Dighanikaya 3.280_2

3.280_2

Kasmā pana tāpasapabbajjā sāsanassa vināsamukhanti vuttāti? Yasmā gacchantaṃ gacchantaṃ sāsanaṃ tāpasapabbajjāvasena osakkissati. Imasmiñhi sāsane pabbajitvā tisso sikkhā pūretuṃ asakkontaṃ lajjino sikkhākāmā – ‘‘natthi tayā saddhiṃ uposatho vā pavāraṇā vā saṅghakammaṃ vā’’ti jigucchitvā parivajjenti. So ‘‘dukkaraṃ khuradhārūpamaṃ sāsane paṭipattipūraṇaṃ dukkhaṃ, tāpasapabbajjā pana sukarā ceva bahujanasammatā cā’’ti vibbhamitvā tāpaso hoti. Aññe taṃ disvā – ‘‘kiṃ tayā kata’’nti pucchanti. So – ‘‘bhāriyaṃ tumhākaṃ sāsane kammaṃ, idha pana sachandacārino maya’’nti vadati. Sopi, yadi evaṃ ahampi ettheva pabbajāmīti tassa anusikkhanto tāpaso hoti. Evamaññepi aññepīti kamena tāpasāva bahukā honti. Tesaṃ uppannakāle sāsanaṃ osakkitaṃ nāma bhavissati. Loke evarūpo buddho nāma uppajji, tassa īdisaṃ nāma sāsanaṃ ahosīti sutamattameva bhavissati. Idaṃ sandhāya bhagavā tāpasapabbajjaṃ sāsanassa vināsamukhanti āha.

Why is the going forth as an ascetic called a channel of ruin for the Dispensation? Because as the Dispensation continues to advance, it will decline on account of the going forth as an ascetic. For those who, having gone forth in this Dispensation, are unable to fulfill the three trainings, conscientious and desirous of training, feel disgust and avoid them, saying: ‘There is no observance-day, invitation, or legal act of the Saṅgha together with you.’ He, thinking: ‘The fulfillment of practice in the Dispensation is difficult, painful like the edge of a razor; the going forth as an ascetic, however, is both easy and agreed upon by many people,’ disrobes and becomes an ascetic. Others, seeing him, ask: ‘What have you done?’ He says: ‘The work in your Dispensation is heavy, but here we can act according to our own wish.’ That one also, thinking, ‘If so, I too will go forth right here,’ trains after him and becomes an ascetic. In this way others, and yet others, and gradually the ascetics become numerous. When they arise, the Dispensation will have declined. It will merely be something heard: ‘In the world such a Buddha arose, and such a Dispensation was his.’ It is with reference to this that the Blessed One said the going forth as an ascetic is a channel of ruin for the Dispensation.