11: The Discourse about Nālaka – 479
Exalted Buddha of the Gotama lineage! Now that I can see the Buddha in
person, with my own eyes, I have personally found that the words spoken
to me 35 years ago by my uncle Asita Kāḷadevila are perfectly true. And
so, in order to learn and practise please allow me to question you, as
Buddha, who has crossed to the other side, and is accomplished in all
things
[379]
in six ways.
According to the Collection of the Numerical Discourses (
Aṅguttara-
nikāya
) commentary the six ways are: 1) The super knowledges (
abhiññā
);
2) knowing with full comprehension (
pariññā
); 3) abandoning (
pahāna
); 4)
development (
bhāvanā
); 5) realization (
sacchikiriyā
); 6) attainment
(
samāpatti
).
Anagāriyupetassa, bhikkhācariyaṁ jigīsato,
Muni pabrūhi me puṭṭho, moneyyaṁ uttamaṁ padaṁ.
Venerable Buddha, Great Sage (
Mahā-muni
), you are many times superior
in attributes to the six sages (
muni
)! Please be kind enough to teach the
noble path leading to the realisation of the four path-knowledges (
magga-
ñāṇas
) by the recluse who has renounced worldly life and maintains
himself on alms food.
Six kinds of sages (
muni
): 1) lay people having faith in the teaching of the
Buddha (
agāra-muni
); 2) monastics (
anāgāra-muni
); 3) seven kinds of
noble disciples who have realised one of the stages of the four
supermundane paths and the three lower fruitions (
sekha-muni
); 4) Arahats
(
asekha-muni
); 5) Independent Buddhas (
Pacceka-muni
); 6) Buddhas
(
Muni-muni
). See also the Further Explanations.
Thereupon, the Buddha taught Ven. Nālaka the path to moral perfection in
detail, by means of 23 verses beginning with:
Moneyyaṁ te upaññissaṁ
, “I will
teach and make you understand clearly the path to moral perfection.”
Here, moral perfection (
moneyya
) means the four path-knowledges
(
magga-ñāṇa
). Especially, the path-knowledge of an Arahat (
Arahatta-
magga-ñāṇa
) is called moral perfection (
moneyya
). So, it should be noted
carefully that the noble and genuine practice leading to the realisation of
the four path-knowledges is called the path to moral perfection (
moneyya-
paṭipadā
).
The 23 verses of the path to moral perfection thus taught are given below with
the Pāḷi verses and an English paraphrase.