1“Mendicants, suppose that, although the Ganges river slants, slopes, and inclines to the east, a large crowd were to come along with a spade and basket, saying: ‘We’ll make this Ganges river slant, slope, and incline to the west!’

What do you think, mendicants? Would they succeed?”

“No, sir. Why is that? The Ganges river slants, slopes, and inclines to the east. It’s not easy to make it slant, slope, and incline to the west. That large crowd will eventually get weary and frustrated.”

“In the same way, while a mendicant develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path, if rulers or their ministers, friends or colleagues, relatives or family should invite them to accept wealth, saying: ‘Please, mister, why let these ocher robes torment you? Why follow the practice of shaving your head and carrying an alms bowl? Come, return to a lesser life, enjoy wealth, and make merit!’ It’s simply impossible for a mendicant who develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path to reject the training and return to a lesser life. Why is that? Because for a long time that mendicant’s mind has slanted, sloped, and inclined to seclusion. So it’s impossible for them to return to a lesser life.

And how does a mendicant develop the noble eightfold path? It’s when a mendicant develops right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go. That’s how a mendicant develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path.”

1"Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gangā nadī pācīnaninnā pācīnapoṇā pācīnapabbhārā. Atha mahājanakāyo āgaccheyya kuddālapiṭakaṁ ādāya: ‘mayaṁ imaṁ gangaṁ nadiṁ pacchāninnaṁ karissāma pacchāpoṇaṁ pacchā­pabbhāran’ti.

Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, api nu so mahājanakāyo gangaṁ nadiṁ pacchāninnaṁ kareyya pacchāpoṇaṁ pacchā­pabbhāran"ti?

"No hetaṁ, bhante". "Taṁ kissa hetu"? "Gangā, bhante, nadī pācīnaninnā pācīnapoṇā pācīnapabbhārā. Sā na sukarā pacchāninnaṁ kātuṁ pacchāpoṇaṁ pacchā­pabbhāraṁ. Yāvadeva pana so mahājanakāyo kilamathassa vighātassa bhāgī assā"ti.

"Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhuṁ ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāventaṁ ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarontaṁ rājāno vā rājamahāmattā vā mittā vā amaccā vā ñātī vā ñātisālohitā vā bhogehi abhihaṭṭhuṁ pavāreyyuṁ: ‘ehambho purisa, kiṁ te ime kāsāvā anudahanti, kiṁ muṇḍo kapālamanusaṁcarasi. Ehi, hīnāyāvattitvā bhoge ca bhuñjassu, puññāni ca karohī’ti. So vata, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattissatīti – netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. Taṁ kissa hetu? Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, cittaṁ dīgharattaṁ vivekaninnaṁ vivekapoṇaṁ vivekapabbhāraṁ taṁ vata hīnāyāvattissatīti – netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaroti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ … pe … sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodha­nissitaṁ vossaggapari­ṇāmiṁ … evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bhāveti, ariyaṁ aṭṭhangikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkarotī"ti.

Yadapi balakaraṇīyaṁ, tadapi vitthāretabbaṁ.

Dvādasamaṁ.

Balakaraṇīyavaggo chaṭṭho.

2Balaṁ bījañca nāgo ca,
rukkho kumbhena sūkiyā;
Ākāsena ca dve meghā,
nāvā āgantukā nadīti.