Ninth Khandhaka. Chapter 1
p. 299
Ninth Khandhaka.
On Exclusion From The Ptimokkha Ceremony.
1.
1. Now at that time the Blessed One was staying at Svatthi, in the Eastern rma, the mansion of the mother of Migra. And at that time, it being Uposatha Day, the Blessed One was seated in the midst of the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha. And the venerable nanda, when the night was far spent, when the first watch was passing away, arose from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, and stretching out his joined hands towards the Blessed One, said to the Blessed One:
'The night, Lord, is far spent. The first watch is passing away. For a long time has the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha been seated here. Let my lord the Blessed One recite to the Bhikkhus the Ptimokkha.'
When he had thus spoken, the Blessed One remained silent. And a second time, when the second watch was passing away [he made the same request with the same result]. And a third time, when the third watch had begun, and the dawn was breaking 1 he made the same request].
The assembly, nanda, is not pure 2.'
p. 300
2. Then the venerable Mah Moggallna thought, 'What individual can the Blessed One be referring to in that he says, "The assembly, nanda, is not pure."' And the venerable Mah Moggallna considered the whole Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha, penetrating their minds with his. Then the venerable Mah Moggallna perceived who was that individual,--evil in conduct, wicked in character, of impure and doubtful 1 behaviour, not a Sama"n"a though he had taken the vows of one, not a religious student though he had taken the vows of one, foul within, full of cravings, a worthless creature,--who had taken his seat amongst the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha. On perceiving which it was, he went up to that individual, and said to him, 'Arise, Sir! The Blessed One has found you out. There can be no communion 2 between you and the Bhikkhus!'
When he had thus spoken, that man kept silence. And a second and a third time the venerable Mah Moggallna addressed to him [the same words, and with the same result]. Then the venerable Mah Moggallna took that man by the arm and made him go out beyond the porch 3, and bolted the door,
p. 301
and went up to the place where the Blessed One was, and said to him, 'Lord, I have made that man go out. The assembly is now undefiled. May my lord the Blessed One recite the Ptimokkha to the Bhikkhus.'
'How astonishing and curious a thing it is, Moggallna, that that foolish fellow should have waited up to the very point when he had to be taken by the arm.'
3. And the Blessed One said to the Bhikkhus: 'There are, O Bhikkhus, in the great ocean, then, eight astonishing and curious qualities, by the constant perception of which the mighty creatures take delight in the great ocean. And what are the eight?
'The great ocean, O Bhikkhus, gets gradually deeper, slope following on slope, hollow succeeding hollow, and the fall is not precipitously abrupt 1. This is the first [of such qualities] 2.
'Again, Bhikkhus, the great ocean remains of the same nature 3, and passes not beyond the shore. This is the second [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean will not brook association with a dead corpse. Whatsoever dead corpse there be in the sea, that will it--and quickly--draw to the shore, and cast it out on the dry ground 4. This is the third [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, all the great rivers--that is to say, the Gag, the Yamun, the A"k"iravat, the
p. 302
[paragraph continues] Sarabh, and the Mah--they, when they have fallen into the great ocean, renounce their names and lineage, and are reckoned thenceforth as the great ocean. This is the fourth [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, though all the streams in the world flow on till they reach the great ocean, and all "th"e waters of the sky fall into it, yet does it not thereby seem to be the more empty or more full. This is the fifth [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt. This is the sixth [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean is full of gems, of gems of various kinds; among which are these gems--that is to say, the pearl, the diamond, the catseye, the chank, rock, coral, silver, gold, the ruby, and the cornelian 1. This is the seventh [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean is the dwelling-place of mighty beings, among which are these--that is to say, the Timi, the Timigala, the Timitimigala, the Asuras, the Ngas, and the Gandhabbas. There are in the great ocean creatures so constituted that they stretch from one to five hundred leagues 2. This is the eighth [of such qualities].
4. 'And just in the same way, O Bhikkhus, there are in this doctrine and discipline eight marvellous and wonderful qualities, by the constant perception
p. 303
of which the Bhikkhus take delight in this doctrine and discipline. What are the eight?
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean gets gradually deeper, slope following on slope, hollow succeeding hollow, and the fall is not precipitately abrupt just so, O Bhikkhus, in this doctrine and discipline is the training a gradual one, work following on work, and step succeeding step; and there is no sudden attainment to the insight (of Arahatship) 1. This is the first [of such qualities].
Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean remains of the same nature, and passes not beyond the shore--just so, O Bhikkhus, is the body of precepts which I have established for those who are hearers of my word, and which they, their lives long, do not pass beyond. This is the second [of such qualities].
Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean will not brook association with a dead corpse; but whatsoever dead corpse there be in the sea that will it--and quickly--draw to the shore, and cast it out upon the dry land just so, O Bhikkhus, if there be any individual evil in conduct, wicked in character, of impure and doubtful behaviour, not a Sama"n"a though he have taken the vows of one, not a religious student though he have taken the vows of one, foul within, full of cravings, a worthless creature; with him will the Sa"m"gha brook no association, but quickly, on its meeting together, will it cast him out. And what though that man should himself be seated in the midst of the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha, verily, both is he afar off from the Sa"m"gha,
p. 304
and the Sa"m"gha from him. This is the third (of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great rivers--that is to say, the Gag, the Yamun, the A"k"iravat, the Sarabh, and the Mah--when they have fallen into the great ocean, renounce their name and lineage and are thenceforth reckoned as the great ocean just so, O Bhikkhus, do these four castes--the Khattiyas, the Brahmans, the Vessas, and the Suddas--when they have gone forth from the world under the doctrine and discipline proclaimed by the Tathgata, renounce their names and lineage, and enter into the number of the Sakyaputtiya Sama"n"as. This is the fourth [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as though all the streams in the world flow on till they reach the great ocean, and all the waters of the sky fall into it, yet does it not seem thereby to be either more empty or more full just so, O Bhikkhus, though many Bhikkhus pass entirely away in that kind of passing away which leaves not a trace behind, yet does not [the Sa"m"gha] thereby seem to be either more empty or more full. This is the fifth [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt just so, O Bhikkhus, has this doctrine and discipline only one flavour, the flavour of emancipation. This is the sixth [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean is full of gems, of gems of various kinds--that is to say, the pearl, the diamond, the catseye, the chank, rock, coral, silver, gold, the ruby, and the cornelian--just so, O Bhikkhus, is this doctrine and discipline full of gems, of gems of various kinds, among which are
p. 305
these gems,--that is to say, the four Earnest Meditations, the fourfold Great Struggle, the four Roads to Iddhi, the five Moral Powers, the five Moral Senses, the seven kinds of Wisdom, and the noble eightfold Path. This is the seventh [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean is the dwelling-place of mighty beings, among which are the Timi, the Timigala, the Timitimigala, the Asuras, the Ngas. and the Gandhabbas; just as there are in the great ocean creatures so constituted that they stretch from one to five hundred leagues--just so, O Bhikkhus, is this doctrine and discipline the resort of mighty beings, among whom are he who has entered the First Path (the converted man, the Sotpanno) and he who has realised the fruit ther, he who has entered the Second Path (the Sakadgmin) and he who has realised the fruit ther, he who has entered the Third Path (the Angmin) and he who has realised the fruit ther, the Arahat, and he who has realised the fruit of Arahatship. This is the eighth [of such qualities].
'These, O Bhikkhus, are the eight marvellous and wonderful qualities in this doctrine and discipline by the constant perception of which the Bhikkhus take delight therein.'
And the Blessed One, on perceiving that matter, gave forth at that time this ecstatic utterance:
'The rain falls heavily on that which is covered, not upon that which is revealed.
'Reveal, therefore, what thou hast concealed, and the rain shall touch thee not 1.'
Footnotes
299:1 Nandimukhiy rattiy ti aru"n"adhata-kle pti-mukh viya ratti khyati ten' ha nandimukhiy ti (B.). See also our note on this at Mahvagga Viii, 13, 1.
299:2 That is, there is some one present who is disqualified by some p. 300 fault from taking part in the proceedings, which would therefore be invalid.
300:1 Sa"m"kassara. See the passages quoted by Dr. Morris in the introduction to his edition of the Aguttara (pp. viii, ix), though we cannot accept his conclusions. We may add that the Tibetan rendering of Dhammapada 312, given in Rockhill's 'Udna-varga,' p. 49, from which we might expect some help, throws no light on the exact meaning of the word, the translator contenting himself with an ambiguous phrase.
300:2 Sa"m"vso. See Mahvagga I, 79, 2, and "K"ullavagga.
300:3 On these expressions, see the notes above, V, 14, 3, in accordance with which we should read here, in the text s"k"i, for su"k"i.
301:1 Na yataken' eva. See "K"ullavagga V, 3, 1, and V, 27, 2.
301:2 Paragraph 1 is here, and in the succeeding paragraphs, repeated in full.
301:3 \"T"hita-dhammo, 'has characteristics which are stable.'
301:4 For ussreti read ussdeti. See our note on Vi, 11, 3.
302:1 On these gems, compare Rh. D.'s note on the Mah-sudassana Sutta I, 4, in 'Buddhist Suttas from the Pli,' pp. 249, 250.
302:2 On this belief, compare above, Vii, 2, 2. of land creatures, where the same term, attabhva, is used.
303:1 A\"-pa"t"ivedho. On the use of a", standing alone, in this sense, see the note above on Mahvagga V, I, 19.
305:1 This enigmatical saying amounts apparently to this: 'As a usual thing, no doubt, the rain falls not on that which is covered p. 306 with a roof; but in morals it is precisely where there is already a fault concealed, unconfessed, that new faults rain in upon him who adds deceit to his fault.' Buddhaghosa says, "Kh"anna"m" ativassatti patti"m" pa"g"g"itv pa"t"i"k"kh"dento a"a"m" nava"m" patti"m" pa"g"g"atti idam eta"m" sandhya vutta"m". Viva"t"a"m" ntivassatti patti"m" pa"g"g"itv vivaranto a"a"m" n' pa"g"g"atti ida"m" eta"m" sandhya vutta"m".
Ninth Khandhaka.
On Exclusion From The Ptimokkha Ceremony.
1.
1. Now at that time the Blessed One was staying at Svatthi, in the Eastern rma, the mansion of the mother of Migra. And at that time, it being Uposatha Day, the Blessed One was seated in the midst of the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha. And the venerable nanda, when the night was far spent, when the first watch was passing away, arose from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, and stretching out his joined hands towards the Blessed One, said to the Blessed One:
'The night, Lord, is far spent. The first watch is passing away. For a long time has the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha been seated here. Let my lord the Blessed One recite to the Bhikkhus the Ptimokkha.'
When he had thus spoken, the Blessed One remained silent. And a second time, when the second watch was passing away [he made the same request with the same result]. And a third time, when the third watch had begun, and the dawn was breaking 1 he made the same request].
The assembly, nanda, is not pure 2.'
p. 300
2. Then the venerable Mah Moggallna thought, 'What individual can the Blessed One be referring to in that he says, "The assembly, nanda, is not pure."' And the venerable Mah Moggallna considered the whole Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha, penetrating their minds with his. Then the venerable Mah Moggallna perceived who was that individual,--evil in conduct, wicked in character, of impure and doubtful 1 behaviour, not a Sama"n"a though he had taken the vows of one, not a religious student though he had taken the vows of one, foul within, full of cravings, a worthless creature,--who had taken his seat amongst the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha. On perceiving which it was, he went up to that individual, and said to him, 'Arise, Sir! The Blessed One has found you out. There can be no communion 2 between you and the Bhikkhus!'
When he had thus spoken, that man kept silence. And a second and a third time the venerable Mah Moggallna addressed to him [the same words, and with the same result]. Then the venerable Mah Moggallna took that man by the arm and made him go out beyond the porch 3, and bolted the door,
p. 301
and went up to the place where the Blessed One was, and said to him, 'Lord, I have made that man go out. The assembly is now undefiled. May my lord the Blessed One recite the Ptimokkha to the Bhikkhus.'
'How astonishing and curious a thing it is, Moggallna, that that foolish fellow should have waited up to the very point when he had to be taken by the arm.'
3. And the Blessed One said to the Bhikkhus: 'There are, O Bhikkhus, in the great ocean, then, eight astonishing and curious qualities, by the constant perception of which the mighty creatures take delight in the great ocean. And what are the eight?
'The great ocean, O Bhikkhus, gets gradually deeper, slope following on slope, hollow succeeding hollow, and the fall is not precipitously abrupt 1. This is the first [of such qualities] 2.
'Again, Bhikkhus, the great ocean remains of the same nature 3, and passes not beyond the shore. This is the second [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean will not brook association with a dead corpse. Whatsoever dead corpse there be in the sea, that will it--and quickly--draw to the shore, and cast it out on the dry ground 4. This is the third [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, all the great rivers--that is to say, the Gag, the Yamun, the A"k"iravat, the
p. 302
[paragraph continues] Sarabh, and the Mah--they, when they have fallen into the great ocean, renounce their names and lineage, and are reckoned thenceforth as the great ocean. This is the fourth [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, though all the streams in the world flow on till they reach the great ocean, and all "th"e waters of the sky fall into it, yet does it not thereby seem to be the more empty or more full. This is the fifth [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt. This is the sixth [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean is full of gems, of gems of various kinds; among which are these gems--that is to say, the pearl, the diamond, the catseye, the chank, rock, coral, silver, gold, the ruby, and the cornelian 1. This is the seventh [of such qualities].
'Again, O Bhikkhus, the great ocean is the dwelling-place of mighty beings, among which are these--that is to say, the Timi, the Timigala, the Timitimigala, the Asuras, the Ngas, and the Gandhabbas. There are in the great ocean creatures so constituted that they stretch from one to five hundred leagues 2. This is the eighth [of such qualities].
4. 'And just in the same way, O Bhikkhus, there are in this doctrine and discipline eight marvellous and wonderful qualities, by the constant perception
p. 303
of which the Bhikkhus take delight in this doctrine and discipline. What are the eight?
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean gets gradually deeper, slope following on slope, hollow succeeding hollow, and the fall is not precipitately abrupt just so, O Bhikkhus, in this doctrine and discipline is the training a gradual one, work following on work, and step succeeding step; and there is no sudden attainment to the insight (of Arahatship) 1. This is the first [of such qualities].
Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean remains of the same nature, and passes not beyond the shore--just so, O Bhikkhus, is the body of precepts which I have established for those who are hearers of my word, and which they, their lives long, do not pass beyond. This is the second [of such qualities].
Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean will not brook association with a dead corpse; but whatsoever dead corpse there be in the sea that will it--and quickly--draw to the shore, and cast it out upon the dry land just so, O Bhikkhus, if there be any individual evil in conduct, wicked in character, of impure and doubtful behaviour, not a Sama"n"a though he have taken the vows of one, not a religious student though he have taken the vows of one, foul within, full of cravings, a worthless creature; with him will the Sa"m"gha brook no association, but quickly, on its meeting together, will it cast him out. And what though that man should himself be seated in the midst of the Bhikkhu-sa"m"gha, verily, both is he afar off from the Sa"m"gha,
p. 304
and the Sa"m"gha from him. This is the third (of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great rivers--that is to say, the Gag, the Yamun, the A"k"iravat, the Sarabh, and the Mah--when they have fallen into the great ocean, renounce their name and lineage and are thenceforth reckoned as the great ocean just so, O Bhikkhus, do these four castes--the Khattiyas, the Brahmans, the Vessas, and the Suddas--when they have gone forth from the world under the doctrine and discipline proclaimed by the Tathgata, renounce their names and lineage, and enter into the number of the Sakyaputtiya Sama"n"as. This is the fourth [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as though all the streams in the world flow on till they reach the great ocean, and all the waters of the sky fall into it, yet does it not seem thereby to be either more empty or more full just so, O Bhikkhus, though many Bhikkhus pass entirely away in that kind of passing away which leaves not a trace behind, yet does not [the Sa"m"gha] thereby seem to be either more empty or more full. This is the fifth [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt just so, O Bhikkhus, has this doctrine and discipline only one flavour, the flavour of emancipation. This is the sixth [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean is full of gems, of gems of various kinds--that is to say, the pearl, the diamond, the catseye, the chank, rock, coral, silver, gold, the ruby, and the cornelian--just so, O Bhikkhus, is this doctrine and discipline full of gems, of gems of various kinds, among which are
p. 305
these gems,--that is to say, the four Earnest Meditations, the fourfold Great Struggle, the four Roads to Iddhi, the five Moral Powers, the five Moral Senses, the seven kinds of Wisdom, and the noble eightfold Path. This is the seventh [of such qualities].
'Just, O Bhikkhus, as the great ocean is the dwelling-place of mighty beings, among which are the Timi, the Timigala, the Timitimigala, the Asuras, the Ngas. and the Gandhabbas; just as there are in the great ocean creatures so constituted that they stretch from one to five hundred leagues--just so, O Bhikkhus, is this doctrine and discipline the resort of mighty beings, among whom are he who has entered the First Path (the converted man, the Sotpanno) and he who has realised the fruit ther, he who has entered the Second Path (the Sakadgmin) and he who has realised the fruit ther, he who has entered the Third Path (the Angmin) and he who has realised the fruit ther, the Arahat, and he who has realised the fruit of Arahatship. This is the eighth [of such qualities].
'These, O Bhikkhus, are the eight marvellous and wonderful qualities in this doctrine and discipline by the constant perception of which the Bhikkhus take delight therein.'
And the Blessed One, on perceiving that matter, gave forth at that time this ecstatic utterance:
'The rain falls heavily on that which is covered, not upon that which is revealed.
'Reveal, therefore, what thou hast concealed, and the rain shall touch thee not 1.'
Footnotes
299:1 Nandimukhiy rattiy ti aru"n"adhata-kle pti-mukh viya ratti khyati ten' ha nandimukhiy ti (B.). See also our note on this at Mahvagga Viii, 13, 1.
299:2 That is, there is some one present who is disqualified by some p. 300 fault from taking part in the proceedings, which would therefore be invalid.
300:1 Sa"m"kassara. See the passages quoted by Dr. Morris in the introduction to his edition of the Aguttara (pp. viii, ix), though we cannot accept his conclusions. We may add that the Tibetan rendering of Dhammapada 312, given in Rockhill's 'Udna-varga,' p. 49, from which we might expect some help, throws no light on the exact meaning of the word, the translator contenting himself with an ambiguous phrase.
300:2 Sa"m"vso. See Mahvagga I, 79, 2, and "K"ullavagga.
300:3 On these expressions, see the notes above, V, 14, 3, in accordance with which we should read here, in the text s"k"i, for su"k"i.
301:1 Na yataken' eva. See "K"ullavagga V, 3, 1, and V, 27, 2.
301:2 Paragraph 1 is here, and in the succeeding paragraphs, repeated in full.
301:3 \"T"hita-dhammo, 'has characteristics which are stable.'
301:4 For ussreti read ussdeti. See our note on Vi, 11, 3.
302:1 On these gems, compare Rh. D.'s note on the Mah-sudassana Sutta I, 4, in 'Buddhist Suttas from the Pli,' pp. 249, 250.
302:2 On this belief, compare above, Vii, 2, 2. of land creatures, where the same term, attabhva, is used.
303:1 A\"-pa"t"ivedho. On the use of a", standing alone, in this sense, see the note above on Mahvagga V, I, 19.
305:1 This enigmatical saying amounts apparently to this: 'As a usual thing, no doubt, the rain falls not on that which is covered p. 306 with a roof; but in morals it is precisely where there is already a fault concealed, unconfessed, that new faults rain in upon him who adds deceit to his fault.' Buddhaghosa says, "Kh"anna"m" ativassatti patti"m" pa"g"g"itv pa"t"i"k"kh"dento a"a"m" nava"m" patti"m" pa"g"g"atti idam eta"m" sandhya vutta"m". Viva"t"a"m" ntivassatti patti"m" pa"g"g"itv vivaranto a"a"m" n' pa"g"g"atti ida"m" eta"m" sandhya vutta"m".
