Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

The Buddha’s approach was to make them aware and sensible of what they were doing by asking them whether they were afraid of pain themselves – “Bhāyatha vo, tumhe kumārakā, dukkhassa, appiyaṃ vo dukkhan”ti. – Such an empathetic action, helping the boys understand how their actions cause suffering for themselves, not only shows the Buddha’s compassion but also reflects his deep knowledge about how beings’ own actions are the origin of so much suffering for themselves because of such actions based in ignorance: …… “atha pana taṃ pāpakammaṃ etarahi karotha, āyatiṃ vā karissatha, nirayādīsu catūsu apāyesu⁴ manussesu ca tassa phalabhūtaṃ dukkhaṃ ito vā etto vā palāyante amhe nānubandhissatīti adhippāyena⁵ upecca apecca⁶ palāyatampi⁷ tumhākaṃ tato mutti mokkho natthi!” – …… “whatever evil action you perform now, whatever evil action you may perform in the future - even if with the intention and the approach that you will run away from the fruits of suffering – i.e. from hell and so forth; or from the four states of ruin for mankind - there can be no liberation nor release therefrom for you!”⁸

May the guidance highlighted in the preceding and alerting suttas help all beings to increase their level of ‘satidovāriko’ and ‘to renounce what is unwholesome, pursue the wholesome, renounce what is blamable and pursue the blameless and in this very way preserve themselves and multiply their purity of life: “ariyasāvako akusalaṃ pajahati kusalaṃ bhāveti, sāvajjaṃ pajahati, anavajjaṃ bhāveti, suddhamattānaṃ pariharatī”ti