“Bhikkhus, before my enlightenment, while I was just a bodhisatta, not yet fully enlightened, it occurred to me: (1) ‘What is the gratification in the world? (2) What is the danger in it? (3) What is the escape from it?’
“Then, bhikkhus, it occurred to me: ‘The pleasure and joy that arise in dependence on the world: this is the gratification in the world. That the world is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change: this is the danger in the world. The removal and abandonment of desire and lust for the world: this is the escape from the world.’
“So long, bhikkhus, as I did not directly know as they really are the gratification in the world as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape from it as escape, I did not claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, in this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans. But when I directly knew as it really is the gratification in the world as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape from it as escape, then I claimed to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with ... its devas and humans.
“The knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘Unshakable is my liberation of mind; this is my last birth; now there is no more renewed existence.’”
(1) “Bhikkhus, I set out seeking the gratification in the world. Whatever gratification there is in the world — that I found. I have clearly seen with wisdom just how far the gratification in the world extends.
(2) “I set out seeking the danger in the world. Whatever danger there is in the world — that I found. I have clearly seen with wisdom just how far the danger in the world extends.
(3) “I set out seeking the escape from the world. Whatever escape there is from the world — that I found. I have clearly seen with wisdom just how far the escape from the world extends.
“So long, bhikkhus, as I did not directly know as they really are the gratification in the world as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape from it as the escape, I did not claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, in this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans. But when I directly knew as it really is the gratification in the world as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape from it as escape, then I claimed to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with ... its devas and humans.
“The knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘Unshakable is my liberation of mind; this is my last birth; now there is no more renewed existence.’”
“Bhikkhus, (1) if there were no gratification in the world, beings would not become enamored of it; but because there is gratification in the world, beings become enamored of it. (2) If there were no danger in the world, beings would not become disenchanted with it; but because there is danger in the world, beings become disenchanted with it. (3) If there were no escape from the world, beings would not escape from it; but because there is an escape from the world, beings escape from it. “So long, bhikkhus, as beings have not directly known as they really are the gratification in the world as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape from it as escape, they have not escaped from this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, from this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans; they have not become detached from it, released from it, nor do they dwell with a mind rid of barriers. But when beings have directly known as it really is the gratification in the world as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape from it as escape, then they have escaped from this world with ... its devas and humans; they have become detached from it, released from it, and they dwell with a mind rid of barriers.”
“Bhikkhus, those ascetics or brahmins who do not understand as it really is (1) the gratification in the world as gratification, (2) the danger as danger, and (3) the escape from it as escape: these I do not consider to be ascetics among ascetics or brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones do not, by realizing it for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism or the goal of brahminhood.
“But those ascetics and brahmins who understand as it really is the gratification in the world as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape from it as escape: these I consider to be ascetics among ascetics and brahmins among brahmins, and these venerable ones, by realizing it for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of asceticism and the goal of brahminhood.”
“Bhikkhus, (1) in the Noble One’s discipline, singing is wailing. (2) In the Noble One’s discipline, dancing is madness. (3) In the Noble One’s discipline, to laugh excessively, displaying one’s teeth, is childishness. Therefore, bhikkhus, in regard to singing and dancing [let there be] the demolition of the bridge. When you smile rejoicing in the Dhamma, you may simply show a smile.”
“Bhikkhus, there are three things that give no satiation by indulging in them. What three? (1) There is no satiation by indulging in sleep. (2) There is no satiation by indulging in liquor and wine. (3) There is no satiation by indulging in sexual intercourse. These are the three things that give no satiation by indulging in them.”
Then the householder Anāthapiṇḍika approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him:
“Householder, when the mind is unprotected, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are unprotected.
“For one whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds are unprotected, bodily, verbal, and mental actions become tainted. For one whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds become tainted, bodily, verbal, and mental actions become rotten. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds become rotten will not have a good death.
“Suppose a house with a peaked roof is badly thatched: then the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls are unprotected; the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls become tainted; the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls become rotten.
“So too, householder, when the mind is unprotected, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are unprotected. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds are rotten will not have a good death.
“When, householder, the mind is protected, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are protected.
“For one whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds are protected, bodily, verbal, and mental actions do not become tainted. For one whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds do not become tainted, bodily, verbal, and mental actions do not become rotten. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds do not become rotten will have a good death.
“Suppose a house with a peaked roof is well thatched: then the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls are protected; the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls do not become tainted; the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls do not become rotten.
“So too, householder, when the mind is protected, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are protected. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds do not become rotten will have a good death.”
The Blessed One then said to the householder Anāthapiṇḍika: “Householder, when the mind has failed, bodily, verbal, and mental actions fail. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds fail will not have a good death.
“Suppose a house with a peaked roof is badly thatched: then the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls fail. So too, when the mind has failed, bodily, verbal, and mental actions fail. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental deeds have failed will not have a good death.
“Householder, when the mind has not failed, bodily, verbal, and mental actions do not fail. One whose deeds of body, speech, and mind do not fail will have a good death. “Suppose a house with a peaked roof is well thatched: then the roof peak, the rafters, and the walls do not fail. So too, when the mind has not failed, bodily, verbal, and mental actions do not fail. One whose deeds of body, speech, and mind do not fail will have a good death.”
“Bhikkhus, there are these three causes for the origination of kamma. What three? Greed is a cause for the origination of kamma; hatred is a cause for the origination of kamma; delusion is a cause for the origination of kamma.
(1) “Any kamma fashioned by greed, born of greed, caused by greed, originating from greed, is unwholesome and blameworthy and results in suffering. That kamma leads to the origination of kamma, not to the cessation of kamma.
(2) “Any kamma fashioned by hatred ... (3) Any kamma fashioned by delusion, born of delusion, caused by delusion, originating from delusion, is unwholesome and blameworthy and results in suffering. That kamma leads to the origination of kamma, not to the cessation of kamma.
“These are the three causes for the origination of kamma. “There are, bhikkhus, these three [other] causes for the origination of kamma. What three? Non-greed is a cause for the origination of kamma; non-hatred is a cause for the origination of kamma; non-delusion is a cause for the origination of kamma.
(1) “Any kamma fashioned by non-greed, born of non-greed, caused by non-greed, originating from non-greed, is wholesome and blameless and results in happiness. That kamma leads to the cessation of kamma, not to the origination of kamma.
(2) “Any kamma fashioned by non-hatred ... (3) Any kamma fashioned by non-delusion, born of non-delusion, caused by non-delusion, originating from non-delusion, is wholesome and blameless and results in happiness. That kamma leads to the cessation of kamma, not to the origination of kamma.
“These are the three [other] causes for the origination of kamma.”
“Bhikkhus, there are these three causes for the origination of kamma. What three? (1) Desire arises with reference to things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust. (2) Desire arises with reference to things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust. (3) Desire arises with reference to things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust.
(1) “And how, bhikkhus, does desire arise with reference to things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust? One thinks about and mentally examines things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust. As one does so, desire arises. When desire springs up, one is fettered by those things. The mental infatuation is what I call the fetter. It is in this way that desire arises with reference to things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust.
(2) “And how does desire arise with reference to things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust? One thinks about and mentally examines things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust. As one does so, desire arises. When desire springs up, one is fettered by those things. The mental infatuation is what I call the fetter. It is in this way that desire arises with reference to things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust.
(3) “And how does desire arise with reference to things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust? One thinks about and mentally examines things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust. As one does so, desire arises. When desire springs up, one is fettered by those things. The mental infatuation is what I call the fetter. It is in this way that desire arises with reference to things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust.
“These are the three causes for the origination of kamma.
“There are, bhikkhus, these three [other] causes for the origination of kamma. What three? Desire does not arise with reference to things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust. Desire does not arise with reference to things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust. Desire does not arise with reference to things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust.
(1) “And how, bhikkhus, does desire not arise with reference to things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust? One understands the future result of things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust. Having understood the future result, one avoids it. Having avoided it, one becomes dispassionate in mind, and having pierced through with wisdom, one sees. It is in this way that desire does not arise with reference to things in the past that are the basis for desire and lust.
(2) “And how, bhikkhus, does desire not arise with reference to things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust? One understands the future result of things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust. Having understood the future result, one avoids it. Having avoided it, one becomes dispassionate in mind and, having pierced through with wisdom, one sees. It is in this way that desire does not arise with reference to things in the future that are the basis for desire and lust.
(3) “And how, bhikkhus, does desire not arise with reference to things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust? One understands the future result of things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust. Having understood the future result, one avoids it. Having avoided it, one becomes dispassionate in mind and, having pierced through with wisdom, one sees. It is in this way that desire does not arise with reference to things presently existing that are the basis for desire and lust.
“These are the three [other] causes for the origination of kamma.”