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Buddhism

Ud 7:1 · Bhaddiya (1) (Bhaddiya Sutta)

Thai temple painting: Prince Vessantara gives away the white elephant
Vessantara Jātaka, Chapter 2 (Himavanta Forest) · Thai, Rattanakosin, c. 1850–1870 · Walters Art Museum

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī at Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. At that time Ven. Sāriputta was–with a variety of approaches–instructing, urging, rousing, & encouraging Ven. Bhaddiya the Dwarf with Dhamma-talk. As Ven. Bhaddiya the Dwarf was–with a variety of approaches–being instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged by Ven. Sāriputta with Dhamma-talk, his mind, through lack of clinging/sustenance, was released from the effluents.

The Blessed One saw that as Ven. Bhaddiya the Dwarf was–with a variety of approaches–being instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged by Ven. Sāriputta with Dhamma-talk, his mind, through lack of clinging/sustenance, was released from the effluents.

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

Above, below, everywhere released,

he doesn’t focus on “I am this.”1

Thus released, he crosses the flood

not crossed before,

for the sake of no further becoming.

Note

1. See Ud 1:1, note 3.


Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. © 2014 / rev. 2017 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu — released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 licence, for free distribution only. Source: dhammatalks.org (Metta Forest Monastery).

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