婆羅門子命終愛念不離經

Thus have I heard:

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

At that time there was a certain brahmin whose only son had died, and his grief and longing would not be assuaged. When his son died, he could not eat, could not drink, did not put on his garments, nor did he anoint his body with perfume any longer. He would only go to the burial mound to weep. He wept because he remembered the time when he had carried his son in his arms. Then the brahmin gradually made his way to where the Bhagavān was. Having arrived, he exchanged greetings with the Bhagavān, and after they had consoled one another, the brahmin sat down to one side. The Bhagavān asked:

"Brahmin, why are your faculties not composed?"

"Gautama, how could the faculty of my mind be composed? I had an only son who has died, and so my grief and longing never cease. Since he died, I cannot eat, cannot drink, do not put on my garments, and do not anoint myself with perfume. I only sit at home and weep. When I weep, I remember the time when I carried him in my arms."

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

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

He spoke in this way up to a third time. The Bhagavān said to that brahmin:

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

The Bhagavān likewise answered in this way three times. That brahmin said to the Buddha:

"Why, Gautama, is it that when affection has arisen there should be grief and no joy? Gautama, when affection has arisen there is only delight and fond remembrance."

Then, having heard the Bhagavān speak in this way, the brahmin was not pleased, yet did not declare it wrong; he was not pleased, yet did not declare it right. Then he rose from his seat and departed.

At that time, outside the gate of Jetavana there were some merrymakers who were sporting and amusing themselves. From a distance that brahmin saw the merrymakers sporting and amusing themselves outside the gate of Jetavana, and having seen them, he thought: "The clever people of the world hold this to be supreme. Let me tell these merrymakers everything I have discussed with the recluse Gautama." Then that brahmin went to where the merrymakers were, and having arrived, he told these people all that he had discussed with the Bhagavān. When he had spoken in this way, these merrymakers said to the brahmin:

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

Then the brahmin thought thus: "The words of these merrymakers are the same as mine," and he departed.

These discussions were heard by many people, and in time the report reached the royal palace. King Prasenajit heard that "the recluse Gautama says this: when affection has arisen there will be grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy." Having heard this, King Prasenajit said to Queen Mallikā:

"Mallikā, I have heard the recluse Gautama speak in this way: when affection arises there will be grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy."

"So it is, so it is, your majesty. When affection arises there is only grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy at all."

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

"Your majesty, do you not believe what I say? Then you may go yourself, or send a messenger, to inquire of the Bhagavān."

Then King Prasenajit said to the brahmin Nālijaṅgha:

"Nālijaṅgha, go to where the recluse Gautama is. When you arrive, convey my greetings to the recluse Gautama, saying: I most earnestly inquire whether you are at ease, whether your movements are light, and whether you are in good health. Say thus: 'Gautama, King Prasenajit most earnestly inquires whether you are well at ease, whether your movements are light, and whether you are in good health. Is it true that the recluse Gautama said this: "When affection has arisen there is assuredly grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy"?' Nālijaṅgha, if the recluse Gautama speaks in this way, you should receive it and remember it well. Why is this? Because he never speaks falsehood."

The brahmin Nālijaṅgha promptly obeyed the command of King Prasenajit and then went to where the Bhagavān was. Having arrived, he exchanged greetings and inquired after the Bhagavān'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 Nālijaṅgha said to the Bhagavān:

"Gautama, King Prasenajit most earnestly inquires whether you are at ease, whether your movements are light, and whether you are in good health. Is it truly so that the recluse Gautama said: 'When affection has arisen there is assuredly grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy'?"

"Nālijaṅgha, I will ask you in turn; answer me according to your understanding. Nālijaṅgha, what do you think? Suppose there is a man whose mother dies, and because his mother has died, the son's mind becomes deranged, and he goes about naked, not wearing any garments; and wherever the son goes he says: 'I do not see my mother! I do not see my mother!' Brahmin, you should know that when affection has arisen there is assuredly grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy. So too with the death of a father, an elder brother, an elder sister, a younger sibling, or a wife. Because his wife has died, that man's mind becomes deranged, and he goes about naked, not wearing any garments; and wherever that man goes he says: 'I do not see my father, my wife!'

"Brahmin, in the past there was a wife who, when she had returned to her family's home, was about to be seized by her kinsmen and given to another man. She heard: 'My kinsmen wish to seize me and give me to another man.' Having heard this, she hastened back to her husband's house. Having arrived, she said to her husband: 'You should know that my kinsmen wish to seize me and give me to another man. Whatever you wish to do, do it now.' Then the husband took up a very sharp knife, grasped his wife's hand, and pulled her into the house, saying thus: '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; there was no joy."

Then the brahmin Nālijaṅgha, having heard the Bhagavān speak, received and remembered it well. Then he rose from his seat, circumambulated the Bhagavān, took his leave, and returned. When he reached King Prasenajit, having arrived, he said to the king:

"It is truly so, your majesty! The recluse Gautama has spoken thus: 'When affection has arisen there is grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy.'"

"And so, your majesty, I will ask you in turn; answer according to your judgment. Your majesty, what do you think? Do you love the great general Viḍūḍabha?"

"Mallikā, I love the great general Viḍūḍabha."

"Your majesty, if the great general Viḍūḍabha were to be ruined or to meet with disaster, would you not give rise to suffering, sorrow, and no joy?"

"Mallikā, if the great general Viḍūḍabha were ruined or met with disaster, I would have grief, suffering, and distress; there would be no joy."

"Your majesty, by this you may know that whenever affection arises there is grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy. Your majesty, what do you think? Do you love the great general Bhadramukha, love the great elephant Puṇḍarīka, love the maiden Vajirī, love the queen Vāsabhakhattiyā, love the people of Kāśī?"

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

"Your majesty, if the people of Kosala in Kāśī were destroyed or met with disaster, would you not give rise to suffering, grief, and no joy?"

"Mallikā, the five kinds of necessities for my own enjoyment are all supplied by the people of Kosala in Kāśī. Mallikā, if the people of Kāśī were destroyed or met with disaster, even my own life would not be safe—how much more would I not give rise to suffering, grief, and no joy!"

"Your majesty, you should know that because this affection arises there is grief, suffering, and distress; there is no joy. Your majesty, what do you think? Do you now love me?"

"Mallikā, I love you dearly."

"Your majesty, if I were to be ruined or to meet with disaster, would you not then give rise to suffering, grief, and no joy?"

"If you, Mallikā, were ruined or met with disaster, I would surely have grief, suffering, and distress; there would be no joy!"

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

"Mallikā, from this day forth, by reason of this matter, the recluse Gautama is my teacher, and I am his disciple. Mallikā, now I take refuge in the Bhagavān, in the Dharma, and in the community of bhikṣus. I receive the precepts of an upāsaka from the Bhagavān. From this day on I begin to refrain from killing... today I take refuge in the Buddha by myself."

Having spoken in this way, King Prasenajit, hearing from afar the teaching of the Bhagavān, was joyful and delighted.

THE SŪTRA ON THE DEATH OF THE BRAHMIN'S SON

GRIEF AND LONGING THAT WILL NOT BE ASSUAGED