增壹阿含經 11.9: Devadatta
The Numbered Discourses (selected sūtras) 11.9
- Language
- English
Devadatta
11.9.p1
Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Kalandaka Bamboo Park of Rājagṛha. He was accompanied by a large assembly of five hundred monks.
11.9.p2
It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “How is it, monks? Does anyone see Devadatta’s teaching as clean? Still, Devadatta’s evil is quite grave, and he’ll get a punishment for an eon, which cannot be cured. I do not see a thread’s breadth of goodness in my Dharma that someone could describe of him. Because of this, I now say that the source of Devadatta’s punishment cannot be cured.
11.9.p3
“He’s like a man who fell into a deep latrine. His whole body was submerged in it, and nowhere is he clean. Someone comes along to save his life and put him somewhere clean. Looking all around the sides of the latrine and that man, would they see a clean place? [The man asks,] ‘I’d like to grab something and pull myself out.’ But after looking over that place where nothing is clean for something the man could grab, they would give up and leave.
11.9.p4
“Thus, monks, do I regard that fool Devadatta. I do not see a thread’s breadth of goodness that someone could describe of him. He’ll get a punishment for an eon that cannot be cured. Why is that? Devadatta was focused on foolishness. Inclined to being attached to profit, he committed the five terrible sins, and he was born in a bad destiny when his body broke up and his life ended. Thus, monks, profit is a grave thing that causes people not to find the place of safety.
11.9.p5
“Therefore, monks, thoughts of profit that have arisen must be abandoned. If they have yet to arise, then don’t create anymore thoughts obsessed with it. Thus, monks, you should train yourselves.”
11.9.p6
When the monks heard what the Buddha taught, they rejoiced and approved.
11.9.p7
This sūtra is part of the Dharma Pearls translation project.
11.9.p8
Prepared by Charles Patton for SuttaCentral.
Linked texts (1)
- 增壹阿含經 — Classical Chinese