Verañjasutta: Discourse to Verañja

Thus have I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Verañjā at the foot of the Naḷeru neem tree.

Then the brahmin Verañja approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him.

When they had concluded their polite and friendly greetings, he sat down to one side.

Sitting to one side, the brahmin Verañja said to the Blessed One:

Master Gotama, I have heard this: ‘The ascetic Gotama does not bow down to, rise up for, or offer a seat to brahmins who are old, aged, senior, advanced in years, who have reached the final stage of life.

And indeed, Master Gotama, it is just like that.

For Master Gotama does not bow down to, rise up for, or offer a seat to brahmins who are old, aged, senior, advanced in years, who have reached the final stage of life.

This, Master Gotama, is simply not proper.

Brahmin, I do not see anyone in this world with its devas, Māras, and Brahmās, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, devas and humans, to whom I should bow down, for whom I should rise up, or whom I should offer a seat.

For if the Tathāgata were to bow down to, rise up for, or offer a seat to anyone, that person’s head would split apart.

Master Gotama lacks taste.

Brahmin, there is indeed a way in which one speaking correctly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama lacks taste.

For the Tathāgata has abandoned taste for sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches; he has cut them off at the root, made them like a cleared palm stump, done away with them, so that they are no longer subject to future arising.

This is the way in which one speaking correctly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama lacks taste, but not in the sense that you mean.

Master Gotama is without enjoyment.

Brahmin, there is indeed a way in which one speaking correctly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is without enjoyment.

For the Tathāgata has abandoned enjoyment of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches; he has cut them off at the root, made them like a cleared palm stump, done away with them, so that they are no longer subject to future arising.

This is the way in which one speaking correctly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is without enjoyment, but not in the sense that you mean.

Master Gotama teaches non-action.

Brahmin, there is indeed a way in which one speaking correctly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama teaches non-action....

For I, brahmin, teach non-action regarding misconduct of body, speech, and mind; I teach non-action regarding many kinds of bad, unwholesome states.

This is the sense in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama teaches non-action, but not in the sense that you mean.

Master Gotama is an annihilationist.

There is indeed a sense, brahmin, in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an annihilationist.

For I, brahmin, teach the annihilation of greed, hatred, and delusion; I teach the annihilation of many kinds of bad, unwholesome states.

This is the sense in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an annihilationist, but not in the sense that you mean.

Master Gotama is disgusted.

There is indeed a sense, brahmin, in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is disgusted.

For I, brahmin, am disgusted by misconduct of body, speech, and mind; I am disgusted by engagement in many kinds of bad, unwholesome states.

This is the sense in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is disgusted, but not in the sense that you mean.

Master Gotama is a subduer.

There is indeed a sense, brahmin, in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is a subduer.

For I, brahmin, teach the Dhamma for the subduing of greed, hatred, and delusion; I teach the Dhamma for the subduing of many kinds of bad, unwholesome states.

This is the sense in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is a subduer, but not in the sense that you mean.

Master Gotama is an ascetic.

There is indeed a sense, brahmin, in which one speaking rightly of me could say: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an ascetic.

I declare, brahmin, that bad, unwholesome states are scorching:namely, misconduct of body, speech, and mind.

One in whom these scorching, bad, unwholesome states have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and rendered incapable of future arising:him I call an ascetic.

Brahmin, for the Tathāgata, those bad, unwholesome states that cause torment have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no longer subject to arising in the future.

This, Brahmin, is the sense in which one speaking rightly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is an austere practitioner:and not in the sense that you mean.

Master Gotama is insolent.

Brahmin, there is indeed a sense in which one speaking rightly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is free from rebirth in a womb.

When one’s future lying in a womb and generation of renewed existence have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no longer subject to arising in the future:such a person I call ‘free from rebirth in a womb.

For the Tathāgata, future lying in a womb and generation of renewed existence have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no longer subject to arising in the future.

This, Brahmin, is the sense in which one speaking rightly could say of me: ‘The ascetic Gotama is free from rebirth in a womb:and not in the sense that you mean.

Suppose, Brahmin, there were eight, ten, or twelve eggs under a hen, and that hen had properly sat upon them, properly warmed them, and properly incubated them.

Whichever of those chicks was the first to break open its eggshell with the tip of its claw or its beak and emerge safely:what should that chick be called?

He should be called the eldest, Master Gotama.

For he is the eldest among them.

In the same way, Brahmin, in a generation immersed in ignorance, enclosed in an eggshell, completely enveloped, I alone in the world broke through the eggshell of ignorance and fully awakened to the unexcelled, perfect self-awakening.

For I, Brahmin, am the eldest and foremost in the world.

Unsluggish energy was aroused in me, unforgetful mindfulness was established, my body was tranquil and unagitated, my mind was concentrated and unified.

Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered and dwelt in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by directed thought and evaluation, with pīti and pleasure born of seclusion.

With the stilling of directed thought and evaluation, I entered and dwelt in the second jhāna, which has internal assurance and unification of mind, free from directed thought and evaluation, with pīti and pleasure born of concentration.

With the fading away of pīti, I dwelt in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, experiencing pleasure with the body, of which the noble ones declare: [‘Equanimous and mindful, one dwells in pleasure...]

With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the prior disappearance of joy and grief, I entered and remained in the fourth jhāna, which has neither-pain-nor-pleasure, and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity.

When my mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfections, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowing of recollecting past lives.

I recollected many kinds of past lives, that is: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction and expansion…

This, brahmin, was the first true knowing attained by me in the first watch of the night.

Ignorance was dispelled, true knowing arose; darkness was dispelled, light arose, as happens for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.

This, brahmin, was my first hatching out, like a chick breaking out from its eggshell.

When my mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfections, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowing of the passing away and reappearance of beings.

With the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, I saw beings passing away and reappearing:inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate:and I known how beings fare according to their deeds…

This, brahmin, was the second true knowing attained by me in the middle watch of the night.

Ignorance was dispelled, true knowing arose; darkness was dispelled, light arose, as happens for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.

This, brahmin, was my second hatching out, like a chick breaking out from its eggshell.

When my mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfections, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, I directed my mind to the knowing of the destruction of the taints.

I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is suffering; I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the origin of suffering; I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the cessation of suffering; I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the practice leading to the cessation of suffering;

I directly knew as it truly is: ‘These are the taints; I directly knew as it truly is: ‘This is the origin of the taints; I directly knew as it truly is: ‘This is the cessation of the taints; I directly knew as it truly is: ‘This is the practice leading to the cessation of the taints.

When I knew and saw thus, my mind was liberated from the taint of sense satisfaction, my mind was liberated from the taint of existence, and my mind was liberated from the taint of ignorance. When it was liberated, the knowing arose: ‘It is liberated.

I directly knew: ‘Birth is ended, the holy life has been lived, what was to be done has been done, there is no further coming to any state of being.

This, brahmin, was the third true knowing attained by me in the last watch of the night.

Ignorance was dispelled, true knowing arose; darkness was dispelled, light arose:as happens for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.

This, brahmin, was my third breaking forth, like a chick breaking out from its eggshell.

When this was said, the brahmin Verañja said to the Blessed One:

Master Gotama is the eldest! Master Gotama is the foremost!

Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama!

Just as if one were to set upright what was overturned, reveal what was hidden, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up an oil lamp in the dark:so I go to Master Gotama for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of disciples.

May Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forth for as long as life lasts.