AN 4.22 At Uruvelā (2nd)

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Mendicants, this one time, when I was first awakened, I was staying in Uruvelā at the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River.

Then several old brahmins—elderly and senior, who were advanced in years and had reached the final stage of life—came up to me, and exchanged greetings with me.

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side, and said to me:

‘Worthy Gotama, , we have heard this:

“The ascetic Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat.”

And this is indeed the case,

for the worthy Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat.

This is not appropriate, worthy Gotama.’

Then it occurred to me,

‘These venerables don’t know what a senior is, or what qualities make you a senior.’

Mendicants, suppose you’re eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old.

But your speech is untimely, false, meaningless, and against the teaching or training. You say things at the wrong time which are worthless, unreasonable, rambling, and unbeneficial.

Then you’ll be reckoned a ‘childish senior’.

Now suppose you’re a youth, young, with pristine black hair, blessed with youth, in the prime of life.

But your speech is timely, true, meaningful, and in line with the teaching and training. You say things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial.

Then you’ll be reckoned an ‘astute senior’.

There are these four qualities that make a senior.

What four?

A mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken.

They’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically.

They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.

They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.

These are the four qualities that make a senior.

The creature with a restless mind

speaks a lot of nonsense.

Their thoughts are unsettled,

and they don’t like the true teaching.

They’re far from seniority, with their bad views

and their lack of regard for others.

But one accomplished in ethics,

learned and eloquent, that wise one

is restrained when experiencing phenomena,

discerning the meaning with wisdom.

Gone beyond all things,

kind, eloquent,

they’ve given up birth and death,

and have completed the spiritual journey.

That’s who I call a senior,

who has no defilements.

With the ending of defilements, a mendicant

is declared a ‘senior’.”

​

“Ekamidāhaṁ, bhikkhave, samayaṁ uruvelāyaṁ viharāmi najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhe paṭhamābhisambuddho.

Atha kho, bhikkhave, sambahulā brāhmaṇā jiṇṇā vuddhā mahallakā addhagatā vayoanuppattā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā mayā saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho, bhikkhave, te brāhmaṇā maṁ etadavocuṁ:

‘sutaṁ netaṁ, bho gotama:

“na samaṇo gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimantetī”ti.

Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, tatheva.

Na hi bhavaṁ gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimanteti.

Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, na sampannamevā’ti.

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi:

‘nayime āyasmanto jānanti theraṁ vā therakaraṇe vā dhamme’ti.

Vuddho cepi, bhikkhave, hoti āsītiko vā nāvutiko vā vassasatiko vā jātiyā.

So ca hoti akālavādī abhūtavādī anatthavādī adhammavādī avinayavādī, anidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā akālena anapadesaṁ apariyantavatiṁ anatthasaṁhitaṁ.

Atha kho so ‘bālo thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

Daharo cepi, bhikkhave, hoti yuvā susukāḷakeso bhadrena yobbanena samannāgato paṭhamena vayasā.

So ca hoti kālavādī bhūtavādī atthavādī dhammavādī vinayavādī nidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā kālena sāpadesaṁ pariyantavatiṁ atthasaṁhitaṁ.

Atha kho so ‘paṇḍito thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

Cattārome, bhikkhave, therakaraṇā dhammā.

Katame cattāro?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu

Bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā.

Catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī.

Āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro therakaraṇā dhammāti.

Yo uddhatena cittena,

samphañca bahu bhāsati;

Asamāhitasaṅkappo,

asaddhammarato mago;

Ārā so thāvareyyamhā,

pāpadiṭṭhi anādaro.

Yo ca sīlena sampanno,

sutavā paṭibhānavā;

Saññato dhīro dhammesu,

paññāyatthaṁ vipassati.

Pāragū sabbadhammānaṁ,

akhilo paṭibhānavā;

Pahīnajātimaraṇo,

brahmacariyassa kevalī.

Tamahaṁ vadāmi theroti,

yassa no santi āsavā;

Āsavānaṁ khayā bhikkhu,

so theroti pavuccatī”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.