3: The Book of the Threes
X. A Lump of Salt — AN 3.93: Seclusion
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
1“Mendicants, wanderers who follow other paths advocate three kinds of seclusion. What three? Seclusion in robes, alms-food, and lodgings.
2Wanderers who follow other paths advocate this kind of seclusion in robes. They wear robes of sunn hemp, mixed hemp, corpse-wrapping cloth, rags, lodh tree bark, antelope hide (whole or in strips), kusa grass, bark, wood-chips, human hair, horse-tail hair, or owls’ wings. This is what wanderers who follow other paths advocate for seclusion in robes.
3Wanderers who follow other paths advocate this kind of seclusion in alms-food. They eat herbs, millet, wild rice, poor rice, water lettuce, rice bran, scum from boiling rice, sesame flour, grass, or cow dung. They survive on forest roots and fruits, or eating fallen fruit. This is what the wanderers who follow other paths advocate for seclusion in alms-food.
4Wanderers who follow other paths advocate this kind of seclusion in lodgings. They stay in a wilderness, at the root of a tree, in a charnel ground, a forest, the open air, a heap of straw, or a threshing-hut. This is what wanderers who follow other paths advocate for seclusion in lodgings.
These are the three kinds of seclusion that wanderers who follow other paths advocate.
5In this teaching and training, there are three kinds of seclusion for a mendicant. What three?
Firstly, a mendicant is ethical, giving up unethical conduct, being secluded from it. They have right view, giving up wrong view, being secluded from it. They’ve ended defilements, giving up defilements, being secluded from them.
When a mendicant has these three kinds of seclusion, they’re called a mendicant who has reached the peak and the pith, being pure and grounded in the essential.
6When a farmer’s rice field is ripe, they’d have the rice cut swiftly, gathered swiftly, transported swiftly, made into heaps swiftly, threshed swiftly, the straw and chaff removed swiftly, winnowed swiftly, brought over swiftly, threshed swiftly, and have the husks removed swiftly. In this way that farmer’s crop would reach the peak and the pith, being pure and consisting only of what is essential.
7In the same way, when a mendicant is ethical, giving up unethical conduct, being secluded from it; when they have right view, giving up wrong view, being secluded from it; when they’ve ended defilements, giving up defilements, being secluded from them: they’re called a mendicant who has reached the peak and the pith, being pure and grounded in the essential.”
1"Tīṇimāni, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā pavivekāni paññāpenti. Katamāni tīṇi? Cīvarapavivekaṁ, piṇḍapātapavivekaṁ, senāsanapavivekaṁ.
2Tatridaṁ, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā cīvarapavivekasmiṁ paññāpenti, sāṇānipi dhārenti, masāṇānipi dhārenti, chavadussānipi dhārenti, paṁsukūlānipi dhārenti, tirīṭānipi dhārenti, ajinampi dhārenti, ajinakkhipampi dhārenti, kusacīrampi dhārenti, vākacīrampi dhārenti, phalakacīrampi dhārenti, kesakambalampi dhārenti, vālakambalampi dhārenti, ulūkapakkhikampi dhārenti. Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā cīvarapavivekasmiṁ paññāpenti.
3Tatridaṁ, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā piṇḍapātapavivekasmiṁ paññāpenti. Sākabhakkhāpi honti, sāmākabhakkhāpi honti, nīvārabhakkhāpi honti, daddulabhakkhāpi honti, haṭabhakkhāpi honti, kaṇabhakkhāpi honti, ācāmabhakkhāpi honti, piññākabhakkhāpi honti, tiṇabhakkhāpi honti, gomayabhakkhāpi honti, vanamūlaphalāhārā yāpenti pavattaphalabhojī. Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā piṇḍapātapavivekasmiṁ paññāpenti.
4Tatridaṁ, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā senāsanapavivekasmiṁ paññāpenti araññaṁ rukkhamūlaṁ susānaṁ vanapatthaṁ abbhokāsaṁ palālapuñjaṁ bhusāgāraṁ. Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā senāsanapavivekasmiṁ paññāpenti.
Imāni kho, bhikkhave, tīṇi aññatitthiyā paribbājakā pavivekāni paññāpenti.
5Tīṇi kho panimāni, bhikkhave, imasmiṁ dhammavinaye bhikkhuno pavivekāni. Katamāni tīṇi?
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlavā ca hoti, dussīlyañcassa pahīnaṁ hoti, tena ca vivitto hoti; sammādiṭṭhiko ca hoti, micchādiṭṭhi cassa pahīnā hoti, tāya ca vivitto hoti; khīṇāsavo ca hoti, āsavā cassa pahīnā honti, tehi ca vivitto hoti.
Yato kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, dussīlyañcassa pahīnaṁ hoti, tena ca vivitto hoti; sammādiṭṭhiko ca hoti, micchādiṭṭhi cassa pahīnā hoti, tāya ca vivitto hoti; khīṇāsavo ca hoti, āsavā cassa pahīnā honti, tehi ca vivitto hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ‘bhikkhu aggappatto sārappatto suddho sāre patiṭṭhito’.
6Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kassakassa gahapatissa sampannaṁ sālikkhettaṁ. Tamenaṁ kassako gahapati sīghaṁ sīghaṁ lavāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ lavāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ saṅgharāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ saṅgharāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ ubbahāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ ubbahāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ puñjaṁ kārāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ puñjaṁ kārāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ maddāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ maddāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ palālāni uddharāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ palālāni uddharāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ bhusikaṁ uddharāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ bhusikaṁ uddharāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ opunāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ opunāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ atiharāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ atiharāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ koṭṭāpeyya. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ koṭṭāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ thusāni uddharāpeyya. Evamassu tāni, bhikkhave, kassakassa gahapatissa dhaññāni aggappattāni sārappattāni suddhāni sāre patiṭṭhitāni.
7Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yato bhikkhu sīlavā ca hoti, dussīlyañcassa pahīnaṁ hoti, tena ca vivitto hoti; sammādiṭṭhiko ca hoti, micchādiṭṭhi cassa pahīnā hoti, tāya ca vivitto hoti; khīṇāsavo ca hoti, āsavā cassa pahīnā honti, tehi ca vivitto hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ‘bhikkhu aggappatto sārappatto suddho sāre patiṭṭhito’"ti.
Dutiyaṁ.