{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/uda/ud6.htm","path":"bud/uda/ud6.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/uda/ud6.htm","text":"Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these suttas were translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.\n\"Your majesty, as a layman enjoying sensual pleasures; living crowded with wives and children; using Kasi fabrics and sandalwood; wearing garlands, scents, and creams; handling gold and silver, it is hard for you to know whether these are arahants or on the path to arahantship.\n\"It is through living together that a person's virtue may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.\n\"It is through dealing with a person that his purity may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.\n\"It is through adversity that a person's endurance may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.\n\"It is through discussion that a person's discernment may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.\"\n\"How amazing, lord! How awesome! How well that was put by the Blessed One! 'Your majesty, as a layman enjoying sensual pleasures; living crowded with wives and children; using Kasi fabrics and sandalwood; wearing garlands, scents, and creams; handling gold and silver, it is hard for you to know whether these are arahants or on the path to arahantship.\n\"'It is through living together that a person's virtue may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.\n\"'It is through dealing with a person that his purity may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.\n\"'It is through adversity that a person's endurance may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.\n\"'It is through discussion that a person's discernment may be known, and then only after a long period, not a short period; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is discerning, not by one who is not discerning.'\n\"These men, lord, are my spies, my scouts, returning after going out through the countryside. They go out first, and then I go. Now, when they have scrubbed off the dirt and mud, are well-bathed and well-perfumed, have trimmed their hair and beards, and have put on white clothes, they will go about endowed and provided with the five cords of sensuality.\"\nThen, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:\nOne should not make an effort everywhere.\nOne should not be another's hireling.\nOne should not live dependent on another.\nOne should not make the Dhamma a trade.\nNote: For another presentation of the same topic, see AN IV.192.\nBefore, it was, then it wasn't.\nBefore, it wasn't, then it was.\nIt wasn't, it won't be,\nand now isn't to be found.\nSome of the priests and contemplatives held this view, this doctrine: \"The cosmos is not eternal\"...\"The cosmos is finite\"...\"The cosmos is infinite\"...\"The soul and the body are the same\"...\"The soul is one thing and the body another\"...\"After death a Tathagata exists\"...\"After death a Tathagata does not exist\"...\"After death a Tathagata both does and does not exist\"...\"After death a Tathagata neither does nor does not exist. Only this is true; anything otherwise is worthless.\"\nAnd they lived arguing, quarreling, and disputing, wounding one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, \"The Dhamma is like this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like this.\"\nThen in the early morning, a large number of monks, having put on their robes and carrying their bowls and outer robes, went into Savatthi for alms. Having gone for alms in Savatthi, after the meal, returning from their alms round, they went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they said to the Blessed One: \"Lord, there are many priests, contemplatives, and wanderers of various sects living around Savatthi with differing views, differing opinions, differing beliefs, dependent for support on their differing views...and they live arguing, quarreling, and disputing, wounding one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, 'The Dhamma is like this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like this.'\"\n\"Monks, the wanderers of other sects are blind and eyeless. They don't know what is beneficial and what is harmful. They don't know what is the Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma. Not knowing what is beneficial and what is harmful, not knowing what is Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma, they live arguing, quarreling, and disputing, wounding one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, 'The Dhamma is like this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like this.'\n\"Once, in this same Savatthi, there was a certain king who said to a certain man, 'Gather together all the people in Savatthi who have been blind from birth.'\"\n\"'As you say, your majesty,' the man replied and, rounding up all the people in Savatthi who had been blind from birth, he went to the king and on arrival said, 'Your majesty, the people in Savatthi who have been blind from birth have been gathered together.'\n\"'Very well then, show the blind people an elephant.'\n\"'As you say, your majesty,' the man replied and he showed the blind people an elephant. To some of the blind people he showed the head of the elephant, saying, 'This, blind people, is what an elephant is like.' To some of them he showed an ear of the elephant, saying, 'This, blind people, is what an elephant is like.' To some of them he showed a tusk...the trunk...the body...a foot...the hindquarters...the tail...the tuft at the end of the tail, saying, 'This, blind people, is what an elephant is like.'\n\"Then, having shown the blind people the elephant, the man went to the king and on arrival said, 'Your majesty, the blind people have seen the elephant. May your majesty do what you think it is now time to do.'\n\"Then the king went to the blind people and on arrival asked them, 'Blind people, have you seen the elephant?'\n\"'Yes, your majesty. We have seen the elephant.'\n\"'Now tell me, blind people, what the elephant is like.'\n\"The blind people who had been shown the head of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a water jar.'\n\"Those who had been shown the ear of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a winnowing basket.'\n\"Those who had been shown the tusk of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like an iron rod.'\n\"Those who had been shown the trunk of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like the pole of a plow.'\n\"Those who had been shown the body of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a granary.'\n\"Those who had been shown the foot of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a post.'\n\"Those who had been shown the hindquarters of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a mortar.'\n\"Those who had been shown the tail of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a pestle.'\n\"Those who had been shown the tuft at the end of the tail of the elephant replied, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a broom.'\n\"Saying, 'The elephant is like this, it's not like that. The elephant's not like that, it's like this,' they struck one another with their fists. That gratified the king.\n\"In the same way, monks, the wanderers of other sects are blind and eyeless. They don't know what is beneficial and what is harmful. They don't know what is the Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma. Not knowing what is beneficial and what is harmful, not knowing what is Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma, they live arguing, quarreling, and disputing, wounding one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, 'The Dhamma is like this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like this.'\"\nSome of these so-called\npriests & contemplatives\nare attached.\nThey quarrel & fight --\npeople seeing one side.\nSome of the priests and contemplatives held this view, this doctrine: \"The self and the cosmos are not eternal\"...\"The self and the cosmos are both eternal and not eternal\"...\"The self and the cosmos are neither eternal nor not eternal\"...\n\"The self and the cosmos are self-produced\"...\"The self and the cosmos are produced by another\"...\"The self and the cosmos are both self-produced and produced by another\"...\"The self and the cosmos are neither self-produced nor produced by another, but are spontaneously arisen\"\n\"Bliss and pain, the self and the cosmos are self-produced\"...\"produced by another\"...\"both self-produced and produced by another\"...\"Bliss and pain, the self and the cosmos are neither self-produced nor produced by another, but are spontaneously arisen. Only this is true; anything otherwise is worthless.\"\n\"Monks, the wanderers of other sects are blind and eyeless. They don't know what is beneficial and what is harmful. They don't know what is the Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma. Not knowing what is beneficial and what is harmful, not knowing what is Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma, they live arguing, quarreling, and disputing, wounding one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, 'The Dhamma is like this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like this.'\"\nSome of these so-called\npriests & contemplatives\nare attached.\nThey sink in mid-stream,\nfalling into the plunge of darkness.\nPeople are intent on the idea of\n\"made by me\"\nand attached to the idea of\n\"made by another.\"\nSome do not realize this,\nnor do they see it as a thorn.\nBut to one who sees,\nhaving extracted this thorn,\n[the thought] \"I am doing,\" doesn't occur;\n\"Another is doing,\" doesn't occur.\nThis human race is\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 possessed by conceit\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 bound by conceit,\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 tied down by conceit.\nSpeaking hurtfully because of their views\nthey don't go beyond\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 transmigration -- the wandering on.\nThen in the early morning, a large number of monks, having put on their robes and carrying their bowls and outer robes, went into Savatthi for alms. Having gone for alms in Savatthi, after the meal, returning from their alms round, they went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they said to the Blessed One: \"At present, two factions in Rajagaha are in love with a certain courtesan, their minds enthralled. Arguing, quarreling, and disputing, they attack one another with fists, attack one another with clods of dirt, attack one another with sticks, attack one another with knives, so that they fall into death or death-like pain.\"\nWhat's been attained, what's to be attained,\nare both defiled by one who trains\nin line with the afflicted.\nThose for whom precepts & practices\nare the essence of the training,\nfor whom celibacy is the essence of service:\nthis is one extreme.\nThose who say, \"There's no harm in sensual desires\":\nthis is the second extreme.\nBoth of these extremes cause the growth of cemeteries,\nand cemeteries cause views to grow.\nNot directly knowing these two extremes,\nsome fall short,\nsome run too far.\nBut those who directly know them,\ndon't exist there,\ndon't conceive things\nthrough them.\nAnd for these people,\nthere's no whirling through the cycle\nto be described.\nRushing headlong, missing what's essential,\nbringing on one new bond\nafter another,\nlike insects falling into the flame,\nsome are intent only on what's seen & heard.","title":"Udana VI","type":"page"}