365 LESSON 03 09 2011 Sotar
Sutta The ListenerFREE ONLINE eNΔlandΔ Research and Practice UNIVERSITY & BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS LETTER to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT to attain
Ultimate Bliss-Through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
translated from the Pali
by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
“Endowed with five qualities, a king’s elephant is worthy
of a king, is a king’s asset, counts as a very limb of his king. Which five?
There is the case where a king’s elephant is a listener, a destroyer, a
protector, an endurer, and a goer.
“And how is a king’s elephant a listener? There is the case
where, whenever the tamer of tamable elephants gives him a task, then β
regardless of whether he has or hasn’t done it before β he pays attention,
applies his whole mind, and lends ear. This is how a king’s elephant is a
listener.
“And how is a king’s elephant a destroyer? There is the
case where a king’s elephant, having gone into battle, destroys an elephant
together with its rider, destroys a horse together with its rider, destroys a
chariot together with its driver, destroys a foot soldier. This is how a king’s
elephant is a destroyer.
“And how is a king’s elephant a protector? There is the
case where a king’s elephant, having gone into battle, protects his
forequarters, protects his hindquarters, protects his forefeet, protects his
hindfeet, protects his head, protects his ears, protects his tusks, protects
his trunk, protects his tail, protects his rider. This is how a king’s elephant
is a protector.
“And how is a king’s elephant an endurer? There is the case
where a king’s elephant, having gone into battle, endures blows from spears,
swords, arrows, & axes; he endures the resounding din of drums, cymbals,
conchs, & tom-toms. This is how a king’s elephant is an endurer.
“And how is a king’s elephant a goer? There is the case
where β in whichever direction the tamer of tamable elephants sends him,
regardless of whether he has or hasn’t gone there before β a king’s elephant
goes there right away. This is how a king’s elephant is a goer.
“Endowed with these five qualities, a king’s elephant is
worthy of a king, is a king’s asset, counts as a very limb of his king.
“In the same way, a monk endowed with five qualities is
deserving of gifts, deserving of hospitality, deserving of offerings, deserving
of respect, an unexcelled field of merit for the world. Which five? There is
the case where a monk is a listener, a destroyer, a protector, an endurer, and
a goer.
“And how is a monk a listener? There is the case where,
when the Dhamma & Discipline declared by the Tathagata is being taught, a
monk pays attention, applies his whole mind, and lends ear to the Dhamma. This
is how a monk is a listener.
“And how is a monk a destroyer? There is the case where a
monk does not tolerate an arisen thought of sensuality. He abandons it,
destroys it, dispels it, & wipes it out of existence. He does not tolerate
an arisen thought of ill will… an arisen thought of cruelty… He does not
tolerate arisen evil, unskillful mental qualities. He abandons them, destroys
them, dispels them, & wipes them out of existence. This is how a monk is a
destroyer.
“And how is a monk a protector? There is the case where a
monk, on seeing a form with the eye, does not grasp at any theme or particulars
by which β if he were to dwell without restraint over the faculty of the eye β
evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him. He
practices with restraint. He guards the faculty of the eye. He achieves
restraint with regard to the faculty of the eye.
“On hearing a sound with the ear…
“On smelling an aroma with the nose…
“On tasting a flavor with the tongue…
“On touching a tactile sensation with the body…
“On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he does not grasp
at any theme or particulars by which β if he were to dwell without restraint
over the faculty of the intellect β evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or
distress might assail him. He practices with restraint. He guards the faculty
of the intellect. He achieves restraint with regard to the faculty of the
intellect.
“This is how a monk is a protector.
“And how is a monk an endurer? There is the case where a
monk is resilient to cold, heat, hunger, & thirst; the touch of flies,
mosquitoes, wind, sun, & reptiles; ill-spoken, unwelcome words & bodily
feelings that, when they arise, are painful, racking, sharp, piercing,
disagreeable, displeasing, & menacing to life. This is how a monk is an
endurer.
“And how is a monk a goer? There is the case where a monk
goes right away to that direction to which he has never been before in the
course of this long stretch of time β in other words, to the resolution of all
fabrications, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving,
dispassion, cessation, Unbinding. This is how a monk is a goer.
“Endowed with these five qualities a monk is deserving of
gifts, deserving of hospitality, deserving of offerings, deserving of respect,
an unexcelled field of merit for the world.”