Samyuktagama 107
Saṃyuktāgama
107. [Discourse to a Householder]
This have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying among the Bhaggas at Suṃsumāragira in the Deer Park, the Bhesakaḷā Grove.
At that time the householder Nakula was hundred and twenty years old, his faculties ripe with age. [Although] being weak and suffering from disease, he still wished to come and meet the Blessed One and the senior and esteemed monks who were his good friends (kalyāṇamitta ). He approached the Buddha, paid respect with his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit at one side, and said to the Buddha:
“Blessed One, I am feeble from old age, I am weak and suffer from disease, [yet] with my own strength I make the effort to come to meet the Blessed One and the senior and esteemed monks who are my good friends. May the Blessed One give me a teaching so that it will be for my peace for a long time.”
At that time the Blessed One said to the householder Nakula: “It is well, householder. You are really ripe with age, being weak and suffering from disease, yet you are able with your own strength to come to meet the Tathāgata and the other senior and esteemed monks who are your good friends.
“Householder you should know, [when] the body is suffering from disease, you should constantly train that the mind does not suffer from disease.”
At that time the Blessed One, having instructed, taught, illuminated, and delighted the householder Nakula, remained silent.
The householder Nakula, hearing what the Buddha had said, rejoiced in it and was delighted. He paid respect to the Buddha and left. The venerable Sāriputta was then seated under a tree not far from the Buddha. The householder Nakula approached the venerable Sāriputta, paid respect with his head at [Sāriputta’s] feet, and withdrew to sit at one side.
Then the venerable Sāriputta asked the householder: “Your faculties are now joyfully relaxed, the colour of your complexion is bright. Have you been able to hear a profound teaching from the Blessed One?”
The householder Nakula said to Sāriputta: “Today the Blessed One has given me a teaching, instructing, teaching, illuminating, and delighting me, [as if] anointing my body and mind with the ambrosia of the Dharma. For this reason my faculties are now joyfully relaxed and my complexion is bright.”
The venerable Sāriputta asked the householder: “How has the Blessed One taught you the Dharma, instructing, teaching, illuminating, and delighting you, [as if] anointing you with ambrosia?”
The householder Nakula said to Sāriputta: “I approached the Blessed One. I said to the Blessed One: ‘I am feeble from old age, weak, and suffer from disease, yet with my own strength I come to meet the Blessed One and the senior and esteemed monks who are my good friends.’
“The Buddha said to me: ‘It is well, householder. Your are really ripe with age, being weak and suffering from disease, yet you are able with your own strength to come to meet me and the senior and esteemed monks. Now that your body is suffering from disease, you should constantly train that your mind does not suffer from disease.’ Giving me a teaching in this way, the Blessed One has instructed, taught, illuminated, and delighted me, [as if] anointing me with ambrosia.”
The venerable Sāriputta asked the householder: “Did you not proceed to ask the Blessed One again: ‘How does the body suffer from disease and the mind [also] suffer from disease? How does the body suffer from disease and the mind not suffer from disease?’”
The householder replied: “I have approached the venerable one because of the meaning [of this]. May he explain to me in brief the import of the teaching.”
The venerable Sāriputta said to the householder: “It is well, householder. Now listen to what I shall tell you. A foolish unlearned worldling does not understand as it really is the arising of bodily form, the cessation of bodily form, the danger in bodily form, the gratification in bodily form, and the escape from bodily form. Because of not understanding it as it really is, he craves with delight for bodily form, declaring bodily form to be the self or to belong to the self, and he clings and takes hold of it.
“If his bodily form is ruined, if it becomes otherwise, his mind and consciousness follow it in turn, giving rise to vexation and pain. Vexation and pain having arisen, he is frightened, obstructed, worried, distressed, and passionately bound. With feeling … perception … formations … consciousness it is also like this. This is called body and mind suffering from disease.
“How does the body suffer from disease and the mind not suffer from disease? A learned noble disciples understands as it really is the arising of bodily form, the cessation of bodily form, the gratification in bodily form, the danger in bodily form, and the escape from bodily form. Having understood it as it really is, he does not give rise to craving with delight, seeing bodily form as the self or as belonging to the self.
“If his bodily form changes, if it becomes otherwise, his mind does not follow it in turn, giving rise to vexation and pain. His mind not having followed it in turn and given rise to vexation and pain, he does not get frightened, obstructed, worried, [distressed], and passionately bound. With feeling … perception … formations … consciousness it is also like this. This is called the body suffering from disease and the mind not suffering from disease.”
When the venerable Sāriputta spoke this teaching, the householder Nakula attained the pure eye of Dharma. At that time the householder Nakula saw the Dharma, attained the Dharma, understood the Dharma, entered the Dharma, crossing beyond all doubt, not needing to rely on others, his mind had attained fearlessness in the right Dharma.
He rose from his seat, adjusted his clothes, paid respect and, with his palms held together [in respect] towards the venerable Sāriputta, he said:
“I have gone beyond, I have crossed over. I now take refuge in the jewels of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha as a lay follower, be my witness that from today until the end of my life I take refuge in the three jewels.”
At that time the householder Nakula, hearing what Sāriputta had said, rejoiced in it and was delighted. He paid respect and left.