Bālapaṇḍitasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 129

The Foolish and the Astute · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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‘yathārūpānaṁ kho pāpakānaṁ kammānaṁ hetu rājāno coraṁ āgucāriṁ gahetvā vividhā kammakāraṇā kārenti kasāhipi tāḷenti, vettehipi tāḷenti, addhadaṇḍakehipi tāḷenti, hatthampi chindanti, pādampi chindanti, hatthapādampi chindanti, kaṇṇampi chindanti, nāsampi chindanti, kaṇṇanāsampi chindanti, bilaṅgathālikampi karonti, saṅkhamuṇḍikampi karonti, rāhumukhampi karonti, jotimālikampi karonti, hatthapajjotikampi karonti, erakavattikampi karonti, cīrakavāsikampi karonti, eṇeyyakampi karonti, balisamaṁsikampi karonti, kahāpaṇikampi karonti, khārāpatacchikampi karonti, palighaparivattikampi karonti, palālapīṭhakampi karonti, tattenapi telena osiñcanti, sunakhehipi khādāpenti, jīvantampi sūle uttāsenti, asināpi sīsaṁ chindanti, na te dhammā mayi saṁvijjanti, ahañca na tesu dhammesu sandissāmī’ti.
Idampi, bhikkhave, paṇḍito dutiyaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sukhaṁ somanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti.

‘The kinds of deeds for which the kings inflict such punishments—those things are not found in me and I do not exhibit them!’ This is the second kind of pleasure and happiness that an astute person experiences in this very life.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, paṇḍitaṁ pīṭhasamārūḷhaṁ vā mañcasamārūḷhaṁ vā chamāyaṁ vā semānaṁ, yānissa pubbe kalyāṇāni kammāni katāni kāyena sucaritāni vācāya sucaritāni manasā sucaritāni tānissa tamhi samaye olambanti …pe…
seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahataṁ pabbatakūṭānaṁ chāyā sāyanhasamayaṁ pathaviyā olambanti ajjholambanti abhippalambanti;
evameva kho, bhikkhave, paṇḍitaṁ pīṭhasamārūḷhaṁ vā mañcasamārūḷhaṁ vā chamāyaṁ vā semānaṁ yānissa pubbe kalyāṇāni kammāni katāni kāyena sucaritāni vācāya sucaritāni manasā sucaritāni tānissa tamhi samaye olambanti ajjholambanti abhippalambanti.
Tatra, bhikkhave, paṇḍitassa evaṁ hoti:
‘akataṁ vata me pāpaṁ, akataṁ luddaṁ, akataṁ kibbisaṁ;
kataṁ kalyāṇaṁ, kataṁ kusalaṁ, kataṁ bhīruttāṇaṁ.
Yāvatā, bho, akatapāpānaṁ akataluddānaṁ akatakibbisānaṁ katakalyāṇānaṁ katakusalānaṁ katabhīruttāṇānaṁ gati taṁ gatiṁ pecca gacchāmī’ti.

Furthermore, when an astute person is resting on a chair or a bed or on the ground, their past good deeds—good conduct of body, speech, and mind—settle down upon them, rest down upon them, and lay down upon them. It is like the shadow of a great mountain peak in the evening as it settles down, rests down, and lays down upon the earth. In the same way, when an astute person is resting on a chair or a bed or on the ground, their past good deeds—good conduct of body, speech, and mind—settle down upon them, rest down upon them, and lay down upon them. Then that astute person thinks, ‘Well, I haven’t done bad things, violence and sin. And I have done good and skillful deeds that keep me safe. When I pass away, I’ll go to the place where people who’ve done such things go.’

So na socati, na kilamati, na paridevati, na urattāḷiṁ kandati, na sammohaṁ āpajjati.
Idampi, bhikkhave, paṇḍito tatiyaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sukhaṁ somanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti.

So they don’t sorrow and wail and lament, beating their breast and falling into confusion. This is the third kind of pleasure and happiness that an astute person experiences in this very life.

Sa kho so, bhikkhave, paṇḍito kāyena sucaritaṁ caritvā vācāya sucaritaṁ caritvā manasā sucaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati.

When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.

Yaṁ kho taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘ekantaṁ iṭṭhaṁ ekantaṁ kantaṁ ekantaṁ manāpan’ti, saggameva taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya:
‘ekantaṁ iṭṭhaṁ ekantaṁ kantaṁ ekantaṁ manāpan’ti.
Yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhave, upamāpi na sukarā yāva sukhā saggā”ti.
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?

And if there’s anything of which it may be rightly said that it is utterly likable, desirable, and agreeable, it is of heaven that this should be said. So much so that it’s not easy to give a simile for how pleasurable heaven is.” When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha, “But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”

“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca.
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rājā cakkavattī sattahi ratanehi samannāgato catūhi ca iddhīhi tatonidānaṁ sukhaṁ somanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti.

“It’s possible,” said the Buddha. “Suppose there was a king, a wheel-turning monarch who possessed seven treasures and four blessings, and experienced pleasure and happiness because of them.

Katamehi sattahi?
Idha, bhikkhave, rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa tadahuposathe pannarase sīsaṁnhātassa uposathikassa uparipāsādavaragatassa dibbaṁ cakkaratanaṁ pātubhavati sahassāraṁ sanemikaṁ sanābhikaṁ sabbākāraparipūraṁ.
Taṁ disvāna rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa evaṁ hoti:
‘sutaṁ kho pana metaṁ yassa rañño khattiyassa muddhāvasittassa tadahuposathe pannarase sīsaṁnhātassa uposathikassa uparipāsādavaragatassa dibbaṁ cakkaratanaṁ pātubhavati sahassāraṁ sanemikaṁ sanābhikaṁ sabbākāraparipūraṁ, so hoti rājā cakkavattīti.
Assaṁ nu kho ahaṁ rājā cakkavattī’ti?

What seven? It’s when, on the fifteenth day sabbath, an anointed aristocratic king has bathed his head and gone upstairs in the royal longhouse to observe the sabbath. And the heavenly wheel-treasure appears to him, with a thousand spokes, with rim and hub, complete in every detail. Seeing this, the king thinks, ‘I have heard that when the heavenly wheel-treasure appears to a king in this way, he becomes a wheel-turning monarch. Am I then a wheel-turning monarch?’

Atha kho, bhikkhave, rājā khattiyo muddhāvasitto vāmena hatthena bhiṅkāraṁ gahetvā dakkhiṇena hatthena cakkaratanaṁ abbhukkirati:
‘pavattatu bhavaṁ cakkaratanaṁ, abhivijinātu bhavaṁ cakkaratanan’ti.
Atha kho taṁ, bhikkhave, cakkaratanaṁ puratthimaṁ disaṁ pavattati. Anvadeva rājā cakkavattī saddhiṁ caturaṅginiyā senāya. Yasmiṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, padese cakkaratanaṁ patiṭṭhāti tattha rājā cakkavattī vāsaṁ upeti saddhiṁ caturaṅginiyā senāya.
Ye kho pana, bhikkhave, puratthimāya disāya paṭirājāno te rājānaṁ cakkavattiṁ upasaṅkamitvā evamāhaṁsu:
‘ehi kho, mahārāja. Svāgataṁ te, mahārāja. Sakaṁ te, mahārāja. Anusāsa, mahārājā’ti.
Rājā cakkavattī evamāha:
‘pāṇo na hantabbo, adinnaṁ nādātabbaṁ, kāmesumicchā na caritabbā, musā na bhāsitabbā, majjaṁ na pātabbaṁ, yathābhuttañca bhuñjathā’ti.

Then the anointed aristocratic king, taking a ceremonial vase in his left hand, besprinkled the wheel-treasure with his right hand, saying, ‘Roll forth, O wheel-treasure! Triumph, O wheel-treasure!’ Then the wheel-treasure rolls toward the east. And the king follows it together with his army of four divisions. In whatever place the wheel-treasure stands still, there the king comes to stay together with his army. And any opposing rulers of the eastern quarter come to the wheel-turning monarch and say, ‘Come, Great King! Welcome, Great King! We are yours, Great King, instruct us.’ The wheel-turning monarch says, ‘Do not kill living creatures. Do not steal. Do not commit sexual misconduct. Do not lie. Do not drink liquor. Maintain the current level of taxation.’

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