11: The Discourse about Nālaka – 490
through craving and wrong view, he should be one who leans and relies on
the noble path of practice which consist of the three trainings (
sikkha
)
167
in morality, concentration and wisdom taught by the Buddha.
Ekāsanassa sikkhetha, samaṇūpāsanassa ca,
ekattaṁ monam-akkhātaṁ, eko ce abhiramissasi,
atha bhāhisi dasa-disā.
My dear son Nālaka, the ascetic practising the path to moral perfection
should endeavour and practise to live quietly in solitude, without any
companion, and to contemplate repeatedly and strenuously the objects for
meditation (
kammaṭṭhāna-ārammaṇa
) of the ascetics.
Here, the Buddha taught physical seclusion by staying alone (
kāya-viveka
),
and mental seclusion by contemplating the meditation objects (
citta-
viveka
).
The subjects of meditation are given as 40 in the Baskets (
Piṭaka
) namely:
10 meditation devices (
kasiṇa
), 10 on unattractiveness (
asubha
), 10
recollections (
anussati
), 4 sublime states (
brahma-vihāra
), 4 formless
spheres (
arūpāyatana
), the perception of the disgusting nature of food
(
aharepaṭikūlasaññā
), and the delimiting of the four elements (
catu-dhātu-
vavatthāna
).
Thus I teach that staying alone by maintaining physical seclusion and
mental seclusion is the true path to moral perfection. My dear son Nālaka,
if you can take delight in staying alone, without any companion,
maintaining physical seclusion and mental seclusion, you will become
renowned in all ten directions.
Sutvā dhīrānaṁ nigghosaṁ, jhāyīnaṁ kāma-cāginaṁ,
tato hiriñ-ca saddhañ-ca, bhiyyo kubbetha māmako.
My dear son Nālaka, if and when you hear the cheers and praises of the
wise and noble people, who have done away with the material objects of
sensual pleasure (
vatthu-kāma
) and the defilements of sensual pleasure
(
kilesa-kāma
) by repeated contemplation of objects (
arammaṇūpanijjhāna
)
and close observation of their characteristics (
lakkhaṇūpanijjhāna
), you,
dear son, should not be distracted by these cheers and praises but should,
more strenuously than before, develop a moral sense of conscience (
hiri
)
167
For more about the three trainings (
sikkha
) read the Further Explanations.