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Vinaya Pitaka
Mahavagga
I. Mahākhandhako

Mv I 1

PTS: Mv I 1.2 | CS: vin.mv.01.02

Ajapālakathā

The Discussion of the Goatherd’s (Banyan Tree)

Ven. Khematto Bhikkhu

2017

Alternate translations/layout: "line by line" Pāḷi - English

- Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa -

(Mv.I.2.1) [4] Then, with the passing of seven days, after emerging from that concentration, the Blessed One went from the root of the Bodhi tree — the tree of awakening — to the Goatherd’s Banyan tree, and sat at the root of the Goatherd’s Banyan tree for seven days in one session, sensitive to the bliss of release.

(Mv.I.2.2) Then a certain overbearing brahman went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he stood to one side. As he was standing there, he said to the Blessed One, “To what extent, Master Gotama, is one a brahman? And which are the qualities that make one a brahman?”

(Mv.I.2.3) Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

“Any brahman who has banished evil qualities,[1] — not overbearing, not stained, his mind controlled — gone to the end of wisdom,[2] the holy life completed: Rightly would that brahman speak the holy teaching. He has no swelling of pride[3] anywhere in the world.” [4]

Notes

1.: This line contains a wordplay on the words brāhmaṇa and bāhita (banished) – the same wordplay used in Dhp 388 and Ud 1.5.
2.: This line plays with the term vedanta, which can mean “end of wisdom,” “end of the Vedas,” or “supplement to the Vedas.” In the latter two cases, it would be a term referring to a brahman-by-birth who has studied all the Vedas and their supplements, but the Buddha is obviously giving this term a different meaning here.
3.: See Sn 4.10 and Sn 4.14.
4.: Passage appears also in Ud 1.4

Provenance:

2017 Ven. Khematto Bhikkhu

Edition: 2017-09-29.

Transcribed from a file generously provided by the translator via dhammatalks.org and edited to ZzE-style by sj.

2017

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How to cite this document (one suggested style): "Mv 1.2: Ajapālakathā: The Discussion of the Goatherd’s (Banyan Tree)", by Ven.Khematto Bhikkhu. Zugang zur Einsicht, 31 October 2017, http://www.zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/vin/mv/mv01/mv.01.02.khem_en.html retreived on:

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