of the flood by two means - because of purification of morality and because of austere asceticism and disgust for evil. What does the Blessed One say about this, venerable sir?"
"I say, Sāḷha, that purification of morality is a certain factor of asceticism. Those ascetics and brahmins, Sāḷha, who are advocates of austere asceticism and disgust for evil, who hold austere asceticism and disgust for evil as their core, who dwell clinging to austere asceticism and disgust for evil, they are incapable of crossing over the flood. And those ascetics and brahmins, Sāḷha, who are of impure bodily conduct, of impure verbal conduct, of impure mental conduct, of impure livelihood, they are incapable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment.
"Just as, Sāḷha, a man wishing to cross a river, having taken a sharp axe, might enter a forest. There he might see a great young sal tree, upright, new, without remorse. He might cut it at the root; having cut it at the root he might cut it at the top; having cut it at the top he might thoroughly clean the branches and leaves; having thoroughly cleaned the branches and leaves he might plane it with axes; having planed it with axes he might plane it with adzes; having planed it with adzes he might scrape it with a scraper; having scraped it with a scraper he might polish it with a ball of stone; having polished it with a ball of stone he might launch it on the river.
"What do you think, Sāḷha, is that man capable of crossing the river?" "No, Venerable Sir." "What is the reason for this?" "Because, venerable sir, that young sal tree is well prepared on the outside but impure on the inside. This is to be expected for it - the young sal tree will sink, the man will come to calamity and disaster."
"So too, Sāḷha, those ascetics and brahmins who are advocates of austere asceticism and disgust for evil, who hold austere asceticism and disgust for evil as their core, who dwell clinging to austere asceticism and disgust for evil, they are incapable of crossing over the flood. And those ascetics and brahmins, Sāḷha, who are of impure bodily conduct, of impure verbal conduct, of impure mental conduct, of impure livelihood, they are incapable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment.
"But those ascetics and brahmins, Sāḷha, who are not advocates of austere asceticism and disgust for evil, who do not hold austere asceticism and disgust for evil as their core, who do not dwell clinging to austere asceticism and disgust for evil, they are capable of crossing over the flood. And those ascetics and brahmins, Sāḷha, who are of pure bodily conduct, of pure verbal conduct, of pure mental conduct, of pure livelihood, they are capable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment.
"Just as, Sāḷha, a man wishing to cross a river, having taken a sharp axe, might enter a forest. There he might see a great young sal tree, upright, new, without remorse. He might cut it at the root; having cut it at the root he might cut it at the top; having cut it at the top he might thoroughly clean the branches and leaves; having thoroughly cleaned the branches and leaves he might plane it with axes; having planed it with axes he might plane it with adzes; having planed it with adzes, having taken a chisel, he might thoroughly clean the inside; having thoroughly cleaned the inside he might scrape it with a scraper; having scraped it with a scraper he might polish it with a ball of stone; having polished it with a ball of stone he might make a boat; having made a boat he might attach oars and a rudder; having attached oars and a rudder he might cross the river.
"What do you think, Sāḷha, is that man capable of crossing the river?" "Yes, venerable sir." "What is the reason for this?" "Because, venerable sir, that young sal tree is well prepared on the outside, thoroughly purified on the inside, made into a boat, fitted with oars and a rudder. This is to be expected for it - 'The boat will not sink, the man will safely go to the far shore.'"
"So too, Sāḷha, those ascetics and brahmins who are not advocates of austere asceticism and disgust for evil, who do not hold austere asceticism and disgust for evil as their core, who do not dwell clinging to austere asceticism and disgust for evil, they are capable of crossing over the flood. And those ascetics and brahmins, Sāḷha, who are of pure bodily conduct, of pure verbal conduct, of pure mental conduct, of pure livelihood, they are capable of knowledge and vision, of unsurpassed enlightenment. Just as, Sāḷha, a warrior even if he knows many arrow tricks; yet he becomes worthy of a king, fit for a king's use, and is reckoned as a factor of the king himself by three qualities. With which three? One who shoots far, one who shoots as quickly as lightning, and one who breaks open a great body.
"Just as, Sāḷha, a warrior is one who shoots far; so too, Sāḷha, a noble disciple has right concentration. A noble disciple with right concentration, Sāḷha, 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 he sees this as it really is with right wisdom. Whatever feeling... etc. whatever perception... whatever activities... 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 he sees this as it really is with right wisdom.
"Just as, Sāḷha, a warrior is one who shoots as quickly as lightning; so too, Sāḷha, a noble disciple is one of right view. A noble disciple of right view, Sāḷha, understands as it really is: 'This is suffering', etc. he understands as it really is: 'This is the practice leading to the cessation of suffering.'
"Just as, Sāḷha, a warrior is one who breaks open a great body; so too, Sāḷha, a noble disciple is one of right liberation. A noble disciple of right liberation, Sāḷha, breaks open the great mass of ignorance." The sixth.