[30] On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park. Now on that occasion King Pasenadi of Kosala had returned from the battle-front, victorious in war, his aim attained. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala set out for the park; having gone by carriage as far as the ground allowed for carriages, he alighted from the carriage and entered the park on foot.
Now on that occasion a number of bhikkhus were walking up and down in the open air. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached those bhikkhus, and having approached, said to them: "Where, venerable sirs, is the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Enlightened One (sammāsambuddha), dwelling at present? For we wish to see the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Fully Self-Enlightened One." "That, great king, is his dwelling, with the door closed. Approach it quietly; without hurrying, enter the porch, clear your throat, and tap on the door-bolt. The Blessed One will open the door for you." Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached that dwelling with its closed door quietly; without hurrying, he entered the porch, cleared his throat, and tapped on the door-bolt. The Blessed One opened the door. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala, having entered the dwelling, fell with his head at the feet of the Blessed One, kissed the Blessed One's feet with his mouth and stroked them with his hands, and announced his name: "I, venerable sir, am King Pasenadi of Kosala; I, venerable sir, am King Pasenadi of Kosala."
"But, great king, seeing what reason do you show such supreme homage toward this body and display such an offering of loving-kindness?"
"Seeing gratitude and thankfulness, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness. For, venerable sir, the Blessed One is practicing for the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many; for the welfare of the many they have been established in the noble method (ariyañāya), that is, in the goodness of dhammas, in the wholesomeness of dhammas. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One is practicing for the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many, and for the welfare of the many they have been established in the noble method, that is, in the goodness of dhammas, in the wholesomeness of dhammas — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One is virtuous, of a Buddha's virtue, of noble virtue, of wholesome virtue, endowed with wholesome virtue. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One is virtuous, of a Buddha's virtue, of noble virtue, of wholesome virtue, endowed with wholesome virtue — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One has for a long time been a forest-dweller, resorting to remote lodgings in forests and jungle thickets. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One has for a long time been a forest-dweller, resorting to remote lodgings in forests and jungle thickets — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One is content with any kind of robe, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One is content with any kind of robe, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One gains at will, without trouble, without difficulty, that talk which is conducive to effacement and suitable for opening the mind — that is: talk on fewness of wishes, talk on contentment, talk on seclusion, talk on non-entanglement, talk on the arousing of energy, talk on virtue, talk on concentration (samādhi), talk on wisdom, talk on deliverance, talk on the knowledge and vision of deliverance. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One gains at will, without trouble, without difficulty, that talk which is conducive to effacement and suitable for opening the mind — that is: talk on fewness of wishes … talk on the knowledge and vision of deliverance — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One gains at will, without trouble, without difficulty, the four jhānas pertaining to the higher mind, pleasant dwellings in this very life. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One gains at will, without trouble, without difficulty, the four jhānas pertaining to the higher mind, pleasant dwellings in this very life — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, the Blessed One recollects his manifold past abodes — that is: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many aeons of world-contraction, many aeons of world-expansion, many aeons of world-contraction and expansion: 'There I had such a name, such a clan, such an appearance, such food, such experience of pleasure and pain, such a span of life; passing away from there, I arose elsewhere; and there too I had such a name, such a clan, such an appearance, such food, such experience of pleasure and pain, such a span of life; passing away from there, I arose here.' Thus, with its aspects and particulars, he recollects his manifold past abodes. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One recollects his manifold past abodes — that is: one birth, two births … thus, with its aspects and particulars, he recollects his manifold past abodes — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, the Blessed One sees beings passing away and reappearing — inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate — and he understands beings as faring according to their kamma: 'These beings, sirs, endowed with misconduct by body, endowed with misconduct by speech, endowed with misconduct by mind, revilers of the noble ones, holding wrong view, undertaking actions under wrong view — with the breaking up of the body, after death, they have arisen in the plane of misery, the bad destination, the lower world, hell. But these beings, sirs, endowed with good conduct in body, endowed with good conduct in word, endowed with good conduct in thought, not revilers of the noble ones, holding right view, undertaking actions under right view — with the breaking up of the body, after death, they have arisen in a good destination, a heavenly world.' Thus with the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing — inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate — and he understands beings as faring according to their kamma. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One, with the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human … understands beings as faring according to their kamma — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Furthermore, venerable sir, with the destruction of the taints (āsava), the Blessed One, having realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless deliverance of mind and deliverance through insight, having entered upon them, dwells therein. And since, venerable sir, the Blessed One, with the destruction of the taints, [has realized] the taintless deliverance of mind and deliverance through insight … having realized them, having entered upon them, dwells therein — seeing this reason too, venerable sir, I show such supreme homage toward the Blessed One and display such an offering of loving-kindness.
"Well now, venerable sir, we must go; we are busy and have much to do." "Do now, great king, whatever you think it is time for." Then King Pasenadi of Kosala rose from his seat, paid homage to the Blessed One, circumambulated him keeping his right side toward him, and departed.
The Third Chapter: the Great Chapter (Mahāvagga).
Its summary (uddāna):
Sīha, Adhimutti, with the Body (kāya); Cunda and with the Kasiṇa;
Kālī, the two Great Questions, and two further ones with the Kosalan.
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The Fourth Chapter: the Chapter with Upāli (Upālivagga).
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.