Sātāgira
Today’s the lunar fifteenth day—
uposatha—a night divine arrived;
Let’s go to the Teacher Gotama,
him of high repute.Hemavata
Is the mind of such a one
towards all beings well-disposed?
Within his power are his thoughts
towards the wished, the unwished too?Sātāgira
Yes, the mind of such a one
towards all beings well-disposed.
Within his power are his thoughts
towards the wished and unwished too.Hemavata
Is he the one who does not steal?
To beings he’s restrained?
Is he far from indolence?
Does jhāna he neglect?Sātāgira
He is one who does not steal,
to beings he’s restained.
Buddha’s far from indolence;
jhāna he never neglects.Hemavata
Is he not one who falsely speaks?
Does he use harsh or violent words
or employ slanderous ones?
Or a user of meaningless speech?Sātāgira
He’s not one who falsely speaks,
nor uses harsh or violent words;
nor utters words of slander,
but wisdom speaks which benefits.Hemavata
Does he not desire, indulge,
In mind he’s unattached?
Has delusion overcome?
’Mong Dharmas has he Eyes?Sātāgira
He does not desire, indulge,
for his mind is unattached.
Delusions all he’s overcome—
’Mong Dharmas, Buddha’s Eyed.Hemavata
Has true knowledge he attained?
Is his conduct perfect, pure?
Are his inflows now extinct?
Is he not again to be?Sātāgira
Indeed true knowledge he’s attained
and his conduct’s perfect, pure,
for him all inflows are extinct,
so he’ll not again become.Accomplished is the Sage’s mind,
his actions and his ways of speech,
of true Knowledge and conduct he’s possessed—
rightly he is praised.Accomplished is the Sage’s mind,
his actions and his ways of speech,
of true Knowledge and conduct he’s possessed—
rightly you rejoice.Accomplished is the Sage’s mind,
his actions and his ways of speech,
of true Knowledge and conduct he’s possessed—
it’s good that we see Gotama.Who limbed like antelope and lean,
wise, with no greed and having little food,
Sage in the woods who meditates alone—
let us go see Gotama.The Great One like a lion who lives alone,
among all pleasures he’s expectation-free,
let us draw near that we may ask of him
how to escape from the snarefulness of death.O proclaimer of the Dharma, expounding it too,
one who’s beyond all dharmas’ Further Shore,
all fear and hatred you’ve utterly overcome
both of us then of Gotama inquire—Hemavata
What co-arises with the world?
With what’s it make acquaintance?
The world grasps after what indeed?
Why’s the world afflicted?Buddha
Six with the world do co-arise,
with six becomes acquainted,
the world’s attached to six indeed,
so, world’s by six afflicted.Hemavata
The grasping—what is it then
by which the world’s afflicted?
When asked about this, please do speak:
how to be free from dukkha?Buddha
The sensual pleasures five are taught
in the world with mind as six,
having let go of all desire for those,
be thus from dukkha free.This for the world’s the leading out,
its “as-it-is” declared to you,
and this to you I do declare:
be thus from dukkha free.Hemavata
Here, who goes across the flood,
who goes across the sea,
No standpoint or support,
who in the deep sinks not?Buddha
That person ever virtuous,
with wisdom, concentrated well,
with mind turned inward, mindful—
crosses the flood that’s hard to cross.Detached from thoughts of sense-desire,
all fetters overpassed,
delight-in-being quite destroyed—
who in the deep sinks not.Hemavata
Behold the Great Seer of wisdom deep,
of subtle meanings Seer, one owning nought,
unattached to sensual being, free in every way,
proceeding along the pathway of the gods.Behold the Great Seer of perfect repute,
of subtle meanings Seer, of wisdom the imparter,
unattached to the senses’ basis and greatly wise,
all-knower, treading the path of the Noble Ones.Well-viewed by us today indeed,
well-dawned upon us, well-arisen:
the Awaken One we’ve seen,
crossed the flood, from inflows free.These ten hundred Yakkhas here
of great power and renown,
all of them for refuge go—
You are our Teacher unexcelled!Both
Village to village we shall roam,
mount to mount revering him,
the Fully Awakened One, as well
the Dharmaness of Perfect Dharma.
snp.1.9 Suttanipata
The Buddha teaches Sātāgira and Hemavata the Yakkhas
- Translator: Laurence Khantipalo Mills
With Hemavata
said Sātāgira,“Today is the fifteenth day sabbath,”
said Sātāgira, the native spirit of mount Sātā,
“a holy night is at hand.
Come now, let us see Gotama,
the Teacher of peerless name.”
“Isn’t his mind well-disposed,”
said Hemavata, the native spirit of the Himalayas,
“impartial towards all creatures?
And aren’t his thoughts under control
when it comes to likes and dislikes?”
“His mind is well-disposed,”
said Sātāgira,
“impartial towards all creatures.
His thoughts are under control
when it comes to his likes and dislikes.”
“Doesn’t he not steal?”
said Hemavata,
“And doesn’t he harm not a creature?
Isn’t he far from negligence?
And doesn’t he not neglect absorption?”
“He does not take what is not given,”
“and he harms not a creature.
He is far from negligence—
the Buddha does not neglect absorption.”
“Doesn’t he avoid lying?”
said Hemavata,
“And doesn’t he not speak sharply?
Doesn’t he avoid divisive speech,
as well as speaking nonsense?”
“He does not lie,”
said Sātāgira,
“nor does he speak sharply.
He avoids divisive speech,
and thoughtfully speaks wise counsel.”
“Doesn’t he find sensual pleasures unattractive?”
said Hemavata,
“And isn’t his mind unclouded?
Hasn’t he escaped delusion?
And isn’t he seer of truths?”
“He does not find sensual pleasures attractive,”
said Sātāgira,
“and his mind is unclouded.
He has escaped all delusion—
the Buddha is seer of truths.”
“Isn’t he accomplished in knowledge?”
said Hemavata,
“And doesn’t he live a pure life?
Aren’t his defilements all ended?
Doesn’t he have no future lives?”
“He is accomplished in knowledge,”
said Sātāgira,
“and he does live a pure life.
His defilements are all ended,
there are no future lives for him.”
“Accomplished is the sage’s mind
in action and in speech,
and he’s accomplished in knowledge and conduct
as per the teaching you praise.”
“Accomplished is the sage’s mind
in action and in speech,
and he’s accomplished in knowledge and conduct
as per the teaching you rejoice in.
Accomplished is the sage’s mind
in action and in speech,
and he’s accomplished in knowledge and conduct:
come now, let us see Gotama.”
“The hero so lean, with antelope calves,
not greedy, eating little,
the sage meditating alone in the forest,
come now, let us see Gotama.
An elephant, wandering alone like a lion,
unconcerned for sensual pleasures,
let’s approach him and ask about
release from the snare of death.”
“The communicator, the instructor,
who has gone beyond all things,
Awakened, beyond enmity and fear,
let us ask Gotama.”
“What has the world arisen in?”
said Hemavata,
What does it get close to?
By grasping what
is the world troubled in what?”
“The world’s arisen in six,”
said the Buddha to Hemavata.
“It gets close to six.
By grasping at these six,
the world’s troubled in six.”
“What is that grasping
by which the world is troubled?
Tell us the exit when asked:
how is one released from all suffering?”
“There are five kinds of sensual stimulation in the world,
and the mind is said to be the sixth.
When you’ve discarded desire for these,
you’re released from all suffering.
This is the exit from the world,
explained in accord with the truth.
The way I’ve explained it is how
you’re released from all suffering.”
“Who here crosses the flood,
Who crosses the deluge?
Who, not standing and unsupported,
does not sink in the deep?”
“Someone who is always endowed with ethics,
wise and serene,
inwardly reflective, mindful,
crosses the flood so hard to cross.
Someone who desists from sensual perception,
who has escaped all fetters,
and is finished with relishing of rebirth,
does not sink in the deep.”
“Behold him of wisdom deep who sees the subtle meaning,
who has nothing, unattached to sensual life,
everywhere free,
the great hermit treading the holy road.
Behold him of peerless name who sees the subtle meaning,
giver of wisdom, unattached to the realm of sensuality:
see him, the all-knower, so very intelligent,
the great hermit treading the noble road.”
“It was a fine sight for us today,
a good dawn, a good rising,
to see the Awakened One,
the undefiled one who has crossed the flood.
These thousand native spirits
powerful and glorious,
all go to you for refuge,
you are our supreme Teacher.
We shall journey
village to village, peak to peak,
paying homage to the Buddha,
and the natural excellence of the teaching!”