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08/24/11
355 LESSON 24 08 2011 Kokanuda Sutta To Kokanuda FREE ONLINE eNฤlandฤ Research and Practice UNIVERSITY and BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS letter to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT to attain Ultimate Bliss-Through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org- Free Buddhist Studies for the students- The Jewel Discourse (Ratana Sutta [1])-Memoranda containing Views from FREE ONLINE eNฤlandฤ Research and Practice UNIVERSITY and BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS LETTER on the Lokpal Bill 2011
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355  LESSON 24 08 2011
Kokanuda Sutta To Kokanuda
FREE
ONLINE eNฤlandฤ Research and Practice UNIVERSITY and BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS letter
to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT to attain Ultimate Bliss-Through
http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org- Free Buddhist
Studies for the students-
The Jewel Discourse (Ratana Sutta [1])-


AN 10.96

PTS: A v 196

Kokanuda Sutta: To
Kokanuda

(On Viewpoints)

translated from the Pali
by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

ยฉ 1997โ€“2011

On one occasion Ven. Ananda was staying near Rajagaha, at Tapoda monastery. Then, as
night was ending, he got up & went to the Tapoda Hot Springs to bathe his
limbs. Having bathed his limbs and having gotten out of the springs, he stood
wearing only his lower robe, drying his limbs. Kokanuda
the wanderer, as night was ending, also got up & went to the Tapoda Hot
Springs to bathe his limbs. He saw Ven. Ananda from afar, and on seeing him
said to him, “Who are you, my friend?”

“I am a monk, my friend.”

“Which kind of monk?”

“A son-of-the-Sakyan contemplative.”

“I would like to ask you about a certain point, if you
would give me leave to pose a question.”

“Go ahead and ask. Having heard [your question], I’ll
inform you.”

“How is it, my friend: ‘The cosmos is eternal. Only
this is true; anything otherwise is worthless.’ Is this the sort of view you
have?”

“No, my friend, I don’t have that sort of view.”

“Very well, then: ‘The cosmos is not eternal. Only
this is true; anything otherwise is worthless.’ Is this the sort of view you
have?”

“No, my friend, I don’t have that sort of view.”

“Very well, then: ‘The cosmos is finite… The cosmos is
infinite… The soul & 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 & does not exist…
After death a Tathagata neither does nor does not exist.
Only this is true;
anything otherwise is worthless.’ Is this the sort of view you have?”

“No, my friend, I don’t have that sort of view.”

“Then in that case, do you not know or see?”

“No, my friend. It’s not the case that I don’t know, I
don’t see. I do know. I do see.”

“But on being asked, ‘How is it, my friend: “The
cosmos is eternal.
Only this is true; anything otherwise is
worthless.” Is this the sort of view you have?’ you inform me, ‘No, my
friend, I don’t have that sort of view.’ On being asked, ‘Very well then: “The
cosmos is not eternal… The cosmos is finite… The cosmos is infinite… The
soul & 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 & does not exist… After death
a Tathagata neither does nor does not exist.
Only this is true; anything
otherwise is worthless.” Is this the sort of view you have?’ you inform
me, ‘No, my friend, I don’t have that sort of view.’ But on being asked, ‘Then
in that case, do you not know, I don’t see?’ you inform me, ‘No, my friend. It’s
not the case that I don’t know or see. I do know. I do see.’ Now, how is the
meaning of this statement to be understood?”

“‘The cosmos is eternal. Only this is true;
anything otherwise is worthless,’ is a viewpoint. ‘The cosmos is not
eternal… The cosmos is finite… The cosmos is infinite… The soul & 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 & does not exist… After death a Tathagata neither
does nor does not exist.
Only this is true; anything otherwise is
worthless,’ is a viewpoint. The extent to which there are viewpoints,
view-stances, the taking up of views, obsessions of views, the cause of views,
& the uprooting of views: that’s what I know. That’s what I see. Knowing
that, I say ‘I know.’ Seeing that, I say ‘I see.’ Why should I say ‘I don’t
know, I don’t see’? I do know. I do see.”

“What is your name, my friend? What do your fellows in the
chaste life call you?”

“My name is Ananda, my friend, and that’s what my fellows
in the chaste life call me.”

“What? Have I been talking with the great teacher without
realizing that it was Ven. Ananda? Had I recognized that it was Ven. Ananda, I
would not have cross-examined him so much. May Ven. Ananda please forgive
me.”

The Jewel Discourse (Ratana Sutta [1])

 

The occasion for this
discourse, in brief, according to the commentary,

is as follows: The city of
Vesali was afflicted by a famine, causing

death, especially to the poor
folk. Due to the presence of decaying

corpses the evil spirits
began to haunt the city; this was followed by a

pestilence. Plagued by these
three fears of famine, non-human beings

and pestilence, the citizens
sought the help of the Buddha who was

then living at Rajagaha.

Followed by a large number of
monks including the Venerable

Ananda, his attendant
disciple, the Buddha came to the city of Vesali.

With the arrival of the
Master, there were torrential rains which swept

away the putrefying corpses.
The atmosphere became purified, the

city was clean.

Thereupon the Buddha
delivered this Jewel Discourse (Ratana sutta

[2]) to the Venerable Ananda,
and gave him instructions as to how he

should tour the city with the
Licchavi citizens reciting the discourse as

a mark of protection to the
people of Vesali. The Venerable Ananda

followed the instructions,
and sprinkled the sanctified water from the

Buddha’s own alms bowl. As a
consequence the evil spirits were

exorcised, the pestilence
subsided. Thereafter the Venerable Ananda

returned with the citizens of
Vesali to the Public hall where the

Buddha and his disciples had
assembled awaiting his arrival. There

the Buddha recited the same
Jewel Discourse to the gathering: [3]

1. โ€œWhatever beings
(non-humans) are assembled here,

terrestrial or celestial, may
they all have peace of mind,

and may they listen
attentively to these words:

2. โ€œO beings, listen closely.
May you all radiate lovingkindness

to those human beings who, by
day and night,

bring offerings to you (offer
merit to you). Wherefore,

protect them with diligence.

3. โ€œWhatever treasure there
be either here or in the world

beyond, whatever precious
jewel there be in the heavenly

worlds, there is nought
comparable to the Tathagata (the

perfect One). This precious
jewel is the Buddha.[4] By this

(asseveration of the) truth
may there be happiness.

4. โ€œThat Cessation, that
Detachment, that Deathlessness

(Nibbana) supreme, the calm
and collected Sakyan Sage

(the Buddha) had realized.
There is nought comparable to

this (Nibbana) Dhamma. This
precious jewel is the

Dhamma.[5] By this
(asseveration of the) truth may there

be happiness.

5. โ€œThe Supreme Buddha
extolled a path of purity (the

Noble Eightfold Path) calling
it the path which unfailingly

brings concentration. There
is nought comparable to this

concentration. This precious
jewel is the Dhamma. By this

(asseveration of the) truth
may there be happiness.

6. โ€œThe eight persons
extolled by virtuous men constitute

four pairs. They are the
disciples of the Buddha and are

worthy of offerings. Gifts
given to them yield rich results.

This precious jewel is the
Sangha.[6] By this (asseveration

of the) truth may there be
happiness.

7. โ€œWith a steadfast mind,
and applying themselves well in

the dispensation of the
Buddha Gotama, free from

(defilements), they have
attained to that which should be

attained (arahantship)
encountering the Deathless. They

enjoy the Peace of Nibbana
freely obtained.[7] This

precious jewel is the Sangha.
By this (asseveration of the)

truth may there be happiness.

8. โ€œAs a post deep-planted in
the earth stands unshaken by

the winds from the four
quarters, so, too, I declare is the

righteous man who comprehends
with wisdom the Noble

Truths. This precious jewel
is the Sangha. By this

(asseveration of the) truth
may there be happiness.

9. โ€œThose who realized the
Noble Truths well taught by

him who is profound in wisdom
(the Buddha), even though

they may be exceedingly
heedless, they will not take an

eighth existence (in the
realm of sense spheres).[8] This

precious jewel is the Sangha.
By this (asseveration of the)

truth may there be happiness.

10. โ€œWith his gaining of
insight he abandons three states of

mind, namely self-illusion,
doubt, and indulgence in

meaningless rites and
rituals, should there be any. He is

also fully freed from the
four states of woe, and therefore,

incapable of committing the
six major wrongdoings.[9]

This precious jewel is the
Sangha. By this (asseveration of

the) truth may there be
happiness.

93

11. โ€œAny evil action he may
still do by deed, word or

thought, he is incapable of
concealing it; since it has been

proclaimed that such
concealing is impossible for one who

has seen the Path (of
Nibbana).[10] This precious jewel is

the Sangha. By this
(asseveration of the) truth may there be

happiness.

12. โ€œAs the woodland groves
though in the early heat of

the summer month are crowned
with blossoming flowers

even so is the sublime Dhamma
leading to the (calm) of

Nibbana which is taught (by
the Buddha) for the highest

good. This precious jewel is
the Buddha. By this

(asseveration of the) truth
may there be happiness.

13. โ€œThe Peerless Excellent
one (the Buddha) the Knower

(of Nibbana), the Giver (of
Nibbana), the Bringer (of the

Noble Path), taught the
excellent Dhamma. This precious

jewel is the Buddha. By this
(asseveration of the) truth may

there be happiness.

14. โ€œTheir past (kamma) is
spent, their new (kamma) no

more arises, their mind to
future becoming is unattached.

Their germ (of
rebirth-consciousness) has died, they have

no more desire for re-living.
Those wise men fade out (of

existence) as the flame of
this lamp (which has just faded

away). This precious jewel is
the Sangha. By this

(asseveration of the) truth
may there be happiness.

15. โ€œWhatever beings
(non-human) are assembled here,

terrestrial or celestial,
come let us salute the Buddha, the

Tathagata (the perfect One),
honored by gods and men.

May there be happiness.[11]

16. โ€œWhatever beings are
assembled here terrestrial or

celestial, come let us salute
the perfect Dhamma, honored

by gods and men. May there be
happiness.

17. โ€œWhatever beings are
assembled here terrestrial or

celestial, come let us salute
the perfect Sangha, honored by

gods and men. May there be
happiness.โ€

Notes

1. Khp. No.
6;
Sn. 39

2. Ratana means
precious jewel. Here the term is applied to the

Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.

3. KhpA. 161.

4. Literally, in the Buddha is
this precious jewel.

5. Literally, in the Dhamma is
this precious jewel.

6. Literally, in the Sangha is
this precious jewel.

7. Obtained without payment; โ€˜avyayenaโ€™, KhpA. I., 185.

8. The reason why it is stated
that there will be no eighth existence for

a person who has attained the
stage of
sotapatti or
the first stage of

sanctity is that such a being
can live at the most for only a period of

seven existences in the realm
of sense spheres.

9. Abhithanani; i.
matricide, ii. patricide, iii. the murder of Arahants

(the Consummate Ones), iv.
the shedding of the Buddhaโ€™s blood, v.

causing schism in the Sangha,
and vi. pernicious false beliefs
(niyata

micca ditthi).

10. He is a sotapanna, stream-enterer, one who has attained the first

stage of sanctity. Also see
Notes at the end of the book.

11. The last three stanzas were
recited by
Sakka, the
chief of Devas


(gods), KhpA. 195.

VOICE of SARVAJAN

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