MN11 — Cūḷasīhanāda Sutta
Thus have I heard: At one time, the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There the Blessed One addressed the disciples:
Disciples.
Venerable Sir, those disciples replied to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
Here a recluse, here a second recluse, here a third recluse, here a fourth recluse; other doctrines are empty of recluses.
Thus you should rightly roar the lion's roar.
There is a possibility that wanderers of other sects might say:
What is the assurance, what is the strength, by which you venerable ones say this:
here a recluse, here a second recluse, here a third recluse, here a fourth recluse; other doctrines are empty of recluses?
Disciples, if wanderers of other sects say this, they should be answered thus:
Friends, there are four things declared by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, which we, seeing in ourselves, say this:
here a recluse, here a second recluse, here a third recluse, here a fourth recluse; other doctrines are empty of recluses.
What are the four?
There is, friends, faith in the Teacher, there is faith in the Dhamma, there is fulfillment of moral conduct; and there is affection and respect among fellow practitioners:
both householders and those gone forth.
These are the four things declared by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, which we, seeing in ourselves, say this:
here a recluse, here a second recluse, here a third recluse, here a fourth recluse; other doctrines are empty of recluses.
There is a possibility that wanderers of other sects might say:
We too, friends, have faith in our teacher, we too have faith in our doctrine, we too fulfill moral conduct, and we too have affection and respect among fellow practitioners: both householders and those gone forth.
What then, friends, is the distinction, what is the difference, what is the distinguishing factor between you and us?
Disciples, if wanderers of other sects say this, they should be answered thus:
Friends, is there one final goal, or are there many final goals?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, there is one final goal, not many final goals.
Friends, is that final goal for one with lust or for one without lust?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one without lust, not for one with lust.
Friends, is that final goal for one with hatred or for one without hatred?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one without hatred, not for one with hatred.
Friends, is that final goal for one with delusion or for one without delusion?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one without delusion, not for one with delusion.
Friends, is that final goal for one with craving or for one without craving?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one without craving, not for one with craving.
Friends, is that final goal for one with clinging or for one without clinging?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one without clinging, not for one with clinging.
Friends, is that final goal for one with knowing or for one without knowing?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one with knowing, not for one without knowing.
Friends, is that final goal for one who is in harmony or for one who is in conflict?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one who is in harmony, not for one who is in conflict.
Friends, is that final goal for one who has abandoned ignorance or for one who still has it?
Rightly answering wanderers of other sects would answer thus:
Friends, that final goal is for one who has abandoned ignorance, not for one who still has it.
There are these four kinds of clinging. What is their source, what is their origin, from what are they born, from what are they produced? These four kinds of clinging have craving as their source, craving as their origin, they are born from craving, they are produced from craving.
And this craving what is its source, what is its origin, from what is it born, from what is it produced? Craving has feeling as its source, feeling as its origin, it is born from feeling, it is produced from feeling.
And this feeling what is its source, what is its origin, from what is it born, from what is it produced?
Feeling has contact as its source, contact as its origin, it is born from contact, it is produced from contact.
And this contact what is its source, what is its origin, from what is it born, from what is it produced?
Contact has the six sense bases as its source, the six sense bases as its origin, it is born from the six sense bases, it is produced from the six sense bases.
And these six sense bases what is their source, what is their origin, from what are they born, from what are they produced?
The six sense bases have name-and-form as their source, name-and-form as their origin, they are born from name-and-form, they are produced from name-and-form.
And this name-and-form what is its source, what is its origin, from what is it born, from what is it produced?
Name-and-form has consciousness as its source, consciousness as its origin, it is born from consciousness, it is produced from consciousness.
And this consciousness what is its source, what is its origin, from what is it born, from what is it produced?
Consciousness has formations as its source, formations as its origin, it is born from formations, it is produced from formations.
And these formations what is their source, what is their origin, from what are they born, from what are they produced?
Formations have ignorance as their source, ignorance as their origin, they are born from ignorance, they are produced from ignorance.
But when a disciple has abandoned ignorance and knowing has arisen, then, with the fading away of ignorance and the arising of knowing, he does not cling to sensual pleasure, he does not cling to views, he does not cling to precepts and practices, he does not cling to a doctrine of self.
Not clinging, he does not become agitated, not being agitated, he personally attains Nibbāna. He knows: Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being. This is what the Blessed One said.
Satisfied, the disciples delighted in the Blessed Ones words.
The Discourse on the Lions Roar is finished.