1At Sāvatthī.

There the Buddha addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants!”

“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

2“Once upon a time, mendicants, a battle was fought between the gods and the demons. Then Sakka, lord of gods, addressed the gods of the Thirty-Three:

3‘Good sirs, when the gods are fighting, if you get scared or terrified, just look up at my banner’s crest.

Then your fear and terror will go away.

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4If you can’t see my banner’s crest, then look up at the banner’s crest of Pajāpati, king of gods. Then your fear and terror will go away.

5If you can’t see his banner’s crest, then look up at the banner’s crest of Varuṇa, king of gods. Then your fear and terror will go away.

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6If you can’t see his banner’s crest, then look up at the banner’s crest of Īsāna, king of gods. Then your fear and terror will go away.’

7However, when they look up at those banner’s crests their fear and terror might go away or it might not.

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8Why is that? Because Sakka is not free of greed, hate, and delusion. He gets fearful, scared, terrified, and runs away.

9But, mendicants, I say this: If you’ve gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut and you get scared or terrified, just recollect me: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ Then your fear and terror will go away.

10If you can’t recollect me, then recollect the teaching: ‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha—visible in this very life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.’ Then your fear and terror will go away.

11If you can’t recollect the teaching, then recollect the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, straightforward, methodical, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individuals. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’ Then your fear and terror will go away.

12Why is that? Because the Realized One is free of greed, hate, and delusion. He does not get fearful, scared, terrified, or run away.”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

13“In the wilderness, at a tree’s root,
or an empty hut, O mendicants,
recollect the Buddha,
and no fear will come to you.

14If you can’t recollect the Buddha—
the eldest in the world, the bull of a man—
then recollect the teaching,
emancipating, well taught.

15If you can’t recollect the teaching—
emancipating, well taught—
then recollect the Saṅgha,
the supreme field of merit.

16Thus recollecting the Buddha,
the teaching, and the Saṅgha, mendicants,
fear and terror
and goosebumps will be no more.”

1Sāvatthiyaṁ.

Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "bhikkhavo"ti.

"Bhadante"ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca: 

2"Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, devāsurasaṅgāmo samupabyūḷho ahosi. Atha kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo deve tāvatiṁse āmantesi: 

3‘Sace, mārisā, devānaṁ saṅgāmagatānaṁ uppajjeyya bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, mameva tasmiṁ samaye dhajaggaṁ ullokeyyātha.

Mamañhi vo dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyissati.

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4No ce me dhajaggaṁ ullokeyyātha, atha pajāpatissa devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokeyyātha. Pajāpatissa hi vo devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyissati.

5No ce pajāpatissa devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokeyyātha, atha varuṇassa devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokeyyātha. Varuṇassa hi vo devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyissati.

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6No ce varuṇassa devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokeyyātha, atha īsānassa devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokeyyātha. Īsānassa hi vo devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyissatī’ti.

7Taṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, sakkassa vā devānamindassa dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ, pajāpatissa vā devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ, varuṇassa vā devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ, īsānassa vā devarājassa dhajaggaṁ ullokayataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyethāpi nopi pahīyetha.

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8Taṁ kissa hetu? Sakko hi, bhikkhave, devānamindo avītarāgo avītadoso avītamoho bhīru chambhī utrāsī palāyīti.

9Ahañca kho, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadāmi: ‘sace tumhākaṁ, bhikkhave, araññagatānaṁ vā rukkhamūlagatānaṁ vā suññāgāragatānaṁ vā uppajjeyya bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, mameva tasmiṁ samaye anussareyyātha: "itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā"ti. Mamañhi vo, bhikkhave, anussarataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyissati.

10No ce maṁ anussareyyātha, atha dhammaṁ anussareyyātha: "svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo sandiṭṭhiko akāliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī"ti. Dhammañhi vo, bhikkhave, anussarataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyissati.

11No ce dhammaṁ anussareyyātha, atha saṅghaṁ anussareyyātha: "suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho ujuppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho ñāyappaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho sāmīcippaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, yadidaṁ cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭha purisapuggalā esa bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā"ti. Saṅghañhi vo, bhikkhave, anussarataṁ yaṁ bhavissati bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā lomahaṁso vā, so pahīyissati.

12Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathāgato hi, bhikkhave, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vītarāgo vītadoso vītamoho abhīru acchambhī anutrāsī apalāyī’"ti.

Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā: 

13"Araññe rukkhamūle vā,
suññāgāreva bhikkhavo;
Anussaretha sambuddhaṁ,
bhayaṁ tumhāka no siyā.

14No ce buddhaṁ sareyyātha,
lokajeṭṭhaṁ narāsabhaṁ;
Atha dhammaṁ sareyyātha,
niyyānikaṁ sudesitaṁ.

15No ce dhammaṁ sareyyātha,
niyyānikaṁ sudesitaṁ;
Atha saṅghaṁ sareyyātha,
puññakkhettaṁ anuttaraṁ.

16Evaṁ buddhaṁ sarantānaṁ,
Dhammaṁ saṅghañca bhikkhavo;
Bhayaṁ vā chambhitattaṁ vā,
Lomahaṁso na hessatī"ti.