DN 26
Cakkavatti Sutta
The Wheel-turning Emperor
(excerpt)
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu PTS: D iii 58
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2002 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2002
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted, reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish, however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Translator's Introduction
The body of this sutta consists of a narrative illustrating the power of skillful action.
The story, after chronicling the ups and downs of human wealth, life span, etc., concludes with the following lesson on kamma and skillful action.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
..."Monks, live with yourself as your island, yourself as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge. Live with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge. 1 And how does a monk live with himself as his island, himself as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge; with the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge?
There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves... mind in & of itself... mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This is how a monk lives with himself as his island, himself as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge; with the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge.
The Wheel-turning Emperor
(excerpt)
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu PTS: D iii 58
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2002 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2002
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted, reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish, however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Translator's Introduction
The body of this sutta consists of a narrative illustrating the power of skillful action.
In the past, unskillful behavior was unknown among the human
race. As a result, people lived for an immensely long time — 80,000 years —
endowed with great beauty, wealth, pleasure, and strength. Over the course of
time, though, they began behaving in various unskillful ways. This caused the
human life span gradually to shorten, to the point where it now stands at 100
years, with human beauty, wealth, pleasure, and strength decreasing
proportionately.
In the future, as morality continues to degenerate, human life will continue to shorten to the point were the normal life span is 10 years, with people reaching sexual maturity at five. "Among those human beings, the ten courses of action (see AN 10.176) will have entirely disappeared... The word 'skillful' will not exist, so from where will there be anyone who does what is skillful?
Those who lack the honorable qualities of motherhood, fatherhood, contemplative-hood, & priest-hood will be the ones who receive homage... Fierce hatred will arise, fierce malevolence, fierce rage, & murderous thoughts: mother for child, child for mother, father for child, child for father, brother for sister, sister for brother."
Ultimately, conditions will deteriorate to the point of a "sword-interval," in which swords appear in the hands of all human beings, and they hunt one another like game. A few people, however, will take shelter in the wilderness to escape the carnage, and when the slaughter is over, they will come out of hiding and resolve to take up a life of skillful and virtuous action again.
With the recovery of virtue, the human life span will gradually increase again until it reaches 80,000years, with people attaining sexual maturity at 500. Only three diseases will be known at that time: desire, lack of food, and old age. Another Buddha — Metteyya (Maitreya) — will gain Awakening, his monastic Sangha numbering in the thousands. The greatest king of the time, Sankha, will go forth into homelessness and attain arahantship under Metteyya's guidance.
In the future, as morality continues to degenerate, human life will continue to shorten to the point were the normal life span is 10 years, with people reaching sexual maturity at five. "Among those human beings, the ten courses of action (see AN 10.176) will have entirely disappeared... The word 'skillful' will not exist, so from where will there be anyone who does what is skillful?
Those who lack the honorable qualities of motherhood, fatherhood, contemplative-hood, & priest-hood will be the ones who receive homage... Fierce hatred will arise, fierce malevolence, fierce rage, & murderous thoughts: mother for child, child for mother, father for child, child for father, brother for sister, sister for brother."
Ultimately, conditions will deteriorate to the point of a "sword-interval," in which swords appear in the hands of all human beings, and they hunt one another like game. A few people, however, will take shelter in the wilderness to escape the carnage, and when the slaughter is over, they will come out of hiding and resolve to take up a life of skillful and virtuous action again.
With the recovery of virtue, the human life span will gradually increase again until it reaches 80,000years, with people attaining sexual maturity at 500. Only three diseases will be known at that time: desire, lack of food, and old age. Another Buddha — Metteyya (Maitreya) — will gain Awakening, his monastic Sangha numbering in the thousands. The greatest king of the time, Sankha, will go forth into homelessness and attain arahantship under Metteyya's guidance.
The story, after chronicling the ups and downs of human wealth, life span, etc., concludes with the following lesson on kamma and skillful action.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
..."Monks, live with yourself as your island, yourself as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge. Live with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge. 1 And how does a monk live with himself as his island, himself as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge; with the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge?
There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves... mind in & of itself... mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This is how a monk lives with himself as his island, himself as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge; with the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, with nothing else as his refuge.
"Wander, monks, in your proper range, your own
ancestral territory. When you wander in your proper range, your own ancestral
territory, you will grow in long life, beauty, pleasure, wealth, &
strength.
"And what constitutes a monk's long life? 2 There is
the case where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration
founded on desire & the fabrications of exertion. He develops the base of
power endowed with concentration founded on persistence... founded on intent...
He develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on
discrimination & the fabrications of exertion. From the development &
pursuit of these four bases of power, he can stay (alive) for an aeon, if he
wants, or for the remainder of an aeon. This constitutes a monk's long life.
"And what constitutes a monk's beauty? There is the
case where a monk is virtuous. He dwells restrained in accordance with the
Patimokkha, consummate in his behavior & sphere of activity. He trains
himself, having undertaken the training rules, seeing danger in the slightest
faults. This constitutes a monk's beauty.
"And what constitutes a monk's pleasure? There is the
case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful
mental qualities — enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture &
pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, is mindful & alert, and senses pleasure with the body.
He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' With the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This constitutes a monk's pleasure.
With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, is mindful & alert, and senses pleasure with the body.
He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' With the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This constitutes a monk's pleasure.
"And what constitutes a monk's wealth? There is the
case where a monk keeps pervading the first direction [the east] — as well as
the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued
with good will. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around,
everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing world with an awareness
imbued with good will: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility,
free from ill will.
"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as
the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued
with compassion... imbued with appreciation...
"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as
the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued
with equanimity. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around,
everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing world with an awareness
imbued with equanimity: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility,
free from ill will.
"This constitutes a monk's wealth.
"And what constitutes a monk's strength? There is the
case where a monk, through the ending of the mental fermentations, enters &
remains in the fermentation-free awareness-release & discernment-release,
having directly known & realized them for himself right in the here &
now. This constitutes a monk's strength.
"Monks, I don't envision any other single strength so
hard to overcome as this: the strength of Mara. 3 And the adopting of skillful
qualities is what causes this merit to increase." 4
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks
delighted in the Blessed One's words.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
1. This can also be translated as: "Live with mental
qualities (dhammas) as your island, mental qualities as your refuge, with
nothing else as your refuge."
2. Literally, "what is in a monk's long life?"
This appears to be an idiomatic usage of the locative case. The commentary
interprets this idiom as meaning, what causes a monk's long life, beauty, etc.
From this reading, it explains, for example, that a monk attracts wealth if he
develops the four sublime attitudes. While this is true, it seems to cheapen
the message of this passage.
3. This last passage is related to the opening passage of
the sutta, in which the Buddha says, "Wander, monks, in your proper range,
your own ancestral territory. When one wanders in his proper range, his own
ancestral territory, Mara gains no opening, Mara gains no foothold. And it is
because of adopting skillful qualities that this merit increases." See
also SN 47.6-7.
4. This is the refrain repeated with each stage in the
account of how human life will improve in the aftermath of the sword-interval.
Here, "merit" seems to have the meaning it has in Iti 22: "Don't
be afraid of acts of merit." This is another way of saying what is
blissful, desirable, pleasing, endearing, charming — i.e., acts of merit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revised: Monday 2007-09-03
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.26.0.than.html
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment