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Majjhima Nikaaya I.
1.4. Bhayabheravasutta.
(4) Great Fear
I heard thus.
At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anaathapindika in
Jetas grove in Saavatthi.
Then the brahmin Jaanussoni approached the Blessed One exchanged friendly greetings,
sat on a side and said thus: "Good Gotama, to those sons of clansmen who have gone
forth from the household and put on robes, out of faith, good Gotama, is the foremost, is
of great help, is the instigater, and they in turn become imitations of good Gotama."
"Brahmin, that is so, to those sons of clansmen who have gone forth out of faith in
me and put on yellow robes, I am the foremost, of great help, am the instigater, and they
imitate me" Good Gotama, I think attachment to seclusion and lonliness is difficult
on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths, and I think without concentration
even the mind would be distracted.
O! Brahmin, before my enlightenment, when I was seeking enlightenment, it occured to me
attachment to seclusion and lonliness is difficult on beds and seats in remote jungle
forests and paths and even the mind without concentration is carried away when in the
forest. Those recluses and brahmins impure in bodily actions abiding on beds and seats in
remote jungle forests and paths, come to much fear and evil owing to their impurity. I
abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths pure in bodily actions The
noble ones are pure in bodily actions, am one of them, and abide in remote jungle forests
and paths with much confidence.
Those recluses and brahmins impure in verbal actions abiding on beds and seats in
remote jungle forests and paths, come to much fear and evil owing to their impurity. I
abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths pure in verbal actions. The
noble ones are pure in verbal actions, am one of them and abide in remote jungle forests
and paths with much confidence..
Those recluses and brahmins impure in mental actions abiding on beds and seats in
remote jungle forests and paths, come to much fear and evil owing to their impurity. I
abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths pure in mental actions. The
noble ones are pure in mental actions, am one of them and abide in remote jungle forests
and paths with much confidence.Those recluses and brahmins in livelihood impure abiding on
beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear and evil owing to
their impurity. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths pure in
livelihood. The noble ones are pure in livelihood, am one of them and abide in remote
jungle forests and paths with much confidence..
O! Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins greedy for sensuality,
abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear and evil
owing to their greed for sensuality. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests
and paths greed for sensuality overcome. The noble ones have overcome the greed for
sensuality, am one of them and abide in remote jungle forests and paths with much
confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins with angry mind and evil
thoughts, abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear
and evil, owing to their angry mind and evil thoughts. I abide on beds and seats in remote
jungle forests and paths with thoughts of loving kindness. The noble ones abide in jungle
forests and paths with thoughts of loving kindness, am one of them and abide in remote
jungle forests and paths with much confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins overcome by sloth and
tor-por abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear and
evil, owing to sloth and torpor, I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and
paths, sloth and tor-por destroyed. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths sloth
and tor -por destroyed, am one of them and abide in jungle forests and paths with much
confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, restless and worried
abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear and evil,
owing to restlessness and worry. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and
paths, with mind appeased. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths with appeased
minds, am one of them and abide in jungle forests and paths with much confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, overcome by doubts,
abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear and evil,
owing to doubts. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths doubts
overcome. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths doubts overcome, am one of them
and abide in jungle forests and paths with much confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, who praise themselves and
disparage others abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much
fear and evil, owing to praising themselves and disparaging others. I abide on beds and
seats in remote jungle forests and paths neither praising myself nor disparaging others.
The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths neither praising themselves nor
disparaging others, am one of them and abide in jungle forests and paths with much
confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, paralysed with much fear,
abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear and evil
owing to that. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths fear
dispelled. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths fear dispelled, am one of them
and abide in jungle forests and paths with much confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, with desires of gain,
honour and fame, abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much
fear and evil owing to that trend. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and
paths without desires of gain, honour, or fame.The noble ones abide in jungle forests and
paths with few desires, am one of them and abide in jungle forests and paths with much
confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, lazy and lacking effort,
abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and patha come to much fear and evil
owing to that trend. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths with
aroused effort. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths with aroused effort, am
one of them and abide in jungle forests and paths with much confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, without mindfulness,
unaware, abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear
and evil owing to that trend. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and
paths, mindfulness established. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths
mindfulness established, am one of them and abide in jungle forests and paths with much
confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, unconcentrated and mind
scattered, abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear
and evil, owing to that trend I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and
paths, concentrated and the mind in one point. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and
paths concentrated and the mind in one point, am one of them and abide in jungle forests
and paths with much confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: Those recluses and brahmins, deaf and dumb, lacking in
wisdom, abiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths come to much fear and
evil owing to that trend. I abide on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths
endowed with wisdom. The noble ones abide in jungle forests and paths endowed with wisdom,
am one of them and abide in jungle forests and paths with much confidence.
Brahmin, it occured to me thus: What if I abide in orchard, forest, or tree monuments
on auspicious nights on the waxing side like the fourteenth, fifteenth and the eighth
nights so that I could come to face great fear. Then I abode in orchard, forest and tree
monuments on auspicious nights on the waxing side like the fourteenth, fifteenth and the
eighth nights. When I abode thus, either a wild animal or a pea-cock came. Or a branch
fell or the leaves fluttered with the wind. Then it occured to me, isnt it in this
manner that great fear and doubts come, then again it occured why should I abide with fear
and doubts. In whatever posture I was when fear and doubts overcame me, maintaining that
same posture I overcame that fear and doubts. If fear overcame me while walking, I
wouldnt change that posture until I overcame that fear. If fear overcame me while
standing, I wouldnt change that posture until I overcame that fear. If fear overcame
me while sitting, I wouldnt change that posture until I overcame that fear. If fear
overcame me while lying, I wouldnt change that posture until I overcame that fear.
Brahmin, there are certain recluses and brahmins who perceive the night as the day and
the day as the night. I say they abide in delusion. I perceive the night as the night, and
the day as the day. Sayiing it rightly the non-deluded being is born in the world for the
good and well being of many, out of compassion for gods and men. Saying it rightly, I am
that non-deluded being born for the good and well being of many, out of compassion for
gods and men.
Brahmin, my effort aroused undeterred, unconfused mindfulness established, the body
appeased, the mind concentrated in one point. I secluded it from sensual thoughts and evil
thoughts, with thoughts and thought processes experiencing joy and pleasantness born of
seclusion abode in the first jhaana.
Overcoming thoughts and thought processes, the mind internally appeased, in one point,
without thoughts and thought processes, experiencing joy and pleasantness born of
concentration I abode in the second jhaana. With joy and with equanimity to detachment
became mindful and aware experiencing pleasantness with the body, and abode in the third
jhaana. To this the noble ones say, abiding mindfully in equanimity.
Dispelling pleasantness and unpleasantness, earlier having dispelled pleasure and
displeasure and without unpleasantness and pleasaantness mindfulness purified with
equanimity abode in the fourth jhaana.
When the concentrated mind was without blemish pure, malleable, workable and not
vacillating I directed the mind to know previous births. I recollected the manifold
previous births such as one birth, two births, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty,
forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand births, innumerable forward cycles
of births, innumerable backward cycles of births and innumerable forward and backward
cycles of births. There I was of such name, clan, disposition, supports, experiencing such
pleasant and unpleasant feelings, and with such a life span. Disappearing from there was
born there, There too I was of such name, clan, disposition, supports, experiencing such
pleasant and unpleasant feelings, and with such .a life span. Disappearing from there is
born here.Thus I recollect the manifold previous births..This is the first knowledge that
I realized in the first watch of the night and knowledge arose and darkness got dispelled
when I abode diligent for dispelling.
When the concentrated mind was without blemish pure, malleable, workable and not
vacillating I directed the mind to know the disappearing and appearing of beings. With the
purified heavenly eye gone beyond human, I saw being disappearing and appearing unexalted
and exalted, beautiful and ugly, in good and bad states, according to their actions I knew
beings. These good beings, misconducting in bodily, verbal and mental behaviour, blaming
noble ones and with wrong view, at the end of life go to loss are born in hell.
These good beings, endowed with good conduct, bodily, verbally and mentally,not blaming
noble ones, come to right view and to right view of actions, at the end of life go to
increase are born in heaven. Thus with the purified heavenly eye gone beyond human I saw
beings disappearing and appearing unexalted and exalted, beautiful and ugly, in good and
bad states according their actions. This is the second knowledge I realized in the second
watch of the night and knowledge arose and darkness got dispelled, when I abode diligent
for dispelling.
When the concentrated mind was without blemish pure, malleable, workable and not
vacillating I directed the mind to the knowledge of the destruction of desires: Then I
thoroughly knew as it really is, this is unpleasant. Thoroughly knew as it really is, this
is the arising of unpleasantness. Thoroughly knew as it really is, this is the cessation
of unpleasantness. Thoroughly knew as it really is, this is the path to the cessation of
unpleasantness. Knew as it really is , these are desires. Knew as it really is, this is
the arising of desires. Knew as it really is, this is the cessation of desires. Knew as it
really is, this is the path to the cessation of desires. When I knew and realized this, my
mind experienced the release from sensual desires. the release from desires to
be., the release from desires of ignorance.. Knowledge arose I am released, birth is
ended, the holy life is lived to the end, what should be done is done is done, there is
nothing more to wish . This is the third knowledge I realized in the third watch of the
night and knowledge arose and darkness got dispelled, when I abode diligent for
dispelling. . .
Brahmin, it might occur to you, is the recluse Gotama even today not free from greed,
hate and delusion, that he abides on beds and seats in remote jungle forests and paths, it
should not be thought in that manner.
Brahmin, I see two good reasons for abaiding on beds and seats in remote jungle forests
and paths: For a pleasant abiding here and now and out of compassion for the future
generations.
Good Gotama, has compassion for the future generation, he is indeed worthy and
rightfully enlightened.
Now, I know, good Gotama. It seems as though something over turned is re-installed,
something covered is made manifesat, As though the path is told to someone who has lost
his way. It seems as though an oil lamp is lighted for the darkness so that those who have
eyes could see forms.. Good Gotama has taught in various ways, now I take refuge in good
Gotama, in the Teaching and the Community of bhikkhus. May I be remembered as a lay
disciple who has taken refuge from today until life lasts.
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