417 LESSON 26 10 2011Piyajatika Sutta From One Who Is Dear
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PramΔnavΔrttika: The Ocean of the Texts on Reasoning I
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LESSON
Practice a Sutta a Day Keeps Dukkha Away
MN 87
PTS: M ii
106
Piyajatika Sutta: From
One Who Is Dear
translated from the Pali
by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
I have
heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi
at Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. Now at that time
a certain householder’s dear & beloved little son, his only child, had
died. Because of his death, the father had no desire to work or to eat. He kept
going to the cemetery and crying out, “Where have you gone, my only little
child? Where have you gone, my only little child?”
Then he
went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one
side. As he was sitting there the Blessed One said to him, “Householder,
your faculties are not those of one who is steady in his own mind. There is an
aberration in your faculties.”
“Lord,
how could there not be an aberration in my faculties? My dear & beloved
little son, my only child, has died. Because of his death, I have no desire to
work or to eat. I keep going to the cemetery and crying out, ‘Where have you
gone, my only little child? Where have you gone, my only little child?’”
“That’s
the way it is, householder. That’s the way it is β for sorrow, lamentation,
pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come springing
from one who is dear.”
“But
lord, who would ever think that sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair are born from one who is dear, come springing from one who is dear?
Happiness & joy are born from one who is dear, come springing from one who
is dear.” So the householder, not delighting in the Blessed One’s words,
rejecting the Blessed One’s words, got up from his seat and left.
Now at
that time a large number of gamblers were playing dice not far from the Blessed
One. So the householder went to them and, on arrival, said to them, “Just
now, venerable sirs, I went to Gotama the contemplative and, on arrival, having
bowed down to him, sat to one side. As I was sitting there, Gotama the
contemplative said to me, ‘Householder, your faculties are not those of one who
is steady in his own mind. There is an aberration in your faculties.’
“When
this was said, I said to him, ‘Lord, how could there not be an aberration in my
faculties? My dear & beloved little son, my only child, has died. Because
of his death, I have no desire to work or to eat. I keep going to the cemetery
and crying out, “Where have you gone, my only little child? Where have you
gone, my only little child?”‘
“‘That’s
the way it is, householder. That’s the way it is β for sorrow, lamentation,
pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come springing
from one who is dear.’
“‘But,
lord, who would ever think that sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair are born from one who is dear, come springing from one who is dear?
Happiness & joy are born from one who is dear, come springing from one who
is dear.’ So, not delighting in the words of Gotama the contemplative,
rejecting them, I got up from my seat and left.”
“That’s
the way it is, householder [said the gamblers]. That’s the way it is. Happiness
& joy are born from one who is dear, come springing from one who is
dear.”
So the
householder left, thinking, “I agree with the gamblers.”
Eventually,
word of this conversation made its way into the king’s inner chambers. Then King Pasenadi Kosala addressed Queen Mallika,
“Mallika, your contemplative, Gotama, has said this: ‘Sorrow, lamentation,
pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come springing
from one who is dear.’”
“If
that was said by the Blessed One, great king, then that’s the way it is.”
“No
matter what Gotama the contemplative says, Mallika endorses it: ‘If that was
said by the Blessed One, great king, then that’s the way it is.’ Just as, no
matter what his teacher says, a pupil endorses it: ‘That’s the way it is,
teacher. That’s the way it is.’ In the same way, no matter what Gotama the
contemplative says, Mallika endorses it: ‘If that was said by the Blessed One,
great king, then that’s the way it is.’ Go away, Mallika! Out of my
sight!”
Then
Queen Mallika called for the brahman Nalijangha:
“Come, brahman. Go to the Blessed One and, on arrival, showing reverence
with your head to his feet in my name, ask whether he is free from illness
& affliction, is carefree, strong, & living in comfort, saying: ‘Queen
Mallika, lord, shows reverence with her head to your feet and asks whether you
are free from illness & affliction, are carefree, strong, & living in
comfort.’ And then say: ‘Lord, did the Blessed One say that sorrow, lamentation,
pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come springing
from one who is dear?’ Whatever the Blessed One says, remember it well and tell
it to me. For Tathagatas do not speak what is untrue.”
“Yes,
madam,” the brahman Nalijangha responded to Queen Mallika. Going to the
Blessed One, on arrival he exchanged courteous greetings with the Blessed One.
After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he sat to one side.
As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: “Master Gotama, Queen
Mallika shows reverence with her head to your feet and asks whether you are
free from illness & affliction, are carefree, strong, & living in
comfort. And she says further: ‘Lord, did the Blessed One say that sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come
springing from one who is dear?’”
“That’s
the way it is, brahman. That’s the way it is. Sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come springing from one
who is dear. And it’s through this sequence of events that it may be understood
how sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is
dear, come springing from one who is dear.
“Once
in this same Savatthi there was a woman whose mother died. Owing to her
mother’s death she went mad, out of her mind, and wandering from street to
street, crossroads to crossroads, would say, ‘Have you seen my mother? Have you
seen my mother?’ It’s through this sequence of events that it may be understood
how sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is
dear, come springing from one who is dear.
“Once
in this same Savatthi there was a woman whose father died… whose brother
died… whose sister died… whose son died… whose daughter died… whose husband
died. Owing to his death she went mad, out of her mind, and wandering from
street to street, crossroads to crossroads, would say, ‘Have you seen my
husband? Have you seen my husband?’ It’s through this sequence of events that
it may be understood how sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are
born from one who is dear, come springing from one who is dear.
“Once
in this same Savatthi there was a man whose mother died. Owing to her death he
went mad, out of his mind, and wandering from street to street, crossroads to
crossroads, would say, ‘Have you seen my mother? Have you seen my mother?’ It’s
through this sequence of events that it may be understood how sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come springing
from one who is dear.
“Once
in this same Savatthi there was a man whose father died… whose brother
died… whose sister died… whose son died… whose daughter died… whose
wife died. Owing to her death he went mad, out of his mind, and wandering from
street to street, crossroads to crossroads, would say, ‘Have you seen my wife?
Have you seen my wife?’ It’s through this sequence of events that it may be
understood how sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from
one who is dear, come springing from one who is dear.
“Once
in this same Savatthi there was a wife who went to her relatives’ home. Her
relatives, having separated her from her husband, wanted to give her to another
against her will. So she said to her husband, ‘These relatives of mine, having
separated us, want to give me to another against my will,’ whereupon he cut her
in two and slashed himself open, thinking, ‘Dead we will be together.’ It’s
through this sequence of events that it may be understood how sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come
springing from one who is dear.”
Then
the brahman Nalijangha, delighting in & approving of the Blessed One’s
words, got up from his seat and went to Queen Mallika. On arrival, he told her
all that had been said in his conversation with the Blessed One.
Then
Queen Mallika went to King Pasenadi Kosala and on arrival said to him,
“What do you think, great king: Is Princess Vajiri dear
to you?”
“Yes,
Mallika, Princess Vajiri is dear to me.”
“And
what do you think: would sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair
arise in you from any change & aberration in Princess Vajiri?”
“Mallika,
any change & aberration in Princess Vajiri would mean an aberration of my
very life. How could sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair not
arise in me?”
“Great
king, it was in connection with this that the Blessed One β the One who knows,
the One who sees, worthy, & rightly self-awakened β said, ‘Sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come
springing from one who is dear.’
“Now
what do you think, great king: Is the noble Queen Vasabha
dear to you?… Is [your son] General Vidudabha dear to
you?… Am I dear to you?”
“Yes,
Mallika, you are dear to me.”
“And
what do you think: would sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair
arise in you from any change & aberration in me?”
“Mallika,
any change & aberration in you would mean an aberration of my very life.
How could sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair not arise in
me?”
“Great
king, it was in connection with this that the Blessed One β the One who knows,
the One who sees, worthy, & rightly self-awakened β said, ‘Sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come
springing from one who is dear.’
“Now
what do you think, great king: Are [your subjects] the Kasis
& Kosalans dear to you?”
“Yes,
Mallika, the Kasis & Kosalans are dear to me. It is through the might of
the Kasis & Kosalans that we use Kasi sandalwood and wear garlands, scents,
& ointments.”
“And
what do you think: would sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair
arise in you from any change & aberration in the Kasis &
Kosalans?”
“Mallika,
any change & aberration in the Kasis & Kosalans would mean an
aberration of my very life. How could sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress,
& despair not arise in me?”
“Great
king, it was in connection with this that the Blessed One β the One who knows,
the One who sees, worthy, & rightly self-awakened β said, ‘Sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are born from one who is dear, come
springing from one who is dear.’”
“It’s amazing, Mallika. It’s astounding: how deeply the Blessed
One sees, having pierced through, as it were, with discernment. Come Mallika:
Give me the ablution water.” Then King Pasenadi Kosala, rising from his
seat and arranging his upper robe over one shoulder, paid homage in the
direction of the Blessed One with his hands palm-to-palm in front of his heart,
and exclaimed three times:
Homage to the Blessed
One, worthy & rightly self-awakened!
Homage to the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened!
Homage to the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened!
DOB 690 PramΔnavΔrttika: The Ocean of the Texts on Reasoning I - 2 credits
Delivery Mode: Residential & Online
Course Description:
This course is an in-depth study of PramΔnavΔrttika
by
DharmakΔ«rti (ca. 7th century) -
the influential work of Buddhist PramΔna tradition -
based on commentaries by the
Seventh Karmapa, ChΓΆdrak Gyamtso (1454β1506) and Sakya
Pandita (1182β1251). We
will explore the first two chapters: establishing the
Buddha as a source of valid cognition,
and exposition of direct perception.
Prerequisite: BUD 630