Tissa
I HEAR TELL:
Once Upon a Time, the Lucky Man, Savatthi Town, Anathapindika Park came-a ReVisiting,
and at that time BrokeTooth Tissa, Gotama's cousin,
said this to a number of Beggars:
"Truth is, my friends,
it's like my body is drugged,
the four directions are dim,
and the Dhamma is confusing to me.
Lazy ways and inertia overpower my mind
and I am without enthusiasm for the life.
I fear I am falling away."
At that, a number of those Beggars went to The Lucky Man,
greeted him with closed palms, and,
sitting to one side, said:
"Bhaggava, BrokeTooth Tissa,
the Bhaggava's cousin has said this:
'Truth is, my friends,
it's like my body is drugged,
the four directions are dim,
and the Dhamma is confusing to me.
Lazy ways and inertia overpower my mind
and I am without enthusiasm for the life.
I fear I am falling away.'"
So then the Lucky Man motioned to a certain Beggar:
"Come here, Beggar,
go to Beggar Tissa and ask him to come, saying:
'Friend Tissa, The Master wishes to speak with you.'"
"Yes BrokeTooth!" replied the Beggar,
and going to BrokeTooth Tissa, he said:
"Friend Tissa, the Master wishes to speak with you."
"So be it, Beggar!" said Tissa,
and coming to the LuckyMan,
greeted him with closed palms and sat to one side.
So sitting, the LuckyMan said this to Tissa:
"Is it true, Tissa?
They say you said:
'Truth is, my friends,
it's like my body is drugged,
the four directions are dim,
and the dhamma is confusing to me.
Lazy ways and inertia overpower my mind
and i am without enthusiasm for the life.
I fear I am falling away.'"
"It is true, Bhaggava."
"In that case, Tissa,
what do you think?
Is material associated with lust,
associated with wanting,
associated with love,
associated with thirst,
associated with passion,
associated with hunger/thirst,
is such material subject to setbacks and reversals,
grief and lamentation,
pain and misery?"
"It is that, Bhaggava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
And is it not the same with perception,
sense experience,
the personal world,
and consciousness?"
"It is that, Bhaggava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
So then, Tissa, what do you think?
is material free from lust,
free from wanting,
free from love,
free from thirst,
free from passion,
free from hunger,
is such material subject to setbacks and reversals,
grief and lamentation,
pain and misery?"
"It is not, Bhaggava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
And is it not the same with perception,
sense experience,
the personal world,
and consciousness?"
"It is that, Bhaggava."
"Well said, well said, Tissa!
So then, Tissa, what do you think?
Is Material unchanging or changeable?
"Changeable, Bhaggava."
"And how is it with perception,
sense experience,
the personal world
and consciousness?
unchangeable or changeable?"
"Changeable, Bhaggava."
"So seeing, Tissa,
the well tamed, well trained, well educated
student of the Aristocrats
disassociates from material,
disassociates from perception,
disassociates from sense experience,
disassociates from a world of his own,
disassociates from consciousness.
Disassociated, he does not lust after it.
Not lusting after it, he is freed.
In freedom he sees freedom.
In freedom seeing freedom he knows:
"I am Free!"
and has penetrating knowledge that:
"Rebirth has been left behind.
Lived is the best life.
Done is duty's doing.
No more it'n-n-at'n for me!"
Imagine, Tissa, two men:
one unskilled about the way,
and the other skilled as to the way.
The one who is unskilled asks directions
of the one who is skilled.
The one skilled as to the way answers:
'This is the way, Good Man:
Go on a little further on this way,
and when you see the way divide,
leave the left hand way and take the right hand way.
Go on a little further on this way,
and you will come to a Deep Forest.
Keep going on a little further on this way
and you will come to a Swamp.
Keep going on a little further on this way
and you will come to a Cliff.
Keep going on a little further on this way
and you will reach a pleasant patch of high ground.
This, Tissa, is the meaning of the parable I have devised:
By "one unskilled about the way" is meant,
the untamed, untrained, uneducated common man.
By "one skilled as to the way" is meant the Geter-of-the-Get'n,
Aristocrat, #1 High Self-Awakened One.
By "seeing the way divide" is meant Doubt.
"The left hand way" means the way contrary to the way.
"The right hand way" is a Name
for The Aristocratic Multidimensional Way, that is:
High Views,
High Principles,
High Talk,
High Works,
High Lifestyle,
High Self Control,
High Mental Preparation, and
High Getting High.
The "Deep Forest" is a name for Blindness.
The "Swamp" is a name for Desire.
The "Cliff" is a name for Dashed-hope-anger.
"A pleasant patch of high ground,"
is a name for Nibbana.
Be well, Tissa! Be well, Tissa!
I have instructed you.
I have assisted you.
I have spoken to you.
Thus spake the Bhaggava
and the BrokeTooth Tissa was given peace of mind
and made happy as a consequence of what the Bhaggava said.
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