Ekottaragama (Sanskrit fragments) 16.1.13

16.1.13

難陀告曰：「王不知不聞，何故大王而作是語？諸有沙門、婆羅門無不樂此休息樂、善逝樂、沙門樂、涅槃樂，而不自觀此婬火之坑。復當就者此事不然，骨猶如鎖，肉如聚石，猶蜜塗刀，坐貪小利，不慮後患。亦如菓繁折枝，亦如假借不久當還，猶如劍樹之藪，亦如毒樹、如毒害藥，亦如毒藥、如毒華菓，觀此婬欲亦復如是。意染著者此事不然，從火坑之欲乃至毒菓，不觀此事，欲得度欲流、有流、見流、無明流者，此事不然。以不度欲流、有流、見流、無明流，而欲得入無餘泥洹界而般泥洹者，此事不然。大王當知，諸有沙門、婆羅門觀察此休息樂、善逝樂、沙門樂、涅槃樂，此事不然。彼以作是觀察，解了婬坑之火，猶如骨鎖、肉聚、蜜塗利刀、菓繁折枝、假借不久，亦如劍樹、毒樹，如毒害藥，悉觀了知，此則有處。已解了知婬火所興，便能得渡欲流、有流、見流、無明流，此事必然。彼已渡欲流、有流、見流、無明流，此事必然。云何，大王！以何見何知而作是說？今我，大王！已成羅漢，生死已盡，梵行已立，所作已辦，更不復受母胞胎，心得解脫。」

Venerable Nanda told the King, “Why does the Great King say this without witnessing or hearing it himself? There aren’t any ascetics or priests who don’t enjoy the happiness of respite, the happiness of being well gone, the happiness of the ascetic, and the happiness of nirvāṇa. They don’t contemplate the firepit of lustful desire. It wouldn’t be the case that they would go back to that.

“Bones are like a chain, and flesh is like a pile of stones. Like a sword coated in honey, greed brings a little profit, but the trouble later can’t be foreseen. Like a branch broken by an abundance of fruit, like a loan that must be repaid soon, like a jungle of sword trees, like poisonous herbs, or like bitter leaves, flowers, and fruit, lustful desire should be contemplated as being likewise.

“It wouldn’t be the case that their minds would be addicted to that. If someone doesn’t contemplate that desire as a firepit … bitter fruit, but they want to cross the flood of desire, the flood of existence, the flood of views, and the flood of ignorance, they won’t be able to do it. If someone hasn’t crossed the flood of desire, the flood of existence, the flood of views, and the flood of ignorance, but they want to gain entry to the realm of remainderless nirvāṇa, to parinirvāṇa, they won’t be able to do it.

“Great King, you should know that this is surely the case for ascetics and priests who investigate the happiness of respite, the happiness of being well gone, the happiness of the ascetic, and the happiness of nirvāṇa. They understand from their investigations that the firepit of lustful desire is like a chain of bones, a pile of flesh, a sword coated in honey, a branch broken by an abundance of fruit, a loan that’s due, a sword tree, a poisonous tree, or a poisonous herb. They all investigate and comprehend that this is the case. Having fully understood it, they know what produces the fire of desire, and then they surely can cross the flood of desire, the flood of existence, the flood of views, and the flood of ignorance. They will surely have crossed the flood of desire, the flood of existence, the flood of views, and the flood of ignorance.

“How is it, Great King? What did you see and what did you know when you said that about me? Great King, I’ve now become an arhat. For me, birth and death has ended, the religious life has been established, and the task has been accomplished. I won’t again experience a mother’s womb, and my mind has been liberated.”