sn3.18:2 “That’s so true, Great King! That’s so true!” said the Buddha. And he repeated the king’s statement, adding:

sn3.18:3 “Great king, this one time I was staying in the land of the Sakyans where they have a town named Townsville. Then the mendicant Ānanda came to me, bowed, sat down to one side, and said: ‘Sir, good friends, companions, and associates are half the spiritual life.’

sn3.18:4 When he had spoken, I said to him: ‘Not so, Ānanda! Not so, Ānanda! Good friends, companions, and associates are the whole of the spiritual life. A mendicant with good friends, companions, and associates can expect to develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path.

sn3.18:5 And how does a mendicant with good friends develop and cultivate the noble eightfold path? It’s when a mendicant develops right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go. That’s how a mendicant with good friends develops and cultivates the noble eightfold path. And here’s another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life.

sn3.18:6 For, by relying on me as a good friend, sentient beings who are liable to old age and death, to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress are freed from all these things. This is another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life.’

sn3.18:7 So, Great King, you should train like this: ‘I will have good friends, companions, and associates.’ That’s how you should train.

sn3.18:8 When you have good friends, companions, and associates, you should live supported by one thing: diligence in skillful qualities.

sn3.18:9 When you’re diligent, supported by diligence, your ladies of the harem,

sn3.18:10 aristocrat vassals,

sn3.18:11 troops,

sn3.18:12 and people of town and country will think: ‘The king lives diligently, supported by diligence. We’d better live diligently, supported by diligence!’

sn3.18:13 When you’re diligent, supported by diligence, then not only you yourself, but your ladies of the harem, and your treasury and storehouses will be guarded and protected.” That is what the Buddha said. …

sn3.18:14 “For one who desires high wealth again and again, the astute praise diligence in making merit. Being diligent, an astute person secures both benefits:

sn3.18:15 the benefit in this life, and in lives to come. Attentive, comprehending the meaning, they are said to be astute.”

2. Childless

Childless (1st)

sn3.19:1 At Sāvatthī. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha in the middle of the day, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him, “So, Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”

sn3.19:2 “Sir, here in Sāvatthī a financier householder has passed away. Since he died childless, I have come after transferring his fortune to the royal compound. There was eight million in gold coin, not to mention the silver coin. And yet that financier ate meals of sour gruel with false black pepper. He wore clothes consisting of three patches of sunn hemp. He traveled around in a vehicle that was a dilapidated little cart, holding a leaf as parasol.”

sn3.19:3 “That’s so true, Great King! That’s so true! When an untrue person has acquired notable wealth they don’t make themselves happy and pleased. Nor do they make their mother and father, partners and children, bondservants, workers, and staff, and friends and colleagues happy and pleased. And they don’t establish an uplifting religious donation for ascetics and brahmins that’s conducive to heaven, ripens in happiness, and leads to heaven. Because they haven’t made proper use of that wealth, rulers or bandits take it, or fire consumes it, or flood sweeps it away, or unloved heirs take it. Since that wealth is not properly utilized, it’s wasted, not used.

sn3.19:4 Suppose there was a lotus pond in an uninhabited region with clear, sweet, cool water, clean, with smooth banks, delightful. But people don’t collect it or drink it or bathe in it or use it for any purpose. Since that water is not properly utilized, it’s wasted, not used. In the same way, when an untrue person has acquired notable wealth … it’s wasted, not used.

sn3.19:5 When a true person has acquired notable wealth they make themselves happy and pleased. And they make their mother and father, partners and children, bondservants, workers, and staff, and friends and colleagues happy and pleased. And they establish an uplifting religious donation for ascetics and brahmins that’s conducive to heaven, ripens in happiness, and leads to heaven. Because they make proper use of that wealth, rulers or bandits don’t take it, fire doesn’t consume it, flood doesn’t sweep it away, and unloved heirs don’t take it. Since that wealth is properly utilized, it’s used, not wasted.

sn3.19:6 Suppose there was a lotus pond not far from a town or village with clear, sweet, cool water, clean, with smooth banks, delightful. And people collected it and drank it and bathed in it and used it for their own purpose. Since that water is properly utilized, it’s used, not wasted. In the same way, when a true person has acquired notable wealth … it’s used, not wasted.

sn3.19:7 As cool water in an uninhabited region evaporates when not drunk; so too when a reprobate acquires wealth, they neither use it themselves nor give it away.

sn3.19:8 When the attentive and sensible acquire wealth, they use it, being dutiful. That boss, having supported the family unit, blameless, goes to a heavenly place.”

2. Childless

Childless (2nd)

sn3.20:1 Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha in the middle of the day … The Buddha said to him, “So, Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”

sn3.20:2 “Sir, here in Sāvatthī a financier householder has passed away. Since he died childless, I have come after transferring his fortune to the royal compound. There was ten million in gold coin, not to mention the silver coin. And yet that financier ate meals of sour gruel with false black pepper. He wore clothes consisting of three patches of sunn hemp. He traveled around in a vehicle that was a dilapidated little cart, holding a leaf as parasol.”

sn3.20:3 “That’s so true, Great King! That’s so true! Once upon a time, great king, that financier householder provided almsfood on behalf of an independent Buddha named Tagarasikhī. He instructed: ‘Give alms to that ascetic,’ before getting up from his seat and leaving. But after giving he regretted it: ‘It would have been better to feed the bondservants or workers with that almsfood.’ What’s more, he murdered his brother’s only child for the sake of his fortune.

sn3.20:4 Because that financier provided Tagarasikhī with almsfood, as a result of that deed he was rewarded in a good place, a heavenly realm. And as a residual result of that same deed he held the position of financier right here in Sāvatthī. But because that financier regretted giving alms, as a result of that deed his mind didn’t tend to enjoy nice food, clothes, vehicles, or the five refined kinds of sensual stimulation. And because that financier murdered his brother’s only child for the sake of his fortune, as a result of that deed he burned in hell for many years, for many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands of years. And as a residual result of that same deed, he is childless for the seventh time, his fortune ending up in the royal treasury. Now the old merit of that financier has been used up, and he hasn’t accumulated new merit. Today, Great King, that financier burns in the Great Hell of Screams.” “Really, sir, that financier has been cast into the Great Hell of Screams?” “Yes he has, Great King.” That is what the Buddha said. …

sn3.20:5 “Grain, money, silver, and gold, or whatever other possessions there are; bondservants, workers, servants, and those dependent for their livelihood:

sn3.20:6 you must go on without taking these; all of them are left behind. But the deeds you do by body, speech, and mind—

sn3.20:7 that’s what you can call your own. That’s what you take when you go. That’s what goes with you, like a shadow that never leaves.

sn3.20:8 That’s why you should do good, investing in the future life. The good deeds of sentient beings support them in the next world.”

3. Kosala

Individuals

sn3.21:1 At Sāvatthī. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him: “Great king, these four individuals are found in the world. What four? The dark bound for darkness, the dark bound for light, the light bound for darkness, and the light bound for light.

sn3.21:2 And how is an individual dark and bound for darkness? It’s when an individual is born in a low family—a family of corpse-workers, bamboo-workers, hunters, chariot-makers, or scavengers—poor, with little to eat or drink, where life is tough, and food and shelter are hard to find. And they’re ugly, unsightly, deformed, sickly—one-eyed, crippled, lame, or half-paralyzed. They don’t get to have food, drink, clothes, and vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; or bed, house, and lighting. And they do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re cast into a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

sn3.21:3 This individual is like someone who goes from darkness to darkness, from blackness to blackness, from bloodstain to bloodstain. That’s how an individual is dark and bound for darkness.

sn3.21:4 And how is an individual dark and bound for light? It’s when an individual is born in a low family—a family of corpse-workers, bamboo-workers, hunters, chariot-makers, or scavengers—poor, with little to eat or drink, where life is tough, and food and shelter are hard to find. And they’re ugly, unsightly, deformed, sickly—one-eyed, crippled, lame, or half-paralyzed. They don’t get to have food, drink, clothes, and vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; or bed, house, and lighting. But they do good things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they enter a good place, a heavenly realm.

sn3.21:5 This individual is like someone who ascends from the ground to a couch; from a couch to horseback; from horseback to an elephant; and from an elephant to a stilt longhouse. That’s how an individual is dark and bound for light.

sn3.21:6 And how is an individual light and bound for darkness? It’s when an individual is born in an eminent family—a well-to-do family of aristocrats, brahmins, or householders—rich, affluent, and wealthy, with lots of gold and silver, lots of property and assets, and lots of money and grain. And they’re attractive, good-looking, lovely, of surpassing beauty. They get to have food, drink, clothes, and vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; and bed, house, and lighting. But they do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re cast into a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

sn3.21:7 This individual is like someone who descends from a stilt longhouse to an elephant; from an elephant to horseback; from horseback to a couch; and from a couch to the ground; and from the ground they enter darkness. That’s how an individual is light and bound for darkness.

sn3.21:8 And how is an individual light and bound for light? It’s when an individual is born in an eminent family—a well-to-do family of aristocrats, brahmins, or householders—rich, affluent, and wealthy, with lots of gold and silver, lots of property and assets, and lots of money and grain. And they’re attractive, good-looking, lovely, of surpassing beauty. They get to have food, drink, clothes, and vehicles; garlands, fragrance, and makeup; and bed, house, and lighting. And they do good things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they enter a good place, a heavenly realm.

sn3.21:9 This individual is like someone who shifts from one couch to another; from the back of one horse to another; from one elephant to another; or from one stilt longhouse to another. That’s how an individual is light and bound for light. These are the four individuals found in the world.” That is what the Buddha said. …

sn3.21:10 “O King, some people are poor, faithless and stingy. Miserly, with bad intentions, they lack regard, they have wrong view.

sn3.21:11 They abuse and insult ascetics and brahmins and other supplicants. They’re nihilists and bullies,

sn3.21:12 who prevent others from giving food to beggars. O King, ruler of the people: when such people die they fall into the terrible hell— from darkness they’re bound for darkness.

sn3.21:13 O King, some people are poor, but faithful and not stingy. They give with best of intentions, that peaceful-hearted person.

sn3.21:14 They rise for and bow to ascetics and brahmins and other supplicants. Training in moral conduct,

sn3.21:15 they don’t prevent others from giving food to beggars. O King, ruler of the people: when such people die they go to the Third Heaven— from darkness they’re bound for light.

sn3.21:16 O King, some people are rich, but faithless and stingy. Miserly, with bad intentions, they lack regard, they have wrong view.

sn3.21:17 They abuse and insult ascetics and brahmins and other supplicants They’re nihilists and bullies,

sn3.21:18 who prevent others from giving food to beggars. O King, ruler of the people: when such people die they fall into the terrible hell— from light they’re bound for darkness.

sn3.21:19 O King, some people are rich, faithful and not stingy. They give with best of intentions, that peaceful-hearted person.

sn3.21:20 They rise for and bow to ascetics and brahmins and other supplicants. Training in moral conduct,

sn3.21:21 they don’t prevent others from giving food to beggars. O King, ruler of the people: when such people die they go to the Third Heaven— from light they’re bound for light.”

3. Kosala

Grandmother

sn3.22:1 At Sāvatthī. King Pasenadi of Kosala sat to one side, and the Buddha said to him, “So, Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”

sn3.22:2 “Sir, my grandmother has passed away. She was old, elderly and senior. She was advanced in years and had reached the final stage of life; she was a hundred and twenty years old. But I loved my grandmother; she was dear to me. If by giving away the elephant-treasure I could get my grandmother back, I’d do it. If by giving away the horse-treasure I could get my grandmother back, I’d do it. If by giving away a prize village I could get my grandmother back, I’d do it. If by giving away the whole country I could get my grandmother back, I’d do it.” “Great king, all sentient beings are liable to die. Death is their end; they’re not exempt from death.” “It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing, how well said this was by the Buddha: ‘All sentient beings are liable to die. Death is their end; they’re not exempt from death.’”

sn3.22:3 “That’s so true, Great King! That’s so true! All sentient beings are liable to die. Death is their end; they’re not exempt from death. It’s like the vessels made by potters. Whatever kind they are, whether baked or unbaked, all of them are liable to break apart. Breaking is their end; they’re not exempt from breakage. In the same way, all sentient beings are liable to die. Death is their end; they’re not exempt from death.” That is what the Buddha said. …

sn3.22:4 “All beings will die, for life ends in death. They pass on according to their deeds, reaping the fruits of good and bad. Those who do bad go to hell, and if you do good you go to heaven.

sn3.22:5 That’s why you should do good, investing in the future life. The good deeds of sentient beings support them in the next world.”

3. Kosala

The World

sn3.23:1 At Sāvatthī. Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha, “Sir, how many things arise in the world for its harm, suffering, and discomfort?” “Great king, three things arise in the world for its harm, suffering, and discomfort. What three? Greed, hate, and delusion. These three things arise in the world for its harm, suffering, and discomfort.” That is what the Buddha said. …

sn3.23:2 “When greed, hate, and delusion, originate inside oneself, they harm a person of wicked heart, as a bamboo is destroyed by its own fruit.”

3. Kosala

Archery

sn3.24:1 At Sāvatthī. Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha, “Sir, where should a gift be given?” “Wherever your heart feels inspired, Great King.” “But sir, where is a gift very fruitful?” “Where a gift should be given is one thing, Great King, but where a gift is very fruitful is another. A gift is very fruitful when it’s given to an ethical person, not so much to an unethical person. Well then, Great King, I’ll ask you about this in return, and you can answer as you like. What do you think, Great King? Suppose you were at war, ready to fight a battle. Then along comes an aristocrat youth who is untrained, inexpert, unfit, inexperienced. And he’s fearful, scared, nervous, quick to flee. Would you employ such a man? Would he be of any use to you?” “No, sir, I would have no use for such a man.” “What about a brahmin youth, a peasant youth, or a menial youth who was similar?” “No, sir, I would have no use for such a man.”

sn3.24:2 “What do you think, Great King? Suppose you were at war, ready to fight a battle. Then along comes an aristocrat youth who is trained, expert, fit, experienced. And he’s fearless, brave, bold, standing his ground. Would you employ such a man? Would he be of any use to you?” “Yes, sir, I would have a use for such a man.” “What about a brahmin youth, a peasant youth, or a menial youth who was similar? Would you employ such a man? Would he be of any use to you?” “Yes, sir, I would have a use for such a man.”

sn3.24:3 “In the same way, a gift to anyone who has given up five factors and possesses five factors is very fruitful, no matter what family they’ve gone forth from. What are the five factors they’ve given up? Sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt. These are the five factors they’ve given up. What are the five factors they possess? The entire spectrum of an adept’s ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and knowledge and vision of freedom. These are the five factors they possess. I say that a gift to anyone who has given up these five factors and possesses these five factors is very fruitful.” That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

sn3.24:4 “Any youth skilled at archery, powerful and vigorous, would be employed by a king going to war— one is not a coward by reason of birth.

sn3.24:5 Just so, whoever is settled in the qualities of patience and gentleness, an intelligent person with noble conduct, should be venerated even if they’re low born.

sn3.24:6 You should build lovely hermitages and settle learned people in them. You should set up water supplies in barren regions and passages in places hard to travel.

sn3.24:7 Food, drink, edibles, clothes, and lodgings should be given to the upright ones, with a clear and confident heart.

sn3.24:8 The thundering rain cloud, its hundred peaks wreathed in lightning, pours down over the rich earth, soaking the uplands and valleys.

sn3.24:9 So too an astute person, faithful and learned, should prepare a meal to satisfy supplicants with food and drink.

sn3.24:10 Rejoicing, they strew gifts about, saying, ‘Give! Give!’ For that is their thunder, like rain sent from the heavens. That stream of merit so abundant showers down on the giver.”

3. Kosala

The Simile of the Mountain

sn3.25:1 At Sāvatthī. King Pasenadi of Kosala sat to one side, and the Buddha said to him, “So, Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?” “Sir, there are anointed aristocratic kings who are infatuated with authority, and obsessed with greed for sensual pleasures. They have attained stability in the country, occupying a vast conquered territory. Today I have been busy fulfilling the duties of such kings.”

sn3.25:2 “What do you think, Great King? Suppose a trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the east. He’d approach you and say: ‘Please, Great King, you should know this. I come from the east. There I saw a big mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures. So then, Great King, do what you must!’ Then a second trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the west … a third from the north … and a fourth from the south. He’d approach you and say: ‘Please, Great King, you should know this. I come from the south. There I saw a big mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures. So then, Great King, do what you must!’ Should such a dire threat arise—a grim loss of human life, when human birth is so rare—what would you do?”

sn3.25:3 “Sir, what could I do but practice the teachings, practice morality, doing skillful and good actions?”

sn3.25:4 “I tell you, Great King, I announce to you: old age and death are advancing upon you. Since old age and death are advancing upon you, what would you do?” “Sir, what can I do but practice the teachings, practice morality, doing skillful and good actions? Sir, there are anointed aristocratic kings who are infatuated with authority, and obsessed with greed for sensual pleasures. They have attained stability in the country, occupying a vast conquered territory. Such kings engage in battles of elephants, cavalry, chariots, or infantry. But there is no place, no domain for such battles when old age and death are advancing. In this royal court there are ministers of wise counsel who are capable of dividing an approaching enemy by wise counsel. But there is no place, no domain for such diplomatic battles when old age and death are advancing. In this royal court there is abundant gold, both coined and uncoined, stored above and below ground. Using this wealth we can bribe an approaching enemy. But there is no place, no domain for such monetary battles when old age and death are advancing. When old age and death are advancing, what can I do but practice the teachings, practice morality, doing skillful and good actions?”

sn3.25:5 “That’s so true, Great King! That’s so true! When old age and death are advancing, what can you do but practice the teachings, practice morality, doing skillful and good actions?” That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

sn3.25:6 “Suppose there were vast mountains of solid rock pressing against the sky drawing in from all sides and crushing the four quarters.

sn3.25:7 So too old age and death advance upon all living creatures— aristocrats, brahmins, peasants, menials, corpse-workers, and scavengers. They spare nothing. They crush all beneath them.

sn3.25:8 There’s nowhere for elephants to take a stand, nor chariots nor infantry. They can’t be defeated by diplomatic battles or by wealth.

sn3.25:9 That’s why an astute person, seeing what’s good for themselves, being wise, would place faith in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha.

sn3.25:10 Whoever lives by the teaching in body, speech, and mind, is praised in this life and departs to rejoice in heaven.”

sn3.25:11 The Linked Discourses with the Kosalan are complete.