223 LESSON 10 04 2011 Assu Tears Timsa Sutta Thirty FREE ONLINE eNālandā Research and Practice UNIVERSITY and BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS letter to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT for Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation to attain Ultimate Bliss-Through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
LESSON
223
COURSE
Assu
Sutta: Tears
At Savatthi. There the Blessed One said: “From an
inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident,
though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating
& wandering on. What do you think, monks: Which is greater, the tears you
have shed while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time — crying
& weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from
what is pleasing — or the water in the four great oceans?”
“As
we understand the Dhamma taught to us by the Blessed One, this is the greater:
the tears we have shed while transmigrating & wandering this long, long
time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being
separated from what is pleasing — not the water in the four great oceans.”
“Excellent,
monks. Excellent. It is excellent that you thus understand the Dhamma taught by
me.
“This
is the greater: the tears you have shed while transmigrating & wandering
this long, long time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is
displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing — not the water in the four
great oceans.
“Long
have you (repeatedly) experienced the death of a mother. The tears you have
shed over the death of a mother while transmigrating & wandering this long,
long time — crying & weeping from being joined with what is displeasing,
being separated from what is pleasing — are greater than the water in the four
great oceans.
“Long
have you (repeatedly) experienced the death of a father… the death of a
brother… the death of a sister… the death of a son… the death of a
daughter… loss with regard to relatives… loss with regard to wealth… loss
with regard to disease. The tears you have shed over loss with regard to
disease while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time — crying
& weeping from being joined with what is displeasing, being separated from
what is pleasing — are greater than the water in the four great oceans.
“Why
is that? From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning
point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by
craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have you thus experienced
stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries — enough to
become disenchanted with all fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate,
enough to be released.”
Timsa
Sutta: Thirty
translated
from the Pali by
Thanissaro
Bhikkhu
Now on that occasion the Blessed
One was dwelling in Rajagaha, in the
Bamboo Grove. Then thirty monks from Pava —
all wilderness dwellers, all alms-goers, all triple-robe wearers, all still
with fetters — went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to
him, sat to one side.
Then the
thought occurred to the Blessed One, “These thirty monks from Pava… are
all still with fetters. What if I were to teach them the Dhamma in such a way
that in this very sitting their minds, through lack of clinging, would be
released from fermentations?”
So he
addressed the monks: “Monks.”
“Yes,
lord,” the monks responded.
The
Blessed One said, “From an inconceivable beginning comes transmigration. A
beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and
fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. What do you think,
monks? Which is greater, the blood you have shed from having your heads cut off
while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time, or the water in the
four great oceans?”
“As
we understand the Dhamma taught to us by the Blessed One, this is the greater:
the blood we have shed from having our heads cut off while transmigrating &
wandering this long, long time, not the water in the four great oceans.”
“Excellent,
monks. Excellent. It is excellent that you thus understand the Dhamma taught by
me.
“This
is the greater: the blood you have shed from having your heads cut off while
transmigrating & wandering this long, long time, not the water in the four
great oceans.
“The
blood you have shed when, being cows, you had your cow-heads cut off: Long has
this been greater than the water in the four great oceans.
“The
blood you have shed when, being water buffaloes, you had your water
buffalo-heads cut off… when, being rams, you had your ram-heads cut off…
when, being goats, you had your goat-heads cut off… when, being deer, you had
your deer-heads cut off… when, being chickens, you had your chicken-heads cut
off… when, being pigs, you had your pig-heads cut off: Long has this been
greater than the water in the four great oceans.
“The
blood you have shed when, arrested as thieves plundering villages, you had your
heads cut off… when, arrested as highway thieves, you had your heads cut
off… when, arrested as adulterers, you had your heads cut off: Long has this
been greater than the water in the four great oceans.
“Why
is that? From an inconceivable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning
point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by
craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have you thus experienced
stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries — enough to
become disenchanted with all fabrications, enough to become dispassionate,
enough to be released.”
That is
what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One’s
words. And while this explanation was being given, the minds of the thirty
monks from Pava — through lack of clinging — were released from fermentations.