Dighanikaya 25.74

25.74

‘‘Ettāvatā, kho nigrodha, tapojigucchā aggappattā ca hoti sārappattā cā’’ti idaṃ bhagavā titthiyānaṃ vasenāha. Titthiyānañhi lābhasakkāro rukkhassa sākhāpalāsasadiso. Pañcasīlamattakaṃ papaṭikasadisaṃ. Aṭṭhasamāpattimattaṃ tacasadisaṃ. Pubbenivāsañāṇāvasānā abhiññā pheggusadisā. Dibbacakkhuṃ panete arahattanti gahetvā vicaranti. Tena nesaṃ taṃ rukkhassa sārasadisaṃ. Sāsane pana lābhasakkāro sākhāpalāsasadiso. Sīlasampadā papaṭikasadisā. Jhānasamāpattiyo tacasadisā. Lokiyābhiññā pheggusadisā. Maggaphalaṃ sāro. Iti bhagavatā attano sāsanaṃ onatavinataphalabhārabharitarukkhūpamāya upamitaṃ. So desanākusalatāya tato tacasārasampattito mama sāsanaṃ uttaritarañceva paṇītatarañca, taṃ tuvaṃ kadā jānissasīti attanodesanāya visesabhāvaṃ dassetuṃ ‘‘iti kho nigrodhā’’ti desanaṃ ārabhi. Te paribbājakāti te tassa parivārā tiṃsasatasaṅkhyā paribbājakā. Ettha mayaṃ anassāmāti ettha acelakapāḷiādīsu, idaṃ vuttaṃ hoti ‘‘amhākaṃ acelakapāḷimattampi natthi, kuto parisuddhapāḷi. Amhākaṃ parisuddhapāḷimattampi natthi, kuto cātuyāmasaṃvarādīni. Cātuyāmasaṃvaropi natthi, kuto araññavāsādīni. Araññavāsopi natthi, kuto nīvaraṇappahānādīni. Nīvaraṇappahānampi natthi, kuto brahmavihārādīni. Brahmavihāramattampi natthi, kuto pubbenivāsādīni. Pubbenivāsañāṇamattampi natthi, kuto amhākaṃ dibbacakkhu. Ettha mayaṃ saācariyakā naṭṭhā’’ti. Ito bhiyyo uttaritaranti ito dibbacakkhuñāṇādhigamato bhiyyo aññaṃ uttaritaraṃ visesādhigamaṃ mayaṃ sutivasenāpi na jānāmāti vadanti.

"To this extent, Nigrodha, the ascetic practice of loathing [evil] has reached the peak and reached the core": this the Blessed One said with reference to the sectarians. For to the sectarians, gain and honour are like the branches and foliage of a tree. Mere fivefold morality is like the outer bark. The mere eight attainments are like the inner bark. The direct knowledges culminating in the knowledge of the recollection of past lives are like the softwood. But they wander about taking the divine eye to be arahantship. Therefore, to them that is like the core of the tree. But in the Dispensation, gain and honour are like the branches and foliage. Perfection of virtue is like the outer bark. The absorption attainments are like the inner bark. Mundane direct knowledge is like the softwood. The path and fruit are the core. Thus the Blessed One compared his own Dispensation using the simile of a tree laden with a heavy burden of hanging and bending fruit. Through his skill in exposition, [thinking] 'My Dispensation is far higher and far more sublime than that attainment of inner bark and core; when will you know that?', in order to show the special nature of his own exposition he began the teaching: "Thus, Nigrodha." "Those wanderers": those wanderers who were his retinue, numbering three hundred. "Here we are ruined": here, in the text on the unclothed ascetics and so on, this is what is meant: 'We do not even possess the mere text on the unclothed ascetics, so how could we possess the text on purification? We do not even possess the mere text on purification, so how could we possess the restraint of the fourfold precepts and the rest? Even the restraint of the fourfold precepts is absent, so how could we possess living in the forest and the rest? Even living in the forest is absent, so how could we possess the abandonment of the hindrances and the rest? Even the abandonment of the hindrances is absent, so how could we possess the divine abidings and the rest? Even the mere divine abidings are absent, so how could we possess [the recollection of] past lives and the rest? Even the mere knowledge of past lives is absent, so how could we possess the divine eye? Here we, along with our teacher, are ruined.' "Far beyond this, far higher": they say, 'We do not know, even by hearsay, any other special attainment far higher and far beyond this attainment of the knowledge of the divine eye.'