3: The Book of the Threes
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi (More copyright information)
1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Bārāṇasī in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "Bhikkhus!"
"Venerable sir!" those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
2"Bhikkhus, in the past there was a king named Pacetana. Then King Pacetana addressed a chariotmaker: ‘Friend chariotmaker, six months from now there will be a battle. Can you make me a new pair of wheels?’ – ‘I can, lord,’ the chariotmaker replied. After six months less six days the chariotmaker had finished one wheel. King Pacetana then addressed the chariotmaker: ‘Six days from now there will be a battle. Is the new pair of wheels finished?’ The chariotmaker replied: ‘In the past six months less six days, lord, I have finished one wheel.’ – ‘But, friend chariotmaker, can you finish a second wheel for me in the next six days?’ – ‘I can, lord,’ the chariotmaker replied. Then, over the next six days, the chariotmaker finished the second wheel. He brought the new pair of wheels to King Pacetana and said: ‘This is the new pair of wheels that I have made for you, lord.’ – ‘What is the difference, friend chariotmaker, between the wheel that took six months less six days to complete and the one that took six days to complete? I do not see any difference between them.’ – ‘There is a difference, lord. Observe the difference.’
3"Then the chariotmaker rolled the wheel that took six days to finish. It rolled as far as the impetus carried it, [n.350] Abhisaṅkhārassa gati. An unusual use of the word abhisaṅkhāra, which in more technical contexts denotes volitional activity that creates kamma. Mp glosses with payogassa gamanaṁ, "the movement of (or due to) the effort." and then it wobbled and fell to the ground. But the wheel that took six months less six days to finish rolled as far as the impetus carried it and then stood still as if fixed on an axle. [n.351] Mp: "As if fixed on an axle: as if an axle had been inserted so that it stood still."
4"The king asked: ‘Why is it, friend chariotmaker, that the wheel that took six days to finish rolled as far as the impetus carried it, and then wobbled and fell to the ground, while the wheel that took six months less six days to finish rolled as far as the impetus carried it and then stood still as if fixed on an axle?’
"The chariotmaker replied: ‘The wheel that took six days to finish, lord, has a rim that is crooked, faulty, and defective; spokes that are crooked, faulty, and defective; and a nave that is crooked, faulty, and defective. For this reason, it rolled as far as the impetus carried it and then it wobbled and fell to the ground. But the wheel that took six months less six days to finish has a rim without crookedness, faults, and defects; it has spokes without crookedness, faults, and defects; and it has a nave that is without crookedness, faults, and defects. For this reason, it rolled as far as the impetus carried it and then stood still as if fixed on an axle.’
5"It may be, bhikkhus, that you think: ‘On that occasion the chariotmaker was someone else.’ But you should not think in such a way. On that occasion, I myself was the chariotmaker. Then I was skilled in crookedness, faults, and defects in wood. But now I am the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, (1) skilled in crookedness, faults, and defects of the body; (2) skilled in crookedness, faults, and defects of speech; and (3) skilled in crookedness, faults, and defects of mind.
"Any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who has not abandoned crookedness, faults, and defects of the body, speech, and mind has fallen down from this Dhamma and discipline, just as the wheel that was finished in six days fell to the ground.
6"Any bhikkhu or bhikkhunī who has abandoned crookedness, faults, and defects of the body, speech, and mind is established in this Dhamma and discipline, just as the wheel that was finished in six months less six days remained standing.
7"Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will abandon crookedness, faults, and defects of the body; we will abandon crookedness, faults, and defects of speech; we will abandon crookedness, faults, and defects of the mind.’ It is in this way that you should train yourselves."
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā bārāṇasiyaṁ viharati isipatane migadāye. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "bhikkhavo"ti.
"Bhadante"ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
2"Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, rājā ahosi sacetano nāma. Atha kho, bhikkhave, rājā sacetano rathakāraṁ āmantesi: ‘ito me, samma rathakāra, channaṁ māsānaṁ accayena saṅgāmo bhavissati. Sakkhissasi me, samma rathakāra, navaṁ cakkayugaṁ kātun’ti? ‘Sakkomi, devā’ti kho, bhikkhave, rathakāro rañño sacetanassa paccassosi. Atha kho, bhikkhave, rathakāro chahi māsehi chārattūnehi ekaṁ cakkaṁ niṭṭhāpesi. Atha kho, bhikkhave, rājā sacetano rathakāraṁ āmantesi: ‘ito me, samma rathakāra, channaṁ divasānaṁ accayena saṅgāmo bhavissati, niṭṭhitaṁ navaṁ cakkayugan’ti? ‘Imehi kho, deva, chahi māsehi chārattūnehi ekaṁ cakkaṁ niṭṭhitan’ti. ‘Sakkhissasi pana me, samma rathakāra, imehi chahi divasehi dutiyaṁ cakkaṁ niṭṭhāpetun’ti? ‘Sakkomi, devā’ti kho, bhikkhave, rathakāro chahi divasehi dutiyaṁ cakkaṁ niṭṭhāpetvā navaṁ cakkayugaṁ ādāya yena rājā sacetano tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā rājānaṁ sacetanaṁ etadavoca: ‘idaṁ te, deva, navaṁ cakkayugaṁ niṭṭhitan’ti. ‘Yañca te idaṁ, samma rathakāra, cakkaṁ chahi māsehi niṭṭhitaṁ chārattūnehi yañca te idaṁ cakkaṁ chahi divasehi niṭṭhitaṁ, imesaṁ kiṁ nānākaraṇaṁ? Nesāhaṁ kiñci nānākaraṇaṁ passāmī’ti. ‘Atthesaṁ, deva, nānākaraṇaṁ. Passatu devo nānākaraṇan’ti.
3Atha kho, bhikkhave, rathakāro yaṁ taṁ cakkaṁ chahi divasehi niṭṭhitaṁ taṁ pavattesi. Taṁ pavattitaṁ samānaṁ yāvatikā abhisaṅkhārassa gati tāvatikaṁ gantvā ciṅgulāyitvā bhūmiyaṁ papati. Yaṁ pana taṁ cakkaṁ chahi māsehi niṭṭhitaṁ chārattūnehi taṁ pavattesi. Taṁ pavattitaṁ samānaṁ yāvatikā abhisaṅkhārassa gati tāvatikaṁ gantvā akkhāhataṁ maññe aṭṭhāsi.
4‘Ko nu kho, samma rathakāra, hetu ko paccayo yamidaṁ cakkaṁ chahi divasehi niṭṭhitaṁ taṁ pavattitaṁ samānaṁ yāvatikā abhisaṅkhārassa gati tāvatikaṁ gantvā ciṅgulāyitvā bhūmiyaṁ papati? Ko pana, samma rathakāra, hetu ko paccayo yamidaṁ cakkaṁ chahi māsehi niṭṭhitaṁ chārattūnehi taṁ pavattitaṁ samānaṁ yāvatikā abhisaṅkhārassa gati tāvatikaṁ gantvā akkhāhataṁ maññe aṭṭhāsī’ti.
‘Yamidaṁ, deva, cakkaṁ chahi divasehi niṭṭhitaṁ tassa nemipi savaṅkā sadosā sakasāvā, arāpi savaṅkā sadosā sakasāvā, nābhipi savaṅkā sadosā sakasāvā. Taṁ nemiyāpi savaṅkattā sadosattā sakasāvattā, arānampi savaṅkattā sadosattā sakasāvattā, nābhiyāpi savaṅkattā sadosattā sakasāvattā pavattitaṁ samānaṁ yāvatikā abhisaṅkhārassa gati tāvatikaṁ gantvā ciṅgulāyitvā bhūmiyaṁ papati. Yaṁ pana taṁ, deva, cakkaṁ chahi māsehi niṭṭhitaṁ chārattūnehi tassa nemipi avaṅkā adosā akasāvā, arāpi avaṅkā adosā akasāvā, nābhipi avaṅkā adosā akasāvā. Taṁ nemiyāpi avaṅkattā adosattā akasāvattā, arānampi avaṅkattā adosattā akasāvattā, nābhiyāpi avaṅkattā adosattā akasāvattā pavattitaṁ samānaṁ yāvatikā abhisaṅkhārassa gati tāvatikaṁ gantvā akkhāhataṁ maññe aṭṭhāsī’ti.
5Siyā kho pana, bhikkhave, tumhākaṁ evamassa: ‘añño nūna tena samayena so rathakāro ahosī’ti. Na kho panetaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ daṭṭhabbaṁ. Ahaṁ tena samayena so rathakāro ahosiṁ. Tadāhaṁ, bhikkhave, kusalo dāruvaṅkānaṁ dārudosānaṁ dārukasāvānaṁ. Etarahi kho panāhaṁ, bhikkhave, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho kusalo kāyavaṅkānaṁ kāyadosānaṁ kāyakasāvānaṁ, kusalo vacīvaṅkānaṁ vacīdosānaṁ vacīkasāvānaṁ, kusalo manovaṅkānaṁ manodosānaṁ manokasāvānaṁ.
Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā kāyavaṅko appahīno kāyadoso kāyakasāvo, vacīvaṅko appahīno vacīdoso vacīkasāvo, manovaṅko appahīno manodoso manokasāvo, evaṁ papatitā te, bhikkhave, imasmā dhammavinayā, seyyathāpi taṁ cakkaṁ chahi divasehi niṭṭhitaṁ.
6Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhussa vā bhikkhuniyā vā kāyavaṅko pahīno kāyadoso kāyakasāvo, vacīvaṅko pahīno vacīdoso vacīkasāvo, manovaṅko pahīno manodoso manokasāvo, evaṁ patiṭṭhitā te, bhikkhave, imasmiṁ dhammavinaye, seyyathāpi taṁ cakkaṁ chahi māsehi niṭṭhitaṁ chārattūnehi.
7Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘kāyavaṅkaṁ pajahissāma kāyadosaṁ kāyakasāvaṁ, vacīvaṅkaṁ pajahissāma vacīdosaṁ vacīkasāvaṁ, manovaṅkaṁ pajahissāma manodosaṁ manokasāvan’ti. Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban"ti.
Pañcamaṁ.
