CHAPTER 4

AN ANNOTATED BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOURSES

while the latter means faults those which lead to a state of great miser!"
#
Thus, b!
kamadinava is meant the faults of kama or sense-desires" $n this %amadinava
section, five discourses are included, namel! the &evaduta 'utta, the
(ahadu))ha))handha 'utta, the *tthipunja 'utta, the Pave!!a)a 'utta and the
'u)arapoti)a 'utta"
$n the following are given annotated brief accounts of the mentioned
discourses focusing on the faults of sense-desires"
4:1 The Devaduta Sutta (The Di!"u#e "$ the Divi$e Mee$%e#)
&
This discourse describes how %ing +ama as)s a person who is reborn in hell
and how miserable the state of hell is"
,hile residing in the -eta .rove (onaster!, 'avatthi, the /uddha who
possessed the 0mniscience taught this discourse to 1is bhi))hus" The 0mniscient
0ne pointed out that those who are well conducted in bod!, speech and mind are
reborn in a happ! destination such as the human world and the heavenl! worlds
whereas the others who are ill conducted in bod!, speech and mind are reborn in the
four woeful states"
%ing +ama poses to a person
2
who is reborn in hell the 3uestions concerning
with five divine messengers a !oung tender infant, an aged man, a sic) man, a dead
man and a tortured imprisoned culprit" The 3uestion concerned with the first divine
messenger runs thus4

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>1ave !ou seen in the world a !oung tender infant? &id it occur to !ou, $ too
am subject to birth, $ am not e@empt from birth? ,ith a mind to be free from
such miser!, did !ou do meritorious deeds?A
*fter 3uestioning and cross-3uestioning the man about the first divine
messenger, %ing +ama 3uestions him about the second, third, fourth and fifth divine
messengers an aged man, a sic) man, a dead man and a tortured imprisoned culprit
respectivel!"
$f after being 3uestioned and cross-3uestioned about the five divine
messengers, the person replies that he was negligent and failed to do good, then he is
tortured with the five-fold transfi@ing
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b! the wardens of hell" $f, however, he does not
die because his evil action has not e@hausted its result, then he is thrown into the
.reat 1ell, which loo)s li)e a s3uare bo@ having four sides of a hundred leagues
(yo!ana)" $t is made on all sides of iron heated till it glows with fire" The hell-goer has
to suffer from the heat of the hell so long as his evil action has not e@hausted its
result" Though he sometimes escapes from it, he has to suffer successivel! in the
satellite hells the 1ell of C@crement, the 1ell of 1ot Cmbers, the 1ell of 'imbali
Trees, the 1ell of 'word-leaf Trees and the 1ell of Daustic ,aters" *fter that, the
wardens of hell pull him out with a hoo) and set him on the ground" Then the! throw
red-hot metal balls and pour molten copper into his open mouth" +et the hell-goer
does not die so long as his evil action has not e@hausted its result" 1e has to suffer in
the c!cle of hells" 0nl! when his evil action has put out its effect does he escape from
these hells"
Thus, people who are negligent and fail to do good are sure to suffer the sharp
pains in hell in just the same wa! the man in this discourse" /ut people who become
afraid of the miserable states of the divine messengers and do good are sure not to fall
into hell" These people will escape from the miser! of the four woeful states and of
the round of rebirths after the! have fulfilled their perfections according to the Eour
6oble Truths, b! which the! can attain 6ibbana, the cessation of all the sufferings"
$n brief, the four individuals a !oung tender infant, an aged man, a sic) man,
a dead man and a tortured imprisoned culprit are reminders for those who indulge
in sensual pleasures to do merit for the sa)e of liberation from the sufferings" Thus,
these four people are referred to in this discourse as the four divine messengers"
B
The act of driving red-hot iron sta)es through hands, feet and bell!"
#
4:' The Mahadu((ha((ha$dha Sutta (The )#eate# Di!"u#e "$ the Ma "*
Su**e#i$%)
+
$n this discourse, the /uddha taught that all )inds of suffering originate from
the sensual pleasures"
0nce at 'avatthi, some bhi))hus visited "aribba!akas (wanderers of other
sects) and were told that there was no difference between these wanderers and Ford
/uddha in dealing with the pleasures of senses and the five aggregates such as
material forms and feelings" ,hen the /uddha )new this from the bhi))hus, 1e
e@plained how 1e differed from the wanderers and taught this discourse"
$n dealing with the sensual pleasures and the five aggregates including
material forms and feelings, the /uddha and the wanderers of other sects are different"
The reason is that the /uddha had attained Cnlightenment, b! which 1e had full!
realiGed these things as the! are, while the wanderers could just have a superficial
)nowledge of them" 'ince 1e 1imself had full! realiGed these pleasures of senses and
the five aggregates such as material forms and feelings and 1e wished the others to
)now li)e 1im, 1is teaching includes not onl! them but also their dangers and the
wa! to emancipate from them"
() The clansmen have to ma)e their living with toil" $f, however, their gain no
wealth while thus wor)ing and striving and ma)ing effort, the! become distraught" $f
the the! gain wealth while thus wor)ing and striving and ma)ing effort, the!
e@perience pain and distress in protecting it" Cven though the! thus guard and watch
over their propert!, five )inds of foes ma! ma)e off with it"
;
Then the! become
distraught" 6ow these sufferings in this present originate from sensual pleasures"
Eurthermore, it is with sensual pleasures for the reason that )ings 3uarrel with
)ings, nobles with nobles, priests with priests, householders with householders,
mother with child, child with mother, father with child, child with father, brother with
brother, sister with sister, brother with sister, sister with brother, friend with friend"
*nd then in their 3uarrels, brawls, disputes and battles, the! attac) one another, so
that the! incur death or deadl! pain" These sufferings in this present life thus originate
from sensual pleasures"
*gain, with sensual pleasures as the cause, men commit various )inds of
crime such as brea)ing into houses, plundering wealth, seducing others wives, and
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%ings or thieves ma! ma)e off with it, or fire ma! burn it, or water ma! sweep it awa!, or hateful
heirs ma! ma)e off with it"
7
when the! are caught, man! )inds of torture are inflicted on them b! the )ings men
and the criminals suffer from pains to death"
5
These sufferings also originate from
sensual pleasures"
People, with sensual pleasures as the basis, indulge in misconduct of bod!,
speech, and mind" 1aving done so, the! are reborn in the woeful states" This danger in
the life to come also originates from sensual pleasures"
/! emancipation in the case of sensual pleasures is meant 6ibbana, because
with 6ibbana as the cause, one gets rid of desire and lust attached to sensual
pleasures"
:
(#) * girl of the noble class in her fifteenth or si@teenth !ear who is free from
si@ faults
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has her beaut! and loveliness at its height" The pleasure and jo! that arise
in dependence are the gratification in the case of material forms"
Fater on one might see that same woman at eight!, ninet!, or a hundred !ears,
aged" 1er former beaut! and loveliness vanished and the faults become evident" This
is also a danger in the case of material forms"
*gain one might see that same woman afflicted, suffering and seriousl! ill,
l!ing fouled in her own urine and e@crement, lifted up b! some and set down b!
others" That same woman might be seen later as a corpse, bloated, livid and ooGing"
1er former beaut! and loveliness vanished and the faults become evident" This is also
a danger in the case of material forms"
/! emancipation in the case of material forms is meant 6ibbana, because
with 6ibbana as the cause, one gets rid of attachment to material forms"
(7) The gratification in the case of feelings is concerned with the feeling of
freedom from afflictions" 0ne who enters upon and abides in the first, second, third or
fourth jhanic states feels the feeling that is free from afflictions" That freedom from
afflictions is called the gratification in the case of feelings"
The danger in the case of feelings is that the feelings are impermanent,
suffering and subject to change"
/! emancipation in the case of feelings is meant 6ibbana, because with
6ibbana as the cause, one gets rid of attachment to feelings"
*s is seen, in this discourse the /uddha taught b! using e@amples the wa! to
loo) upon sensual pleasures, material forms and feelings as the! reall! are"
5
These used to the legal punishments in the time of the /uddha"
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/eing too tall or too short, too thin or too fat, too dar) or too fair"
2
4:& The Atthi,u$-a Sutta (The Di!"u#e "$ the Hea, "* B"$e)
11
$n this discourse, the /uddha taught that if the bones of a single person
throughout his round of rebirths were not destro!ed b! an! means, the collection
would be as big as the huge 9epulla roc) and that onl! when one realiGes the Eour
6oble Truths will he find the end of the round of rebirths"
The /uddha taught this discourse to the bhi))hus on one occasion when 1e
was residing among the .ijjha pea)s in Hajagaha" The essence of the discourse is as
follows"
The heap of bones or s)eletons of a single person running from one e@istence
to the other throughout a world c!cle would be li)e the 9epulla roc) if there was
someone to collect them and if the collection was not destro!ed" The reason is that the
beginning of the round of rebirths cannot be pointed out" ,hen a person in the train of
e@istence sees the four noble truths with right wisdom, he will be able to limit his
births to seven times at most (that is, he will be reborn in seven more e@istences at
most) and attain 6ibbana, the cessation of all sufferings"
$n this discourse, the /uddha showed the long journe! of e@istences b! using
the analog! of heap of bones" * 3uestion ma! arise in response to this analog!4 &id
one not become insects such as earthworms, creep!-crawlies, maggots, mos3uitoes
and flies in his past e@istences? *nd the! do not have an! bones" $t is true that the!
do not have an! bones and one ma! well have become such insects" 1e ma! also have
become vertebrates such as fish and tortoises" /ut the /uddhas focus in this discourse
is not on the bon! vertebrates and invertebrates" 1e just )ept in mind the times when
one is reborn with the average number of bones" $t must be born in mind that a person
in his round of rebirths can be born in all )inds of e@istences"
#
*s is seen in this discourse, beings roam about in the c!cle of rebirths and
e@perience aging, pains, deaths and rebirths repeatedl!" The discourse reminds us that
we should tr! to realiGe the Eour 6oble Truths for emancipation from these sufferings"
4:4 The Pave..a(a Sutta (The Di!"u#e "$ the Pave..a(a$)
1&
The aim of this discourse was the *rahantship of the thirt! bhi))hus from the
)ingdom of Pave!!a)a"

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The /uddha taught this discourse while residing at the /amboo .rove
(onaster! in Hajagaha" *ll these bhi))hus were persistent observers of the ascetic
practices of Eorest &weller, *lms-man, Hefuse-ragman and Three-rober" The! had not
attained *rahantship !et, however, and nor were the! worldlings" *ll of them were
noble beings some were 'tream-winners, some 0nce-returners, and others 6ever-
returners" $n this discourse the /uddha taught them as follows4
>(on)s, at one time or the other in the long journe! in e@istences, !ou must
have been born as cattle, buffaloes, sheep and robbers" The blood !ou have
shed on account of the nec) being severed from the bod! in this long journe!
in e@istences running from one e@istence to another, is more than the water in
the four great oceans" The reason is that the e@istences were so numerous"
Therefore, !ou should be tired of these conditional kammic activities" $n other
words, !ou should be tired of the e@istences"A
/! hearing this sermon, all the thirt! mon)s attained *rahantship" Thus, this
discourse convinces us that the sufferings of the c!cle of rebirths are frightening and
urges us to cherish the wish to liberate from this c!cle of rebirths"
4:/ The Su(a#a,"ti(a Sutta (The Di!"u#e "$ a S"0 1. the $a2e "*
Su(a#a,"ti(a)
14
The discourse is about a sow b! the name of 'u)arapoti)a" $t describes how
'u)arapoti)a had e@perienced e@istences, good and bad, before she was reborn as a
sow" $t also includes the later part of the stor! in which the sow was reborn in human
e@istences and, in her last rebirth, attained *rahantship"
The first part of the discourse was taught b! the /uddha while 1e was residing
at the /amboo .rove (onaster! in Hajagaha" 0ne da!, the /uddha on 1is alms-
round into the cit! saw the sow and smiled" ,hen Thera *nada as)ed 1im the reason
of the smile, 1e related her past to him"
$n the time of /uddha %a)usandha, she was a hen" 1aving heard a formula of
meditation repeated b! a !ogi who resided at the edge of the monaster!, the hen was
reborn as Princess Ibbari" The princess, again seeing a heap of maggots in the priv!,
developed the meditation on worms and worm-fested corpses ("ulavaka) and entered
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8
the first absorption of mind (jhana)" *fter passing awa!, she was reborn in the
/rahma-world" *fter that, she was reborn as a human being and a sow successivel!" $t
was the unstable nature of e@istences that the /uddha smiled at" 0n hearing the stor!
of Ibbari, Thera *nanda and other mon)s were filled with emotion"
B

Then the /uddha taught the mon)s the dangers of the craving for e@istences
(bhava-tanha) on the rest of the alms-round" (an! people became noble beings such
as 'tream-winners and so on"
8
Fater on, the sow was reborn in the ro!al household in 'uvannabhumi and in
succession in /aranasi" Then she was reborn in a horse-dealers house in the port cit!
of 'uppara)a and in a mariners household in the port cit! of %avira" Fater she too)
rebirth in an archers house in *nuradha and again in the village of /o))anta as the
daughter of a ban)er named 'umana" ,hen she came of age, she got married to
Fa)unta *timbara, one of the chief ministers of %ing &utthagamani" 'he recollected
her former births and felt filled with emotion" 'he then as)ed permission from her
husband to join the 0rder of 6uns" 1aving heard the (aha 'atipatthana 'utta
;
, she
became a 'tream-winner" Fater, having heard the *sivisopama 'utta
5
, she became an
*rahant"
0n the da! of her Passing-awa!, the nun related her stor! to urge people to be
watchful and diligent in doing merits"
:
This discourse highlights the fact that one has to wander in the round of
rebirths, pleasant and unpleasant, so long as his craving (tanha) has not been
destro!ed" Ibbari, the main character in this stor!, was reborn thirteen times in
different places in different e@istences" This discourse shows the devout /uddhists the
turns of the travel of e@istences, which occur due to sensual pleasures"
*s can be seen, the compiler of the 'uttasangaha included in the %amadinava
'ection altogether five discourses from the 'uttanta Pita)a and the &hammapada
Dommentar!" 'ince the section is concerned with the dangers of sensual pleasures, it
starts with the &evaduta 'utta, in which the negligent people who indulge in sensual
pleasures are found to e@perience great miser! in hell" Then, the author included the
(ahadu))ha))handa)a 'utta to show that the e@perience of all )inds of trouble has
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sensual pleasures as its cause and to show the wa! of destro!ing these sensual
pleasures b! viewing the five aggregates as the! reall! are" *fter that, the *tthipunja
'utta and the Pave!!a)a 'utta are found in which the author urged the readers to tr!
to emancipate from the c!cle of rebirths which is too long to have an! beginning or
end" Einall!, the section tells the stor! of 'u)arapoti)a a narrative of a theri who
wandered in various )inds of e@istence due to pleasures of senses"
*ll the discourses in this section are the teachings which focus on the
development of mind to get tired of the dangerous sensual pleasures and liberate from
the c!cle of rebirths" The author is thus found to have selected these discourses
carefull! so that the! all are in tune with the section to which the! belong"
5