Ud 5:5 Uposatha (Uposatha Sutta)
- suttas - - evening talks - short morning talks - lectures - guided meditations - talk collections - other themes - chants - - - - à¹à¸à¸¢ - Franā§ais - Espaā±ol - - Portuguāªs - Ð ÑÑÑкий - - - УкÑаÑнÑÑка Submit Search - Home - Suttas - KN - Ud - Ud 5:5 Uposatha ## Browse Suttas Go to Udṅna index Ud index ## Ud 5:5 Uposatha (Uposatha Sutta) I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sṅvatthī at the Eastern Monastery, the palace of Migṅraâs mother. And on that occasion, the Blessed One–it being the observance day–was sitting surrounded by the community of monks. Then Ven. ṅnanda–when the night was far advanced, at the end of the first watch–got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, stood facing the Blessed One, paying homage with his hands placed palm-to-palm over his heart, and said to him, "Lord, the night is far advanced. The first watch has ended. The community of monks has been sitting here long. May the Blessed One recite the Pṅṭimokkha to them." When this was said, the Blessed One remained silent. Then a second time, when the night was far advanced, at the end of the middle watch, Ven. ṅnanda got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, stood facing the Blessed One, paying homage with his hands placed palm-to-palm over his heart, and said to him, "Lord, the night is far advanced. The second watch has ended. The community of monks has been sitting here long. May the Blessed One recite the Pṅṭimokkha to them." When this was said, the Blessed One remained silent. Then a third time, when the night was far advanced, at the end of the last watch, as dawn was approaching and the face of the night was beaming, Ven. ṅnanda got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, stood facing the Blessed One, paying homage with his hands placed palm-to-palm over his heart, and said to him, "Lord, the night is far advanced. The last watch has ended. Dawn is approaching and the face of the night is beaming. The community of monks has been sitting here long. May the Blessed One recite the Pṅṭimokkha to the community of monks." "ṅnanda, the gathering isnât pure." Then the thought occurred to Ven. Mahṅ Moggallṅna: "In reference to which individual did the Blessed One just now say, ),
# Right single quote
('â', ṅnanda, the gathering isnât pureâ?" So he directed his mind, encompassing with his awareness the awareness of the entire community of monks. He saw that individual–unprincipled, evil, unclean and suspect in his undertakings, hidden in his actions, not a contemplative though claiming to be one, not leading the holy life though claiming to do so, inwardly rotten, oozing with desire, filthy by nature–sitting in the midst of the community of monks. On seeing him, he got up, went over to that individual, and on reaching him said, "Get up, friend. You have been seen by the Blessed One. You have no affiliation with the community of monks." Then the individual remained silent. A second timeâ¦. A third time, Ven. Mahṅ Moggallṅna said, "Get up, friend. You have been seen by the Blessed One. You have no affiliation with the community of monks." And for a third time the individual remained silent. Then Ven. Mahṅ Moggallṅna, grabbing that individual by the arm, having expelled him through the outside door of the porch and locking the bolt, approached the Blessed One and on arrival said, "I have expelled that individual, lord. The gathering is now pure. Let the Blessed One recite the Pṅṭimokkha to the community of monks." "Isnât it amazing, Moggallṅna. Isnât it astounding, how that worthless man waited until he was grabbed by the arm." Then the Blessed One addressed the monks: "From now on I will no longer perform the observance or recite the Pṅṭimokkha. From now on, you alone, monks, will perform the observance and recite the Pṅṭimokkha. It is impossible, it cannot happen, that a Tathṅgata would perform the observance or recite the Pṅṭimokkha with an impure gathering. "Monks, there are these eight amazing & astounding qualities of the ocean because of which, as they see them again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. Which eight? "[1] The ocean has a gradual shelf, a gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch.1 The fact that the ocean has a gradual shelf, a gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch: This is the first amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. [2] And furthermore, the ocean is stable and does not overstep its tidelineâ¦. This is the second amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. [3] And furthermore, the ocean does not tolerate a dead body. Any dead body in the ocean gets quickly washed to the shore and thrown up on dry landâ¦. This is the third amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. [4] And furthermore, whatever great rivers there are–such as the Ganges, the Yamunṅ, the Aciravatī, the Sarabhū, the Mahī–on reaching the ocean, give up their former names and are classed simply as ),
# Right single quote
('â', oceanââ¦. This is the fourth amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. [5] And furthermore, though the rivers of the world pour into the ocean, and rains fall from the sky, no swelling or diminishing in the ocean for that reason can be discernedâ¦. This is the fifth amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. [6] And furthermore, the ocean has a single taste: that of saltâ¦. This is the sixth amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. [7] And furthermore, the ocean has these many treasures of various kinds: pearls, sapphires, lapis lazuli, shells, quartz, coral, silver, gold, rubies, & catâs eyesâ¦. This is the seventh amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. [8] And furthermore, the ocean is the abode of such mighty beings as these: whales, whale-eaters, & whale-eater-eaters; asuras, nṅgas, & gandhabbas. There are in the ocean beings one hundred leagues long, two hundred⦠three hundred⦠four hundred⦠five hundred leagues long. The fact that the ocean is the abode of such mighty beings as these: whales, whale-eaters, & whale-eater-eaters; asuras, nṅgas, & gandhabbas; and there are in the ocean beings one hundred leagues long, two hundred⦠three hundred⦠four hundred⦠five hundred leagues long: This is the eighth amazing & astounding quality of the ocean because of which, as they see it again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. "These are the eight amazing & astounding qualities of the ocean because of which, as they see them again & again, the asuras take great joy in the ocean. "In the same way, monks, there are eight amazing & astounding qualities of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see them again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. Which eight? [1] Just as the ocean has a gradual shelf, a gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch; in the same way, this Dhamma & Vinaya has a gradual training, a gradual performance, a gradual practice, with a penetration to gnosis only after a long stretch. The fact that this Dhamma & Vinaya has a gradual training, a gradual performance, a gradual practice, with a penetration to gnosis only after a long stretch: This is the first amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. [2] And furthermore, just as the ocean is stable and does not overstep its tideline; in the same way, my disciples do not–even for the sake of their lives–overstep the training rules I have formulated for themâ¦. This is the second amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. [3] And furthermore, just as the ocean does not tolerate a dead body–any dead body in the ocean getting quickly washed to the shore and thrown up on dry land–in the same way, if an individual is unprincipled, evil, unclean & suspect in his undertakings, hidden in his actions–not a contemplative though claiming to be one, not leading the holy life though claiming to do so, inwardly rotten, oozing with desire, filthy by nature–the community has no affiliation with him. Having quickly gathered together, they suspend him from the community. Even though he may be sitting in the midst of the community of monks, he is far from the community, and the community far from himâ¦. This is the third amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. [4] And furthermore, just as whatever great rivers there are–such as the Ganges, the Yamunṅ, the Aciravatī, the Sarabhū, the Mahī–on reaching the ocean, give up their former names and are classed simply as ),
# Right single quote
('â', oceanâ; in the same way, when members of the four castes–noble warriors, brahmans, merchants, & workers–go forth from home to the homeless life in this Dhamma & Vinaya declared by the Tathṅgata, they give up their former names and clans and are classed simply as ),
# Right single quote
('â', contemplatives, sons of the Sakyanââ¦. This is the fourth amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. [5] And furthermore, just as the rivers of the world pour into the ocean, and rains fall from the sky, but no swelling or diminishing in the ocean for that reason can be discerned; in the same way, although many monks are totally unbound into the property of unbinding with no fuel remaining, no swelling or diminishing in the property of unbinding for that reason can be discernedâ¦. This is the fifth amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. [6] And furthermore, just as the ocean has a single taste–that of salt–in the same way, this Dhamma & Vinaya has a single taste: that of releaseâ¦. This is the sixth amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. [7] And furthermore, just as the ocean has these many treasures of various kinds–pearls, sapphires, lapis lazuli, shells, quartz, coral, silver, gold, rubies, & catâs eyes–in the same way, this Dhamma & Vinaya has these many treasures of various kinds: the four establishings of mindfulness, the four right exertions, the four bases of power, the five faculties, the five strengths, the seven factors for awakening, the noble eightfold pathâ¦. This is the seventh amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. [8] And furthermore, just as the ocean is the abode of such mighty beings as these: whales, whale-eaters, & whale-eater-eaters; asuras, nṅgas, & gandhabbas, and there are in the ocean beings one hundred leagues long, two hundred⦠three hundred⦠four hundred⦠five hundred leagues long; in the same way, this Dhamma & Vinaya is the abode of such mighty beings as these: stream-winners & those practicing to realize the fruit of stream-entry; once-returners & those practicing to realize the fruit of once-returning; non-returners & those practicing to realize the fruit of non-returning; arahants & those practicing for arahantship. The fact that this Dhamma & Vinaya is the abode of such mighty beings as these–stream-winners & those practicing to realize the fruit of stream-entry; once-returners & those practicing to realize the fruit of once-returning; non-returners & those practicing to realize the fruit of non-returning; arahants & those practicing for arahantship: This is the eighth amazing & astounding quality of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see it again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya. "These are the eight amazing & astounding qualities of this Dhamma & Vinaya because of which, as they see them again & again, the monks take great joy in this Dhamma & Vinaya." Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed: Rain soddens whatâs covered & doesnât sodden whatâs open. So open up whatâs covered up, so that it wonât get soddened by the rain.2 Notes 1. Na ṅyatakenâeva papṅto: literally, "not for quite a long stretch a sudden drop-off." The Commentary, however, insists that this phrase means, "with no abrupt drop-off." There are three reasons for not accepting the Commentaryâs interpretation here. (a) The first is grammatical. The word ṅyataka means "long, drawn out; lasting a long time." To interpret ṅyatakena, the instrumental of a word meaning "long, drawn out," to mean "abrupt" makes little sense. (b) The second reason is geographical. The continental shelf off the east coast of India does have a sudden drop-off after a long gradual slope. (c) The third reason is doctrinal. As noted in the interpretation of the simile, the shape of the ocean floor corresponds to the course of the practice. If there were no sudden drop-off, there would be no sudden penetration to awakening. However, there are many cases of sudden penetration in the Canon, Exhibit A being Bṅhiyaâs attainment of arahantship in Ud 1:10. 2. This verse also appears among the verses attributed to Ven. Sirimaṃṇa at Thag 6:13 (verse 447 in the PTS edition). See also: AN 3:129 - --> - - - -