SA 563（五六三） 尼犍

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Monkey Pond in the upper chamber of the lecture hall in Vaiśālī, together with Venerable Ānanda.

At that time, the Licchavi Anāthapiṇḍada, a disciple of the Nirgrantha Jñātiputra, and the Licchavi Kumāra, a disciple of the Ājīvika Āsāḍha, went together to Venerable Ānanda. After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, they sat to one side. Then the Licchavi Anāthapiṇḍada said to Venerable Ānanda, "My teacher, the Nirgrantha Jñātiputra, has extinguished the burning, purified, and transcended. He teaches his disciples the path thus: 'By practicing austerities in past lives, one can vomit them all out. By not creating physical karma, cutting off bridges, and having no more taints in the future, all karma will be exhausted. Because karma is exhausted, all suffering is exhausted. Because suffering is exhausted, the end of suffering is reached.' Venerable Ānanda, what is the meaning of this?"

Venerable Ānanda said to the Licchavi, "The Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, knows and sees three kinds of paths that are free from burning, pure, and transcend. With the path of one vehicle, he purifies sentient beings, frees them from sorrow and lamentation, transcends suffering and distress, and attains the true nature of the Dharma. What are the three? Thus, the noble disciple abides in pure precepts, upholds the prātimokṣa, is fully endowed with deportment, and has faith in all faults, giving rise to the notion of fear. Upholding such complete pure precepts, past karma gradually comes out, attaining the present liberation from burning, not waiting for the right time, being able to attain the true Dharma, penetrating and directly seeing through observation, and awakening by oneself through wisdom. Licchavi elder! This is called the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, speaking of what is known and seen, speaking of liberation from burning, purification, and transcendence, using the path of one vehicle to purify sentient beings, extinguish suffering and distress, transcend sorrow and lamentation, and attain the true nature of the Dharma.

"Furthermore, Licchavi! Abiding in such complete pure precepts, being free from desire and evil unwholesome dharmas, up to fully abiding in the fourth dhyāna, this is called the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, speaking of liberation from burning, up to attaining the true Dharma. There is also the samādhi absorption, knowing the noble truth of suffering as it really is, knowing the noble truth of the origin of suffering, the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, and the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering as they really are. Fully endowed with such wisdom and mind, one no longer creates karma, and past karma gradually ceases. One attains the present true Dharma, is free from burning, does not wait for the right time, penetrates and directly sees, and awakens by oneself through wisdom. Licchavi! This is called the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, speaking of what is known and seen, speaking of the third liberation from burning, purification, and transcendence, using the path of one vehicle to purify sentient beings, free them from suffering and distress, transcend sorrow and lamentation, and attain the true nature of the Dharma."

At that time, the Licchavi disciple Nirgrantha Ajita remained silent.

At that time, the Licchavi disciple of the Ājīvika Ajita spoke again to the Licchavi Nirgrantha Ajita, saying: "Strange, Ajita! Why do you remain silent? Do you not rejoice in the well-spoken Dharma that is known, seen, and spoken by the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One?"

The Licchavi Ajita replied: "I was contemplating its meaning, that is why I remained silent. Who would not rejoice in the Dharma spoken by the World-Honored One, the Śramaṇa Gautama? If there are those who hear the Dharma spoken by the Śramaṇa Gautama and do not rejoice in it, they are fools who will long suffer from unbeneficial suffering."

At that time, the Licchavi Ajita, the disciple of the Nirgrantha, and the Licchavi Ajita, the disciple of the Ājīvika, having heard the Dharma spoken by the Buddha and Venerable Ānanda, rejoiced and followed them, then rose from their seats and departed.