Tripiṭaka 4. Devatāvagga
4. Deities
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Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
Atha kho āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi:
Then as Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was in private retreat this thought came to his mind,
‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?
stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?”
Tena kho pana samayena tisso nāma bhikkhu adhunākālaṅkato aññataraṁ brahmalokaṁ upapanno hoti.
Now, at that time a monk named Tissa had recently passed away and been reborn in a realm of divinity.
Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evamevaṁ—jetavane antarahito tasmiṁ brahmaloke pāturahosi.
And then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, vanished from Jeta’s Grove and reappeared in that realm of divinity.
Addasā kho tisso brahmā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.
Tissa saw Moggallāna coming off in the distance,
“ehi kho, mārisa moggallāna; svāgataṁ, mārisa moggallāna;
“Come, my good fellow Moggallāna! Welcome, my good fellow!
cirassaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna; imaṁ pariyāyamakāsi, yadidaṁ idhāgamanāya.
It’s been a long time since you took the opportunity to come here.
Nisīda, mārisa moggallāna, idamāsanaṁ paññattan”ti.
Sit, my good Moggallāna, this seat is for you.”
Tissopi kho brahmā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
Then Tissa bowed to Moggallāna and sat to one side.
Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho tissaṁ brahmānaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:
Moggallāna said to him,
“Katamesānaṁ kho, tissa, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?
“Tissa, which gods know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?”
“Cātumahārājikānaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.
“The gods of the four great kings know this.”
“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?
“But do all of them know this?”
“Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṁ cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.
“No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them.
Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā na tesaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.
Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers.
Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā, tesaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.
But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”
“Cātumahārājikānaññeva nu kho, tissa, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti udāhu tāvatiṁsānampi devānaṁ …pe…
“But Tissa, is it only the gods of the four great kings who know that they are stream-enterers, or do the gods of the thirty-three …
paranimmitavasavattīnampi devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?
and the gods who control what is created by others know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?”
“Paranimmitavasavattīnampi kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.
“The gods of these various classes know this.”
“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?
“But do all of them know this?”
“Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṁ paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.
“No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them.
Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā, na tesaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.
Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers.
Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā tesaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.
But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”
Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno tissassa brahmuno bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā: “seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evamevaṁ: ‘brahmaloke antarahito jetavane pāturahosī’”ti.
Moggallāna approved and agreed with what the divinity Tissa said. Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from that realm of divinity and reappeared in Jeta’s Grove.
Catutthaṁ.