On one occasion Ven. Sariputta and Ven. MahaKotthita were staying near Varanasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana. Then in the evening, arising from his seclusion, Ven. MahaKotthita went to Ven. Sariputta and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to Ven. Sariputta: -"Now tell me, Sariputta my friend: Are aging & death self-made or other-made or both self-made & other-made, or — without self-making or other-making — do they arise spontaneously?" |
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It's not the case, Kotthita my friend, that aging & death are self-made, that they are other-made, that they are both self-made & other-made, or that — without self-making or other-making — they arise spontaneously. However, from birth as a requisite condition comes aging & death." |
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Now tell me, friend Sariputta: -Is birth... -Is becoming... -Is clinging/sustenance... -Is craving... -Is feeling... -Is contact... -Are the six sense media self-made or other-made or both self-made & other-made, or — without self-making or other-making — do they arise spontaneously?" |
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It's not the case, Kotthita my friend, that the six sense media are self-made, that they are other-made, that they are both self-made & other-made, or that — without self-making or other-making — they arise spontaneously. However, from name & form as a requisite condition come the six sense media. |
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Now tell me, friend Sariputta: Is name-&-form self-made or other-made or both self-made & other-made, or — without self-making or other-making — does it arise spontaneously?" |
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It's not the case, Kotthita my friend, that name-&-form is self-made, that it is other-made, that it is both self-made & other-made, or that — without self-making or other-making — it arises spontaneously. However, from consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form." |
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Now tell me, friend Sariputta: is consciousness self-made or other-made or both self-made & other-made, or — without self-making or other-making, does it arise spontaneously?" |
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It's not the case, Kotthita my friend, that consciousness is self-made, that it is other-made, that it is both self-made & other-made, or that — without self-making or other-making — it arises spontaneously. However, from name-&-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness. |
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Just now, friend Sariputta, I understood your statement as, 'It's not the case, Kotthita my friend, that name-&-form is self-made, that it is other-made, that it is both self-made & other-made, or that — without self-making or other-making — it arises spontaneously. However, from consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form' But then I understood your statement as, 'It's not the case, Kotthita my friend, that consciousness is self-made, that it is other-made, that it is both self-made & other-made, or that — without self-making or other-making — it arises spontaneously.' However, from name-&-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness.' Now how is the meaning of these statements to be understood?" |
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Very well then, Kotthita my friend, I will give you an analogy; for there are cases where it is through the use of an analogy that intelligent people can understand the meaning of what is being said. It is as if two sheaves of reeds were to stand leaning against one another. In the same way: From name-&-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media.Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering. |
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If one were to pull away one of those sheaves of reeds, the other would fall; if one were to pull away the other, the first one would fall. In the same way, From the cessation of name-&-form comes the cessation of the six sense media.Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering. |
Này Hiền giả, nếu một bó lau được kéo qua (một bên), bó lau kia liền rơi xuống. Nếu bó lau kia được kéo qua (một bên), bó lau này được rơi xuống. Cũng vậy, này Hiền giả,
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"It's amazing, friend Sariputta. It's astounding, friend Sariputta, how well that was said by Ven. Sariputta. And I rejoice in Ven. Sariputta's good statements with regard to these 36 topics.1 If a monk teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to aging & death, he deserves to be called a monk who is a speaker of Dhamma. If he practices for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to aging & death, he deserves to be called a monk who practices the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma.2 If — through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, and lack of clinging/sustenance with regard to aging & death — he is released, then he deserves to be called a monk who has attained Unbinding in the here-&-now. |
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If a monk teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to birth, he deserves to be called a monk who is a speaker of Dhamma. If he practices for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to birth, he deserves to be called a monk who practices the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma. If — through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, and lack of clinging/sustenance with regard to birth — he is released, then he deserves to be called a monk who has attained Unbinding in the here-&-now. |
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Similarly with becoming, clinging/sustenance, craving, feeling, contact, the six sense media, name & form, and consciousness. |
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If a monk teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to fabrications, he deserves to be called a monk who is a speaker of Dhamma. If he practices for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to fabrications, he deserves to be called a monk who practices the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma. If — through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, and lack of clinging/sustenance with regard to fabrications — he is released, then he deserves to be called a monk who has attained Unbinding in the here-&-now. |
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If a monk teaches the Dhamma for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to ignorance, he deserves to be called a monk who is a speaker of Dhamma. If he practices for the sake of disenchantment, dispassion, & cessation with regard to ignorance, he deserves to be called a monk who practices the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma. If — through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, and lack of clinging/sustenance with regard to ignorance — he is released, then he deserves to be called a monk who has attained Unbinding in the here-&-now." |
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Note 1. The 36 topics are the three qualities — teaching, practice, and attainment — that Ven. MahaKotthita is about to mention with regard to each factor in the twelve-factored formula for dependent co-arising. 2. DN 16 states that to practice the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma is to pay true homage to the Buddha. |
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Chủ biên và điều hành: TT Thích Giác Đẳng. Những đóng góp dịch thuật xin gửi về TT Thích Giác Đẳng tại giacdang@phapluan.com |
Cập nhập ngày: Thứ Sáu 08-11-2006 Kỹ thuật tŕnh bày: Minh Hạnh & Thiện Pháp |