[285] What is the Tathāgata's knowledge (ñāṇa) of the attainment of great compassion (mahākaruṇāsamāpatti)?
When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see in many modes, great compassion for beings descends upon them. When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world-dwelling (lokasannivāsa) is ablaze," great compassion for beings descends upon them; seeing that "the world-dwelling is mustered forth [like an army]" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is on the march" … ; when the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world-dwelling has entered upon a wrong path," great compassion for beings descends upon them.
When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world is led onward; it is not lasting," great compassion for beings descends upon them. When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world is without protection, without an overlord," great compassion for beings descends upon them. When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world owns nothing; one must go on, leaving all behind," great compassion for beings descends upon them. When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world is wanting, insatiate, a slave to craving (taṇhā)," great compassion for beings descends upon them. When the Buddhas … see that "the world-dwelling is without protection" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is without a shelter" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is without refuge" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling has become no refuge" … ; seeing that "the world is agitated, unstilled" … ;
seeing that "the world-dwelling is riddled with darts, pierced by many darts, and there is no one else apart from me to draw out its darts"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is shrouded by the darkness of ignorance (avijjā), cast into the cage of defilements (kilesa), and there is no one else apart from me to show it light"; seeing that "the world-dwelling has gone into ignorance, become blind, enveloped round about; it has become like a tangled skein, like a knotted ball of thread, like matted muñja grass and pabbaja reeds; it does not pass beyond saṃsāra with its plane of misery, bad destination, and downfall"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is pierced by the dart of the poison-taint of ignorance and has become the very bane of defilements"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is tangled with the tangle of lust, hatred, and delusion, and there is no one else apart from me to disentangle the tangle";
seeing that "the world-dwelling is caught fast in the framework of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is covered over by the net of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is swept along by the stream of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is fettered by the fetter of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is pervaded by the latent tendency of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is tormented by the torment of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is consumed by the fever of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is caught fast in the framework of views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is covered over by the net of views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is swept along by the stream of views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is fettered by the fetter of views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is pervaded by the latent tendency of views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is tormented by the torment of views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is consumed by the fever of views";
seeing that "the world-dwelling is pursued by birth" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is beset by aging" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is overcome by illnesses" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is struck down by death" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling has fallen into suffering (dukkha)"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is strung up by craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is hemmed in by the rampart of aging"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is encircled by the snare of death"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is bound with great bonds — with the bond of lust, the bond of hatred, the bond of delusion, the bond of conceit, the bond of views, the bond of defilements, the bond of misconduct — and there is no one else apart from me to loose the bond"; seeing that "the world-dwelling has entered into a great strait, and there is no one else apart from me to show it light"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is obstructed by a great impediment, and there is no one else apart from me to cut away the impediment" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling has fallen into a great abyss, and there is no one else apart from me to lift it out of the abyss"; seeing that "the world-dwelling has set out upon a great wilderness, and there is no one else apart from me to bring it across the wilderness"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is faring on in the great saṃsāra, and there is no one else apart from me to free it from saṃsāra"; seeing that "the world-dwelling rolls about upon great impassable ground, and there is no one else apart from me to lift it out of that impassable ground"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is sunk in the great mire, beset by the fire of lust, the fire of hatred, the fire of delusion, by birth, by aging and death, by sorrows, lamentations, pains, griefs, and despairs, and there is no one else apart from me to quench them";
seeing that "the world-dwelling is led off [to slaughter]; it is slain, ever without protection, like a criminal who, as the doer, has incurred his punishment"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is bound with the bond of the round [of rebirth], set up at the place of execution, and there is no one else apart from me to release it"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is helpless, come to the utmost pitiableness, and there is no one else apart from me to protect it" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is stricken through by suffering, long oppressed"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is ever bound by greed, ever athirst" … ; seeing that "the world-dwelling is blind, without eyes"; seeing that "the world-dwelling has its eye destroyed and is without a guide"; seeing that "the world-dwelling has strayed onto a wrong road, having missed the direct way, and there is no one else apart from me to bring it to the noble path"; seeing that "the world-dwelling has plunged into the great flood, and there is no one else apart from me to lift it out of the flood";
seeing that "the world-dwelling is obsessed by the two views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling has gone astray through the three kinds of misconduct"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is filled with the yokes, harnessed with the fourfold yoke"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is knotted with the four knots"; seeing that "the world-dwelling clings with the four kinds of clinging"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is mounted upon the five destinations"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is impassioned by the five cords of sensual pleasure"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is smothered by the five hindrances (nīvaraṇa)"; seeing that "the world-dwelling disputes through the six roots of dispute"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is impassioned by the six classes of craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is obsessed by the six views"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is pervaded by the seven latent tendencies"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is fettered by the seven fetters"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is puffed up by the seven kinds of conceit"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is whirled about by the eight worldly conditions"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is fixed in the eight wrongnesses"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is corrupted by the eight faults of a person"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is moved to resentment by the nine grounds of resentment"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is puffed up by the ninefold conceit"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is impassioned by the nine states rooted in craving"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is defiled by the ten grounds of defilement"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is moved to resentment by the ten grounds of resentment"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is possessed of the ten unwholesome courses of action"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is fettered by the ten fetters"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is fixed in the ten wrongnesses"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is possessed of the false view with its ten grounds"; seeing that "the world-dwelling is possessed of the personality-view with its ten grounds"; when the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world-dwelling is drawn into proliferation by the one hundred and eight proliferations of craving," great compassion for beings descends upon them. When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "the world-dwelling is obsessed by the sixty-two views," great compassion for beings descends upon them.
When the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, see that "I have crossed over, but the world has not crossed over; I am freed, but the world is not freed; I am tamed, but the world is untamed; I am stilled, but the world is unstilled; I am comforted, but the world is uncomforted; I am fully quenched (parinibbuto), but the world is not fully quenched; and I, having crossed over, am able to bring across; being freed, to set free; being tamed, to tame; being stilled, to still; being comforted, to comfort; being fully quenched, to bring to full quenching," great compassion for beings descends upon them. This is the Tathāgata's knowledge of the attainment of great compassion.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.