Considering the inevitability of things and people, things
happens by a cause/s that happened and cannot be reversed. In
other words people don't really have a choice or things just
happens. There is no one/ nothing to blame or be
concerned with, perhaps only the original cause, the 1st happening,
whatever it is, which is rather meaningless...
"Monks, there are
these three sectarian guilds that — when cross-examined,
pressed for reasons, & rebuked by wise people — even though
they may explain otherwise, remain stuck in [a doctrine of]
inaction. Which three?
"There are priests & contemplatives who hold this teaching,
hold this view: 'Whatever a person experiences — pleasant, painful,
or neither pleasant nor painful — that is all caused by what was
done in the past.' There are priests & contemplatives who hold
this teaching, hold this view: 'Whatever a person experiences —
pleasant, painful, or neither pleasant nor painful — that is all
caused by a supreme being's act of creation.' There are priests
& contemplatives who hold this teaching, hold this view:
'Whatever a person experiences — pleasant, painful, or neither
pleasant nor painful — that is all without cause & without
condition.'
"Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold
that... 'Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by what was
done in the past,' I said to them: 'Is it true that you hold
that... "Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by what was
done in the past?"' Thus asked by me, they admitted, 'Yes.' Then I
said to them, 'Then in that case, a person is a killer of living
beings because of what was done in the past. A person is a thief...
unchaste... a liar... a divisive speaker... a harsh speaker... an
idle chatterer... greedy... malicious... a holder of wrong views
because of what was done in the past.' When one falls back on what
was done in the past as being essential, monks, there is no desire,
no effort [at the thought], 'This should be done. This shouldn't be
done.' When one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should
& shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered & unprotected.
One cannot righteously refer to oneself as a contemplative. This
was my first righteous refutation of those priests &
contemplatives who hold to such teachings, such views.
"Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold
that... 'Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by a
supreme being's act of creation,' I said to them: 'Is it true that
you hold that... "Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by
a supreme being's act of creation?"' Thus asked by me, they
admitted, 'Yes.' Then I said to them, 'Then in that case, a person
is a killer of living beings because of a supreme being's act of
creation. A person is a thief... unchaste... a liar... a divisive
speaker... a harsh speaker... an idle chatterer... greedy...
malicious... a holder of wrong views because of a supreme being's
act of creation.' When one falls back on creation by a supreme
being as being essential, monks, there is no desire, no effort [at
the thought], 'This should be done. This shouldn't be done.' When
one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should &
shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered & unprotected. One
cannot righteously refer to oneself as a contemplative. This was my
second righteous refutation of those priests & contemplatives
who hold to such teachings, such views.
"Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold
that... 'Whatever a person experiences... is all without cause,
without condition,' I said to them: 'Is it true that you hold
that... "Whatever a person experiences... is all without cause,
without condition?"' Thus asked by me, they admitted, 'Yes.' Then I
said to them, 'Then in that case, a person is a killer of living
beings without cause, without condition. A person is a thief...
unchaste... a liar... a divisive speaker... a harsh speaker... an
idle chatterer... greedy... malicious... a holder of wrong views
without cause, without condition.' When one falls back on lack of
cause and lack of condition as being essential, monks, there is no
desire, no effort [at the thought], 'This should be done. This
shouldn't be done.' When one can't pin down as a truth or reality
what should & shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered &
unprotected. One cannot righteously refer to oneself as a
contemplative. This was my third righteous refutation of those
priests & contemplatives who hold to such teachings, such
views.
"These are the three sectarian guilds that — when
cross-examined, pressed for reasons, & rebuked by wise people —
even though they may explain otherwise, remain stuck in
inaction.
"But this Dhamma taught by me is unrefuted, undefiled,
blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests &
contemplatives. And which Dhamma taught by me is unrefuted,
undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests &
contemplatives? 'There are these six properties' is a Dhamma taught
by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by
knowledgeable priests & contemplatives. 'There are these six
media of sensory contact' is a Dhamma taught by me that is
unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable
priests & contemplatives. 'There are these eighteen
explorations for the intellect' is a Dhamma taught by me that is
unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable
priests & contemplatives. 'There are these four noble truths'
is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless,
not faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives.
"'"There
are these six properties" is a Dhamma taught by me that is
unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable
priests & contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference
to what was it said? These are the six properties: earth-property,
liquid-property, fire-property, wind-property, space-property,
consciousness-property. '"There are these six properties" is a
Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not
faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives': Thus was it
said. And in reference to this was it said.
"'"There are
these six media of sensory contact" is a Dhamma taught by me
that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by
knowledgeable priests & contemplatives': Thus was it said. And
in reference to what was it said? These are the six media of
sensory contact: the eye as a medium of sensory contact, the ear as
a medium of sensory contact, the nose as a medium of sensory
contact, the tongue as a medium of sensory contact, the body as a
medium of sensory contact, the intellect as a medium of sensory
contact. '"There are these six media of sensory contact" is a
Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not
faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives': Thus was it
said. And in reference to this was it said.
"'"There are these eighteen explorations for the
intellect" is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled,
blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests &
contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to what was it
said? Seeing a form via the eye, one explores a form that can act
as the basis for happiness, one explores a form that can act as the
basis for unhappiness, one explores a form that can act as the
basis for equanimity. Hearing a sound via the ear... Smelling an
aroma via the nose... Tasting a flavor via the tongue... Feeling a
tactile sensation via the body... Cognizing an idea via the
intellect, one explores an idea that can act as the basis for
happiness, one explores an idea that can act as the basis for
unhappiness, one explores an idea that can act as the basis for
equanimity. '"There are these eighteen explorations for the
intellect" is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled,
blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests &
contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it
said.
"'"There are these
four noble truths" is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,
undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests &
contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to what was it
said?
"Sustained by/clinging to the six properties, there is an
alighting of an embryo. There being an alighting, there is
name-&-form. From name-&-form as a requisite condition come
the six sense media. From the six sense media as a requisite
condition comes contact. From contact as a requisite condition
comes feeling. To one experiencing feeling I declare, 'This is
stress.' I declare, 'This is the origination of stress.' I declare,
'This is the cessation of stress.' I declare, 'This is the path of
practice leading to the cessation of stress.'
"And what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful,
aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, & despair are stressful; association with what is not
loved is stressful, separation from what is loved is stressful, not
getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five
clinging-aggregates are stressful. This is called the noble truth
of stress.
"And what is the noble truth of the origination of stress?
"From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications. From
fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness. From
consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form. From
name-&-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media.
From the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact.
From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From feeling
as a requisite condition comes craving. From craving as a requisite
condition comes clinging/sustenance. From clinging/sustenance as a
requisite condition comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite
condition comes birth. From birth as a requisite condition, then
old age & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass
of stress & suffering.
"This is called the noble truth of the origination of
stress.
"And what is the noble truth of the cessation of stress?
"From the remainderless fading & cessation of that very
ignorance comes the cessation of fabrications. From the cessation
of fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness. From the
cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of name-&-form.
From the cessation of name-&-form comes the cessation of the
six sense media. From the cessation of the six sense media comes
the cessation of contact. From the cessation of contact comes the
cessation of feeling. From the cessation of feeling comes the
cessation of craving. From the cessation of craving comes the
cessation of clinging/sustenance. From the cessation of
clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming. From the
cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth. From the
cessation of birth, then old age & death, sorrow, lamentation,
pain, distress, & despair all cease. Such is the cessation of
this entire mass of stress & suffering.
"This is called the noble truth of the cessation of stress.
"And what is the noble truth of the path of practice leading to
the cessation of stress? Just this noble eightfold path: right
view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is
called the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the
cessation of stress.
"'"There are these four noble truths" is a Dhamma taught by me
that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by
knowledgeable priests & contemplatives': Thus was it said. And
in reference to this was it said."