The Level of the Tamed · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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Yato kho, aggivessana, āraññako nāgo hatthidamakassa tiṇaghāsodakaṁ paṭiggaṇhāti, tatra hatthidamakassa evaṁ hoti: ‘jīvissati kho dāni āraññako nāgo’ti. Tamenaṁ hatthidamako uttari kāraṇaṁ kāreti: ‘ādiya, bho, nikkhipa, bho’ti. Yato kho, aggivessana, āraññako nāgo hatthidamakassa ādānanikkhepe vacanakaro hoti ovādappaṭikaro, tamenaṁ hatthidamako uttari kāraṇaṁ kāreti: ‘abhikkama, bho, paṭikkama, bho’ti. Yato kho, aggivessana, āraññako nāgo hatthidamakassa abhikkamapaṭikkamavacanakaro hoti ovādappaṭikaro, tamenaṁ hatthidamako uttari kāraṇaṁ kāreti: ‘uṭṭhaha, bho, nisīda, bho’ti.
When the wild elephant accepts the grass, fodder, and water, the trainer knows, ‘Now the wild elephant will survive!’ He sets it a further task: ‘Pick it up, worthy sir! Put it down, worthy sir!’ When the wild elephant picks up and puts down when the trainer says, following instructions, the trainer sets it a further task: ‘Forward, worthy sir! Back, worthy sir!’ When the wild elephant goes forward and back when the trainer says, following instructions, the trainer sets it a further task: ‘Stand, worthy sir! Sit, worthy sir!’
Yato kho, aggivessana, āraññako nāgo hatthidamakassa uṭṭhānanisajjāya vacanakaro hoti ovādappaṭikaro, tamenaṁ hatthidamako uttari āneñjaṁ nāma kāraṇaṁ kāreti, mahantassa phalakaṁ soṇḍāya upanibandhati, tomarahattho ca puriso uparigīvāya nisinno hoti, samantato ca tomarahatthā purisā parivāretvā ṭhitā honti, hatthidamako ca dīghatomarayaṭṭhiṁ gahetvā purato ṭhito hoti. So āneñjaṁ kāraṇaṁ kāriyamāno neva purime pāde copeti na pacchime pāde copeti, na purimakāyaṁ copeti na pacchimakāyaṁ copeti, na sīsaṁ copeti, na kaṇṇe copeti, na dante copeti, na naṅguṭṭhaṁ copeti, na soṇḍaṁ copeti. So hoti āraññako nāgo khamo sattippahārānaṁ asippahārānaṁ usuppahārānaṁ sarapattappahārānaṁ bheripaṇavavaṁsasaṅkhaḍiṇḍimaninnādasaddānaṁ sabbavaṅkadosanihitaninnītakasāvo rājāraho rājabhoggo rañño aṅganteva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.
When the wild elephant stands and sits when the trainer says, following instructions, the trainer sets the task called imperturbability. He fastens a large plank to its trunk; a lancer sits on its neck; other lancers surround it on all sides; and the trainer himself stands in front with a long lance. While practicing this task, it doesn’t budge its fore-feet or hind-feet, its fore-quarters or hind-quarters, its head, ears, tusks, tail, or trunk. The wild bull elephant endures being struck by spears, swords, arrows, and axes; it endures the thunder of the drums, kettledrums, pipes, horns, and tom-toms. Rid of all crooks and flaws, and purged of defects, it is worthy of a king, fit to serve a king, and reckoned a factor of kingship.
Evameva kho, aggivessana, idha tathāgato loke uppajjati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā. So imaṁ lokaṁ sadevakaṁ samārakaṁ sabrahmakaṁ sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiṁ pajaṁ sadevamanussaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedeti. So dhammaṁ deseti ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāseti.
In the same way, Aggivessana, a Realized One arises in the world, perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed. He realizes with his own insight this world—with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, gods and humans—and he makes it known to others. He teaches Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And he reveals a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure.
Taṁ dhammaṁ suṇāti gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā aññatarasmiṁ vā kule paccājāto. So taṁ dhammaṁ sutvā tathāgate saddhaṁ paṭilabhati. So tena saddhāpaṭilābhena samannāgato iti paṭisañcikkhati: ‘sambādho gharāvāso rajāpatho, abbhokāso pabbajjā. Nayidaṁ sukaraṁ agāraṁ ajjhāvasatā ekantaparipuṇṇaṁ ekantaparisuddhaṁ saṅkhalikhitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carituṁ. Yannūnāhaṁ kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajeyyan’ti. So aparena samayena appaṁ vā bhogakkhandhaṁ pahāya mahantaṁ vā bhogakkhandhaṁ pahāya appaṁ vā ñātiparivaṭṭaṁ pahāya mahantaṁ vā ñātiparivaṭṭaṁ pahāya kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajati. Ettāvatā kho, aggivessana, ariyasāvako abbhokāsagato hoti. Etthagedhā hi, aggivessana, devamanussā yadidaṁ—pañca kāmaguṇā.
A householder hears that teaching, or a householder’s child, or someone reborn in a good family. They gain faith in the Realized One and reflect: ‘Life at home is cramped and dirty, life gone forth is wide open. It’s not easy for someone living at home to lead the spiritual life utterly full and pure, like a polished shell. Why don’t I shave off my hair and beard, dress in ocher robes, and go forth from the lay life to homelessness?’ After some time they give up a large or small fortune, and a large or small family circle. They shave off hair and beard, dress in ocher robes, and go forth from the lay life to homelessness. And it’s only then that a noble disciple comes out into the open, for gods and humans cling to the five kinds of sensual stimulation.
Tamenaṁ tathāgato uttariṁ vineti: ‘ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlavā hohi, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharāhi ācāragocarasampanno, aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhassu sikkhāpadesū’ti.
The Realized One guides them further: ‘Come, mendicant, be ethical and restrained in the monastic code, conducting yourself well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, keep the rules you’ve undertaken.’
Yato kho, aggivessana, ariyasāvako sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu, tamenaṁ tathāgato uttariṁ vineti: ‘ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, indriyesu guttadvāro hohi, cakkhunā rūpaṁ disvā mā nimittaggāhī …pe…
When they have ethical conduct, the Realized One guides them further: ‘Come, mendicant, guard your sense doors. When you see a sight with your eyes, don’t get caught up in the features and details. …
(yathā gaṇakamoggallānasuttante, evaṁ vitthāretabbāni.)
(Tell in full as in MN 107, the Discourse with Moggallāna the Accountant.)
So ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.
They give up these five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom. Then they meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.
Vedanāsu …pe… citte … dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Seyyathāpi, aggivessana, hatthidamako mahantaṁ thambhaṁ pathaviyaṁ nikhaṇitvā āraññakassa nāgassa gīvāyaṁ upanibandhati āraññakānañceva sīlānaṁ abhinimmadanāya āraññakānañceva sarasaṅkappānaṁ abhinimmadanāya āraññakānañceva darathakilamathapariḷāhānaṁ abhinimmadanāya gāmante abhiramāpanāya manussakantesu sīlesu samādapanāya; evameva kho, aggivessana, ariyasāvakassa ime cattāro satipaṭṭhānā cetaso upanibandhanā honti gehasitānañceva sīlānaṁ abhinimmadanāya gehasitānañceva sarasaṅkappānaṁ abhinimmadanāya gehasitānañceva darathakilamathapariḷāhānaṁ abhinimmadanāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya.
They meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. It’s like when the elephant trainer dug a large post into the earth and tethered the elephant to it by the neck, so as to subdue its wild behaviors, its wild memories and thoughts, and its wild stress, weariness, and fever, and to make it happy to be within a village, and instill behaviors congenial to humans. In the same way, a noble disciple has these four kinds of mindfulness meditation as tethers for the mind so as to subdue behaviors tied to domestic life, memories and thoughts tied to domestic life, stress, weariness, and fever tied to domestic life, to discover the system, and to realize extinguishment.
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