Kapilavatthu in Nigrodha’s Park.

Thus I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Sakyan country at Kapilavatthu in Nigrodha’s Park.

Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side. When he had done so he said: “Venerable Sir, I have long known the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One thus: ‘Greed is an imperfection of mind, hate is an imperfection of mind, delusion is an imperfection of mind.’ Yet while I know the Dhamma as taught by the Blessed One thus, at times ideas (dhammas) of greed invade my mind and remain, ideas of hate invade my mind and remain, ideas of delusion invade my mind and remain: I have wondered, venerable sir, what dhamma is still unabandoned by me in myself owing to which at times these ideas (dhammas) invade my mind and remain.”

“Mahānāma, there is still a dhamma unabandoned in you, owing to which at times ideas (dhammas) of greed… of hate… of delusion invade your mind and remain; for were that dhamma already abandoned by you in yourself you would not be living the house life, you would not be enjoying sensual desires. It is because there is still that dhamma unabandoned by you in yourself that you are living the house life and enjoying sensual desires.

“If, though a Noble Disciple has clearly seen, as it actually is, with right understanding how sensual desires provide little gratification and much suffering and despair, and how great is the danger in them, then for as long as he still does not attain to the happiness and pleasure that are quite apart from sensual desires, apart from unprofitable dhammas, or to something more peaceful even than that, he is still not averse to sensual desires.

“But when a noble disciple has clearly seen, as it actually is, with right understanding how sensual desires provide little gratification and much suffering and despair and how great is the danger in them, then when he attains to the happiness and pleasure that are quite apart from sensual desires, apart from unprofitable dhammas, or to something more peaceful even than that, he is no more unaverse to sensual desires.

“Before my enlightenment, while I was still only an unenlightened Bodhisatta, when I too saw clearly as it actually is, with right understanding, how sensual desires provide little gratification and much suffering and despair, and how great is the danger in them, then for as long as I still did not attain to the happiness and pleasure that are quite apart from sensual desires, apart from unprofitable dhammas, or to something more peaceful even than that, I recognized that I was still not averse to sensual desires.

“But when I clearly saw, as it actually is, with right understanding, how sensual desires provide little gratification and much suffering and despair, and how great is the danger in them, then when I attained to the happiness and pleasure that are quite apart from sensual desire, apart from unprofitable dhammas, or to something more peaceful even than that, I recognized that I was no more unaverse to sensual desires.

(i) “And what is the gratification in the case of sensual desires? Mahānāma, there are… these five cords of sensual desires. What are the five? Forms cognizable through the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable and likable, connected with sensual desire, and provocative of lust. Sounds cognizable through the ear… Odours cognizable through the nose… Flavours cognizable through the tongue… Tangibles cognizable through the body that are wished for, desired, agreeable and likable, connected with sensual desire, and provocative of lust. These are the five cords of sensual desire.

“Now the pleasure and joy that arise dependent on those five cords of sensual desire are the gratification in the case of sensual desires.

(ii) “And what is the danger in the case of sensual desires?

“Here, bhikkhus, on account of the calling by which a clansman makes a living, whether checking or accounting or calculating or ploughing or trading or cattle farming or archery or as a king’s man, or whatever the calling may be, he has to face cold, he has to face heat, he is harassed by mosquitoes and flies, wind and sun and creeping things, risking death by hunger and thirst.

“Now this danger in the case of sensual desires, this mass of suffering visible here and now, has sensual desires for its reason, sensual desires for its source, sensual desires for its cause, the reason being simply sensual desires.

“If no property comes to the clansman while he works and strives and makes efforts thus, he sorrows, grieves and laments, beating his breast he weeps till he is distraught, crying: ‘My work is vain, my work is fruitless!’

“Now this danger too in the case of sensual desires… the reason being simply sensual desires.

“If property comes to the clansman while he works and strives and makes efforts thus, he experiences pain and grief in protecting it: ‘How shall neither kings nor thieves make off with my property nor fire burn it nor water sweep it away nor hateful heirs make off with it?’

“And as he guards and protects his property, kings or thieves make off with it or fire burns it or water sweeps it away or hateful heirs make off with it. And he sorrows, grieves and laments, beating his breast he weeps till he is distraught, crying: ‘What I had I have no more.’

“Now this danger too in the case of sensual desires… the reason being simply sensual desires.

“Again, with sensual desires for the reason, sensual desires for the source, sensual desires for the cause, the reason being simply sensual desires, kings quarrel with kings, warrior-nobles with warrior-nobles, divines with divines, householders with householders, mother with child, child with mother, father with child, child with father, brother with brother, brother with sister, friend with friend. And here in their quarrels, brawls and disputes they attack each other with fists or with clods or with sticks or with knives, whereby they incur death or deadly suffering.

“Now this danger too in the case of sensual desires… the reason being simply sensual desires.

“Again, with sensual desires for the reason… men take swords and shields and buckle on bows and quivers, and they charge into battle massed in double array with arrows and spears flying and swords flashing; and there they are wounded by arrows and spears, and their heads are cut off by swords, whereby they incur death or deadly suffering.

“Now this danger too in the case of sensual desires… the reason is simply sensual desires.,

“Again, with sensual desires for the reason… men take swords and shields and buckle on bows and quivers, and they charge slippery bastions, with arrows and spears flying, and swords flashing; and there they are wounded by arrows and spears and splashed with boiling liquids and crushed under heavy weights, and their heads are cut off by swords, whereby they incur death or deadly suffering.

“Now this danger too in the case of sensual desires… the reason is simply sensual desires.

“Again, with sensual desires for the reason… men break in and steal, turn bandit, rob highways, seduce others’ wives; so that when they are caught, kings have many kinds of torture inflicted on them.

“They have them flogged with whips, beaten with canes, beaten with clubs, they have their hands cut off, their feet cut off, their hands and feet cut off, their ears cut off, their noses cut off, their ears and noses cut off, they have them subjected to the ‘porridge-pot’, to the ‘polished-shell shave’, to the ‘eclipse’s mouth’, to the ‘fiery wreath’, to the ‘fiery hand’, to the ‘blades of grass’, to the ‘bark dress’, to the ‘antelope’, to the ‘meat-hooks’, to the ‘coins’, to the ‘lye-pickling’, to the ‘pivoting-pin’, to the ‘rolled-up palliasse’, and they have them splashed with boiling oil, and they have them thrown to dogs to devour, and they have them impaled alive on stakes, and they have their heads cut off with swords, whereby they incur death or deadly suffering.

“Now this danger too in the case of sensual desires… the reason is simply sensual desires.

“Again, with sensual desires for the reason, sensual desires for the source, sensual desires for the cause, the reason being simply sensual desires, men indulge in misconduct of body, speech and mind: on the dissolution of the body, after death, they reappear in states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. Now this danger in the case of sensual desires, this mass of suffering in lives to come, has sensual desires for its reason, sensual desires for its source, sensual desires for its cause, the reason being simply sensual desires.

“Now, Mahānāma, on one occasion I was living at Rajagaha on the Vulture Peak Rock. On that occasion a number of Niganthas (Jains) living on the Black Rock on the slopes of the Anchorets’ Gullet (Isigili) were practising continuous standing, rejecting seats, and experiencing painful, racking, piercing feelings due to striving.

“Then when it was evening, I rose from meditation, and went to the Niganthas there. I asked them: ‘Friends, why do you practise continuous standing, rejecting seats, and experiencing painful, racking, piercing feelings due to striving?’

“When this was said, they replied: ‘Friend, the Nigantha Nataputta, the Omniscient All-seer, claims to have complete knowledge and vision thus: “Whether I am walking or standing or sleeping or waking, my knowledge and vision are continuously, unceasingly maintained.” He says thus: “Niganthas, you have done evil kammas in the past; exhaust them with piercing mortification. And when you are here and now restrained in body, speech and mind, that is doing no evil kammas for the future. So by annihilating with penance past evil kammas, and by doing no fresh evil kammas, there will be no consequence in the future.With no consequence in the future there is exhaustion of kammas. With exhaustion of kammas there is exhaustion of suffering. With exhaustion of suffering there is exhaustion of feeling. With the exhaustion of feeling all suffering will be used up.” This is our preference and to our liking, and we are satisfied with it.’

“When this was said, I told them: ‘But, friends, do you know that you existed in the past, and that it is not that your were not?’”

“‘No, friend.’

“‘But, friends, do you know that you did evil kammas in that past and did not abstain from them?’

“‘No, friend.’

“‘But, friends, do you know that so much suffering has already been used up or that so much suffering has still to be used up or that when so much suffering has been used up all suffering will have been used up?’

“‘No, friend.’

“‘But, friends, do you know what the abandoning of unprofitable dhammas is and the cultivation of profitable dhammas here and now?’

“‘No, friend.’

“‘So, friends, it seems that you do not know that you were in the past and that it is not that you were not; or that you did evil kammas in the past and did not abstain from them; or that you did such and such evil kammas; or that so much suffering has already been used up; or that when so much suffering has been used up, all suffering will have been used up; or what the abandoning of unprofitable dhammas is and the cultivation of profitable dhammas here and now. That being so, those who are murderers, bloody-handed evil-doers in the world go into homelessness as Niganthas when they are reborn among human beings?’

“‘Friend Gotama, pleasure is not to be gained through pleasure; pleasure is to be gained through pain. For were pleasure to be gained through pleasure, then Seniya Bimbisara king of Madagha would gain pleasure, since he abides in greater pleasure than the venerable Gotama does.’

“‘Surely the venerable Niganthas have uttered those words rashly and without reflection. Rather it is I who ought to be asked: “Who abides in greater pleasure: Seniya Bimbisara king of Magadha or the venerable Gotama?”’

“‘Surely, friend Gotama, we uttered those words rashly and without reflection. But let that be. Now we ask the venerable Gotama: “Who abides in greater pleasure: Seniya Bimbisara of Magadha or the venerable Gotama?”’

“‘Then, friends, I shall ask you a question in return. Answer it as you like. How do you conceive this, friends, can Seniya Bimbisara king of Magadha abide without moving this body or uttering a word for seven days experiencing unremitting pleasure?’

“‘No, friend.’

“‘How do you conceive this, friends, can Seniya Bimbisara… without moving his body… six days… five… four… three… two… one day experiencing unremitting pleasure?’

“‘No, friend.’

“‘Friends, I can abide without moving my body or uttering a word for one day… two… three… four… five… six… seven days experiencing unremitting pleasure.

“‘How do you conceive this, friends, that being so, who dwells in greater pleasure: Seniya Bimbisara king of Magadha or I?’

“‘That being so, the venerable Gotama abides in greater pleasure than Seniya Bimbisara king of Magadha does.’”

That is what the Blessed One said. Mahānāma the Sakyan was satisfied, and he delighted in the Blessed One’s words.