The Group of Threes | 81-99
§81. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, I have seen beings conquered
by receiving offerings-their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
I have seen beings conquered
by not receiving offerings-their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
I have seen beings conquered
both by receiving offerings & by not receiving offerings-
their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
“It's not through having heard it
from another contemplative or Brahman
that I say, 'I have seen beings conquered
by receiving offerings-their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
I have seen beings conquered
by not receiving offerings-their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
I have seen beings conquered
both by receiving offerings & by not receiving offerings-
their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.'
“Instead, it's from having known it myself,
seen it myself, observed it myself that I say,
'I have seen beings conquered
by receiving offerings-their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
I have seen beings conquered
by not receiving offerings-their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
I have seen beings conquered
both by receiving offerings & by not receiving offerings-
their minds overwhelmed-
at the break-up of the body, after death,
reappearing in a plane of deprivation,
a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.'”
Both when receiving offerings & not,
his concentration doesn't waver;
he remains heedful: he-continually absorbed in jhāna,
subtle in view & clear-seeing, enjoying the ending of clinging-
is called a man of integrity.
§82. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, these three divine sounds
sound forth among devas on appropriate occasions.
Which three?
When a disciple of the noble ones,
shaving off his hair & beard,
clothing himself in the ochre robe,
makes up his mind to go forth from the home life into homelessness,
on that occasion the divine sound sounds forth among the devas:
'This disciple of the noble ones has made up his mind to do battle with Mara.'
This is the first divine sound
that sounds forth among devas on appropriate occasions.
“When a disciple of the noble ones
lives devoted to developing the seven [sets of] qualities
that are wings to awakening,
on that occasion the divine sound sounds forth among the devas:
'This disciple of the noble ones is doing battle with Mara.'
This is the second divine sound
that sounds forth among the devas on appropriate occasions.
“When a disciple of the noble ones, through the ending of effluents,
dwells in the effluent-free awareness-release & discernment-release,
directly knowing & realizing it for himself right in the here-&-now,
on that occasion the divine sound sounds forth among the devas:
'This disciple of the noble ones has won the battle.
Having been in the front lines of the battle, he now dwells victorious.'
This is the third divine sound
that sounds forth among the devas on appropriate occasions.
“These are the three divine sounds
that sound forth among the devas on appropriate occasions.”
Seeing he's won the battle -the disciple of the Rightly Self-awakened One-
even the devas pay homage to this great one, thoroughly mature.
“Homage to you, O thoroughbred man- you who have won the hard victory,
defeating the army of Death, unhindered in emancipation.”
Thus they pay homage, the devas, to one who has reached the heart's goal,
for they see in him no means that would bring him under Death's sway.
§83. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, when a deva is about to pass away from the company of devas,
five omens appear:
his garlands wither, his clothes get soiled,
sweat comes out of his armpits, a dullness descends on his body,
he no longer delights in his own deva- seat.
The devas, knowing from this that 'This deva-son is about to pass away,'
encourage him with three sayings:
'Go from here, honourable sir, to a good destination.
Having gone to a good destination, gain the gain that is good to gain.
Having gained the gain that is good to gain, become well-established.'”
When this was said, a certain monk said to the Blessed One,
“What, lord, is the devas' reckoning of going to a good destination?
What is their reckoning of the gain that is good to gain?
What is their reckoning of becoming well- established?”
“The human state, monks,
is the devas' reckoning of going to a good destination.
Having become a human being,
acquiring conviction in the Dhamma-&-Vinaya taught by the Tathagata:
this is the devas' reckoning of the gain that is good to gain.
When that conviction is settled within one-rooted,
established, & strong, not to be destroyed by any Brahman or contemplative;
deva, Mara, or Brahma; or anyone else in the world:
this is the devas' reckoning of becoming well-established.”
When a deva passes away from the company of devas
through his life-span's ending,
three sounds sound forth -the devas' encouragement.
'Go from here, honourable sir, to a good destination,
to companionship with human beings.
On becoming a human being,
acquire a conviction unsurpassed in True Dhamma.
That conviction of yours in True Dhamma, well-taught,
should be settled, rooted, established, -undestroyed as long as you live.
Having abandoned bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct,
mental misconduct, and whatever else is flawed;
having done with the body what's skilful, and much that is skilful with speech,
having done what's skilful with a heart without limit, with no acquisitions,
then-having made much of the merit
that's a ground for spontaneously arising [in heaven] through giving-
establish other mortals in True Dhamma & the holy life.'
With this sympathy, the devas- when they know a deva is passing away-
encourage him: 'Come back, deva, again & again.'
§84. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, these three persons, appearing in the world,
appear for the benefit of many, the happiness of many, in sympathy for the world-
for the welfare, the benefit, the happiness of beings human & divine.
Which three?
“There is the case where a Tathagata appears in the world,
worthy & rightly self-awakened, consummate in clear knowing & conduct,
well-gone, an expert with regard to the cosmos,
unsurpassed trainer of tamable people,
teacher of beings human & divine, awakened, blessed.
He teaches the Dhamma admirable in its beginning,
admirable in its middle, admirable in its end.
He proclaims the holy life both in its particulars & in its essence,
entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.
This is the first person who, appearing in the world,
appears for the benefit of many, the happiness of many, in sympathy for the world-
for the welfare, the benefit, the happiness of beings human & divine.
“Furthermore, there is the disciple of that Teacher
who is a worthy one, his effluents ended, who has reached fulfilment,
done the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal,
totally destroyed the fetter of becoming,
and who is released through right gnosis.
He teaches the Dhamma admirable in its beginning,
admirable in its middle, admirable in its end.
He proclaims the holy life
both in its particulars & in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.
This is the second person who, appearing in the world,
appears for the benefit of many, the happiness of many, in sympathy for the world-
for the welfare, the benefit, the happiness of beings human & divine.
“Furthermore, there is the disciple of that Teacher
who is a worthy one who follows the practice in training,
erudite, having entered into [good] habits & practices.
He, too, teaches the Dhamma admirable in its beginning,
admirable in its middle, admirable in its end.
He proclaims the holy life
both in its particulars & in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.
This is the third person who, appearing in the world,
appears for the benefit of many, the happiness of many, in sympathy for the world-
for the welfare, the benefit, the happiness of beings human & divine.
“These are the three persons who, appearing in the world,
appear for the benefit of many, the happiness of many, in sympathy for the world-
for the welfare, the benefit, the happiness of beings human & divine.”
The Teacher, Great Seer, is first in the world;
following him, the disciple with mind composed;
and then the erudite one who follows the practice for one in training,
having entered into good habits, practices.
These three, chief among beings divine & human, giving light,
proclaiming the Dhamma, throw open the door to the Deathless,
release many from bondage.
Those who follow the path, well-taught by the Caravan Leader unsurpassed,
will put an end to stress right here-
those heeding the message of the One Well-Gone.
§85. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Remain focused, monks, on foulness in the body.
Have mindfulness of in-&-out breathing well-established to the fore within you.
Remain focused on the inconstancy of all fabrications.
For one who remains focused on the foulness of the body,
the obsession with passion for the property of beauty is abandoned.
For one who has mindfulness of in-&-out breathing
well-established to the fore within oneself,
annoying external thoughts & inclinations don't exist.
For one who remains focused on the inconstancy of all fabrications,
ignorance is abandoned, clear knowing arises.”
Focusing on foulness in the body, mindful of in-&-out breathing,
seeing the stilling of all fabrications -ardent always:
he is a monk who's seen rightly.
From that he is there released.
A master of direct knowing, at peace,
he is a sage gone beyond bonds.
§86. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, with reference to a monk
who practices the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma,
it is this way of according with the Dhamma that he should be described
as practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma.
When speaking, he speaks Dhamma and not non-Dhamma.
When thinking, he thinks about Dhamma and not about non-Dhamma.
Avoiding both these things, he stays equanimous, mindful, alert.”
Dhamma his dwelling, Dhamma his delight,
a monk pondering Dhamma, calling Dhamma to mind,
doesn't fall away from true Dhamma.
Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down –
his mind inwardly restrained- he arrives right at peace.
§87. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, there are these three kinds of unskilful thinking
that produce blindness, produce lack of vision, produce lack of knowledge,
lead to the cessation of discernment,
side with vexation, and are not conducive to Unbinding.
Which three?
Thinking imbued with sensuality.... Thinking imbued with ill-will
Thinking imbued with harmfulness produces blindness,
produces lack of vision, produces lack of knowledge,
leads to the cessation of discernment,
sides with vexation, and is not conducive to Unbinding.
These are the three kinds of unskilful thinking that produce blindness,
produce lack of vision, produce lack of knowledge,
lead to the cessation of discernment,
side with vexation, and are not conducive to Unbinding.
“There are these three kinds of skilful thinking that produce non-blindness,
produce vision, produce knowledge, foster discernment,
side with non-vexation, and are conducive to Unbinding.
Which three?
Thinking imbued with renunciation.. Thinking imbued with non-ill-will..
Thinking imbued with harmlessness produces non-blindness,
produces vision, produces knowledge, fosters discernment,
sides with non-vexation, and is conducive to Unbinding.
These are the three kinds of skilful thinking that produce non-blindness,
produce vision, produce knowledge, foster discernment,
side with non-vexation, and are conducive to Unbinding.”
Three skilful thoughts should be thought,
three unskilful thoughts rejected.
Whoever stills thoughts & evaluations
-as rain would, a cloud of dust-
through an awareness with thinking stilled,
attains right here the state of peace.
§88. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, there are these three inside stains, inside enemies,
inside foes, inside murderers, inside adversaries.
Which three?
Greed is an inside stain, inside enemy,
inside foe, inside murderer, inside adversary.
Aversion is an inside stain...
Delusion is an inside stain, inside enemy,
inside foe, inside murderer, inside adversary.
These are the three inside stains, inside enemies,
inside foes, inside murderers, inside adversaries.”
Greed causes harm. Greed provokes the mind.
People don't realize it as a danger born from within.
A person, when greedy, doesn't know his own welfare;
when greedy, doesn't see Dhamma.
Overcome with greed, he's in the dark, blind.
But when one, abandoning greed,
feels no greed for what would merit greed,
greed gets shed from him- like a drop of water off a lotus leaf.
Aversion causes harm. Aversion provokes the mind.
People don't realize it as a danger born from within.
A person, when aversive, doesn't know his own welfare;
when aversive, doesn't see Dhamma.
Overcome with aversion he's in the dark, blind.
But when one, abandoning aversion,
feels no aversion for what would merit aversion,
aversion drops away from him- like a palm leaf from its stem.
Delusion causes harm. Delusion provokes the mind.
People don't realize it as a danger born from within.
A person, when deluded, doesn't know his own welfare;
when deluded, doesn't see Dhamma.
Overcome with delusion he's in the dark, blind.
But when one, abandoning delusion,
feels no delusion for what would merit delusion,
he disperses all delusion- as the rising of the sun, the dark.
§89. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, conquered by three forms of false Dhamma-his mind overwhelmed-
Devadatta is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for an eon.
Which three?
Conquered by evil desires-his mind overwhelmed-
Devadatta is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for the duration of an eon.
Conquered by friendship with evil people-his mind overwhelmed-
Devadatta is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for the duration of an eon.
And, there being something further to be done,
he nevertheless stopped halfway with a lower modicum of distinctive attainment.
Conquered by these three forms of false Dhamma-his mind overwhelmed-
Devadatta is incurably doomed to deprivation, to hell, for an eon.”
May no one in the world ever be reborn with evil desire.
Know that through that evil desire, his destination's
that of all who have evil desires.
I've heard how Devadatta, -regarded as wise,
composed, incandescent with honour-
in the thrall of heedlessness assaulted the Tathagata
and fell to the four-gated, fearful place: Avīci, unmitigated hell.
Whoever plots against one free of corruption who's done no evil deed:
that evil touches him himself, corrupted in mind, disrespectful.
Whoever might think of polluting the ocean with a pot of poison,
couldn't succeed, for the mass of water is great.
So it is when anyone attacks with abuse the Tathagata –
rightly-gone, of peaceful mind- for abuse doesn't grow on him.
A wise person should make friends, should associate, with a person like him-
whose path a monk can pursue and reach the ending of suffering & stress.
§90. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, there are these three supreme objects of confidence.
Which three?
“Among whatever beings there may be-footless,
two-footed, four-footed, many footed; with form or formless;
percipient, non-percipient, neither percipient nor non-percipient-
the Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, is considered supreme.
Those who have confidence in the Awakened One
have confidence in what is supreme;
and for those with confidence in the supreme, supreme is the result.
“Among whatever dhammas there may be, fabricated or unfabricated,
dispassion-the subduing of intoxication, the elimination of thirst, the uprooting of attachment, the breaking of the round, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, the realization of Unbinding - is considered supreme.
Those who have confidence in the dhamma of dispassion have confidence in what is supreme; and for those with confidence in the supreme, supreme is the result.
“Among whatever fabricated qualities there may be,
the noble 8-fold path-right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration-is considered supreme.
Those who have confidence in the dhamma of the noble path have confidence in what is supreme; and for those with confidence in the supreme, supreme is the result.
“Among whatever communities or groups there may be, the Sangha of the Tathagata's disciples is considered supreme-i.e., the four [groups of noble disciples] when taken as pairs, the eight when taken as persons.
Those who have confidence in the Sangha have confidence in what is supreme; and for those with confidence in the supreme, supreme will be the result.
“These, monks, are the three supreme objects of confidence.”
With confidence, realizing the supreme Dhamma to be supreme;
confidence in the supreme Buddha, unsurpassed in deserving offerings;
confidence in the supreme Dhamma, the bliss of stilling, dispassion;
confidence in the supreme Sangha, unsurpassed as a field of merit;
having given gifts to the supreme, one develops supreme merit,
supreme long life & beauty, status, honour, bliss, & strength.
Having given to the supreme, the wise person, centred in supreme Dhamma,
whether becoming a divine or human being, rejoices, having attained the supreme.
§91. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, this is a lowly means of livelihood, alms gathering. It's a form of abuse in the world [to say], 'You go around as an alms gatherer with a bowl in your hand!'
Yet reasonable young men of good families have taken it up for a compelling reason:
They have not been forced into it by kings or robbers, nor through debt, through fear, nor through the loss of their livelihood, but through the thought:
'We are beset by birth, aging, & death, by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs, beset by stress, overcome with stress.
O, that the end of this entire mass of suffering & stress might be known!'
But this young man of good family, having gone forth in this way,
may be greedy for sensual pleasures, strong in his passions, malevolent in mind, corrupt in his resolves, his mindfulness muddled, unalert, uncentred, his mind scattered, & his faculties uncontrolled.
Just as a firebrand from a funeral pyre-burning at both ends, covered with excrement in the middle-is used as fuel neither in a village nor in the wilderness:
I tell you that this is a simile for this person. He has missed out on the householder's enjoyments and does not fulfil the purpose of the contemplative life.”
He's missed out on the householder's enjoyment
& the purpose of the contemplative life
-unfortunate man! Ruining it, he throws it away,
perishes like a firebrand used at a funeral.
Better to eat an iron ball -glowing, aflame-
than that, unprincipled & unrestrained, he should eat the alms of the country.
§92. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, even if a monk, taking hold of my outer robe, were to follow right behind me, placing his feet in my footsteps,
yet if he were to be greedy for sensual pleasures, strong in his passions, malevolent in mind, corrupt in his resolves, his mindfulness muddled, unalert, uncentred, his mind scattered, & his faculties uncontrolled,
- then he would be far from me, and I from him.
Why is that?
Because he does not see the Dhamma.
Not seeing the Dhamma, he does not see me.
“But even if a monk were to live 100 leagues away,
yet if he were to have no greed for sensual objects, were not strong in his passions, not malevolent in mind, uncorrupt in his resolves, his mindfulness established, alert, centred, his mind at singleness, & his faculties well-restrained,
- then he would be near to me, and I to him.
Why is that?
Because he sees the Dhamma!
Seeing the Dhamma, he sees me.”
Though following right behind, ambitious, annoyed: see how far he is!-
the perturbed from the unperturbed, the bound from the Unbound,
the greedy one from the one with no greed.
But the wise person
who, through direct knowledge of Dhamma, gnosis of Dhamma,
grows still & unperturbed like a lake unruffled by wind: see how close he is!-
the unperturbed to the unperturbed, the Unbound to the Unbound,
the greedless one to the one with no greed.
§93. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, there are these 3 fires.
Which three?
The fire of passion,
the fire of aversion,
the fire of delusion.
These are the three fires.”
The fire of passion burns in a mortal
delighting in, smitten with sensual desires;
the fire of aversion, in a malevolent person taking life;
the fire of delusion, in a bewildered person ignorant of the noble teaching.
Not understanding these fires,
people -fond of self-identity- unreleased from Mara's shackles,
swell the ranks of hell, the wombs of common animals,
demons, the realm of the hungry ghosts.
While those who, day & night, are devoted
to the message of the rightly self-awakened,
put out the fire of passion, constantly perceiving the foul.
They, superlative people, put out the fire of aversion with good will,
and the fire of delusion with the discernment leading to penetration.
They, the masterful, untiring by night & day, having put out [the fires],
having, without remainder, comprehended stress,
are, without remainder, totally unbound.
They, the wise, with an attainer-of-wisdom's noble vision, right gnosis,
directly knowing the ending of birth, come to no further becoming.
§94. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, a monk should investigate in such a way that-
his consciousness neither externally scattered & diffused, nor internally positioned-he is, from lack of clinging/sustenance, unagitated, and there is no coming into being of the origination of future birth, aging, death, or stress.”
For a monk who has abandoned seven attachments and cut the guide:
the wandering-on in birth is finished; there is, for him, no further becoming.
§95. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, there are these three ways of obtaining sensual pleasures.
Which three?
Those whose sensual pleasures are already provided,
those who delight in creating,
those with control over what is created by others.
These are the three ways of obtaining sensual pleasures.”
Devas whose pleasures are already provided,
those with control, those who delight in creation,
and any others enjoying sensual pleasures in this state here or anywhere else,
don't go beyond the wandering-on.
Knowing this drawback in sensual pleasures,
the wise should abandon all sensual desires, whether human or divine.
Having cut the flow of greed for lovely, alluring forms so hard to transcend,
having, without remainder, comprehended stress,
they are, without remainder, totally unbound.
They, the wise, with an attainer-of-wisdom's noble vision, right gnosis,
directly knowing the ending of birth, come to no further becoming.
§96. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Tied by the yoke of sensuality & the yoke of becoming, monks,
one is a returner, returning to this state.
Untied from the yoke of sensuality but tied by the yoke of becoming,
one is a non-returner, not returning to this state.
Untied from [both] the yoke of sensuality & from the yoke of becoming,
one is an Arahant whose effluents are ended.”
Tied by both the yoke of sensuality & the yoke of becoming,
beings go to the wandering-on leading to birth & death.
Those who've abandoned the sensual without reaching the ending of effluents,
are tied by the yoke of becoming, are said to be Non-returners.
While those who've cut off doubt have no more conceit or further becoming.
They who have reached the ending of effluents, while in the world have gone beyond.
§97. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, a monk who has admirable virtue, admirable qualities, & admirable discernment is called, in this Dhamma-&-Vinaya, one who is complete, fulfilled, a superlative person.
“And how is a monk a person with admirable virtue?
There is the case where a monk is virtuous:
He dwells restrained in accordance with the Pāṭimokkha,
consummate in his behaviour & sphere of activity.
He trains himself, having undertaken the training rules,
seeing danger in the slightest faults.
In this way a monk is a person with admirable virtue.
Thus he is of admirable virtue.
“And how is a monk a person with admirable qualities?
There is the case where a monk lives
devoted to developing the seven [sets of] qualities
that are wings to awakening.
In this way a monk is a person with admirable qualities.
Thus he is of admirable virtue & admirable qualities.
“And how is a monk a person with admirable discernment?
There is the case where a monk-with the ending of effluents-
remains in the effluent-free awareness-release & discernment-release,
directly knowing & realizing it for himself right in the here-&-now.
In this way a monk is a person with admirable discernment.
Thus he is of admirable virtue, admirable qualities, admirable discernment. In this Dhamma-&-Vinaya he is called one who is complete, fulfilled, a superlative person.”
Devoid of wrong-doing in thought, word, or deed,
he's called a person of admirable virtue: the monk conscientious.
Well-developed in the qualities that go to the attainment of self-awakening,
he's called a person of admirable qualities: the monk unassuming.
Discerning right here for himself, in himself, the ending of stress
he's called a person of admirable discernment: the monk with no effluent.
Consummate in these things, untroubled, with doubt cut away,
unattached in all the world, he's said to have abandoned the All.
§98. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“Monks, there are these two kinds of gifts:
a gift of material things & a gift of the Dhamma.
Of these two kinds of gifts, this is supreme: a gift of the Dhamma.
There are these two kinds of sharing:
sharing of material things & sharing of the Dhamma.
Of these two kinds of sharing, this is supreme: sharing of the Dhamma.
There are these two kinds of assistance:
assistance with material things & assistance with the Dhamma.
Of these two kinds of assistance, this is supreme:
assistance with the Dhamma.”
The gift he describes as supreme & unsurpassed,
the sharing the Blessed One has extolled:
who-confident in the supreme field of merit, wise, discerning-
wouldn't give it at appropriate times?
Both for those who proclaim it and those who listen,
confident in the message of the One Well-Gone:
it purifies their foremost benefit-
those heeding the message of the One Well-Gone.
§99. This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard:
“It's with reference to Dhamma, monks, that I describe [a person as] a Brahman with 3-fold knowledge, and not another as measured by citing & reciting.
And how is it with reference to Dhamma that I describe [a person as] a Brahman with 3-fold knowledge, and not another as measured by citing & reciting?
“There is the case where a monk recollects his manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two... five, ten... fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand,
many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion:
'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my sensitivity to pleasure & pain, such the end of my life.
Passing away from that state, I re-arose there:
There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my sensitivity to pleasure & pain, such the end of my life.
Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.'
Thus he recollects his manifold past lives in their modes & details.
“This is the first knowledge he has attained:
Ignorance has been destroyed; knowledge has arisen; darkness has been destroyed; light has arisen-as happens in one who remains heedful, ardent, & resolute.
“Then again, the monk sees-by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human-beings passing away & re-appearing,
and he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their actions:
'These beings
-who were endowed with bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct; who reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views-at the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
But these beings
-who were endowed with bodily good conduct, verbal good conduct, & mental good conduct; who did not revile noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views-at the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, a heavenly world.'
Thus-by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human-he sees beings passing away & re-appearing, and discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their actions.
“This is the second knowledge he has attained:
Ignorance has been destroyed; knowledge has arisen; darkness has been destroyed; light has arisen- as happens in one who remains heedful, ardent, & resolute.
“Then again, the monk-with the ending of effluents-
remains in the effluent- free awareness-release & discernment-release,
directly knowing & realizing it for himself right in the here-&-now.
“This is the third knowledge he has attained:
Ignorance has been destroyed; knowledge has arisen; darkness has been destroyed; light has arisen-as happens in one who remains heedful, ardent, & resolute.
“It's in this way that, with reference to Dhamma, I describe [a person as] a Brahman with 3-fold knowledge, and not another as measured by citing & reciting.”
He knows his former lives. He sees heavens & states of woe,
has attained the ending of birth, is a sage who has mastered direct-knowing.
By means of these three knowledges he becomes a three-knowledge Brahman.
He's what I call a three-knowledge man- not another, citing, reciting.