Ujjhānasaññisutta — Reader

Fault-Finding Deities

Ujjhānasaññisutta

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then, late at night, several glorious deities of the host of the fault-finders, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, and stood in the air. Standing in the air, one deity spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho sambahulā ujjhānasaññikā devatāyo abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇā kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā vehāsaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu. Vehāsaṁ ṭhitā kho ekā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

“Someone who pretends to be other than they really are, is like a cheating gambler who enjoys what was gained by theft.

“Aññathā santamattānaṁ, aññathā yo pavedaye; Nikacca kitavasseva, bhuttaṁ theyyena tassa taṁ.

You should only say what you would do; you shouldn’t say what you wouldn’t do. The wise will recognize one who talks without doing.”

Yañhi kayirā tañhi vade, yaṁ na kayirā na taṁ vade; Akarontaṁ bhāsamānaṁ, parijānanti paṇḍitā”ti.

“Not just by speaking, nor solely by listening, are you able to progress on this hard path,

“Na yidaṁ bhāsitamattena, ekantasavanena vā; Anukkamitave sakkā, yāyaṁ paṭipadā daḷhā;

by which the attentive practicing absorption are released from Māra’s bonds. The attentive certainly don’t act like that, for they understand the way of the world.

Yāya dhīrā pamuccanti, jhāyino mārabandhanā. Na ve dhīrā pakubbanti, viditvā lokapariyāyaṁ;

The attentive are quenched by understanding, they’ve crossed over clinging to the world.” Then those deities landed on the ground, bowed with their heads to the Buddha’s feet and said, “We made a mistake, sir. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of us to presume to attack the Buddha!

Aññāya nibbutā dhīrā, tiṇṇā loke visattikan”ti. Atha kho tā devatāyo pathaviyaṁ patiṭṭhahitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “accayo no, bhante, accagamā yathābālaṁ yathāmūḷhaṁ yathāakusalaṁ, yā mayaṁ bhagavantaṁ āsādetabbaṁ amaññimhā.

Please, sir, accept our mistake for what it is, so we will restrain ourselves in future.” At that, the Buddha smiled. Then those deities, becoming even more fault-finding, flew up in the air. One deity spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

Tāsaṁ no, bhante, bhagavā accayaṁ accayato paṭiggaṇhātu āyatiṁ saṁvarāyā”ti. Atha kho bhagavā sitaṁ pātvākāsi. Atha kho tā devatāyo bhiyyoso mattāya ujjhāyantiyo vehāsaṁ abbhuggañchuṁ. Ekā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

“If you don’t give your pardon when a mistake is confessed, with hidden anger and heavy hate, you’re stuck in your enmity.”

“Accayaṁ desayantīnaṁ, yo ce na paṭigaṇhati; Kopantaro dosagaru, sa veraṁ paṭimuñcatī”ti.

“Suppose no mistake were found, and no one here had gone astray: if enmities were not settled, how could that be skillful?”

“Accayo ce na vijjetha, nocidhāpagataṁ siyā; Verāni na ca sammeyyuṁ, kenīdha kusalo siyā”ti.

“Who makes no mistakes? Who doesn’t go astray? Who doesn’t fall into confusion? Who is attentive, ever mindful?”

“Kassaccayā na vijjanti, kassa natthi apāgataṁ; Ko na sammohamāpādi, ko ca dhīro sadā sato”ti.

“The Realized One, the Buddha, sympathetic for all beings: that’s who makes no mistakes, and that’s who doesn’t go astray.

“Tathāgatassa buddhassa, sabbabhūtānukampino; Tassaccayā na vijjanti, tassa natthi apāgataṁ;

He doesn’t fall into confusion, for he’s attentive, ever mindful. If you don’t give your pardon when a mistake is confessed,

So na sammohamāpādi, sova dhīro sadā satoti. Accayaṁ desayantīnaṁ, yo ce na paṭigaṇhati;

with hidden anger and heavy hate, you’re stuck in your enmity. I don’t approve of such enmity, and so I pardon your mistake.”

Kopantaro dosagaru, sa veraṁ paṭimuñcati; Taṁ veraṁ nābhinandāmi, paṭiggaṇhāmi voccayan”ti.