46.110. The River
i. Seclusion
Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
“Monks.”
“Yes, lord,” replied those monks to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One said:
“Suppose, monks, the river Ganges, that flows, slides and tends towards the east, and there comes a great crowd of folk, armed with pick and basket, saying:
‘We will make this river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west.’
What think ye, monks?
Would that great crowd of folk make the river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west?”
“Surely not, lord.”
“And why not?”
“Because, lord, the river Ganges flows, slides and tends towards the east, it were no easy thing to make it flow, slide and tend towards the west; insomuch that fatigue and vexation would be the lot of that great crowd of folk.”
“Just so, monks, if the rajah's royal ministers or his friends or boon companions or kinsmen or blood relatives were to come to a monk who is cultivating and making much of the Ariyan eightfold way, and were to seek to entice him with wealth, saying:
‘Come, good man!
Why should these yellow robes torment you?
Why parade about with shaven crown and bowl?
Come!
Return to the lower life and enjoy possessions and do deeds of merit,’
for that monk so cultivating and making much of the seven limbs of wisdom return to the lower life is impossible.
Why so?
Because, monks, that monk's heart has for many a long day been bent on detachment, inclined to detachment, turned towards detachment, so that there is no possibility for him to return to the lower life.
And how, monks, does a monk cultivate and make much of the seven limbs of wisdom?
Herein a monk cultivates the limb of wisdom that is mindfulness, which is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, which ends in self-surrender.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is investigation of the Norm, which is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, which ends in self-surrender.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is energy, which is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, which ends in self-surrender.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is zest, which is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, which ends in self-surrender.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is tranquillity, which is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, which ends in self-surrender.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is concentration, which is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, which ends in self-surrender.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is equanimity, which is based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation, which ends in self-surrender.
That is how monks, a monk cultivates and makes much of the seven limbs of wisdom.
ii. Ending in Restraint of Passion
“Suppose, monks, the river Ganges, that flows, slides and tends towards the east, and there comes a great crowd of folk, armed with pick and basket, saying:
‘We will make this river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west.’
What think ye, monks?
Would that great crowd of folk make the river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west?”
“Surely not, lord.”
“And why not?”
“Because, lord, the river Ganges flows, slides and tends towards the east, it were no easy thing to make it flow, slide and tend towards the west; insomuch that fatigue and vexation would be the lot of that great crowd of folk.”
“Just so, monks, if the rajah's royal ministers or his friends or boon companions or kinsmen or blood relatives were to come to a monk who is cultivating and making much of the Ariyan eightfold way, and were to seek to entice him with wealth, saying:
‘Come, good man!
Why should these yellow robes torment you?
Why parade about with shaven crown and bowl?
Come!
Return to the lower life and enjoy possessions and do deeds of merit,’
for that monk so cultivating and making much of the seven limbs of wisdom return to the lower life is impossible.
Why so?
Because, monks, that monk's heart has for many a long day been bent on detachment, inclined to detachment, turned towards detachment, so that there is no possibility for him to return to the lower life.
And how, monks, does a monk cultivate and make much of the seven limbs of wisdom?
Herein a monk cultivates the limb of wisdom that is mindfulness, which ends in the restraint of passion, which ends in the restraint of hatred, which ends in the restraint of illusion.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is investigation of the Norm which ends in the restraint of passion, which ends in the restraint of hatred, which ends in the restraint of illusion.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is energy, which ends in the restraint of passion, which ends in the restraint of hatred, which ends in the restraint of illusion.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is zest, which ends in the restraint of passion, which ends in the restraint of hatred, which ends in the restraint of illusion.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is tranquillity, which ends in the restraint of passion, which ends in the restraint of hatred, which ends in the restraint of illusion.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is concentration, which ends in the restraint of passion, which ends in the restraint of hatred, which ends in the restraint of illusion.
He cultivates the limb of wisdom that is equanimity, which ends in the restraint of passion, which ends in the restraint of hatred, which ends in the restraint of illusion.
That is how monks, a monk cultivates and makes much of the seven limbs of wisdom.
iii. Ending in the Deathless
“Suppose, monks, the river Ganges, that flows, slides and tends towards the east, and there comes a great crowd of folk, armed with pick and basket, saying:
‘We will make this river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west.’
What think ye, monks?
Would that great crowd of folk make the river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west?”
“Surely not, lord.”
“And why not?”
“Because, lord, the river Ganges flows, slides and tends towards the east, it were no easy thing to make it flow, slide and tend towards the west; insomuch that fatigue and vexation would be the lot of that great crowd of folk.”
“Just so, monks, if the rajah's royal ministers or his friends or boon companions or kinsmen or blood relatives were to come to a monk who is cultivating and making much of the Ariyan eightfold way, and were to seek to entice him with wealth, saying:
‘Come, good man!
Why should these yellow robes torment you?
Why parade about with shaven crown and bowl?
Come!
Return to the lower life and enjoy possessions and do deeds of merit,’
for that monk so cultivating and making much of the seven limbs of wisdom return to the lower life is impossible.
Why so?
Because, monks, that monk's heart has for many a long day been bent on detachment, inclined to detachment, turned towards detachment, so that there is no possibility for him to return to the lower life.
And how, monks, does a monk cultivate and make much of the seven limbs of wisdom?
Herein a monk cultivates the limb of wisdom that is mindfulness, which plunges into the deathless, which has the deathless for its aim, which has the deathless for its end;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is investigation of the Norm, which plunges into the deathless, which has the deathless for its aim, which has the deathless for its end;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is energy, which plunges into the deathless, which has the deathless for its aim, which has the deathless for its end;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is zest, which plunges into the deathless, which has the deathless for its aim, which has the deathless for its end;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is tranquillity, which plunges into the deathless, which has the deathless for its aim, which has the deathless for its end;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is concentration, which plunges into the deathless, which has the deathless for its aim, which has the deathless for its end;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is equanimity, which plunges into the deathless, which has the deathless for its aim, which has the deathless for its end.
That is how monks, a monk cultivates and makes much of the seven limbs of wisdom.
iv. Ending in Nibbāna
“Suppose, monks, the river Ganges, that flows, slides and tends towards the east, and there comes a great crowd of folk, armed with pick and basket, saying:
‘We will make this river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west.’
What think ye, monks?
Would that great crowd of folk make the river Ganges flow, slide and tend towards the west?”
“Surely not, lord.”
“And why not?”
“Because, lord, the river Ganges flows, slides and tends towards the east, it were no easy thing to make it flow, slide and tend towards the west; insomuch that fatigue and vexation would be the lot of that great crowd of folk.”
“Just so, monks, if the rajah's royal ministers or his friends or boon companions or kinsmen or blood relatives were to come to a monk who is cultivating and making much of the Ariyan eightfold way, and were to seek to entice him with wealth, saying:
‘Come, good man!
Why should these yellow robes torment you?
Why parade about with shaven crown and bowl?
Come!
Return to the lower life and enjoy possessions and do deeds of merit,’
for that monk so cultivating and making much of the seven limbs of wisdom return to the lower life is impossible.
Why so?
Because, monks, that monk's heart has for many a long day been bent on detachment, inclined to detachment, turned towards detachment, so that there is no possibility for him to return to the lower life.
And how, monks, does a monk cultivate and make much of the seven limbs of wisdom?
Herein a monk cultivates the limb of wisdom that is mindfulness, which flows to Nibbāna, which slides to Nibbāna, which tends to Nibbāna;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is investigation of the Norm, which flows to Nibbāna, which slides to Nibbāna, which tends to Nibbāna;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is energy, which flows to Nibbāna, which slides to Nibbāna, which tends to Nibbāna;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is zest, which flows to Nibbāna, which slides to Nibbāna, which tends to Nibbāna;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is tranquillity, which flows to Nibbāna, which slides to Nibbāna, which tends to Nibbāna;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is concentration, which flows to Nibbāna, which slides to Nibbāna, which tends to Nibbāna;
he cultivates the limb of wisdom that is equanimity, which flows to Nibbāna, which slides to Nibbāna, which tends to Nibbāna.
That is how monks, a monk cultivates and makes much of the seven limbs of wisdom.