Lion Roar Short version | Buddha Speak High Confidence of True Teaching

Middle Length Discourse 11 - Lion Roar Short Version

So I have heard. 

At one time the Buddha was staying near Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the monks, “Monks!”

“Venerable sir,” they replied. 

The Buddha said this:

‘Only here is there a true ascetic, here a second ascetic, here a third ascetic, and here a fourth ascetic. Other religions are empty of ascetics.’ This, monks, is how you should rightly sound your lion’s roar.

It’s possible that wanderers of other religions might say: ‘But what is the source of the venerables’ certainty and forcefulness that they say this?’ 

You should say to them: ‘There are four things explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. 

Seeing these things in ourselves we say that: 

“Only here is there a true ascetic, here a second ascetic, here a third ascetic, and here a fourth ascetic. Other religions are empty of ascetics.” 

What four? 

We have confidence in the Teacher, 

We have confidence in the teaching, 

We have fulfilled the precepts. 

And we have love and affection for those who share our path, both laypeople and renunciates. 

These are the four things.’

It’s possible that wanderers of other religions might say: ‘We too have confidence in the Teacher—our Teacher; we have confidence in the teaching—our teaching; and we have fulfilled the precepts—our precepts. And we have love and affection for those who share our path, both laypeople and renunciates. 

What, then, is the difference between you and us?’

You should say to them: ‘Well, reverends, is the goal one or many?’ Answering rightly, the wanderers would say: ‘The goal is one, reverends, not many.’

‘But is that goal for the greedy or for those free of greed?’ Answering rightly, the wanderers would say: ‘The goal is for those free of greed, not for the greedy.’

‘Is it for the hateful or those free of hate?’ ‘The goal is for those free of hate.’

‘Is it for the delusional or those free of delusion?’ ‘The goal is for those free of delusion.’

‘Is it for those who crave or those free of craving?’ ‘The goal is for those free of craving.’

‘Is it for those who is still grasping or without grasping ?’ ‘The goal is for those who without grasping.’

‘Is it for the knowledgeable or without knowledge?’ ‘The goal is for the knowledgeable.’

‘Is it for those who favor and oppose or for those who don’t favor and oppose?’ ‘The goal is for those who don’t favor and oppose.’

‘But is the goal for those who enjoy proliferation or for those who enjoy non-proliferation?’ Answering rightly, the wanderers would say: ‘The goal is for those who enjoy non-proliferation, not for those who enjoy proliferation.’

Monks, there are these two views: views favoring existence and views favoring ending existence. Any ascetics or brahmins who resort to, draw near to, and cling to a view favoring existence will oppose a view favoring ending existence. Any ascetics or brahmins who resort to, draw near to, and cling to a view favoring ending existence will oppose a view favoring existence.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who don’t truly understand these two views’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape. They’re greedy, hateful, delusional, craving, grasping, and without knowledge. They favor and oppose, and they enjoy proliferation. They’re not freed from birth, old age and death; from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. They’re not freed from suffering, I say.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who do truly understand these two views’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape. They’re free of greed, free of hate,  free of delusion, free of craving, free of grasping, and knowledgeable. They don’t favor and oppose, and they enjoy non-proliferation. They’re freed from birth, old age and death; from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. They’re freed from suffering, I say.

There are these four kinds of grasping. 

What four? 

Grasping at senses delights, Grasping at views, Grasping at behavior precepts, and Grasping at permanent self.

There are some ascetics and brahmins who claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping. But they don’t correctly describe the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping. They describe the complete understanding of grasping at senses delights, but not views, behavior precepts, and permanent self. 

Why is that? 

Because those gentlemen don’t truly understand these three things. That’s why they claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don’t really.

There are some other ascetics and brahmins who claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don’t really. They describe the complete understanding of grasping at senses delights and views, but not behavior precepts, and permanent self. 

Why is that? 

Because those gentlemen don’t truly understand these two things. That’s why they claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don’t really.

There are some other ascetics and brahmins who claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don’t really. They describe the complete understanding of grasping at senses delights and views, and behavior precepts, but not permanent self. 

Why is that?

Because those gentlemen don’t truly understand this one thing. That’s why they claim to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping, but they don’t really.

In such a teaching and training, confidence in the Teacher is said to be not rightly placed. Likewise, confidence in the teaching, fulfillment of the precepts, and love and affection for those sharing the same path are said to be not rightly placed. 

Why is that? 

It’s because that teaching and training is poorly explained and poorly propounded, not emancipating, not leading to peace, proclaimed by someone who is not a fully awakened Buddha.

The Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha claims to propound the complete understanding of all kinds of grasping. He describes the complete understanding of grasping at senses delights, grasping at views, grasping at behavior precepts, and grasping at permanent self. 

In such a teaching and training, confidence in the Teacher is said to be rightly placed. Likewise, confidence in the teaching, fulfillment of the precepts, and love and affection for those sharing the same path are said to be rightly placed.

Why is that? 

It’s because that teaching and training is clearly explained and well propounded, emancipating, leading to peace, proclaimed by a fully awakened Buddha.

What is the source, origin, birthplace, and inception of these four kinds of grasping? Craving. 

And what is the source, origin, birthplace, and inception of craving? Feeling. 

And what is the source of feeling? Contact. 

And what is the source of contact? The six sense fields. 

And what is the source of the six sense fields? Name and form. 

And what is the source of name and form? Consciousness. 

And what is the source of consciousness? Process Constructions. 

And what is the source of Process Constructions? Ignorance.

When that monk has given up ignorance and produces the knowledge, they don’t grasping at senses delights, views, behavior precepts, and permanent self. Not grasping, they’re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished.

They understand: ‘Birth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’”

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the monks approved what the Buddha said.

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