Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in the Eastern Park, at |Migāramāta‘s mansion::name of a monastery outside Sāvatthi, built by Visākhā; lit. Migāra’s Mother‘s Hall [migāramātupāsāda]|. Now, on that occasion, being the |Uposatha::Occurring on specific lunar days such as the full moon, new moon, and quarter moons, this is a time for renewing virtue, deepening practice, and purifying the mind. [uposatha]| day, the Blessed One was seated surrounded by the |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]| of bhikkhus.
Then venerable Ānanda, when the night had progressed and the first watch of the night had passed, rose from his seat, draped his outer robe over one shoulder, and raising his hands in reverence towards the Blessed One, said to him: “The night has progressed, venerable sir, and the first watch of the night has passed. The Saṅgha of bhikkhus has been sitting for a long time, let the Blessed One recite the |moral code of conduct::monastic code of discipline which promotes harmonious and pure conduct with others [pātimokkha]| for the bhikkhus.” When this was said, the Blessed One remained silent.
For a second time, venerable Ānanda, when the night had progressed and the middle watch had passed, rose from his seat, draped his outer robe over one shoulder, and raising his hands in reverence towards the Blessed One, said to him: “The night has progressed, venerable sir, and the middle watch has passed. The Saṅgha of bhikkhus has been sitting for a long time, let the Blessed One recite the moral code of conduct for the bhikkhus.” For a second time, the Blessed One remained silent.
For a third time, venerable Ānanda, when the night had progressed and the final watch of the night had passed, when dawn had arisen and the night had a joyful appearance, rose from his seat, draped his outer robe over one shoulder, and raising his hands in reverence towards the Blessed One, said to him: “The night has progressed, venerable sir, and the final watch of the night has passed. Dawn has arisen and the night has a joyful appearance. The Saṅgha of bhikkhus has been sitting for a long time. Let the Blessed One recite the moral code of conduct for the bhikkhus.”
“The |assembly::gathering [parisā]| is not pure, Ānanda.”
Then this thought occurred to the venerable Mahāmoggallāna: “Whom, is the Blessed One referring to when he says: ‘The assembly is not pure, Ānanda’?” Then venerable Mahāmoggallāna directed his mind over the entire Saṅgha of bhikkhus, mentally encompassing them with his mind. Venerable Mahāmoggallāna saw that person—|unprincipled::without regard for ethical conduct [dussīla]|, |endowed with harmful qualities::one who has had a long association of harmful mental qualities - of negligence, laziness, having many wishes, irrational application of mind, lack of situational awareness, having bad friends, pursuing bad habits [pāpadhamma]|, impure, of suspect behavior, |who was underhanded in business::with concealed deeds, who is covert in actions [paṭicchannakammanta]|, not a true ascetic though claiming to be one, who was not living the spiritual life though claiming to be living it, rotten within, oozing with lust, filthy—sitting in the middle of the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. Having seen him, he rose from his seat and approached that person. Having drawn near, he said to him: “Get up, friend, you have been seen by the Blessed One. You have no communion with the bhikkhus.” When this was said, that person remained silent.
For a second time, venerable Mahāmoggallāna said to that person: “Get up, friend, you have been seen by the Blessed One. You have no communion with the bhikkhus.” When this was said, that person remained silent. When this was repeated for a third time, that person still remained silent.
Then venerable Mahāmoggallāna, having taken that person by the arm, expelled him outside the entrance gate, and after having bolted the door, he approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he said to the Blessed One: “That person has been expelled by me, venerable sir. The assembly is pure. Let the Blessed One recite the moral code of conduct for the bhikkhus.”
“It is astonishing, Moggallāna, it is unbelievable, Moggallāna, how that |misguided person::vain person [moghapurisa]| waited until he was taken by the arm.”
Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Right now, bhikkhus, I will not perform the Uposatha, or recite the moral code of conduct. Now you yourselves, bhikkhus, should perform the Uposatha, should recite the moral code of conduct. It is not possible, bhikkhus, it cannot happen that the |Tathāgata::one who has arrived at the truth, an epithet of a perfectly Awakened One [tathāgata]| would perform the Uposatha, or recite the moral code of conduct in an impure assembly.
There are these eight wonderful and marvelous qualities of the great ocean, bhikkhus, which the |asuras::titans [asura]|, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean. What are the eight?
1) The great ocean, bhikkhus, slopes gradually, shelves gradually, deepens gradually, with a sudden drop-off only after a prolonged stretch. That the great ocean slopes gradually, shelves gradually, deepens gradually, with a sudden drop-off only after a prolonged stretch, bhikkhus, is the first wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
2) Furthermore, the great ocean, bhikkhus, is of invariable nature, and does not overstep its boundary. That the great ocean is of invariable nature, and does not overstep its boundary, bhikkhus, is the second wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
3) Furthermore, the great ocean, bhikkhus, does not tolerate a dead body. If there is a dead body in the great ocean, it quickly carries it to the shore and casts it up on dry land. That the great ocean does not tolerate a dead body, and if there is a dead body in the great ocean, it quickly carries it to the shore and casts it up on dry land, bhikkhus, is the third wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
4) Moreover, bhikkhus, all the great rivers—namely |the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Aciravatī, the Sarabhū, and the Mahī::five great rivers of ancient India that were significant for trade, agriculture, and cultural activities|—when they reach the great ocean, lose their former names and identities and are just called ‘the great ocean’. That all the great rivers—namely the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Aciravatī, the Sarabhū, and the Mahī—when they reach the great ocean, lose their former names and identities and are just called ‘the great ocean’; this, bhikkhus, is the fourth wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
5) Moreover, bhikkhus, though all the streams in the world flow into the great ocean, and though rain falls from the sky, yet the great ocean is neither depleted nor filled by that. That though all the streams in the world flow into the great ocean, and though rain falls from the sky, yet the great ocean is neither depleted nor filled by that; this, bhikkhus, is the fifth wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
6) Moreover, bhikkhus, the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt. That the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt; this, bhikkhus, is the sixth wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
7) Furthermore, bhikkhus, the great ocean is rich in many treasures, in various treasures. There are these treasures in it, such as pearls, gems, beryls, conches, crystals, corals, silver, gold, rubies, and emeralds. That the great ocean is rich in many treasures, in various treasures, and there are these treasures in it, such as pearls, gems, beryls, conches, crystals, corals, silver, gold, rubies, and emeralds; this, bhikkhus, is the seventh wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
8) Furthermore, bhikkhus, the great ocean is the abode of such mighty beings as these: whales, whale-eaters, eater of eater of whales; asuras, serpents, and |gandhabbas::demi gods [gandhabba]|. There are beings in the great ocean whose bodies are one hundred |yojanas::yojana is a unit of distance used in ancient India, ranging from 3.5 to 15 km [yojana]| long, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred—even five hundred yojanas in length. That the great ocean is the home of such mighty beings, bhikkhus, is the eighth wonderful and marvelous quality of the great ocean, which the asuras, seeing again and again, delight in the great ocean.
Just so, bhikkhus, in this |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| and |Vinaya::code of monastic discipline rules, training [vinaya]|, there are these eight wonderful and marvelous qualities. What are the eight?
1) Just as, bhikkhus, the great ocean slopes gradually, shelves gradually, deepens gradually, with a sudden drop-off only after a prolonged stretch; so too, bhikkhus, in this Dhamma and Vinaya, there is gradual training, |gradual practice::gradual undertaking, step-by-step activity [anupubbakiriyā]|, and |gradual progress::step-by-step path of practice [anupubba + paṭipadā]|, with a sudden breakthrough to awakening only after a prolonged stretch. That in this Dhamma and Vinaya, there is gradual training, gradual practice, and gradual progress, with a sudden breakthrough to awakening only after a prolonged stretch; this, bhikkhus, is the first wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
2) Just as, bhikkhus, the great ocean is of invariable nature and does not overstep its boundary; so too, bhikkhus, whatever training rule I have laid down for my disciples, my disciples do not transgress it, even for the sake of their lives. That my disciples do not transgress the training rules I have laid down, even for the sake of their lives, bhikkhus, is the second wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
3) Just as, bhikkhus, the great ocean does not tolerate a dead body and whatever dead body there is in the great ocean, it quickly carries it to the shore and casts it up on dry land; so too, bhikkhus, if there is a person who is unprincipled, endowed with harmful qualities, impure, of suspect behavior, who is underhanded in business, not a true ascetic though claiming to be one, who is not living the spiritual life though claiming to be living it, rotten within, oozing with lust, filthy; such a person the Saṅgha does not tolerate. Rather, they swiftly convene and suspend him. Even if he is seated in the midst of the Saṅgha, yet he is as if far away from the Saṅgha, and the Saṅgha is far from him. That the Saṅgha does not tolerate a person who is unprincipled, endowed with harmful qualities, impure, of suspect behavior, who is underhanded in business, not a true ascetic though claiming to be one, who is not living the spiritual life though claiming to be living it, rotten within, oozing with lust, filthy; and quickly meets to suspend such a person, bhikkhus, even if he sits among the Saṅgha yet is distant from it, bhikkhus, is the third wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
4) Just as, bhikkhus, all the great rivers—namely the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Aciravatī, the Sarabhū, and the Mahī—when they reach the great ocean, lose their former names and identities and are just called ‘the great ocean’; so too, bhikkhus, when a person has gone forth from home to homelessness in this Dhamma and Vinaya, he loses his former name and identity and is just called ‘a bhikkhu’. That when a person has gone forth from home to homelessness in this Dhamma and Vinaya, he loses his former name and identity and is just called ‘a bhikkhu’; this, bhikkhus, is the fourth wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
5) Just as, bhikkhus, all the streams in the world flow into the great ocean, and rains fall from the sky, yet the great ocean is neither depleted nor filled thereby; so too, bhikkhus, though many bhikkhus attain |final Nibbāna::complete cooling, full quenching, total emancipation, dying one’s final death [parinibbuta]| |with no residual clinging::with no grasping to existence [anupādisesa]| in the element of |Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|, there is no discernible lessening or filling up of the Nibbāna element. That though many bhikkhus attain final Nibbāna with no residual clinging in the element of Nibbāna, yet there is no discernible decrease or increase in the Nibbāna element; this, bhikkhus, is the fifth wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
6) Just as, bhikkhus, the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt; so too, bhikkhus, in this Dhamma and Vinaya, there is only one taste, |the taste of liberation::having the taste of freedom [vimuttirasa]|. That in this Dhamma and Vinaya, there is only one taste, the taste of liberation; this, bhikkhus, is the sixth wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
7) Just as, bhikkhus, the great ocean is rich in many treasures, in various treasures, containing treasures in it such as pearls, gems, beryls, conches, crystals, corals, silver, gold, rubies, and emeralds; so too, bhikkhus, this Dhamma and Vinaya is rich in many treasures, in various treasures. These are the treasures in it: the |four establishments of mindfulness::four foundations or objective domains of mindfulness that one gradually establishes and cultivates as a direct way of practice. [Read more in MN 10 - Satipaṭṭhānasutta - Establishments of Mindfulness](/mn10) [cattāro + satipaṭṭhāna]|, the |four right efforts::The four right efforts prevent the arising and lead to giving up of unarisen harmful and unwholesome qualities, and lead to the arising, stability, retention, growth, and full development of wholesome qualities. [Read more in AN 4.13 - Padhāna sutta - Striving](/an4.13) [cattāro + sammappadhāna]|, the |four bases of psychic powers::four bases of spiritual powers, roads to supernormal abilities. [Read more in SN 51.20 - Vibhaṅga sutta - Analysis of the Four Bases of Psychic Powers](/sn51.20) [cattāro + iddhipādā]|, the |five faculties::mental faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, collectedness, and wisdom. [Read SN 48.10 - Vibhaṅga sutta - Analysis of Five Faculties](/sn48.10) [pañcindriya]|, the |five strengths::unshakable mental powers of faith, energy, mindfulness, collectedness, and wisdom; they mirror the five faculties but are firm and stable in the face of opposition. [pañcabala]|, the |seven factors of awakening::the seven factors of enlightenment, namely of mindfulness, investigation of states, energy, joy, tranquility, collectedness, and equanimity. Read [SN 46.23 - Ṭhāniya Sutta - Serving As A Basis](/sn46.23) [satta + bojjhaṅgā]|, and the |noble eightfold path::the path consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness. [Read SN 45.8 - Vibhaṅga sutta - Analysis](/sn45.8) [ariya + aṭṭhaṅgika + magga]|. That this Dhamma and Vinaya is rich in many and various treasures, containing treasures in it such as the four establishments of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic powers, the five faculties, the five strengths, the seven factors of awakening, and the noble eightfold path; this, bhikkhus, is the seventh wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
8) Just as, bhikkhus, the great ocean is the abode of such mighty beings as these: whales, whale-eaters, eater of whale-eaters, asuras, serpents, and gandhabbas, and there are beings in the great ocean whose bodies are one hundred yojanas long, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, or even five hundred yojanas in length; so too, bhikkhus, this Dhamma and Vinaya is the abode of mighty beings as these: |stream-enterer::an individual who has attained the first stage of awakening, having completely abandoned the three fetters: 1) personal existence view - identity view, belief in a self, 2) doubt, perplexity, or indecisiveness and 3) adherence to rules and observances as a means of liberation [sotāpanna]| and one who is practicing for stream-entry, |once-returner::an individual who has attained the second stage of awakening, having significantly weakened the fetters of sensual desire and ill will, and who will be reborn at most one more time [sakadāgāmī]| and one who is practicing for once-returning, |non-returner::an individual who has attained the third stage of awakening, having completely abandoned the fetters of sensual desire and ill will, and who will not return to the human world after this life [anāgāmī]| and one who is practicing for non-returning, |arahant::an awakened being, who has eradicated all ten fetters, and is fully liberated from all fetters that bind one to the cycle of birth and death [arahā]| and one who is practicing for arahantship. That this Dhamma and Vinaya is the abode of such mighty beings as a stream-enterer and one practicing for stream-entry, once-returner and one practicing for once-returning, non-returner and one practicing for non-returning, arahant and one practicing for arahantship; this, bhikkhus, is the eighth wonderful and marvelous quality of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
These, bhikkhus, are the eight wonderful and marvelous qualities of this Dhamma and Vinaya, which, seeing again and again, bhikkhus delight in.
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“What’s concealed gets fouled,
what’s revealed stays clear.
So uncover what’s hidden,
and you won’t be corrupted.”