The Lion’s Roar at the Monastery of Lady Udumbarikā 18.1-18

18.1

“Kittāvatā pana, bhante, tapojigucchā aggappattā ca hoti sārappattā ca?

“But at what point, sir, does the fervent mortification in disgust of sin reach the peak and the pith?

18.2

Sādhu me, bhante, bhagavā tapojigucchāya aggaññeva pāpetu, sāraññeva pāpetū”ti.

Please help me reach the peak and the pith!”

18.3

“Idha, nigrodha, tapassī cātuyāmasaṃvarasaṃvuto hoti.

“Nigrodha, take a mortifier who is restrained in the fourfold constraint.

18.4

Kathañca, nigrodha, tapassī cātuyāmasaṃvarasaṃvuto hoti …pe…

18.5

yato kho, nigrodha, tapassī cātuyāmasaṃvarasaṃvuto hoti, aduṃ cassa hoti tapassitāya.

18.6

So abhiharati no hīnāyāvattati.

18.7

So vivittaṃ senāsanaṃ bhajati …pe…

18.8

so ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe

They give up these five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom.

18.9

mettāsahagatena cetasā …pe…

Then they meditate spreading a heart full of love …

18.10

karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …pe…

compassion …

18.11

muditāsahagatena cetasā …pe…

rejoicing …

18.12

upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.

equanimity.

18.13

So anekavihitaṃ pubbenivāsaṃ anussarati seyyathidaṃ—ekampi jātiṃ dvepi jātiyo tissopi jātiyo catassopi jātiyo pañcapi jātiyo dasapi jātiyo vīsampi jātiyo tiṃsampi jātiyo cattālīsampi jātiyo paññāsampi jātiyo jātisatampi jātisahassampi jātisatasahassampi anekepi saṃvaṭṭakappe anekepi vivaṭṭakappe anekepi saṃvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe: ‘amutrāsiṃ evaṃnāmo evaṅgotto evaṃvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṃsukhadukkhappaṭisaṃvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto amutra udapādiṃ, tatrāpāsiṃ evaṃnāmo evaṅgotto evaṃvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṃsukhadukkhappaṭisaṃvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto idhūpapanno’ti. Iti sākāraṃ sauddesaṃ anekavihitaṃ pubbenivāsaṃ anussarati.

They recollect many kinds of past lives, that is, one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

18.14

Taṃ kiṃ maññasi, nigrodha,

What do you think, Nigrodha?

18.15

yadi evaṃ sante tapojigucchā parisuddhā vā hoti aparisuddhā vā”ti?

If this is so, is the fervent mortification in disgust of sin purified or not?”

18.16

“Addhā kho, bhante, evaṃ sante tapojigucchā parisuddhā hoti, no aparisuddhā, aggappattā ca sārappattā cā”ti.

“Clearly, sir, it is purified. It has reached the peak and the pith.”

18.17

“Na kho, nigrodha, ettāvatā tapojigucchā aggappattā ca hoti sārappattā ca;

“No, Nigrodha, at this point the fervent mortification in disgust of sin has not yet reached the peak and the pith.

18.18

api ca kho phegguppattā hotī”ti.

Rather, it has only reached the softwood.”