"There are these two things that cause remorse. Which two? There is the case of the person who has not done what is admirable, has not done what is skillful, has not given protection to those in fear, and instead has done what is evil, savage, & cruel. Thinking, 'I have not done what is admirable,' he feels remorse. Thinking, 'I have done what is evil,' he feels remorse. These are the two things that cause remorse."
Having engaged in bodily misconduct,
or verbal misconduct,
or misconduct of mind,
or whatever else counts as a fault,
not having done what is skillful,
having done much that is not,
at the break-up of the body,
the undiscerning one reappears
in hell.
"There are these two things that cause no remorse. Which two? There is the case of the person who has done what is admirable, has done what is skillful, has given protection to those in fear, and has done nothing that is evil, savage, or cruel. Thinking, 'I have done what is admirable,' he feels no remorse. Thinking, 'I have not done what is evil,' he feels no remorse. These are the two things that cause no remorse."
Having abandoned bodily misconduct,
verbal misconduct,
misconduct of mind,
& whatever else counts as a fault,
not having done what's not skillful,
having done much that is,
at the break-up of the body,
the discerning one reappears
in heaven.
"A person without ardor, without concern, is incapable of self-awakening, incapable of Unbinding, incapable of attaining the unsurpassed rest from the yoke. A person ardent and concerned is capable of self-awakening, capable of Unbinding, capable of attaining the unsurpassed rest from the yoke."
Without ardor, without concern,
lazy, with persistence weak,
full of sloth & drowsiness,
shameless, without respect:
This sort of monk is incapable
of touching the supreme self-awakening.
But whoever is mindful & wise,
absorbed in jhana,
ardent, concerned, & heedful,
cutting the fetter of birth & aging,
touches right here & now
the self-awakening unsurpassed.
"Monks, this holy life is lived, not for the sake of deceiving people, not for the sake of inveigling people, not for the sake of the rewards of gain, homage, and tribute, nor with the thought, 'Thus may people know me.' This holy life is lived for the sake of restraint and abandoning."
For the sake of restraint & abandoning
the Blessed One taught
a holy life not handed down,
leading to
& plunging in
Unbinding.
This path is pursued
by those great in purpose,
great seers.
Those who follow it,
as taught by the Awakened One,
heeding the Teacher's message,
will make an end
of suffering & stress.
"Monks, this holy life is lived, not for the sake of deceiving people, not for the sake of inveigling people, not for the sake of the rewards of gain, homage, and tribute, nor with the thought, "Thus may people know me." This holy life is lived for the sake of direct knowledge and full comprehension."
For the sake of direct knowledge
& full comprehension,
the Blessed One taught
a holy life not handed down,
leading to
& plunging in
Unbinding.
This path is pursued
by those great in purpose,
great seers.
Those who follow it,
as taught by the Awakened One,
heeding the Teacher's message,
will make an end
of suffering & stress.
"The Tathagata, the Worthy one, the Rightly Self-awakened One has two Dhamma discourses given in sequence. Which two? 'See evil as evil.' This is the first Dhamma discourse. 'Having seen evil as evil, become disenchanted with it, dispassionate toward it, freed from it.' This is the second Dhamma discourse. These are the two Dhamma discourses that the Tathagata, the Worthy one, the Rightly Self-awakened One has given in sequence."
See the two statements, given in sequence,
by the Tathagata, awakened,
sympathetic to all beings.
The first: See evil.
Then: Be dispassionate toward evil.
With a mind dispassionate toward evil
you will make an end of stress.
"Ignorance precedes the arrival of unskillful qualities; lack of conscience & lack of concern follow after. Clear knowing precedes the arrival of skillful qualities; conscience & concern follow after."
Whatever bad destinations there are
in this world, in the next,
are rooted in ignorance -- all of them --
accumulations
of desire & greed.
And as one of evil desires
lacks conscience & is disrespectful,
evil comes from that,
and by that he goes
to destitution.
So cleansing away
ignorance, desire, & greed,
a monk gives rise to clear knowing
& abandons all bad destinations.
"There are these two bright qualities that safeguard the world. Which two? Conscience and concern [for the results of evil actions]. If these two bright qualities did not safeguard the world, there would be no discerning of "mother," "aunt," "uncle's wife," "teacher's wife," or "wife of those deserving respect." The world would fall into promiscuity, like goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, dogs, and jackels. But because these two bright qualities do safeguard the world, there is the discerning of "mother," "aunt," "uncle's wife," "teacher's wife," and "wife of those deserving respect."
Those in whom conscience & concern
are not always found
have deviated from the bright root,
are headed to birth & death.
But those in whom conscience & concern
are always rightly established
and who are mature in the holy life,
calm:
they are done with further becoming.
"There is, monks, an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated. If there were not that unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, there would not be the case that emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated is thus discerned."
The born, become, produced,
made, fabricated, impermanent,
composed of aging & death,
a nest of illness, perishing,
come from nourishment
and the guide [that is craving]
is unfit for delight.
The escape from that is
calm, permanent,
beyond logical inference,
unborn, unproduced,
the sorrowless, stainless state,
the cessation of stressful qualities,
the stilling of fabrications,
bliss.
"Monks, there are these two forms of the Unbinding property. Which two? The Unbinding property with fuel remaining, and the Unbinding property with no fuel remaining.
And what is the Unbinding property with fuel remaining? There is the case where a monk is a Arahant whose effluents have ended, who has attained completion, finished the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, destroyed the bonds of becoming, and is released through right gnosis. His five sense faculties still remain and, owing to their being intact, he is cognizant of the pleasant and the unpleasant, and is sensitive to pleasure and pain. That which is the passing away of passion, aversion, and delusion in him is termed the Unbinding property with fuel remaining.
And what is the Unbinding property with no fuel remaining? There is the case where a monk is a Arahant whose effluents have ended, who has attained completion, finished the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, destroyed the bonds of becoming, and is released through right gnosis. All that is sensed by him, being unrelished, will grow cold right here. This is termed the Unbinding property with no fuel remaining."
These two
Unbinding properties
proclaimed by the one with vision
the one independent,
the one who is Such:
one property, here in this life
with fuel remaining
from the ending of craving,
the guide to becoming,
and that with no fuel remaining,
after this life,
in which all becoming
completely ceases.
Those who know
this unfabricated state,
their minds released
through the ending of craving,
the guide to becoming,
they, attaining the Teaching's core,
delighting in the ending of craving,
have abandoned all becoming:
They, the Such.
"A monk should be wakeful: mindful, alert, centered, sensitive, clear, & calm. And there he should, at the appropriate times, see clearly into skillful mental qualities. For a monk who is wakeful -- mindful, alert, centered, sensitive, clear, & calm, seeing clearly, at the appropriate times, into skillful mental qualities -- one of two fruits can be expected: either gnosis right here & now, or -- if there be any remnant of clinging-sustenance -- non-return."
Those who are wakeful, listen!
Those who are sleeping, wake up!
Wakefulness is better than sleep.
For those who are wakeful,
there's no danger, no fear.
Whoever is wakeful,
mindful, alert,
centered, sensitive,
calm, & clear,
rightly exploring the Dhamma
at the appropriate times,
will -- unified --
shatter the darkness.
So be devoted to wakefulness.
The ardent monk
-- wise, absorbed in jhana,
cutting the fetter of birth & aging --
touches right here
an Awakening unsurpassed.
"Overcome by two viewpoints, some human and divine beings adhere, other human and divine beings slip right past, while those with vision see.
"And how do some adhere? Human and divine beings delight in becoming, enjoy becoming, are satisfied with becoming. When the Dhamma is being taught for the sake of the cessation of becoming, their minds do not take to it, are not calmed by it, do not settle on it or become resolved on it. This is how some adhere.
"And how do some slip right past? Some, feeling horrified, humiliated, and disgusted with that very becoming, delight in non-becoming: 'When this self, at the break-up of the body, after death, perishes and is destroyed, and does not exist after death, that is peaceful, that is exquisite, that is sufficiency!' This is how some slip right past.
"And how do those with vision see? There is the case where a monk sees being as being. Seeing being as being, he practices for disenchantment with being, dispassion toward being, cessation of being. This is how those with vision see."
One who, having seen
what has come to be
as what has come to be,
has gone beyond being,
and is released in line
with things as they are,
through the exhaustion of craving for becoming.
The monks who have comprehended being --
free from the craving
to go from becoming
to becoming;
with the non-becoming
of what has come to be --
come to no further becoming.