Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha on Vulture Peak mountain. It was soon after Devadatta had left. There, referring to Devadatta, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:
Acquisitions, Respect, and Popularity
Here, bhikkhus, a son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am |immersed in::afflicted with [otiṇṇa]| birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering |can be discerned::can become evident [paññāyetha]|.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires |acquisitions, respect, and popularity::gains or possessions, honor or reverence, and fame or praise [lābhasakkārasiloka]|. |Delighted::pleased [attamana]| with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of them and disparages others thus: ‘I am one with acquisitions, respect, and popularity; these other bhikkhus are unknown and insignificant.’ On account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, he |becomes intoxicated [with self-importance]::becomes arrogant [majjati]|, acts with negligence, falls into |negligence::carelessness, heedlessness [pamāda]|, and being negligent, he dwells in |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|.
Just as, bhikkhus, a man desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, were to come upon a great tree, standing possessed of heartwood. But bypassing the heartwood, passing over the sapwood, passing over the bark, passing over the dry outer bark, he would cut off and take the branches and leaves, thinking, ‘This is the heartwood.’ Then a man with eyes, seeing him, might say: ‘Surely this good man did not know the heartwood, nor the sapwood, nor the bark, nor the dry outer bark, nor the branches and leaves. For although he was desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, he went right past the heartwood, past the sapwood, past the bark, past the dry outer bark, and having cut off and taken the branches and leaves, he departed, thinking, “This is the heartwood.” Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his aim will not be accomplished.’
In the same way, here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of them and disparages others thus: ‘I am one with acquisitions, respect, and popularity; these other bhikkhus are unknown and insignificant.’ On account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, he becomes intoxicated [with self-importance], acts with negligence, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Such a bhikkhu is said to have taken the branches and leaves of the |spiritual life::a life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures [brahmacariya]|, and stopped short with that.
Accomplishment of Ethics
Here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being |diligent::doing one’s work or duty well, with alertness, carefulness and care [appamatta]|, he succeeds in the |accomplishment of ethical conduct::attainment of virtue [sīlasampadā]|. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, and his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of it, and disparages others thus: ‘I am virtuous, of good character; these other bhikkhus are immoral, of bad character.’ On account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, he becomes intoxicated [with self-importance], acts with negligence, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he dwells in suffering.
Suppose, bhikkhus, a man desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, were to come upon a great tree, standing possessed of heartwood. But bypassing the heartwood, passing over the sapwood, passing over the bark, he cuts off and takes the dry outer bark, thinking, ‘This is the heartwood.’ Then a man with eyes, seeing him, might say: ‘Surely this good man did not know the heartwood, nor the sapwood, nor the bark, nor the dry outer bark, nor the branches and leaves. For although he was desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, he went right past the heartwood, past the sapwood, past the bark, and cut off and took the dry outer bark, thinking, “This is the heartwood.” Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his aim will not be accomplished.’
In the same way, here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of ethical conduct. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, and his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of it, and disparages others thus: ‘I am virtuous, of good character; these other bhikkhus are immoral, of bad character.’ On account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, he becomes intoxicated [with self-importance], acts with negligence, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Such a bhikkhu is said to have taken the dry outer bark of the spiritual life and stopped short with that.
Accomplishment of Collectedness
Here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of ethical conduct. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of |collectedness::stability of mind, stillness of mind, mental composure [samādhi]|. He is delighted with the accomplishment of collectedness, and his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of it, and disparages others thus: ‘I am |collected::composed, settled [samāhita]|, |with a unified mind::with a one-pointed mind; with an integrated, well-composed, concentrated mind [ekaggacitta]|; these other bhikkhus are |distracted::with scattered attention, not collected, not well-composed [asamāhita]|, |with a wandering mind::with runaway thoughts, mentally out of control [vibbhantacitta]|.’ On account of the accomplishment of collectedness, he becomes intoxicated [with self-importance], acts with negligence, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he dwells in suffering.
Just as, bhikkhus, a man desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, were to come upon a great tree, standing possessed of heartwood. But bypassing the heartwood and passing over the sapwood, he cuts off and takes the bark, thinking, ‘This is the heartwood.’ Then a man with eyes, seeing him, might say: ‘Surely this good man did not know the heartwood, nor the sapwood, nor the bark, nor the dry outer bark, nor the branches and leaves. For although he was desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, he went right past the heartwood, past the sapwood, and cut off and took the bark, thinking, “This is the heartwood.” Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his aim will not be accomplished.’
In the same way, here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of ethical conduct. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of collectedness. He is delighted with the accomplishment of collectedness, and his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of it, and disparages others thus: ‘I am collected, with a unified mind; these other bhikkhus are distracted, with a wandering mind.’ On account of the accomplishment of collectedness, he becomes intoxicated [with self-importance], acts with negligence, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Such a bhikkhu is said to have taken the bark of the spiritual life and stopped short with that.
Knowledge and Vision
Here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of ethical conduct. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of collectedness. He is delighted with the accomplishment of collectedness, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of collectedness, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in |knowledge and vision::understanding and insight [ñāṇadassana]|. He is delighted with the knowledge and vision, and his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of it, and disparages others thus: ‘I live knowing and seeing; these other bhikkhus live without knowing, without seeing.’ On account of knowledge and vision, he becomes intoxicated [with self-importance], acts with negligence, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he dwells in suffering.
Just as, bhikkhus, a man desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, were to come upon a great tree, standing possessed of heartwood. But bypassing the heartwood, he cuts off and takes the sapwood, thinking, ‘This is the heartwood.’ Then a man with eyes, seeing him, might say: ‘Surely this good man did not know the heartwood, nor the sapwood, nor the bark, nor the dry outer bark, nor the branches and leaves. For although he was desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, he went right past the heartwood, and cut off and took the sapwood, thinking, “This is the heartwood.” Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his aim will not be accomplished.’
In the same way, here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of ethical conduct. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of collectedness. He is delighted with the accomplishment of collectedness, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of collectedness, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in knowledge and vision. He is delighted with the knowledge and vision, and his intention is fulfilled. He exalts himself on account of it, and disparages others thus: ‘I live knowing and seeing; these other bhikkhus live without knowing, without seeing.’ On account of knowledge and vision, he becomes intoxicated [with self-importance], acts with negligence, falls into negligence, and being negligent, he dwells in suffering. Such a bhikkhu is said to have taken the sapwood of the spiritual life and stopped short with that.
Abiding Liberation
Here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of ethical conduct. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of collectedness. He is delighted with the accomplishment of collectedness, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of collectedness, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in knowledge and vision. He is delighted with the knowledge and vision, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the knowledge and vision, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in |abiding liberation::permanent emancipation; lasting release; abiding liberation; lit. not occasional liberation [asamayavimokkha]|. And it is impossible for that bhikkhu to fall away from that abiding liberation.
Just as, bhikkhus, a man desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, were to come upon a great tree, standing possessed of heartwood. He cuts off and takes the heartwood itself, knowing, ‘This is the heartwood.’ Then a man with eyes, seeing him, might say: ‘This good man knew the heartwood, knew the sapwood, knew the bark, knew the dry outer bark, knew the branches and leaves. For he, desiring heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, cut off and took the heartwood itself, knowing, “This is the heartwood.” Whatever it was this good man had to make with heartwood, his aim will be accomplished.’
In the same way, here, bhikkhus, a certain son of a good family has gone forth out of faith from the household life into homelessness with the thought: ‘I am immersed in birth, aging, and death; in sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair; I am immersed in suffering, afflicted by suffering. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering can be discerned.’ When he has gone forth thus, he acquires acquisitions, respect, and popularity. Yet he is not delighted with those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor is his intention fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of them, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of those acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of ethical conduct. He is delighted with the accomplishment of ethical conduct, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of ethical conduct, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in the accomplishment of collectedness. He is delighted with the accomplishment of collectedness, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the accomplishment of collectedness, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in knowledge and vision. He is delighted with the knowledge and vision, but his intention is not yet fulfilled. He does not exalt himself on account of it, nor disparages others. He is not intoxicated [with self-importance] on account of the knowledge and vision, nor does he become negligent, nor grow in negligence. Being diligent, he succeeds in abiding liberation. And it is impossible for that bhikkhu to fall away from that abiding liberation.
So this spiritual life, bhikkhus, is not for the sake of acquisitions, respect, and popularity, nor for the sake of accomplishment of ethical conduct, nor for the sake of accomplishment of collectedness, nor for the sake of knowledge and vision. Rather, bhikkhus, it is this |unshakeable::unassailable, indisputable [akuppa]| |liberation of mind::emancipated by mind/heart, samādhi obtained from fruition [cetovimutti]| that is the purpose of the spiritual life, its heartwood, and its end.”
The Blessed One said this. The bhikkhus were delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words.