Itivuttaka 92

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Adapted From the Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu(Geoffrey DeGraff)

Compared with the Pali Tipitaka at www.tipitaka.org

92. Sanghatikannasuttam ( Right Following )

This was said by the Lord Buddha(Bhagavata), said by the Arahant, so I have heard:

“Monks, even if a monk, taking hold of my outer robe, were to follow right behind me, placing his feet in my footsteps, yet if he were to be greedy for sensual pleasures, strong in his passions, malevolent in mind, corrupt in his resolves, his mindfulness muddled, unalert, uncentered(not practicing trance), his mind scattered, & his faculties uncontrolled, then he would be far from me, and I from him. Why is that? Because he does not see the Dhamma. Not seeing the Dhamma, he does not see me. " “But even if a monk were to live one hundred leagues away, yet if he were to have no greed for sensual objects, were not strong in his passions, not malevolent in mind, uncorrupt in his resolves, his mindfulness established, alert, practices trance, his mind focussed, & his faculties well-restrained, then he would be near to me, and I to him. Why is that? Because he sees the Dhamma. Seeing the Dhamma, he sees me.”

Though following right behind, ambitious, annoyed: see how far he is!— the perturbed from the unperturbed, the bound from the Unbound, the greedy one from the one with no greed. But the wise person who, through direct knowledge of Dhamma, divine awakening of Dhamma, grows still & unperturbed like a lake unruffled by wind: see how close he is!— the unperturbed to the unperturbed, <p style="text-align:center;">the Unbound to the Unbound (achieves Nibbana), <p style="text-align:center;">the greedless one <p style="text-align:center;">to the one with no greed.