法句譬喻經 24: Pleasure (piyavaggo)
Texts from the Buddhist Canon commonly known as Dhammapada, with accompanying narratives 24
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Pleasure (piyavaggo)
24.p1
In days of old, when Buddha was residing in the Jetavana Vihāra, at Śrāvastī, there were four newly-admitted mendicants who went together and sat under a plum-tree, intending to engage themselves in religious contemplation (dhyāna). At this time the tree was in full bloom, and struck by the beautiful colours and the fragrant perfume of the blossoms, the conversation of the mendicants took the following turn—viz., as to what in all the world was most worthy of love as a source of pleasure. Then one of them said, “I think the greatest happiness in the world is during some moonlight night in spring, when all the trees are in bloom, to wander forth in the country, and take one's pleasure without constraint,” Another said, “I think the highest pleasure is in joining in some family social gathering, and enjoying the feast and the wine, the music and the dancing.” Another said, “I think the highest happiness is to possess such funds of wealth as to enable one to procure whatever the heart desires, whether it be chariots or horses, clothing or ornaments, such as would make one, on going into the world, the admiration and envy of all beholders.” The fourth said, “And I think the highest happiness to be to possess a wife as beautiful as possible, and to see her clad in all the choicest robes, anointed with the rarest unguents, and always ready for the indulgence of love.” Now Buddha, perceiving that these men were capable of conversion, but had not yet arrived at a knowledge of the impermanency of the six objects of desire, immediately, with a sigh, addressed the four men, and asked them, “What is the subject of your discourse, as you sit here together beneath this tree?” On this they told him truthfully what each one's idea of happiness was. And then Buddha rejoined, “Let there be an end of such discourse, for all these things (which you desire) are the causes of (way of) sorrow, misfortune, fear, and calamity. This is not the way of eternal peace, the system of the highest joy. The flowers of spring shall fade in autumn, and fall in utter decay before the winter cold. All those friends in whose society you place such reliance for happiness, ere long shall be scattered and separated far and wide. That wealth you prize, and that beauty of wife, and those pleasures, alas! are the causes of every misfortune—hatred in families, wreck of body, future misery! Wherefore, Bhikshus! be sure that the highest bliss is to leave the world, to search after supreme wisdom, to covet a condition of entire indifference, to desire nought for one's self, to aim at Nirvāna.” And then the World-honoured uttered these stanzas :—
24.p2
“From love (or lust) comes sorrow, from lust comes fear; where there is no lust (or, no ground for lust), what sorrow, what fear can there be? From pleasure comes sorrow, from pleasure comes fear; where there is no ground for pleasure, what grief or fear can there be? From covetousness (greed) comes sorrow, from greed comes fear; where one is free from covetousness, there can be no sorrow or fear. But to be greedy to fulfil perfectly the requirements (moral rules) of the Law—to be truthful in everything (or, to be perfectly truthful), to be modest in everything, to conduct his own business (to order himself) according to what is right—this is to lay a foundation of love from all. The idea of pleasure not yet produced, his thoughts and words composed, his mind unaffected by any bewilderment of love, he indeed shall mount above (or cut off) the Stream.”
24.p3
[Having uttered these words, Buddha explained that in days gone by there was a King who, having entertained four other neighbouring Kings, and indulged them in every pleasure, similar questions to the above arose amongst them, and at last the King who was the host explained the matter as Buddha had done, on which occasion the four Kings were the four Bhikshus, and the chief King was Buddha himself.]
24.p4
Translated from the Chinese by Samuel Beal, 1878.
24.p5
Texts from the Buddhist canon, commonly known as Dhammapada, with accompanying narratives
24.p6
Published by Trübner & Co, Ludgate Hill, London, 1878.
24.p7
Translated by the Shamans Fā-Kheu and Fā-Lih, of the Western Tsin Dynasty.
24.p8
Original book can be downloaded at https://archive.org/details/textsfrombuddhis00beal.
24.p9
Prepared for SuttaCentral by Yasoj and Ven. Vimala.
Linked texts (1)
- 法句譬喻經 — Classical Chinese