3. Uruvelavagga

Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.22

Numbered Discourses 4.22

3. Uruvelavagga

3. At Uruvelā

Dutiyauruvelasutta

At Uruvelā (2nd)

“Ekamidāhaṁ, bhikkhave, samayaṁ uruvelāyaṁ viharāmi najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhe paṭhamābhisambuddho.

“Mendicants, this one time, when I was first awakened, I was staying in Uruvelā at the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River.

Atha kho, bhikkhave, sambahulā brāhmaṇā jiṇṇā vuddhā mahallakā addhagatā vayoanuppattā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā mayā saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu.

Then several old brahmins—elderly and senior, who were advanced in years and had reached the final stage of life—came up to me, and exchanged greetings with me.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho, bhikkhave, te brāhmaṇā maṁ etadavocuṁ:

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side, and said to me:

‘sutaṁ netaṁ, bho gotama:

‘Worthy Gotama, , we have heard this:

“na samaṇo gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimantetī”ti.

“The ascetic Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat.”

Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, tatheva.

And this is indeed the case,

Na hi bhavaṁ gotamo brāhmaṇe jiṇṇe vuddhe mahallake addhagate vayoanuppatte abhivādeti vā paccuṭṭheti vā āsanena vā nimanteti.

for the worthy Gotama does not bow to old brahmins, elderly and senior, who are advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life; nor does he rise in their presence or offer them a seat.

Tayidaṁ, bho gotama, na sampannamevā’ti.

This is not appropriate, worthy Gotama.’

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi:

Then it occurred to me,

‘nayime āyasmanto jānanti theraṁ vā therakaraṇe vā dhamme’ti.

‘These venerables don’t know what a senior is, or what qualities make you a senior.’

Vuddho cepi, bhikkhave, hoti āsītiko vā nāvutiko vā vassasatiko vā jātiyā.

Mendicants, suppose you’re eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old.

So ca hoti akālavādī abhūtavādī anatthavādī adhammavādī avinayavādī, anidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā akālena anapadesaṁ apariyantavatiṁ anatthasaṁhitaṁ.

But your speech is untimely, false, meaningless, and against the teaching or training. You say things at the wrong time which are worthless, unreasonable, rambling, and unbeneficial.

Atha kho so ‘bālo thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

Then you’ll be reckoned a ‘childish senior’.

Daharo cepi, bhikkhave, hoti yuvā susukāḷakeso bhadrena yobbanena samannāgato paṭhamena vayasā.

Now suppose you’re a youth, young, with pristine black hair, blessed with youth, in the prime of life.

So ca hoti kālavādī bhūtavādī atthavādī dhammavādī vinayavādī nidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā kālena sāpadesaṁ pariyantavatiṁ atthasaṁhitaṁ.

But your speech is timely, true, meaningful, and in line with the teaching and training. You say things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial.

Atha kho so ‘paṇḍito thero’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

Then you’ll be reckoned an ‘astute senior’.

Cattārome, bhikkhave, therakaraṇā dhammā.

There are these four qualities that make a senior.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu

A mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken.

Bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo, ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā majjhekalyāṇā pariyosānakalyāṇā sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti, tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā.

They’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically.

Catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī.

They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.

Āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.

They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro therakaraṇā dhammāti.

These are the four qualities that make a senior.

Yo uddhatena cittena,

The creature with a restless mind

samphañca bahu bhāsati;

speaks a lot of nonsense.

Asamāhitasaṅkappo,

Their thoughts are unsettled,

asaddhammarato mago;

and they don’t like the true teaching.

Ārā so thāvareyyamhā,

They’re far from seniority, with their bad views

pāpadiṭṭhi anādaro.

and their lack of regard for others.

Yo ca sīlena sampanno,

But one accomplished in ethics,

sutavā paṭibhānavā;

learned and eloquent, that wise one

Saññato dhīro dhammesu,

is restrained when experiencing phenomena,

paññāyatthaṁ vipassati.

discerning the meaning with wisdom.

Pāragū sabbadhammānaṁ,

Gone beyond all things,

akhilo paṭibhānavā;

kind, eloquent,

Pahīnajātimaraṇo,

they’ve given up birth and death,

brahmacariyassa kevalī.

and have completed the spiritual journey.

Tamahaṁ vadāmi theroti,

That’s who I call a senior,

yassa no santi āsavā;

who has no defilements.

Āsavānaṁ khayā bhikkhu,

With the ending of defilements, a mendicant

so theroti pavuccatī”ti.

is declared a ‘senior’.”

Dutiyaṁ.