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Dark One, you have much to suffer

By assaulting such a bhikkhu,

An Enlightened One’s disciple

Who directly knows this fact.

31. “There has never been found a fire

Which intends, ‘Let me burn the fool,’

But a fool who assaults a fire

Burns himself by his own doing.

So it is with you, O Māra:

By assaulting the Tathāgata,

Like a fool who plays with fire

You only burn yourself alone.

By assaulting the Tathāgata,

You generate much demerit.

Evil One, do you imagine

That your evil will not ripen?

Doing thus, you store up evil

Which will last long, O End-maker!

Māra, shun the Enlightened One,

Play no more your tricks on bhikkhus.”

So the bhikkhu chastened Māra

In the Bhesakaḷā thicket

Whereupon the sombre spirit

Disappeared right then and there.

Part Two

The Middle Fifty Discourses

(Majjhimapaṇṇāsapāḷi)

1

The Division on Householders

(Gahapativagga)

Kandaraka Sutta

To Kandaraka

[339] 1. THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Campā on the banks of the Gaggarā Lake with a large Sangha of bhikkhus. Then Pessa, the elephant driver’s son, and Kandaraka the wanderer went to the Blessed One. Pessa, after paying homage to the Blessed One, sat down at one side, while Kandaraka exchanged greetings with the Blessed One, and when this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he stood at one side.538 Standing there, he surveyed the Sangha of bhikkhus sitting in complete silence,539 and then he said to the Blessed One:

2. “It is wonderful, Master Gotama, it is marvellous how the Sangha of bhikkhus has been led to practise the right way by Master Gotama. Those who were Blessed Ones, accomplished and fully enlightened in the past, at most only led the Sangha of bhikkhus to practise the right way as is done by Master Gotama now. And those who will be Blessed Ones, accomplished and fully enlightened in the future, at most will only lead the Sangha of bhikkhus to practise the right way as is done by Master Gotama now.”540

3. “So it is, Kandaraka, so it is! Those who were Blessed Ones, accomplished and fully enlightened in the past, at most only led the Sangha of bhikkhus to practise the right way as is done by me now. And those who will be Blessed Ones, accomplished and fully enlightened in the future, at most will only lead the Sangha of bhikkhus to practise the right way as is done by me now.

“For, Kandaraka, in this Sangha of bhikkhus there are bhikkhus who are arahants with taints destroyed, who have lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and who are completely liberated through final knowledge. And in this Sangha of bhikkhus there are bhikkhus in higher training, of constant virtue, living a life of constant virtue, sagacious, living a life of constant sagacity. They abide with their minds well established in the four foundations of mindfulness.541 What four? Here, Kandaraka, [340] a bhikkhu abides contemplating the body as a body, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating feelings as feelings, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating mind as mind, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects, ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world.”

4. When this was said, Pessa, the elephant driver’s son, said: “It is wonderful, venerable sir, it is marvellous how well the four foundations of mindfulness have been made known by the Blessed One: for the purification of beings, for the surmounting of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and grief, for the attainment of the true way, for the realisation of Nibbāna. For, venerable sir, we white-clothed lay people also from time to time abide with our minds well established in these