婆羅門子命終愛念不離經

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Bhagavā was dwelling in the Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park, in the country of Sāvatthī.

At that time there was a certain brahmin whose only son had died, and he grieved and mourned without ceasing. When his son died, he could not eat, could not drink, would not put on his garments, nor would he anoint his body with perfume any longer. He only went to the cemetery to weep and wail. He wept and wailed because he remembered the times he had held his son in his arms. Then the brahmin gradually made his way to where the Bhagavā was. Having arrived, he exchanged greetings and courtesies with the Bhagavā, and when the consoling was done, the brahmin sat down to one side. The Bhagavā asked him:

"Brahmin, why are your faculties not composed?"

"Gotama, how could the faculty of my mind be composed? I had an only son who has died, and so I grieve and mourn without end. Now that he is dead, I cannot eat, cannot drink, will not put on my garments, nor anoint myself with perfume. I only sit at home and weep. And when I weep, I remember the times I cradled him in my arms."

"So it is! So it is, brahmin! Brahmin, when affection has arisen, there will be sorrow, suffering, and distress, and no joy."

"How is this, Gotama, that when affection has arisen there will be sorrow, suffering, and distress, and no joy? Gotama, when affection has arisen there is delight and fond remembrance."

He spoke in this way up to the third time. The Bhagavā said to that brahmin:

"So it is! So it is, brahmin! Brahmin, when affection has arisen, there will surely be grief, weeping, and no joy."

The Bhagavā also answered him in this way three times. That brahmin said to the Buddha:

"Why, Gotama, is it that when affection has arisen there is, on the contrary, grief and no joy? Gotama, when affection has arisen there is only delight and fond remembrance."

Then, hearing the Bhagavā speak in this way, the brahmin was displeased; he did not take it to be wrong, yet he was not pleased and did not take it to be right. Then he rose from his seat and departed.

At that time, outside the gate of the Jeta Grove, there were some people at play, amusing themselves. From a distance that brahmin saw the people at play outside the gate of the Jeta Grove, amusing themselves; and having seen them, he thought: "The intelligent people of the world hold this to be supreme. Let me tell these people at play all that I discussed with the recluse Gotama." Then that brahmin went to where the people at play were, and having arrived, he told these people all that he had discussed with the Bhagavā. When he had spoken in this way, the people at play said to the brahmin:

"Brahmin, when affection has arisen, how could there be grief, suffering, and no joy? Brahmin, when affection has arisen, one will obtain delight and fond remembrance."

Then the brahmin thought to himself: "The words of these people at play are the same as mine," and he departed.

That discussion was heard by many people, and gradually it spread until it reached the king's palace. King Pasenadi heard it said: "The recluse Gotama says this: when affection has arisen, there will be grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy." Having heard this, King Pasenadi said to Queen Mallikā:

"Mallikā, I have heard the recluse Gotama say this: when affection arises, there will be grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy."

"So it is, so it is, Your Majesty. When affection arises, there is only grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy."

"Mallikā, when I hear your teacher speak, his disciple speaks likewise. Mallikā, since that recluse Gotama is your teacher, so now you too speak in this way: when affection has arisen, there will surely be grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy."

"Your Majesty, if you do not believe my words, then you may go yourself, or send a messenger, to ask the Bhagavā about it."

Then King Pasenadi instructed the brahmin Nāḷijaṅgha:

"Nāḷijaṅgha, go to where the recluse Gotama is. Having arrived, convey my words of inquiry to the recluse Gotama, saying: I most earnestly inquire whether He is at peace, whether He moves about with ease, and whether He is in good health. Say thus: 'Gotama, King Pasenadi most earnestly inquires whether You are at peace, whether You move about with ease, and whether You are in good health. Did the recluse Gotama truly say this: "When affection has arisen, there will surely be grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy?"' Nāḷijaṅgha, if the recluse Gotama says so, you must receive it and remember it well. Why is this? Because He never speaks falsehood."

The brahmin Nāḷijaṅgha promptly obeyed the instruction of King Pasenadi and went to where the Bhagavā was. Having arrived, he exchanged greetings and inquired after the Bhagavā's health. When they had greeted and inquired after one another, he sat down to one side. Having sat down to one side, the brahmin Nāḷijaṅgha said to the Bhagavā:

"Gotama, King Pasenadi most earnestly inquires whether You are at peace, whether You move about with ease, and whether You are in good health. Did the recluse Gotama indeed say: 'When affection has arisen, there will surely be grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy?'"

"Nāḷijaṅgha, I will question you in turn, and you may answer me according to your understanding. Nāḷijaṅgha, what do you think? Suppose a certain man's mother were to pass away; and because his mother had passed away, the man's mind became deranged, and naked, wearing no garments, that man, wherever he went, would say: 'I do not see my mother! I do not see my mother!' Brahmin, you should know that when affection has arisen, there will surely be grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy. So too it is when one's father, brother, sister, or wife passes away; because his wife had passed away, that man's mind became deranged, and naked, wearing no garments, that man, wherever he went, would say: 'I do not see my father, my wife!'

"Brahmin, in the past there was a certain wife who, when she returned to her own home, found that her kinsfolk wished to seize her by force and give her to another man. She heard it said: 'The kinsfolk wish to seize me and give me to another man.' Having heard this, she ran in haste back to her husband's house. Having arrived, she said to her husband: 'You should know, my kinsfolk wish to seize me and give me to another man. Whatever you mean to do, do it now at once.' Then the husband took a very sharp knife, grasped his wife's hand and drew her into the house, saying: 'Let us go together! Let us go together!' He stabbed his wife to death and then killed himself. Brahmin, you should know that because this affection arose, there was grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy."

Then the brahmin Nāḷijaṅgha, having heard the Bhagavā speak, received and remembered it well; and he rose from his seat, circumambulated the Bhagavā, took his leave of Him, and returned. When he reached King Pasenadi, having arrived, he reported to the king:

"It is truly so, Your Majesty! The recluse Gotama said this: 'When affection has arisen, there is grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy.'"

"Therefore, Your Majesty, I will question you in turn, and you may answer according to your judgment. Your Majesty, what do you think? Do you have affection for the great general Viḍūḍabha?"

"Mallikā, I have affection for the great general Viḍūḍabha."

"Your Majesty, if the great general Viḍūḍabha were to be ruined or to meet with calamity, would grief, suffering, and sorrow, and no joy arise in you?"

"Mallikā, if the great general Viḍūḍabha were to be ruined or to meet with calamity, I would feel grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy."

"Your Majesty, by this you may know that whenever affection arises, there is grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy. Your Majesty, what do you think? Do you have affection for the great general Bhadda, do you love the great elephant Puṇḍarīka, do you love the lady Vāsabhā, do you love Queen Vāsabhakhattiyā, do you love the people of Kāsi?"

"Mallikā, I love the people of Kosala in Kāsi."

"Your Majesty, if the people of Kosala in Kāsi were to be scattered and destroyed, or to meet with calamity, would grief, suffering, and sorrow, and no joy arise in you?"

"Mallikā, the five kinds of pleasures by which I amuse myself are all supplied by the people of Kosala in Kāsi. Mallikā, were the people of Kāsi to be scattered and destroyed, or to meet with calamity, even my own life would not be safe—how then could grief, suffering, and sorrow, and no joy not arise in me?"

"Your Majesty, you should know that because this affection arose, there is grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy. What does Your Majesty think? Do you now have affection for me, your handmaid?"

"Mallikā, I love you greatly."

"Your Majesty, if your handmaid were to be ruined or to meet with calamity, would grief, suffering, and sorrow, and no joy not arise in you?"

"If Mallikā were to be ruined or to meet with calamity, I would indeed feel great grief, suffering, and distress, and no joy!"

"Your Majesty, by this you should know that if affection has arisen, then there will be suffering, grief, and sorrow, and no joy."

"Mallikā, from this day forth, on account of this matter, the recluse Gotama is my teacher, and I am His disciple. Mallikā, now I go for refuge to the Bhagavā, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. I receive the precepts of an upāsaka from the Bhagavā. From this day forth I begin to abstain from killing living beings…; this day I go for refuge to the Buddha by myself."

When this had been said, King Pasenadi, hearing from afar the teaching of the Bhagavā, was delighted and rejoiced.

THE DISCOURSE ON THE DEATH OF THE BRAHMIN'S SON

GRIEVING AND MOURNING WITHOUT CEASING