Aṇguttara 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 Suttaṃ
The Field
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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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 phātiseyyaṃ, 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 -yeyyaṃ as a gerundive - thus, destined to increase. Comy. There is no increase (vaḍḍhi).
[2] Ūsaraṃ. Comy. ubbhidodakaṃ.
[3] Mariyāda-. Comy. kedāra-; P.E.D. trench; but a paddy field requires a dyke.
[4] Mahāvipphāraṃ, 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.
[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, aniccaṃ [transience], dukkhaṃ [pain], anattaṃ [not-self]. ... There are also three other vijjās, pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇaṃ [k. of former habitations], sattānaṃ cutūpapāte ñnāṇaṃ [of rise and fall of beings], āsavānaṃ khaye ñāṇaṃ [of destruction of the corrupting influences] ... The eight vijjās, or branches of knowledge possessed by an Arhat, are, vipassanāñāṇaṃ [k. of the method], manomayiddhi [of mind-made powers], iddhippabhedo [of variety of powers], dibbasotaṃ [devine hearing], parassa cetopariyañāṇaṃ [of mens minds], pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇaṃ [of former habitations], dibbacakkhu [devine sight], āsavakkhayañāṇaṃ [destruction of the corrupting influences] or āsavasaṇkhayo [destruction of human passion,] Arahatta.
— 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.
