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- Anguttara Nikaya III.66
- Salha Sutta
- To Salha
- Translated from the Pali by Ñanamoli Thera
- For free distribution only,
by arrangement with the Buddhist Publication Society
From The Practice of
Loving-kindness (Metta) (WH 7), by Ñanamoli Thera, (Kandy: Buddhist Publication
Society, 1987).
Thus I heard. On one occasion the venerable Nandaka was living at
Savatthi in the Eastern Monestary, Migara's
Mother's Palace. Then Migara's grandson, Salha,
and Pekhuniya's grandson, Rohana, went to the
venerable Nandaka, and after salutation they sat down at one side. When they had done so
the venerable Nandaka said to Migara's grandson Salha:
"Come, Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay or with tradition or with legendary
lore or with what has come down in scriptures or with conjecture or with logical inference
or with weighing evidence or with a liking for a view after pondering it or with someone
else's ability or with the thought 'The monk is our teacher.' When you know in yourself
'These things are unprofitable, liable to censure, condemned by the wise, being adopted
and put into effect, they lead to harm and suffering,' then you should abandon them. What
do you think? Is there greed?" -- "Yes, venerable sir." --
"Covetousness is the meaning of that, I say. Through greed a covetous man kills
breathing things, takes what is not given, commits adultery, and utters falsehood, and he
gets another to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and suffering?" --
"Yes, venerable sir." -- "What do you think, is there hate?" --
"Yes, venerable sir." -- "Ill-will is the meaning of that, I say. Through
hate a malevolent man kills breathing things...Will that be long for his harm and
suffering?" -- "Yes, venerable sir." -- "What do you think? Is there
delusion?" -- "Yes, venerable sir." -- "Ignorance is the meaning of
that, I say. Through ignorance a deluded man kills breathing things...Will that be long
for his harm and suffering?" -- "Yes, venerable sir."
"What do you think? Are these things profitable or unprofitable?" --
"Unprofitable, venerable sir." -- "Reprehensible or blameless?" --
"Reprehensible, venerable sir." -- "Condemned or commended by the
wise?" -- "Condemned by the wise, venerable sir." -- "Being adopted
and put into effect, do they lead to harm and suffering, or do they not, or how does it
appear to you in this case?" -- "Being adopted and put into effect, venerable
sir, they lead to harm and suffering. So it appears in this case." -- "Now that
was the reason why I told you 'Come Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay...When you
know in yourself "These things are unprofitable," then you should abandon them.'
"Come Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay...or with the thought, 'The monk is
our teacher.' When you know in yourself: 'These things are profitable, blameless,
commended by the wise, being adopted and put into effect they lead to welfare and
happiness,' then you should practice them and abide in them. What do you think? Is there
non-greed?" -- "Yes, venerable sir." -- "Uncovetousness is the meaning
of that, I say. Through non- greed an uncovetous man does not kill breathing things or
take what is not given or commits adultery or utter falsehood, and he gets another to do
likewise. Will that be long for his welfare and happiness?" -- "Yes, venerable
sir." -- "What do you think? Is there non-hate?" -- "Yes, venerable
sir." -- "Non ill-will is the meaning of that, I say. Through non ill-will an
unmalevolent man does not kill breathing things...Will that be long for his welfare and
happiness?" -- "Yes, venerable sir." -- "What do you think? Is there
non-delusion?" -- "Yes, venerable sir." -- "True knowledge is the
meaning of that, I say. Through non-delusion a man with true knowledge does not kill
breathing things...Will that be long for his welfare and happiness?" -- "Yes,
venerable sir."
"What do you think? Are these things profitable or unprofitable?" --
"Profitable, venerable sir." -- "Reprehensible or blameless?" --
"Blameless, venerable sir." -- "Condemned or commended by the wise?"
-- "Commended by the wise, venerable sir." -- "Being adopted and put into
effect, do they lead to welfare and happiness, or do they not, or how does it appear to
you in this case?" -- "Being adopted and put into effect, venerable sir, they
lead to welfare and happiness. So it appears to us in this case." -- "Now that
was the reason why I told you 'Come Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay...when you
know in yourself "These things are profitable..." then you should practice them
and abide in them.'
"Now a disciple who is ennobled [by reaching the Noble Path], who has rid himself
in this way of covetousness and ill-will and is undeluded, abides with his heart imbued
with loving-kindness extending over one quarter, likewise the second quarter, likewise the
third quarter, likewise the fourth quarter, and so above, below, around, and everywhere,
and to all as to himself; he abides with his heart abundant, exalted, measureless in
loving-kindness without hostility or ill-will extending over the all-encompassing world.
He abides with his heart imbued with compassion...gladness...equanimity extending over the
all- encompassing world. Now he understands this state of contemplation in this way:
'There is this [state of Divine Abiding in me who have entered the Stream]. There is what
has been abandoned [which is the amount of greed, hate and delusion exhausted by the
Stream-entry Path]. There is a superior goal [which is Arahantship]. And there is an
ultimate escape from this whole field of perception.'
"When he knows and sees in this way, his heart is liberated from the taint of
sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. When liberated
[by reaching the Arahant Path], there comes thereafter the knowledge that it is liberated.
He knows that birth is ended, that the Divine Life has been lived out, that what had to be
done is done, and that there is no more of this to come. He understands thus: 'Formerly
there was greed which was bad, and now there is none, which is good. Formerly there was
hate, which was bad, and now there is none, which is good. Formerly there was delusion,
which was bad, and now there is none, which is good.' So here and now in this very life he
is parched no more [by the fever of craving's thirst], his fires of greed, hate and
delusion are extinguished and cooled out; experiencing bliss, he abides [for the remainder
of his last life-span] divinely pure in himself."