5: The Book of the Fives
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
“Mendicants, a mendicant with five qualities is an exquisite ascetic of ascetics.
2What five?
It’s when a mendicant usually uses only what they’ve been invited to accept — robes, alms-food, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick — rarely using them without invitation.
When living with other spiritual practitioners, they usually treat them agreeably by way of body, speech, and mind, and rarely disagreeably. And they usually present them with agreeable things, rarely with disagreeable ones.
They’re healthy, so the various unpleasant feelings — stemming from disorders of bile, phlegm, wind, or their conjunction; or caused by change in weather, by not taking care of themselves, by overexertion, or as the result of past deeds — usually don’t come up.
They get the four absorptions — blissful meditations in the present life that belong to the higher mind — when they want, without trouble or difficulty. And they realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.
A mendicant with these five qualities is an exquisite ascetic of ascetics.
3And if anyone should be rightly called an exquisite ascetic of ascetics, it’s me. For I usually use only what I’ve been invited to accept. When living with other spiritual practitioners, I usually treat them agreeably. And I usually present them with agreeable things. I’m healthy. I get the four absorptions when I want, without trouble or difficulty. And I’ve realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life.
4So if anyone should be rightly called an exquisite ascetic of ascetics, it’s me.”
1"Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo hoti.
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu yācitova bahulaṁ cīvaraṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ senāsanaṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ gilānapaccayabhesajjaparikkhāraṁ paribhuñjati, appaṁ ayācito.
Yehi kho pana sabrahmacārīhi saddhiṁ viharati, tyassa manāpeneva bahulaṁ kāyakammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ vacīkammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ manokammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpaṁyeva upahāraṁ upāhāranti, appaṁ amanāpaṁ.
Yāni kho pana tāni vedayitāni pittasamuṭṭhānāni vā semhasamuṭṭhānāni vā vātasamuṭṭhānāni vā sannipātikāni vā utupariṇāmajāni vā visamaparihārajāni vā opakkamikāni vā kammavipākajāni vā, tānissa na bahudeva uppajjanti.
Appābādho hoti, catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.
Imehi kho, bhikkhave, pañcahi dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo hoti.
3Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo’ti, mameva taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo’ti. Ahañhi, bhikkhave, yācitova bahulaṁ cīvaraṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ senāsanaṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito; yācitova bahulaṁ gilānapaccayabhesajjaparikkhāraṁ paribhuñjāmi, appaṁ ayācito. Yehi kho pana bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ viharāmi, te maṁ manāpeneva bahulaṁ kāyakammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ vacīkammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpeneva bahulaṁ manokammena samudācaranti, appaṁ amanāpena; manāpaṁyeva upahāraṁ upāhāranti, appaṁ amanāpaṁ. Yāni kho pana tāni vedayitāni – pittasamuṭṭhānāni vā semhasamuṭṭhānāni vā vātasamuṭṭhānāni vā sannipātikāni vā utupariṇāmajāni vā visamaparihārajāni vā opakkamikāni vā kammavipākajāni vā – tāni me na bahudeva uppajjanti. Appābādhohamasmi, catunnaṁ kho panasmi jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī akicchalābhī akasiralābhī, āsavānaṁ khayā … pe … sacchikatvā upasampajja viharāmi.
4Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo’ti, mameva taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘samaṇesu samaṇasukhumālo’"ti.
Catutthaṁ.