Introduction
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa
2.1.5 Sevitabbasuttaṃ - What One Should Associate With
This short sutta, taken from the ‘Chapter on ten’ (Dasakanipātapāḷi) in the Aṅguttaranikāyo, presents a short but emphatic sermon of the Buddha about wrong and right states a person should not (puggalo na sevitabbo) or should become engaged in or associate with (puggalo sevitabbo). These ‘ten’ are the constituents of the Eightfold Noble Path which are extended with ‘wrong knowledge’ and ‘wrong liberation’. The commentary qualifies:
Micchāñāṇīti micchāviññāṇo micchāpaccavekkhaṇo.
‘Wrong knowledge’ is wrong perception, wrong reviewing.
Micchāpaccavekkhaṇoti kiñci pāpaṃ katvā “aho mayā kataṃ sukatan”ti evaṃ pavatto micchāpaccavekkhaṇo.
‘Wrong reviewing’: when something evil is done one reviews it as ‘this what was done by me was good’ thus it results in wrong reviewing.
Micchāvimuttīti ayāthāvavimutti, aniyyānikavimutti.
‘Wrong liberation’ is false liberation, a liberation that is not emancipating.1
After the demise of the Buddha, it had been the Venerable Mahā Kassapa who made it his sole obligation to assure that the teaching, the discipline and the words of the Buddha remained in their original purity.2 The Venerable Mahā Kassapa had been praised by the Buddha at various situations for his equanimity, his detachment and maintaining his practices, garnering the title of foremost amongst those endowed with maintaining strenuous practices seriously.
Etadaggaṃ bhikkhave mama sāvakānaṃ bhikkhūnaṃ dhutavadānaṃ3yadidaṃ Mahā Kassapo.4
It is said that Venerable Mahā Kassapa overheard the following declaration expressed by an aged monk, named Subhadda.5
… alaṃ, āvuso, mā socittha; mā paridevittha. Sumuttā6 mayaṃ tena mahāsamaṇena; upaddutā7ca mayaṃ homa – idaṃ vo kappati,8 idaṃ vo na kappatīti. Idāni pana mayaṃ yaṃ icchissāma taṃ karissāma, yaṃ na icchissāma na taṃ karissāmā’ti. …9
… Come on, friends, do not grieve, do not lament! We are now freed of the great recluse! We have been annoyed by his: ‘This you should do, this you should not do!’ Now we will be able to do whatever we wish to do and we won’t do what we do not like to do! …
Therefore, Mahā Kassapa felt it his duty to act on behalf of his Dhamma father to maintain the purity of the teaching and was determined to select five-hundred fully matured monks for a council to be held in an undisturbed area situated outside Rājagaha at a new monastery built by King Ajātasattu.10 This first Council of Dhamma (Paṭhamadhammasaṅgīti)11 was later known as the Pañcasatika because five-hundred fully enlightened Arahants had participated in it. After the necessary preceding preparations where the Bhikkhus took care to maintain different monasteries, they informed King Ajātasattu that they needed a location during the remaining monsoon season where they could perform their rehearsal. The King proceeded speedily to build their monastery — similar to a ‘splendid hall for Devas’ — near the Vebhāra rock at the entrance of the cave Sattapaṇṇi.
… ‘sīghaṃ vebhāraselassa, passe kāresi maṇḍapaṃ; sattapaṇṇiguhādvāre, rammaṃ devasabhopamaṃ’ …12
There he erected one priceless high seat — well covered on the southern side facing north for the questioner on the Dhamma — and spread out sufficient mats for the number of Bhikkhus. Another high seat was placed in the centre facing the east, which was worthy of Sugata himself (sugatārahaṃ), where the expounder of the Vinaya and the Dhamma came to sit.
… Sabbathā maṇḍayitvā taṃ, attharāpesi13 tattha so;
bhikkhūnaṃ gaṇanāyeva, anagghattharaṇāni14 ca.
Nissāya dakkhiṇaṃ bhāgaṃ, uttarāmukhamuttamaṃ;15
therāsanaṃ supaññattaṃ, āsi tattha mahārahaṃ.
Tasmiṃ maṇḍapamajjhasmiṃ, puratthamukhamuttamaṃ;
dhammāsanaṃ supaññattaṃ, ahosi sugatārahaṃ.’ …
Before the Dhammasaṅgīti could start the Venerable Ānanda, known for being well versed in everything concerning the Dhamma but had not reached the necessary state of liberation, was requested to stir up all efforts in meditation. In order to join the assembly he needed to attain the highest state and thus to be able to join the Dhammasaṅgīti as an Arahant.
… te therā theramānandamānandakaramabravuṃ.16
Sve17 sannipāto ānanda, sekhena18 gamanaṃ tahiṃ;
na yuttante sadatthe tvaṃ, appamatto19 tato bhava.
Iccevaṃ codito20 thero, katvāna vīriyaṃ samaṃ;
iriyāpathato21 muttaṃ, arahattamapāpuṇi. …
The Venerable Ānanda roused all efforts and fulfilled the necessary precondition by reaching the state of Arahant while reclining.22 To demonstrate his attainments he didn’t walk with the others, but when someone enquired about his whereabouts he joined the meeting showing that he had reached Arahantship and sat down on his prepared seat where the other selected Arahants were waiting for him.
… Therorahattapattiṃ so, ñāpetuṃ tehi nāgamā;
kuhiṃ ānandatthero’ti, vuccamāne tu kehici.
Nimmujjitvā pathaviyā, gantvā jotipathena23 vā;
nisīdi thero ānando, attano ṭhapitāsane. …
Thus the First Council started on the second day of the second month of the rainy season in that splendid hall near the Vebhāra rock.
… Vassānaṃ dutiye māse, dutiye divase pana;
rucire maṇḍape tasmiṃ, therā sannipatiṃsu te.24
1. Micchattavaggavaṇṇanā, Mahāvagga-aṭṭhakathā, Saṃyuttanikāye.
2. It is felt that being able to obtain the Dhamma and the practise of Vipassana is the most crucial gift one can get in one’s life. Therefore, the following historical summary derives its purpose from the intention to express gratitude to whoever helped the Dhamma to survive and that the Dhamma could be maintained till today. It must be noted that when the following Introductions present a short sketch of the historical accounts of the councils, — the separations and splits that occurred within the community of monks, the decline of the teaching, how various groups and their respective teachings developed — they do not claim any scientific authority. Over the last decades much research in this field has been done and with the ability of digital comparisons between the different monastic codes and scripts, various new aspects have been discussed. In the context of this simple Pāli learning program the quotes are taken from Theravada Pāli sources like the Vinayapiṭaka or the Mahāvaṃsapāḷi while other sources have been neglected. Scientific corrections are definitely helpful, but the most essential fact is that practising the Dhamma is still possible, even so acquiring it remains ‘Dullabho!’.
3. dhutavadānaṃ: following punctiliously the ascetic practice.
4. Catutthavaggo, Etadaggavaggo, Ekakanipātapāḷi, Aṅguttaranikāyo.
5. subhaddo vuḍḍhapabbajito. The commentary relates that at one time Subhaddho, who had already gone forth, had invited the Buddha and his disciples to a meal. But as he had collected the stock for his offering by sending his two sons, novices at this time, all around the village Ātumā to gather what they could acquire the Buddha refused to accept the invitation, saying that Subhaddho had committed a wrong-doing by causing others to give without any costs for himself.
6. sumuttā: su + mutto (pp.; pl.) — well + released, freed.
7. upaddutā: upaddaveti (pp.; pl.) — distress, annoy, trouble.
8. kappati: allowable, proper.
9. Saṅgītinidānaṃ, Pañcasatikakkhandhakaṃ, Cūḷavaggapāḷi, Vinayapiṭake.
10. A short account of Ajātasattu is given in lesson 1.5.10 Sāmaññaphalasuttaṃ - Pointing Out the Way to One Who Is Lost.
11. dhammasaṅgīti: lit. chanting together, rehearsal: the procedure as proposed is that an eminent Thera recites the texts first and then the whole assembly repeats this after him.
12. Paṭhamadhammasaṃgīti, Tatiya pariccheda, Mahāvaṃsapāḷi - likewise all further quotes unless otherwise mentioned.
13. attharāpesi: (aor.): to spread out, cover.
14. anagghattharaṇāni: an + aggha + attharaṇa (pl.) — priceless + cover.
15. uttarāmukhamuttamaṃ: uttara + mukhaṃ + uttamaṃ — north, northern direction + mouth, front + highest, eminent.
16. theramānandamānandakaramabravuṃ: thera + m + ānanda + m + ānanda + kara + m + abravuṃ: abravuṃ: (aor., 3.pl) — they said, told, spoke.
17. sve, suve: tomorrow.
18. sekhena: for someone still in training, not an arahant.
19. appamatto: heedful, diligent, ardently.
20. codito: exhorted, rebuked.
21. iriyāpathato: iriya + a + pathato — outside the four postures of standing, sitting, walking or lying.
22. … bahudeva rattiṃ kāyagatāya satiyā vītināmetvā rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ ‘nipajjissāmī’ti kāyaṃ āvajjesi. Appattañca sīsaṃ bibbohanaṃ, bhūmito ca pādā muttā. Etasmiṃ antare anupādāya āsavehi cittaṃ vimucci. Atha kho āyasmā ānando arahā samāno sannipātaṃ agamāsi. - … When the night was about to pass after having spent much of the night with awareness directed to the body he thought: ‘I will lie own’ and relaxed his body. While his head had not yet reached the pillow and his feet were still above ground, during this interval his mind got completely freed from the cankers of becoming. Then the Venerable Ānanda joined the assembly as an Arahant.
23. nimmujjitvā pathaviyā, gantvā jotipathena: having arisen out from the earth or having gone the path of light. It is a description to show that he has attained Arahantship.
24. For continuation of this historical account, see Introduction to 2.1.6 Cintīsuttaṃ - The Characteristics of Foolish and of Wise People.