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3. Cittavaggo3. The Chapter about the Mind
1. Meghiyattheravatthu3.1 The Story about Elder Meghiya
Phandanaṃ capalaṃ cittanti imaṃ dhammadesanaṃ satthā cālikāya pabbate viharanto āyasmantaṃ meghiyaṃ ārabbha kathesi.“An agitated and unsteady mind,” this Dhamma teaching was given by the Teacher while he resided on Cālikā mountain with reference to Elder Meghiya.[29.1] marks page 1 of volume 29 of the Harvard Oriental Series English translation.
Tassa vatthuṃ vibhāvanatthaṃ sabbaṃ meghiyasuttantaṃ (udā. 31) vitthāretabbaṃ.For the story of this elder, the entire Meghiya Discourse should be related in detail.The commentary directs the reader to relate the Meghiya Discourse in full (Udāna 31), but does not quote it here. The original translation supplies that discourse; this alignment follows the text actually present in the VRI commentary. {1.287} marks page 287 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
Satthā pana tīhi vitakkehi anvāsattatāya tasmiṃ ambavane padhānaṃ anuyuñjituṃ asakkuṇitvā āgataṃ meghiyattheraṃ āmantetvā, “atibhāriyaṃ te, meghiya,When Elder Meghiya returned, unable to strive in the mango grove because he had been beset by the three thoughts, the Teacher addressed him as follows: “Meghiya, you committed a grievous fault.The commentary says Meghiya returned because the three thoughts beset him and he could not pursue striving in the mango grove. This cause was omitted from the original translation's account of his return.
kataṃ ‘āgamehi tāva, meghiya, ekakomhi yāva aññopi koci bhikkhu āgacchatī’ti maṃ yācantaṃ ekakaṃ pahāya gacchantena bhikkhunā nāma evaṃ cittavasikena bhavituṃ na vaṭṭati,I asked you to remain, saying to you: ‘I am now alone, Meghiya. Just wait until some other bhikkhu appears.’ It is not fitting for a bhikkhu who leaves me alone and goes away to be so controlled by his mind.The Pāli says it is unfitting for a bhikkhu who leaves the Teacher alone to be governed by his mind. The original translation treated the departure and the thoughts as two separate prohibitions.
cittaṃ nāmetaṃ lahukaṃ, taṃ attano vase vattetuṃ vaṭṭatī”ti vatvā imā dve gāthā abhāsi –As for the mind, it is flighty, and a man ought always to keep it under his own control.” So saying, the Teacher pronounced the two following verses:Here cittaṃ refers to the mind. The original translation called the thoughts flighty and said they should be controlled.
33. “Phandanaṃ capalaṃ cittaṃ, dūrakkhaṃ dunnivārayaṃ; Ujuṃ karoti medhāvī, usukārova tejanaṃ.An agitated and unsteady mind, difficult to guard, difficult to ward, the sagacious one will make straight, as a fletcher does his arrow.
34. “Vārijova thale khitto, okamokataubbhato; Paripphandatidaṃ cittaṃ, māradheyyaṃ pahātave”ti.Like a fish thrown up on dry land, pulled out from its watery home, mind is agitated, one ought to throw off the realm of Māra.Māradheyyaṃ is Māra's domain or realm, explained in the commentary as the cycle of existence. The original translation rendered it as Māra's ‘sway.’ {1.289} marks page 289 of volume 1 of the Pāli Text Society Pāli text.
Tattha phandananti rūpādīsu ārammaṇesu vipphandamānaṃ. Capalanti ekairiyāpathena asaṇṭhahanto gāmadārako viya ekasmiṃ ārammaṇe asaṇṭhahanato capalaṃ. Cittanti viññāṇaṃ,
bhūmivatthuārammaṇakiriyādivicittatāya panetaṃ “citta”nti vuttaṃ. Dūrakkhanti kiṭṭhasambādhe ṭhāne kiṭṭhakhādakagoṇaṃ viya ekekasmiṃ sappāyārammaṇeyeva duṭṭhapanato dūrakkhaṃ.
Dunnivārayanti visabhāgārammaṇaṃ gacchantaṃ paṭisedhetuṃ dukkhattā dunnivārayaṃ.
Usukārova tejananti yathā nāma usukāro araññato ekaṃ vaṅkadaṇḍakaṃ āharitvā nittacaṃ katvā kañjiyatelena makkhetvā aṅgārakapalle tāpetvā rukkhālake uppīḷetvā nivaṅkaṃ ujuṃ vālavijjhanayoggaṃ karoti,
katvā ca pana rājarājamahāmattānaṃ sippaṃ dassetvā mahantaṃ sakkārasammānaṃ labhati, evameva medhāvī paṇḍito viññū puriso phandanādisabhāvametaṃ cittaṃ dhutaṅgāraññāvāsavasena,
nittacaṃ apagataoḷārikakilesaṃ katvā saddhāsinehena temetvā kāyikacetasikavīriyena tāpetvā samathavipassanālake uppīḷetvā ujuṃ akuṭilaṃ nibbisevanaṃ karoti,
katvā ca pana saṅkhāre sammasitvā mahantaṃ avijjakkhandhaṃ padāletvā, “tisso vijjā, cha abhiññā, nava lokuttaradhamme”ti imaṃ visesaṃ hatthagatameva katvā aggadakkhiṇeyyabhāvaṃ labhati.
Vārijovāti maccho viya, thale khittoti hatthena vā pādena vā jālādīnaṃ vā aññatarena thale chaḍḍito. Okamokataubbhatoti “okapuṇṇehi cīvarehī”ti ettha (mahāva. 306) udakaṃ okaṃ,
“okaṃ pahāya aniketasārī”ti ettha (su. ni. 850) ālayo, ettha ubhayampi labbhati. “Okamokataubbhato”ti hi ettha okamokatoti udakasaṅkhātā ālayāti ayamattho. Ubbhatoti uddhaṭo.
Paripphandatidaṃ cittanti yathā so udakālayato ubbhato thale khitto maccho udakaṃ alabhanto paripphandati,
evamidaṃ pañcakāmaguṇālayābhirataṃ cittaṃ tato uddharitvā māradheyyasaṅkhātaṃ vaṭṭaṃ pahātuṃ vipassanākammaṭṭhāne khittaṃ kāyikacetasikavīriyena santāpiyamānaṃ paripphandati,
saṇṭhātuṃ na sakkoti. Evaṃ santepi dhuraṃ anikkhipitvā medhāvī puggalo taṃ vuttanayeneva ujuṃ kammaniyaṃ karotīti attho.
Aparo nayo – idaṃ māradheyyaṃ kilesavaṭṭaṃ avijahitvā ṭhitaṃ cittaṃ so vārijo viya paripphandati, tasmā māradheyyaṃ pahātave, yena kilesavaṭṭasaṅkhātena māradheyyeneva paripphandati,
taṃ pahātabbanti.
Gāthāpariyosāne meghiyatthero sotāpattiphale patiṭṭhito, aññepi bahū sotāpannādayo jātāti.At the conclusion of the verses the Elder Meghiya was established in the fruition of Stream-entry, and many others became Stream-enterers and so on.
Meghiyattheravatthu paṭhamaṃ.