BANNER OF THE ARAHANTS

DISCOURSE ABOUT RATTHAPALA

[continued]

 

„Great King, there are four Summaries of Dhamma which have been given by the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened. Knowing and seeing and hearing them, I went forth from the home life into homelessness. What are the four?“

 

„‘(Life in any) world is unstable, it is swept away’: This is the first Summary of Dhamma given by the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened. Knowing and seeing and hearing it, I went forth from the home life into homelessness.“

 

„‘(Life in any) world has no shelter and no protector’: This is the second Summary of Dhamma given …“

 

„‘(Life in any) world has nothing of its own; it has to leave all and pass on’: This is the third Summary of Dhamma given …“

 

„‘(Life in any) world is incomplete, is insatiate and the slave of craving’: This is the fourth Summary of Dhamma given by the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened. Knowing and seeing and hearing it, I went forth from the home life into homelessness.[13]“

 

„These, great King, are the four Summaries of Dhamma given by the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened. Knowing and seeing and hearing them, I went forth from the home life into homelessness.“ -

 

„‘(Life in any) world is unstable, it is swept away’ was what Master Ratthapala said; but how should the meaning of that statement be understood?“ -

 

„What do you think about this, great King: when you were twenty years old and twenty-five years old, were you an expert rider of elephants, an expert horseman, an expert charioteer, an expert bowman, an expert swordsman, strong in thigh and arm, sturdy and proficient in warfare?“ -

 

„Certainly, Master Ratthapala, at the age of twenty and twenty-five years, I was an expert rider of elephants … sturdy and proficient in warfare; sometimes I thought that I had superhuman strength. I saw none who could equal me in strength.“ -

 

„And now, great King, what do you think: Are you still so strong in thigh and arm, sturdy and proficient in warfare?“ -

 

„No, Master Ratthapala, now I am old, aged, burdened with years, advanced in life, and have come to the last stage; my years have turned eighty. Sometimes I mean to put my foot here and I put it elsewhere.“ -

 

„It was on account of this, great King, that the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened, said, ‘(Life in any) world is unstable, it is swept away’, and when I knew and saw and heard that, I went forth from the home life into homelessness.“ - 

 

„It is wonderful, Master Ratthapala, it is marvellous, how well that has been expressed by the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened: ‘(Life in any) world is unstable, it is swept way’, for so it is indeed!“

 

„Master Ratthapala, there are in this court elephantry and cavalry and charioteers and infantry, which will serve to subdue any threat to us. Now Master Ratthapala has said that ‘(Life in any) world has no shelter and no protector’. How should the meaning of that statement be understood?“ -

 

„What do you think about this, great King: Have you any chronic illness?“ -

 

„I have a chronic wind sickness, Master Ratthapala. Sometimes my friends and companions, my relatives and kin, stand round me (thinking): „Now King Koravya is about to die, now King Koravya is about to die.“ -

 

„Now, great King, what do you think: Can you have it thus with your friends and companions, your relatives and kin: ‘Come my good friends and companions, my relatives and kin! Let all of you present share out this pain, so that my feeling of pain should be less!’, or do you have to experience that feelings of pain all by yourself alone?“ -

 

„No, Master Ratthapala, I cannot have it thus (that my friends and companions, my relatives and kin, share out my feeling of pain), but I have to experience my pain all by myself alone.“

 

„It was on account of this, great King, that the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened, said, ‘(Life in any) world has no shelter and no protector’, and when I knew and saw and heard that, I went forth from the home life into homelessness“ - 

 

„It is wonderful, Master Ratthapala, it is marvellous how well that has been expressed by the Exalted One …: ‘(Life in any) world has no shelter and no protector’, for so it is indeed!“

 

„Master Ratthapala, there is in this court ample gold coin and bullion stored away both in the ground and above it. Now Master Ratthapala has said that (Life in any) world has nothing of its own, it has to leave all and pass on’. How should the meaning of this statement be understood?“ -

 

„What do you think about this, great King: You are now furnished and endowed with the five fields of sensual desires and enjoy them. But can you have it thus of the life to come. ‘May I be likewise furnished and endowed with these five fields of sensual desires and enjoy them!’, or will others take over this property, while you will have to pass on according to your actions?“ - 

 

„I cannot have it thus … Master Ratthapala. On the contrary others will take over this property while I shall have to pass on according to my actions.“ -

 

„It was on account of this, great King, that the Exalted One … said, ‘(Life in any) world has nothing of its own, it has to leave all and pass on’, and when I knew and saw and heard that, I went forth from the home life into homelessness.“ -

 

„It is wonderful, Master Ratthapala, … how well that has been expressed by the Exalted One …,: ‘(Life in any) world has nothing of its Own, it has to leave all and pass on’, for so it is indeed!“

 

„‘(Life in any) world is incomplete, is insatiate and the slave of craving’, was what Master Ratthapala said; but how should the meaning of that statement be understood?“ -

 

„What do you think, great King: Do you live in this prosperous Kuru country as its ruler?“ - “Yes, Master Ratthapala, I do.“ -

 

„What do you think about this, great King? If a trustworthy and reliable man came to you from the east and said, ‘Please to know, great King, that I come from the east and there I saw a large country, powerful and rich, very populous and crowded with men. There are plenty of elephantry there, plenty of cavalry, plenty of charioteers and plenty of infantry; there is plenty of ivory there, and plenty of gold and bullion both unworked and worked, and there are plenty of women for wives. With such and such a force you can conquer it. Conquer it then, great King!’ What would you do?“ - „We should conquer it and live there as its ruler, Master Ratthapala.“ - „What do you think about this, great King: if a trustworthy and reliable man came to you from the west … from the north … from the south, and there I saw a large country … Conquer it, great King! What would you do ?“ - „We should conquer it, too, and live there as its ruler, Master Ratthapala.“

 

„It was on account of this, great King, that the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened, said, ‘(Life in any) world is incomplete, is insatiate and the slave of craving’, and when I knew and saw and heard that I went forth from the home life into homelessness.“ -

 

„It is wonderful, Master Ratthapala, it is marvellous how well that has been expressed by the Exalted One who knows and sees, who is Arahant and fully enlightened: ‘(Life in any) world is incomplete, insatiate and the slave of craving’, for so it is indeed!“

 

That is what venerable Ratthapala said and having thus spoken, he said further:

 

            „I see men wealthy in the world who yet

            Give not, from ignorance, their gathered riches

            But greedily will hoard away their wealth,

            Through longing for still further sensual pleasures.

 

            A king who by his force conquered the earth

            And even lords the land the ocean bounds,

            Is yet unsated with the sea’s near shore

            And hungers for its further shore as well.

 

            Most other men as well, not just a king,

            Encounter death with craving unabated;

            With plans still incomplete they leave the corpse;

            Desires remain unsated in the world.

 

            His relatives lament him, rend their hair,

            Crying „Ah me! Alas! Our love is dead!’

            Then bear away the body wrapped in shrouds,

            To place it on a pyre and burn it there.

 

            Clad in a single shroud, he leaves behind

            His property, impaled on stakes he burns,

            And as he died, no relatives or kin

            Or friends could offer refuge to him here.

 

            The while his heirs annex his wealth, this being

            Must now arise according to his deeds;

            And as he dies nothing can follow him:

            Nor child nor wife nor wealth nor royal estate.

 

            Longevity is not acquired with wealth,

            Nor can prosperity banish old age,

            Short is this life, as all the sages say,

            Eternity it knows not, only change.

 

            The rich man and the poor man both shall feel

            (Death’s) touch, as do the fool and sage alike;

            But while the fool lies stricken by his folly

            No sage will ever tremble at the touch.

 

            Better than wealth is understanding, then,

            By which the final goal can here by gained;

            For, doing evil deeds in many lives,

            Men fail, through ignorance, to reach the goal.

 

            As one goes to the womb and to another world,

            Renewing the successive round, so others

            With no more understanding, trusting him,

            Go also to the womb and to another world.

 

            Just as a robber caught in burglary,

            An evil-doer, suffers for his deed,

            So people after death, in the next world,

            The evil-doers, suffer for their deeds.

 

            Sense-pleasures, varied, sweet, delightful,

            In many, different ways disturb the mind.

            Seeing the peril in these sensual joys,

            O King! I chose to lend the homeless life.

 

            As fruits fall from the tree, so also men,

            Both young and old, fall when this body breaks.

            Seeing this too, I have gone forth, O King!

            Better by far is the monk’s life assured.“

 

                        (Middle Length Collection,

                        Discourse 82. Based on the

                        translation by Ñánamoli Thera.

                        See Wheel 110, B.P.S.)