{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn11/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn11","id":"suttacentral_mn11","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn11/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near S\u0101vatth\u012b in Jeta\u2019s Grove, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika\u2019s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, \u201cMendicants!\u201d \u201cVenerable sir,\u201d they replied. The Buddha said this: \u201c\u2018Only here is there a true ascetic, here a second ascetic, here a third ascetic, and here a fourth ascetic. Other sects are empty of ascetics.\u2019 This, mendicants, is how you should rightly roar your lion\u2019s roar. It\u2019s possible that wanderers of other religions might say: \u2018But what is the source of the venerables\u2019 certainty and forcefulness that they say this?\u2019 You should say to them: \u2018There are four things explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. Seeing these things in ourselves we say that: \u201cOnly here is there a true ascetic, here a second ascetic, here a third ascetic, and here a fourth ascetic. Other sects are empty of ascetics.\u201d What four? We have confidence in the Teacher, we have confidence in the teaching, and we have fulfilled the precepts. And we have love and affection for those who share our path, both laypeople and renunciates. These are the four things.\u2019 It\u2019s possible that wanderers of other religions might say: \u2018We too have confidence in the Teacher\u2014our Teacher; we have confidence in the teaching\u2014our teaching; and we have fulfilled the precepts\u2014our precepts. And we have love and affection for those who share our path, both laypeople and renunciates. What, then, is the difference between you and us?\u2019 You should say to them: \u2018Well, reverends, is the goal one or many?\u2019 Answering rightly, the wanderers would say: \u2018The goal is one, reverends, not many.\u2019 \u2018But is that goal for the greedy or for those free of greed?\u2019 Answering rightly, the wanderers would say: \u2018That goal is for those free of greed, not for the greedy.\u2019 \u2018Is it for the hateful or those free of hate?\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s for those free of hate.\u2019 \u2018Is it for the delusional or those free of delusion?\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s for those free of delusion.\u2019 \u2018Is it for those who crave or those rid of craving?\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s for those rid of craving.\u2019 \u2018Is it for those who have fuel for grasping or those who do not?\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s for those who do not have fuel for grasping.\u2019 \u2018Is it for the knowledgeable or the ignorant?\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s for the knowledgeable.\u2019 \u2018Is it for those who favor and oppose or for those who don\u2019t favor and oppose?\u2019 \u2018It\u2019s for those who don\u2019t favor and oppose.\u2019 \u2018But is that goal for those who enjoy proliferation or for those who enjoy non-proliferation?\u2019 Answering rightly, the wanderers would say: \u2018It\u2019s for those who enjoy non-proliferation, not for those who enjoy proliferation.\u2019 Mendicants, there are these two views: views favoring existence and views favoring nonexistence. Any ascetics or brahmins who resort to, draw near to, and cling to a view favoring existence will oppose a view favoring nonexistence. Any ascetics or brahmins who resort to, draw near to, and cling to a view favoring nonexistence will oppose a view favoring existence. There are some ascetics and brahmins who don\u2019t truly understand these two views\u2019 origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape. They\u2019re greedy, hateful, delusional, craving, grasping, and ignorant. They favor and oppose, and they enjoy proliferation. They\u2019re not freed from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. They\u2019re not freed from suffering, I say. There are some ascetics and brahmins who do truly understand these two views\u2019 origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape. They\u2019re rid of greed, hate, delusion, craving, grasping, and ignorance. They don\u2019t favor and oppose, and they enjoy non-proliferation. They\u2019re freed from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. They\u2019re freed from suffering, I say. There are these four kinds of grasping. What four? Grasping at sensual pleasures, views, precepts and observances, and theories of a self. There are some ascetics and brahmins who claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping. But they don\u2019t correctly describe the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping. They describe the complete understanding of grasping at sensual pleasures, but not views, precepts and observances, and theories of a self. Why is that? Because those gentlemen don\u2019t truly understand these three things. That\u2019s why they claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don\u2019t really. There are some other ascetics and brahmins who claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don\u2019t really. They describe the complete understanding of grasping at sensual pleasures and views, but not precepts and observances, and theories of a self. Why is that? Because those gentlemen don\u2019t truly understand these two things. That\u2019s why they claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don\u2019t really. There are some other ascetics and brahmins who claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don\u2019t really. They describe the complete understanding of grasping at sensual pleasures, views, and precepts and observances, but not theories of a self. Why is that? Because those gentlemen don\u2019t truly understand this one thing. That\u2019s why they claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don\u2019t really. In such a teaching and training, confidence in the Teacher is said to be not rightly placed. Likewise, confidence in the teaching, fulfillment of the precepts, and love and affection for those sharing the same path are said to be not rightly placed. Why is that? It\u2019s because that teaching and training is poorly explained and poorly propounded, not emancipating, not leading to peace, proclaimed by someone who is not a fully awakened Buddha. The Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha claims to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping. He describes the complete understanding of grasping at sensual pleasures, views, precepts and observances, and theories of a self. In such a teaching and training, confidence in the Teacher is said to be rightly placed. Likewise, confidence in the teaching, fulfillment of the precepts, and love and affection for those sharing the same path are said to be rightly placed. Why is that? It\u2019s because that teaching and training is well explained and well propounded, emancipating, leading to peace, proclaimed by a fully awakened Buddha. What is the source, origin, birthplace, and inception of these four kinds of grasping? Craving. And what is the source, origin, birthplace, and inception of craving? Feeling. And what is the source of feeling? Contact. And what is the source of contact? The six sense fields. And what is the source of the six sense fields? Name and form. And what is the source of name and form? Consciousness. And what is the source of consciousness? Choices. And what is the source of choices? Ignorance. When that mendicant has given up ignorance and given rise to knowledge, with the fading away of ignorance and the arising of knowledge they don\u2019t grasp at sensual pleasures, views, precepts and observances, or theories of a self. Not grasping, they\u2019re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished. They understand: \u2018Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.\u2019\u201d That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.","title":"The Shorter Discourse on the Lion\u2019s Roar","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1233}