13.5 （五）孙陀利

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was at Anāthapiṇḍada's Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time, the World-Honored One was surrounded by tens of millions of people, expounding the Dharma. At that time, a brāhman on the riverbank, carrying a heavy load, came to where the World-Honored One was. Having put down his load, he stood silently to one side. At that time, the brāhman thought: "Today Śramaṇa Gautama is surrounded by tens of millions of people, expounding the Dharma. I am now pure, no different from Śramaṇa Gautama. The reason is that Śramaṇa Gautama eats fine rice and various delicacies, while I now eat fruits and vegetables to sustain my life."

At that time, the World-Honored One, knowing the brāhman's thoughts, told the bhikṣus: "Those sentient beings whose minds are tainted by the twenty-one fetters will definitely fall into evil destinies and not be reborn in good places. What are the twenty-one fetters? The fetters of anger, malice, sleepiness, playfulness, doubt, anger, jealousy, vexation, haste, hatred, shamelessness, guiltlessness, deception, cunning, pretense, contention, arrogance, pride, envy, conceit, and greed. Bhikṣus! If a person has these twenty-one fetters tainting their mind, one should know that they will definitely fall into evil destinies and not be reborn in good places. It is like a new white cloth that, after a long time, becomes old and dirty. If one wants to dye it blue, yellow, red, or black, it will not be able to be dyed. Why? Because it is dirty. In the same way, bhikṣus! If a person has these twenty-one fetters tainting their mind, one should know that they will definitely fall into evil destinies and not be reborn in good places.

If there are people who do not have these twenty-one fetters tainting their minds, one should know that they will definitely be reborn in the heavens and not fall into hell. It is like a new, clean white cloth that can be dyed any color, blue, yellow, red, or black, and it will definitely be dyed, without failure. Why? Because it is clean. It is the same with this. If there are people who do not have these twenty-one fetters tainting their minds, one should know that they will definitely be reborn in the heavens and not fall into evil destinies.

If those noble disciples give rise to the fetter of anger, they should observe and be able to extinguish it. They should give rise to the fetters of malice, sleepiness, playfulness, doubt, anger, jealousy, vexation, haste, hatred, shamelessness, guiltlessness, deception, cunning, pretense, contention, arrogance, pride, envy, conceit, and greed.

If those noble disciples are without anger, malice, or delusion, their minds are harmonious and joyful. They can fill one direction with loving-kindness and enjoy themselves. It is the same in the second, third, and fourth directions. In the four intermediate directions and above and below, in all places, all directions, and all worlds, they fill them all with immeasurable, limitless, and incalculable loving-kindness, without anger or malice, and enjoy themselves. Having filled them all with loving-kindness, they attain joy and their minds become upright.

They can also fill one direction with compassion and enjoy themselves. It is the same in the second, third, and fourth directions. In the four intermediate directions and above and below, in all places, all directions, and all worlds, they fill them all with immeasurable, limitless, and incalculable compassion, without anger or malice, and enjoy themselves. Having filled them all with compassion, they attain joy and their minds become upright.

They can also fill one direction with joy and enjoy themselves. It is the same in the second, third, and fourth directions. In the four intermediate directions and above and below, in all places, all directions, and all worlds, they fill them all with immeasurable, limitless, and incalculable joy, without anger or malice, and enjoy themselves. Having filled them all with joy, they attain joy and their minds become upright.

They can also fill one direction with equanimity and enjoy themselves. It is the same in the second, third, and fourth directions. In the four intermediate directions and above and below, in all places, all directions, and all worlds, they fill them all with immeasurable, limitless, and incalculable equanimity, without anger or malice, and enjoy themselves. Having filled them all with equanimity, they attain joy and their minds become upright.

They can also establish the foundation of faith in the Tathāgata, which is unshakable and cannot be moved by any celestial, dragon, spirit, asura, śramaṇa, brāhmaṇa, or worldly person. They can attain joy in this, and their minds become upright. This is the joy and uprightness of mind attained by the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the One of Perfect Wisdom and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed One, the Trainer of those to be tamed, the Teacher of gods and men, the Buddha, the Blessed One. They can also attain joy and uprightness of mind in the Dharma. The Dharma of the Tathāgata is very pure and cannot be moved. It is loved and respected by people. Those who are wise should contemplate it in this way, and they can attain joy in it. They can also attain joy and uprightness of mind in the Saṃgha. The noble Saṃgha of the Tathāgata is very pure, with pure conduct and practice, and accomplished in the Dharma. They are accomplished in precepts, samādhi, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation. The noble Saṃgha consists of the four pairs and eight individuals. This is the noble Saṃgha of the Tathāgata, which is lovable, precious, and truly worthy of service. They can attain joy in this, and their minds become upright.

They can also attain the purity of mind in this samādhi, without any defilements or taints. Their nature and conduct become gentle, and they attain supernatural powers. They can then recollect their own past lives, knowing where they came from. They can recollect one life, two lives, three lives, four lives, five lives, ten lives, twenty lives, thirty lives, forty lives, fifty lives, a hundred lives, a thousand lives, a hundred thousand lives, the eons of formation and destruction, the eons of non-formation and destruction, the eons of formation and destruction and non-formation and destruction, countless eons of formation and destruction, and countless eons of non-formation and destruction. They know, 'I was named so-and-so, with such-and-such a surname, in such-and-such a place. I was born like this, ate like this, experienced such-and-such suffering and happiness, and lived for such-and-such a long time. I died there and was reborn here.' They can recollect their own past lives in this way.

They can also attain the purity of mind in this samādhi, without any defilements or taints. They can know the thoughts of sentient beings. They can also use their divine eye to observe the classes of sentient beings, those who are born and those who die, those with good appearances and those with bad appearances, those in good destinies and those in bad destinies, those who are beautiful and those who are ugly. They know the causes and effects of the actions of sentient beings. They know that some sentient beings engage in evil actions with their bodies, speech, and minds, slander the sages, have wrong views and engage in wrong views. When their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn in the three evil destinies, in the hells. They also know that some sentient beings engage in good actions with their bodies, speech, and minds, do not slander the sages, have right views and are free from wrong views. When their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn in the good destinies in the heavens. This is called the pure divine eye that observes the classes of sentient beings: those who are born and those who die, those with good appearances and those with bad appearances, those in good destinies and those in bad destinies, those who are beautiful and those who are ugly. They know the causes and effects of the actions of sentient beings.

They can also attain the purity of mind in this samādhi, without any defilements or taints. They can attain the liberation of the mind from the defilements of desire, existence, and ignorance. Having attained liberation, they attain the knowledge of liberation: 'Birth and death are exhausted, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been done, there will be no more of this state of existence.' Thus, bhikṣus, the noble disciples attain liberation of the mind. Even if they eat rice, various delicious foods, or lumps as big as Mount Sumeru, there is no fault. Because they are without desire, have exhausted desire, are without anger, have exhausted anger, and are without ignorance, have exhausted ignorance. This, bhikṣus, is called the supreme inner bathing of the bhikṣus.

At that time, the brāhman by the river said to the World-Honored One, "Śramaṇa Gautama! Please go to the bank of the Sundarika River to bathe."

The World-Honored One said, "How is it called the Sundarika River?"

The brāhman said, "The water of the Sundarika River is a deep pool of blessings, a light for the world. If any person bathes in that river, all their evils will be completely eliminated."

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke this verse:

This body has experienced countless eons, bathing in that river and
all the small ponds, without exception. The foolish always enjoy that
walking in darkness and not being pure. Past sins fill their
bodies, how can that river save them? The pure are always
joyful, with pure precepts and joy. The pure do pure deeds
their wishes will surely be fulfilled. If one protects against taking
what is not given, practices kindness and does not kill, guards
sincerity and does not speak falsely, with an equal mind without
increase or decrease. You now bathe here, you will surely attain
a place of peace. Where does that river lead? It is
like the blind throwing themselves into darkness.

At that time, the brāhman said to the World-Honored One, "Stop, stop, Gautama! It is like a cripple finding relief, a blind person seeing light, a lost person being shown the way, lighting a lamp in a dark room for the blind. In this way, Śramaṇa Gautama! Please listen to the path with countless skillful means explaining this wonderful Dharma."

At that time, the brāhman by the river attained the path and received full ordination. The reason for the noble sons leaving home to study the path and cultivate the unsurpassed pure practice is: the cycle of birth and death is exhausted, the pure practice is established, what is to be done is accomplished, and one will not again experience rebirth, knowing it as it is. At that time, Venerable Sundarananda became an arhat.

At that time, Venerable Sundarananda, having heard the Buddha's teaching, joyfully received and practiced it.