39. Dhamma-teachings

Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:

“Tathāgatassa, bhikkhave, arahato sammāsambuddhassa dve dhammadesanā pariyāyena bhavanti.

Katamā dve?

‘Pāpaṁ pāpakato passathā’ti—

ayaṁ paṭhamā dhammadesanā;

‘pāpaṁ pāpakato disvā tattha nibbindatha virajjatha vimuccathā’ti—

ayaṁ dutiyā dhammadesanā.

Tathāgatassa, bhikkhave, arahato sammāsambuddhassa imā dve dhammadesanā pariyāyena bhavantī”ti.

Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.

Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:

“Tathāgatassa buddhassa,

sabbabhūtānukampino;

Pariyāyavacanaṁ passa,

dve ca dhammā pakāsitā.

Pāpakaṁ passatha cetaṁ,

tattha cāpi virajjatha;

Tato virattacittāse,

dukkhassantaṁ karissathā”ti.

Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.

Dutiyaṁ.

This was said by the Lord…

“There are, bhikkhus, two successive Dhamma-teachings of the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Fully Enlightened One. What are the two? ‘See evil as evil’— this is the first Dhamma-teaching. ‘Having seen evil as evil, be rid of it, be detached from it, be freed from it’—this is the second Dhamma-teaching. These, bhikkhus, are the two successive Dhamma-teachings of the Tathāgata…”

Regard the ordered words he spoke,
The Tathāgata, the Awakened One,
Compassionate for all beings,
And the two things he proclaimed:

“See what is evil” is one,
The other “Be detached from it.”
With a mind become detached from evil
You will make an end of suffering.