AN 3.85 (A i 230)
Vajjiputta Sutta
— A Vajjian —

A certain monk cannot train with so many rules. The Buddha explains him how he can do without them, and it works out rather well.



Note: info·bubbles on "underdotted" English words


Pāḷi


English




ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā vesāliyaṃ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṃ. atha kho aññataro vajjiputtako bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ nisīdi. ekamantaṃ nisinno kho so vajjiputtako bhikkhu bhagavantaṃ etadavoca:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living in Vesālī, in the Great Wood. Then a certain Vajjian monk approached him and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One:

“sādhikamidaṃ, bhante, diyaḍḍhasikkhāpadasataṃ anvaddhamāsaṃ uddesaṃ āgacchati. nāhaṃ, bhante, ettha sakkomi sikkhitun”ti.

"Lord, this recitation of more than 150 training rules comes every fortnight. I cannot train in reference to them."

“sakkhissasi pana tvaṃ, bhikkhu, tīsu sikkhāsu sikkhituṃ: adhisīlasikkhāya, adhicittasikkhāya adhipaññāsikkhāyā”ti?

"Monk, can you train in reference to the three trainings: the training in heightened virtue, the training in heightened mind, the training in heightened discernment?"

“sakkomahaṃ, bhante, tīsu sikkhāsu sikkhituṃ: adhisīlasikkhāya, adhicittasikkhāya, adhipaññāsikkhāyā”ti.

"Yes, Lord, I can train in reference to the three trainings: the training in heightened virtue, the training in heightened mind, the training in heightened discernment."

“tasmātiha tvaṃ, bhikkhu, tīsu sikkhāsu sikkhassu: adhisīlasikkhāya, adhicittasikkhāya, adhipaññāsikkhāya”.

"Then train in reference to those three trainings: the training in heightened virtue, the training in heightened mind, the training in heightened discernment.

“yato kho tvaṃ, bhikkhu, adhisīlampi sikkhissasi, adhicittampi sikkhissasi, adhipaññampi sikkhissasi, tassa tuyhaṃ bhikkhu adhisīlampi sikkhato adhicittampi sikkhato adhipaññampi sikkhato rāgo pahīyissati, doso pahīyissati, moho pahīyissati. so tvaṃ rāgassa pahānā dosassa pahānā mohassa pahānā yaṃ akusalaṃ na taṃ karissasi, yaṃ pāpaṃ na taṃ sevissasī”ti.

As you train in heightened virtue, heightened mind, & heightened discernment, your passion, aversion, & delusion — when trained in heightened virtue, heightened mind, & heightened discernment — will be abandoned. You — with the abandoning of passion, the abandoning of aversion, the abandoning of delusion — will not do anything unskillful or engage in any evil."

atha kho so bhikkhu aparena samayena adhisīlampi sikkhi, adhicittampi sikkhi, adhipaññampi sikkhi. tassa adhisīlampi sikkhato adhicittampi sikkhato adhipaññampi sikkhato rāgo pahīyi, doso pahīyi, moho pahīyi. so rāgassa pahānā dosassa pahānā mohassa pahānā yaṃ akusalaṃ taṃ nākāsi, yaṃ pāpaṃ taṃ na sevīti.

Later on, that monk trained in reference to heightened virtue, heightened mind, & heightened discernment. His passion, aversion, & delusion — when trained in heightened virtue, heightened mind, & heightened discernment were abandoned. He — with the abandoning of passion, the abandoning of aversion, the abandoning of delusion — did not do anything unskillful or engage in any evil.



Bodhi leaf



"Vajjiputta Sutta: The Vajjian Monk" (AN 3.83), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013.

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