Mahavagga, Khandaka 1, Chapter 5

1. Then the Blessed One, at the end of those seven days, arose from that state of meditation, and went from the foot of the Rājāyatana tree to the Ajapāla banyan tree. And when he had reached it, the Blessed One stayed there at the foot of the Ajapāla banyan tree.

2. Then in the mind of the Blessed One, who was alone, and had retired into solitude, the following thought arose: 'I have penetrated this doctrine which is profound, difficult to perceive and to understand, which brings quietude of heart, which is exalted, which is unattainable by reasoning, abstruse, intelligible (only) to the wise. This people, on the other hand, is given to desire, intent upon desire, delighting in desire. To this people, therefore, who are given to desire, intent upon desire, delighting in desire, the law of causality and the chain of causation will be a matter difficult to understand; most difficult for them to understand will be also the extinction of all saṃkhāras, the getting rid of all the substrata (of existence^[1]), the destruction of desire, the absence of passion, quietude of heart, Nirvāṇa! Now if I proclaim the doctrine, and other men are not able to understand my preaching, there would result but weariness and annoyance to me.'

3. And then the following . . . .^[2] stanzas, unheard before, occurred to the Blessed One: 'With great pains have I acquired it. Enough! why should I now proclaim it? This doctrine will not be easy to understand to beings that are lost in lust and hatred.

“Given to lust, surrounded with thick darkness, they will not see what is repugnant (to their minds), abstruse, profound, difficult to perceive, and subtle.”

4. When the Blessed One pondered over this matter, his mind became inclined to remain in quiet, and not to preach the doctrine. Then Brahmā Sahampati^[3], understanding by the power of his mind the reflection which had arisen in the mind of the Blessed One, thought: 'Alas! the world perishes! Alas! the world is destroyed! if the mind of the Tathāgata, of the holy, of the absolute Sambuddha inclines itself to remain in quiet, and not to preach the doctrine.'

5. Then Brahmā Sahampati disappeared from Brahma's world, and appeared before the Blessed One (as quickly) as a strong man might stretch his bent arm out, or draw back his out-stretched arm.

6. And Brahmā Sahampati adjusted his upper robe so as to cover one shoulder, and putting his right knee on the ground, raised his joined hands towards the Blessed One, and said to the Blessed One: 'Lord, may the Blessed One preach the doctrine! may the perfect One preach the doctrine! there are beings whose mental eyes are darkened by scarcely any dust; but if they do not hear the doctrine, they cannot attain salvation. These will understand the doctrine.'

7. Thus spoke Brahmā Sahampati; and when he had thus spoken, he further said: 'The Dhamma hitherto manifested in the country of Magadha has been impure, thought out by contaminated men. But do thou now open the door of the Immortal^[4]; let them hear the doctrine discovered by the spotless One!

'As a man standing on a rock, on mountain's top, might overlook the people all around, thus, O wise One, ascending to the highest palace of Truth, look down, all-seeing One, upon the people lost in suffering, overcome by birth and decay,—thou, who hast freed thyself from suffering!

“Arise, O hero; O victorious One! Wander through the world, O leader of the pilgrim band, who thyself art free from debt. May the Blessed One preach the doctrine; there will be people who can understand it!”

8. When he had spoken thus, the Blessed One said to Brahmā Sahampati: 'The following thought, Brahmā, has occurred to me: "I have penetrated this doctrine, . . . . (&c., down to end of § 2)." And also, Brahmā, the following . . . .^[5] stanzas have presented themselves to my mind, which had not been heard (by me) before: "With great pains, . . . . (&c., down to end of § 3)." When I pondered over this matter, Brahmā, my mind became inclined to remain in quiet, and not to preach the doctrine.'

9. And a second time Brahmā Sahampati said to the Blessed One: 'Lord, may the Blessed One preach the doctrine, . . . . (&c., as in §§ 6, 7).' And for the second time the Blessed One said to Brahmā Sahampati: 'The following thought . . . . (&c., as before).'

10. And a third time Brahmā Sahampati said to the Blessed One: 'Lord, may the Blessed One preach the doctrine, . . . . (&c., as before).'

Then the Blessed One, when he had heard Brahmā's solicitation, looked, full of compassion towards sentient beings, over the world, with his (all-perceiving) eye of a Buddha. And the Blessed One, looking over the world with his eye of a Buddha, saw beings whose mental eyes were darkened by scarcely any dust, and beings whose eyes were covered by much dust, beings sharp of sense and blunt of sense, of good disposition and of bad disposition, easy to instruct and difficult to instruct, some of them seeing the dangers of future life and of sin.

11. As, in a pond of blue lotuses, or water-roses, or white lotuses, some blue lotuses, or water-roses, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown up in the water, do not emerge over the water, but thrive hidden under the water; and other blue lotuses, or water-roses, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown up in the water, reach to the surface of the water; and other blue lotuses, or water-roses, or white lotuses, born in the water, grown up in the water, stand emerging out of the water, and the water does not touch them,—

12. Thus the Blessed One, looking over the world with his eye of a Buddha, saw beings whose mental eyes were darkened, . . . . (&c., the text repeats § 10); and when he had thus seen them, he addressed Brahmā Sahampati in the following stanza: 'Wide opened is the door of the Immortal to all who have ears to hear; let them send forth faith to meet it. The Dhamma sweet and good I spake not, Brahmā, despairing of the weary task, to men.'

13. Then Brahmā Sahampati understood: 'The Blessed One grants my request that He should preach the doctrine.' And he bowed down before the Blessed One, and passed round him with his right side towards him; and then he straightway disappeared.

Here ends the story of Brahmā's request.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The upadhis (substrata of existence) are specified in the commentary on the Sutta-Nipāta, ap. Dhammapada, p. 433: 'sabbūpadhinaṃ parikkhayā 'ti sabbesaṃ khandhakāmaguṇakilesābhisaṃkhārabhedānaṃ upadhīnaṃ parikkhīṇattā.' Probably abhisaṃkhāra is not co-ordinate with the other members of the compound, but is determined by them, comp. pabbajjābhisaṃkhāra, iddhābhisaṃkhāra, gamikābhisaṃkhāra. The upadhis, therefore, according to this passage, consist: firstly, in the actions of mind that are directed towards the khandhas (i.e. that have the effect of propagating and augmenting the dominion of the khandhas); secondly, in the actions tending to the fivefold pleasures of sense; and thirdly, in those connected with kilesa (evil passion).

[2]:

Buddhaghosa explains anacchariya by anuacchariya, which is alike unintelligible to us. The Lalita Vistara (p. 515, ed. Calcutta) has abhīkṣṇam ('repeatedly').

[3]:

It is difficult to believe that the Pāli name of Brahmā Sahampati, the ruler of the Brahma worlds (see Spence Hardy's Manual, pp. 43, 56), is not connected with the Brahman svayambhū of the Brahmanical literature. Perhaps the Sanskrit equivalent of sahampati might be svayampati.

[4]:

Amata, an epithet of Arahatship, which may perhaps mean simply ambrosia. See Rh. D., Buddhism, pp. 60, 111, 184.

[5]:

See § 3 with our note for this omitted word.