MN 11 Culasihanada Sutta: The Shorter Discourse on the Lion's Roar
Thus i have heard.
On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus, only here is there a recluse, only here a second recluse, only here a third recluse, only here a fourth recluse. The doctrines of others are devoid of recluses: that is how you should rightly roar your lion's roar."
"It is possible, bhikkhus, that wanderers of other sects might ask: 'But on the strength of what argument or with the support of what authority do the venerable ones say thus?' Wanderers of other sects who ask thus may be answered in this way: 'Friends, four things have been declared to us by the Blessed One who knows and sees, accomplished and fully enlightened; on seeing these in ourselves we say thus: "Only here is there a recluse, only here a second recluse, only here a third recluse, only here a fourth recluse. The doctrines of others are devoid of recluses."
What are the four? We have confidence in the Teacher, we have confidence in the Dhamma, we have fulfilled the precepts, and our companions in the Dhamma are dear and agreeable to us whether they are laymen or those ordained. "It is possible, bhikkhus, that wanderers of other sects might say thus: 'Friends, we too have confidence in "our" Teacher; we too have confidence in "our" Dhamma; we too have fulfilled "our" precepts and our companions in the Dhamma are dear and agreeable to us too whether they are laymen or those gone forth.What is the distinction here, friends, between you and us?'
"Wanderers of other sects who ask thus may be answered in this way: 'How then, friends, is the goal one or many?' Answering rightly, the wanderers of other sects would answer: 'Friends, the goal is one, not many.' 'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by lust or free from lust?' Answering rightly, the wanderers of other sects would answer thus: 'Friends, that goal is for one free from lust, not for one affected by lust.' 'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by hate or free from hate?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one free from hate, not for one affected by hate.' - 'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by delusion or free from delusion?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one free from delusion' 'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by craving or free from craving?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one free from craving.'
'But, friends, is that goal for one affected by clinging or free from clinging?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one free from clinging. ' 'But, friends, is that goal for one who has vision or for one without vision?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one with vision.' 'But, friends, is that goal for one who favors and opposes, or for one who doesn't favor and oppose?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one who does not favor and oppose.' 'But, friends, is that goal for one who delights in and enjoys proliferation, or for one who does not delight in and enjoy proliferation?' Answering rightly, they would answer: 'Friends, that goal is for one who does not delight in and enjoy proliferation.'
"Bhikkhus, there are these two views: the view of being and the view of non-being. Any recluses or brahmins who rely and adopt on the view of being, accept the view of being, are opposed to the view of non-being. Any recluses or brahmins who rely and adopt the view of non-being, accept the view of non-being, are opposed to the view of being." Any recluses or brahmins who do not understand as they actually are the origin, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of these two views are affected by lust, hate, delusion, craving, clinging, are without vision, given to favoring and opposing and they delight in and enjoy proliferation. They are not freed from birth, ageing, and death; from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; they are not freed from suffering, I say.
"Any recluses or brahmins who understand as they actually are the origin, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of these two views are without lust, hate, delusion, craving, clinging, with vision, not given to favoring and opposing and they do not delight in and enjoy proliferation. They are freed from birth, ageing, and death; from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; they are freed from suffering, I say.
"Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of clinging. Clinging to sensual pleasures, views, rules and observances and to a doctrine of self. Though certain recluses and brahmins claim to propound the full understanding of all kinds of clinging, they do not completely describe the full understanding of all kinds of clinging. They describe the full understanding of clinging to sensual pleasures without describing the full understanding of clinging to views, to rules and observances and to a doctrine of self. Why is that? Its because those good recluses and brahmins do not understand these three instances of clinging as they actually are.
"Though certain recluses and brahmins claim to propound the full understanding of all kinds of clinging...they describe the full understanding of clinging to sensual pleasures and to views without describing the full understanding of clinging to rules and observances and clinging to a doctrine of self. Why is that? They do not understand two instances.... "
"Though certain recluses and brahmins claim to propound the full understanding of all kinds of clinging...they describe the full understanding of clinging to sensual pleasures, to views and to rules and observances without describing the full understanding of clinging to a doctrine of self. They do not understand one instance..."
"Bhikkhus, in such a Dhamma and Discipline as that of the above recluses and brahmins', it is plain that confidence in the Teacher is not rightly directed, that confidence in the Dhamma is not rightly directed, that fulfillment of the precepts is not rightly directed, and that the affection among companions in the Dhamma is not rightly directed. Why is that? Because that is how it is when the Dhamma and Discipline is badly proclaimed and badly expounded, unemancipating, unconducive to peace, expounded by one who is not fully enlightened. "
"Bhikkhus, on the other hand when a Tathagata, accomplished and fully enlightened, claims to propound the full understanding of all kinds of clinging, he completely describes the full understanding of all kinds of clinging: sensual pleasures, views, rules and observances and to a doctrine of self. In such a Dhamma and Discipline as that, it is plain that confidence in the Teacher is rightly directed, that confidence in the Dhamma is rightly directed, that fulfillment of the precepts is rightly directed, and that the affection among companions in the Dhamma is rightly directed. Why is that? Because that is how it is when the Dhamma and Discipline is well-proclaimed and well-expounded, emancipating, conducive to peace, expounded by one who is fully enlightened. "
"Now these four kinds of clinging have what as their source, what as their origin, from what are they born and produced? These four kinds of clinging have craving as their source, craving as their origin, they are born and produced from craving. Craving has what as its source...? Craving has feeling as its source.. .Feeling has what as its source...? Feeling has contact as its source...Contact has what as its source...? Contact has the sixfold base as its source...The sixfold base has what as its source...? The sixfold base has mind-body as its source.. .Mind-body has what as its source...? Mind-body has consciousness as its source...Consciousness has what as its source...? Consciousness has formations as its source...Formations have what as their source...? Formations have ignorance as their source, ignorance as their origin, they are born and produced from ignorance. (Dependent origination)
"When ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge has arisen in a bhikkhu, he no longer clings to sensual pleasures, to views, to rules and observances and to a doctrine of self. When he does not cling, he is not agitated. When he is not agitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.'"
That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
In summary, in this discourse the Buddha talked to the monks on the confidence in the Teacher, confidence in the Dhamma, fulfilling the precepts, and how the companions in the Dhamma are dear and agreeable to us whether they are laymen or those ordained. Then he talked about views such that those whose view is without lust, hate, delusion, craving, clinging, with vision, not given to favoring and opposing and not delighting in and enjoy proliferation will befreedfrom birth, ageing, and death; from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair; they are freed from suffering.
Then Buddha talked about thefour kinds of clinging: Clinging to sensual pleasures, views, rules and observances and to a doctrine of self. After speaking about dependent origination, he mentioned that when ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge has arisen in a bhikkhu, he no longer clings to sensual pleasures, to views, to rules and observances and to a doctrine of self. When he does not cling, he is not agitated. When he is not agitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He then understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.'"
References: 1. www.accesstoinsight.org 2. https://suttacentral.net/ 3. The middle length discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)