From: ,
5. Mahākassapattheravatthu2.5 The Story about the Elder Mahā KassapaThe story title in the original translation aligns with the Pāli title. The romanized title Mahākassapattheravatthu was removed because it has no separate passage in the story text.
Pamādaṃ appamādenāti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā jetavane viharanto mahākassapattheraṃ ārabbha kathesi.“When the wise one eliminates heedlessness,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he was in residence at Jetavana with reference to the Elder Mahā Kassapa.{1.258} marks page 258 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
Ekasmiñhi divase thero pipphaliguhāyaṃ viharanto rājagahe piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṃ piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto ālokaṃ vaḍḍhetvā pamatte ca appamatte ca udakapathavīpabbatādīsu cavanake upapajjanake ca satte dibbena cakkhunā olokento nisīdi.For on a certain day, while the elder was in residence at Pipphali Cave, he made his round of Rājagaha for alms, and after he had returned from his rounds for alms and had eaten his breakfast, he increased the light and sat down, surveying with his divine eye beings, both heedless and heedful, passing away and coming into existence in the water, on the earth, on the mountains, and elsewhere.ālokaṃ vaḍḍhetvā says the elder increased the light; the original translation said that he ‘developed insight,’ a different action. The editorial heading ‘His Mind Surveys’ was removed because it has no separate corresponding passage in the local Pāli story. cavanake upapajjanake describes beings passing away and arising. The original account had reversed this sequence.
Satthā jetavane nisinnakova “kena nu kho vihārena ajja mama putto kassapo viharatī”ti dibbena cakkhunā upadhārento “sattānaṃ cutūpapātaṃ olokento viharatī”ti ñatvā “sattānaṃ cutūpapāto nāma buddhañāṇenapi aparicchinno,The Teacher, seated at Jetavana, exercised the divine eye and pondered within himself: “With what is my son Kassapa occupied today?” Straightaway he became aware of the following: “He is contemplating the passing away and coming into existence of living beings.” And he said: “The passing away and coming into existence of living beings cannot be fully reckoned even by a Buddha’s knowledge.{1.259} marks page 259 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text. cutūpapātaṃ describes passing away and arising; the original translation called it ‘the rising and falling.’ The corrected account follows the Pāli sequence. sattānaṃ cutūpapāto nāma buddhañāṇenapi aparicchinno says beings' passing away and arising cannot be fully reckoned even by Buddha-knowledge. The original translation instead said unlimited knowledge of this is only within a Buddha's knowledge.
mātukucchiyaṃ paṭisandhiṃ gahetvā mātāpitaro ajānāpetvā cavanasattānaṃ paricchedo kātuṃ na sakkā, te jānituṃ tava avisayo, kassapa, appamattako tava visayo,It is impossible to reckon the beings who, having obtained conception in a mother’s womb, pass away without their mother or father knowing. To know them is beyond your range, Kassapa, for your range is very slight.mātukucchiyaṃ paṭisandhiṃ gahetvā mātāpitaro ajānāpetvā cavanasattānaṃ describes beings who pass away after conception in the womb without their parents knowing; the original translation made conception itself the unknown event.
sabbaso pana cavante ca upapajjante ca jānituṃ passituṃ buddhānameva visayo”ti vatvā obhāsaṃ pharitvā sammukhe nisinno viya hutvā imaṃ gāthamāha –It comes within the range of the Buddhas alone to know and to see in their totality the passing away and coming into existence of living beings.” So saying, he sent forth a radiance, and as it were sitting down face to face with Kassapa, pronounced the following verse:[28.312] marks page 312 of volume 28 of the Harvard Oriental Series English translation. obhāsaṃ pharitvā says the Teacher spread radiance; the original translation introduced a ‘radiant image of himself.’
28. “Pamādaṃ appamādena, yadā nudati paṇḍito; Paññāpāsādamāruyha, asoko sokiniṃ pajaṃ; Pabbataṭṭhova bhūmaṭṭhe, dhīro bāle avekkhatī”ti.When the wise one eliminates heedlessness with his heedfulness, and mounts the palace of wisdom, griefless, he looks on grieving people; the wise one, like one standing on a mountain, looks down on the fools, who are standing on the plains.The repeated Pāli transcription of verse 28 was removed because it has no separate corresponding passage in the local Pāli story.
Tattha nudatīti yathā nāma pokkharaṇiṃ pavisantaṃ navodakaṃ purāṇodakaṃ khobhetvā tassokāsaṃ adatvā taṃ attano matthakamatthakena palāyantaṃ nudati nīharati,The Pāli explanation of verse 28 has no translation in the original edition and remains Pāli-only under this paragraph.
evameva paṇḍito appamādalakkhaṇaṃ brūhento pamādassokāsaṃ adatvā yadā appamādavegena taṃ nudati nīharati,
atha so panunnapamādo accuggatatthena parisuddhaṃ dibbacakkhusaṅkhātaṃ paññāpāsādaṃ tassa anucchavikaṃ paṭipadaṃ pūrento tāya paṭipadāya nisseṇiyā pāsādaṃ viya āruyha pahīnasokasallatāya asoko,
appahīnasokasallatāya sokiniṃ pajaṃ sattanikāyaṃ cavamānañceva upapajjamānañca dibbacakkhunā avekkhati passati. Yathā kiṃ? Pabbataṭṭhova bhūmaṭṭheti pabbatamuddhani ṭhito bhūmiyaṃ ṭhite,
uparipāsāde vā pana ṭhito pāsādapariveṇe ṭhite akicchena avekkhati, tathā sopi dhīro paṇḍito mahākhīṇāsavo asamucchinnavaṭṭabīje bāle cavante ca upapajjante ca akicchena avekkhatīti.
Gāthāpariyosāne bahū sotāpattiphalādīni sacchikariṃsūti.At the conclusion of the verse many realised the fruition of Stream-entry and so on.The appended ‘221:’ sutta note was removed because it has no separate corresponding passage in the local Pāli story.
Mahākassapattheravatthu pañcamaṃ.The Pāli closing title Mahākassapattheravatthu pañcamaṃ is Pāli-only and has no corresponding translated line.