Aṅguttara Nikāya


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Aṅguttara Nikāya
VIII. Aṭṭhaka Nipāta
IV. Dāna Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Eights
IV: On Giving

Sutta 34

Khett'Upama Suttaɱ

The Field

Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.

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[237] [161]

[1][bodh] Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, seed sown in a field possessing eight qualities is not very fruitful,
does not ripen to great sweetness,
nor is it thought a flourishing plot.[1]

How does it possess eight qualities?

Consider, monks, the field that is undulating, rocky and [162] pebbly,
saltish,[2]
without depth of tilth,
without (water) outlet,
without inlet,
with no water-course,
without dyke.[3]

Monks, seed sown in a field so conditioned is not very fruitful,
does not ripen to great sweetness,
nor is it thought a flourishing plot.

 

§

 

Even so, monks, gifts given to recluses and godly men,
possessing eight qualities,
are not very fruitful,
nor very advantageous,
nor very splendid,
nor very thrilling.[4]

How do they possess eight qualities?

Consider, monks, the recluses and godly men who have wrong views,
wrong intentions,
wrong speech,
wrong actions,
wrong livelihood,
wrong effort,
wrong mindfulness
and wrong concentration.[5]

So possessed,
gifts unto them are not very fruitful,
nor very advantageous,
nor very splendid,
nor very thrilling.

 

§

 

[6]'Monks, seed sown in a field possessing eight qualities is very fruitful,
ripens to great sweetness,
is thought a flourishing plot.

How does it possess eight qualities?

Consider, monks, the field that is not undulating,
not rocky and pebbly,
not saltish,
with depth of tilth,
with (water) outlet,
with inlet,
with water-course,
with dyke.

Monks, seed sown in a field so conditioned is very fruitful,
does ripens to great sweetness,
and is it thought a flourishing plot.

Even so, monks, gifts given to recluses and godly men,
possessing eight qualities,
are very fruitful,
very advantageous,
very splendid,
very thrilling.

How do they possess eight qualities?

Consider, monks, the recluses and godly men who have right views,
right intentions,
right speech,
right actions,
right livelihood,
right effort,
right mindfulness
and right concentration.

So possessed,
gifts unto them are very fruitful,
very advantageous,
very splendid,
very thrilling.

 


 

As, in a field perfected,[7] when the seed
That's sown is perfect and the deva rains
Perfecting it, grain to perfection comes;
No plagues[8] are there; perfect the growth becomes;
And crop and fruit reach to perfection then.
So, perfect alms in perfect precept given
Lead to perfection - for one's deed is perfect.
In this a person longing for perfection
[163] Should[9] e'er be perfect and should follow men
In wisdom perfect - thus perfection comes.
In guise and knowledge[10] perfect, he, the heart's
Perfection winning, heaps up perfect karma
And gains the perfect good. Knowing the world
In verity, he grasps the perfect view.
And coming to the perfect Way,[11] he goes
On perfect-minded. Casting by all dirt,
He gains perfection's state, the cool, from ill
Completely freed, and that is all-perfection.[12]

 


[1] Na phātiseyyaɱ, v.l. seyyā-ti; Comy. -yeyyā-ti; S.e. -yeyyā-ti v.l. pātiseyyā-ti. I have read phātiseyyā-ti; 'a plot in spate' (phāti from √sphāy). Perhaps we could read -yeyyaɱ as a gerundive - thus, destined to increase. Comy. There is no increase (vaḍḍhi).

[2] Ūsaraɱ. Comy. ubbhidodakaɱ.

[3] Mariyāda-. Comy. kedāra-; P.E.D. trench; but a paddy field requires a dyke.

[4] Mahāvipphāraɱ, pervasive or vibrant; cf. the use by Bu. at Vism. 142; trsl. 164. Applied thinking possesses vibration ... it is a state of mental thrill (paripphandana), like the flapping of the wings of a bird about to fly up in the air, and like the alighting in front of the lotus of a bee with mind intent on perfume.

Mark iv 26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground —
KJV

p.p. explains it all — p.p.

[5] For this set see A. ii, 220; D. ii, 353; iii, 254, 287; at 290 and A. v, 222-49 with two additional terms; see also Vism. 683. For the simile cf. D. ii, 353; A. i, 135; iii, 404; also J. iii, 12 (Comy.). Mark iv, 26 ff.

[6] The text repeats in full. [Ed.: Reconstructed here for this edition.]

[7] In the text variations of sam-√pad, 'to accomplish,' which I translate by 'perfect,' recur twenty-five times.

[8] Anīti. Comy. there are no insects, worms, etc.

[9] The Comy. reads with the text variation -atthu'dha, imperative.

Childers: (abridged entry; my trans. in []) "... The threefold knowledge (tivijjā, tisso vijjā, ... ) is the knowledge of the three great truths, aniccaɱ [transience], dukkhaɱ [pain], anattaɱ [not-self]. ... There are also three other vijjās, pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇaɱ [k. of former habitations], sattānaɱ cutūpapāte ñnāṇaɱ [of rise and fall of beings], āsavānaɱ khaye ñāṇaɱ [of destruction of the corrupting influences] ... The eight vijjās, or branches of knowledge possessed by an Arhat, are, vipassanāñāṇaɱ [k. of the method], manomayiddhi [of mind-made powers], iddhippabhedo [of variety of powers], dibbasotaɱ [devine hearing], parassa cetopariyañāṇaɱ [of mens minds], pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇaɱ [of former habitations], dibbacakkhu [devine sight], āsavakkhayañāṇaɱ [destruction of the corrupting influences] or āsavasaṅkhayo [destruction of human passion,] Arahatta.

p.p. explains it all — p.p.

[10] Comy. The threefold knowledge and the fifteen states; see Vism. 202 and Childers.

[11] Comy. The Way of the Streamwinner. With perfect mind one goes to Arahantship.

[12] Sabba-sampadā. Comy. Sabba-dukkhehi vimutti sabba-sampadā.


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