#I love seeing horses and cows and chickens and goats and sheep and deer and all of them

[whimsyprinx]

idk what I’m gonna do if/when I move out of the south and hear a gunshot cause like it’s so common here to hear a series of shots and like tune it out because ppl here hunt a lot and just like to fuck around with guns whereas in other places a shot ringing out Is Not A Common Everyday Occurrence

[butteredfrogs]

🍃Create-a-Villager!🍃

i've been really enjoying all of the cas challenges recently, and i've been playing a bunch of animal crossing, so i thought why not combine the two and come up with my own little cas challenge! i hope you guys enjoy and feel free to tag me or use the hastag #createavillager so i can see all of your lovely sims

link to a random number generator!

🍃rolls below the cut🍃

Species (1-35, roll once)

1- alligator

2- anteater

3- bear

4- bird

5- bull

6- cat

7- chicken

8- cow

9- cub

10- deer

11- dog

12- duck

13- egle

14- elephant

15- frog

16- goat

17- gorilla

18- hamster

19- hippo

20- horse

21- kangaroo

22- koala

23- lion

24- monkey

25- mouse

26- octopus

27- ostrich

28- penguin

29- pig

30- rabbit

31- rhino

32- sheep

33- squirrel

34- tiger

35- wolf

Personality (1-8, roll once)

1- normal

2- lazy

3- sisterly

4- cranky

5- jock

6- peppy

7- smug

8- your pick

Colour(s) (1-12, roll as many times as you like)

1- white

2- purple

3- pink

4- red

5- orange

6- yellow

7- green

8- blue

9- cyan

10- brown

11- black

12- grey

Random details (1-23, roll as many times as you like)

1- vitiligo

2- scar(s)

3- freckles

4- glasses

5- bright/bold makeup

6- no makeup

7- hetrochromia

8- thick eyebrows

9- thin eyebrows

10- no eyebrows

11- hat/some sort of head accessory

12- hair tied up

13- short hair

14- medium hair

15- long hair

16- bangs

17- acne

18- birthmark

19- jewellery

20- no jewellery

21- long nails

22- short nails

23- body hair

[wjbsart]

A complete, very long list of all GBoard-combinable emojis because I can't find one anywhere.

Ok so for those who haven't seen my stuff (or have only seen my Bionicle posts), I sometimes emoji mashup redraws, with the recent fourth one using GBoard-based fusions. Frustratingly, there's no actual list of fusion-compatible emojis, so I'll attempt to compile them, in a list below the "Read More" thing:

Green/▢ = compatible with fusion Blue/△ = only works with certain emojis Red/◯ = not compatible with fusion

Also, since other people's terms for specific emojis might not match up with mine, I recommend using CTRL+F and then doing this to find the specific emoji you're looking for. This list is in the order presented in GBoard's Emoji menu. Some of them will be generic unicode symbols, I don't know how to change that, sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I won't aknowledge multi-category Emoji.

Smileys and Emoticons

😀Open-mouthed smile▢

😃Wide-eyed smile▢

😄Closed-eyed smile▢

😁Closed-eyed grin▢

😆Laughing▢

😅Sweating smile▢

😂Cry-laughing▢

🤣Cry-ROFLing▢

😭Crying▢

😗Kissing▢

😙Kissing, closed eyes▢

😚Kissing, blushing▢

😘Kissing, winking w/ heart▢

🥰Surrounded by hearts▢

😍Heart-eyes▢

🤩Star-eyes▢

🥳Noisemaker and party-hat▢

🤗Hugging▢

🙃Upside-down▢

🙂Smile▢

☺Blushing, smiling▢

😊Blushing▢

😏Looking off to the side▢

😌Relieved▢

😉Winking▢

🤭Hand over mouth▢

😶Nightmare fuel Mouthless▢

😐Neutral▢

😑-_-▢

😔Pensive▢

😋Licking lips▢

😛Tongue out▢

😝Tongue out, eyes closed▢

😜Tongue out, winking▢

🤪Tongue out, wide-eyed▢

🤔Hmmm▢

🤨Suspicious▢

🧐Monocle▢

🙄Rolling eyes▢

😒Unamused▢

😤Snorting▢

😠Angry▢

😡Angry, red▢

🤬Swearing▢

☹Frown▢

🙁Frown but less▢

😕Confused▢

😟Distraught▢

🥺Pleading▢

😳AWOOGA Flushed▢

😬Yikes▢

🤐Zip▢

🤫Shushing▢

😰Distraught, sweating▢

😧Distraught, shocked▢

😦Distraught, neutral▢

😮Open mouth▢

😯Open mouth, surprised▢

😲Shocked▢

😱Horrified▢

🤯Your head asplode Mind blown▢

😢Crying, single tear▢

😥Crying, less sad▢

😓Sweating▢

😞Dissapointed▢

😖Pained▢

😣Persevering▢

😩Weary▢

😫Tired▢

🤤Drooling▢

😴Sleeping▢

😪Sleeping but different?▢

🌛Left-facing moon▢

🌜Right-facing moon▢

🌚New moon face◯

🌝Full moon face◯

🌞The sun▢

🤢Queasy▢

🤮Vomiting▢

🤧Sneezing▢

🤒Unwell▢

🤕Bandaged▢

🥴Drunk▢

😵Dizzy▢

🥵Hot▢

🥶Cold▢

😷Masked up▢

😇Angel▢

🤠yee haw▢

🤑Money-tongue▢

😎Cool▢

🤓Nerd▢

🤥Lying▢

🤡Clown▢

👻Ghost▢

💩Poop▢

👽Ayy lmao Alien▢

🤖Robot▢

🎃Jack-o-Lantern▢

😈Demon 1▢

👿Demon 2▢

👹Oni◯

👺Tengu◯

☠Skull and crossbones▢

🔥Fire▢

💫Star with trail▢

⭐Star▢

🌟Star with bits▢

✨Stars▢

⚡Lightning◯

💥Explosion◯

��100△

💢Anime anger symbol◯

💨Steam▢

💦Sweat Droplets▢

💤Zzz▢

🕳Hole▢

🎉Party popper▢

🎊Confetti ball▢

😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾Literally all the "cat in different emotions" emojis▢

❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤Literally all the coloured hearts△

♥Heart suit▢

💘Heart with arrow▢

💝Heart with ribbon▢

💖Shiny heart▢

💗Growing heart▢

💓Beating heart▢

💞Swirling hearts▢

💕Two hearts▢

💌Love letter▢

💟Heart in square▢

❣Heart exclamation mark▢

💔Broken heart▢

💋Kiss▢

👥Two silhouettes◯

👤Silhouette◯

🗣Talking silhouette◯

👣Footprints◯

🧠Brain◯

🦠Microbe▢

🦷Tooth◯

🦴Bone◯

💀Skull▢

👀Eyes◯

👁Eye▢

👄Lips◯

👅Tongue◯

👃👂🦶🦵💪👍👎👏🙌👐Every other body part and hand gesture, seriously this isn't even all of them◯

People

Seriously, I don't know why none of the people-category emojis are Fusion-compatible. Let's just move on.◯

Animals and Nature

💐Bunch of flowers▢

🌹Rose▢

🥀Wilted rose◯

🌷Tulip▢

🌺Hibiscus flower◯

🌸Cherry blossom▢

🏵Rosette◯

🌻Sunflower◯

🌼Daisy▢

💮White flower◯

🍂Falling leaves◯

🍁Maple leaf◯

🌾Rice plants◯

🌱Seedling◯

🌿Herb◯

🍃Falling leaves again◯

☘3-leaf clover◯

🍀4-leaf clover◯

🌵Cactus▢

🌴Palm tree◯

🌳Deciduous tree◯

🌲Coniferous tree▢

🏞National park◯

⛰Mountain◯

🌊Wave◯

🌬Wind◯

🌀Tornado symbol◯

🌁Foggy scene◯

🌫Fog▢

🌪Tornado▢

☃Snowman (with snow)▢

⛄Snowman (without snow)▢

❄Snowflake

🏔Mountain with snow◯

🌡Thermometer◯

🌋Volcano◯

🏜Desert◯

🏝Desert island◯

🏖Beach◯

🌅Sunrise/set (water)◯

🌄Sunrise/set (mountains)◯

☀Sun▢

🌤Sun with cloud◯

⛅Sun and cloud◯

🌥Cloud with sun◯

🌦Sun and cloud with rain◯

☁Cloud▢

🌨Snowcloud◯

⛈Stormcloud◯

🌩Thundercloud◯

🌧Raincloud◯

💧Drop◯

☔Umbrella with rain◯

🌈Rainbow▢

✨Sparkles▢

🌙Crescent Moon◯

☄Comet◯

🌠Shooting star▢

🌌Milky Way◯

🌉Bridge◯

🌆City in the evening▢

🌃City at night▢

🌍🌏🌎Earth▢

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘The moon◯

🙈🙉🙊🐵Monkeys, wise or not▢

🦁Lion face▢

🐯Tiger face◯

🐱Cat face▢

🐶Dog face◯

🐺Wolf face◯

🐻Bear face▢

🐨Koala face▢

🐼Panda face▢

🐹Hamster face◯

🐭Mouse face◯

🐰Rabbit face▢

🦊Fox face◯

🦝Raccoon face◯

🐮Cow face◯

🐷Pig face▢

🐽Pig nose▢

🐗Boar head◯

🦓Zebra head◯

🦄Unicorn head▢

🐴Horse head◯

🐸Frog face◯

🐲Dragon head◯

🦎Lizard◯

🐉Dragon◯

🦖T-Rex◯

🦕Diplodocus◯

🐢Turtle▢

🐊Crocodile◯

🐍Snake◯

🐁Mouse▢

🐀Rat◯

🐇Rabbit▢

🐈Cat▢

🐩Poodle◯

🐕Dog◯

🐅Tiger◯

🐆Leopard◯

🐎Horse◯

🐖Pig▢

🐄Cow◯

🐂Bull◯

🐃Water buffalo◯

🐏Ram◯

🐑Sheep◯

🐐Goat▢

🦌Deer▢

🦙Llama▢

🦘Kangaroo◯

🐘Elephant◯

🦏Rhinoceros◯

🦛Hippopotamus◯

🦒Giraffe◯

🐒Monkey▢

🦍Gorilla◯

🐪🐫Camels◯

🐿Squirrel (why does the squirrel of all things have a Unicode symbol?)◯

🦡Badger◯

🦔Hedgehog▢

🦇Bat▢

🐓Cockerel/rooster◯

🐔Chicken◯

🐣🐥🐤Chicks◯

🐦Bird▢

🦉Owl▢

🦅Eagle◯

🦜Parrot◯

🕊Dove◯

🦢Swan◯

🦚Peacock◯

🦃Turkey◯

🦆Duck◯

🐧Penguin◯

🦈Shark◯

🐬Dolphin◯

🐋🐳Whales◯

🐟Fish▢

🐠Tropical fish◯

🐡Pufferfish◯

🦐Prawn◯

🦞Lobster◯

🦀Crab◯

🦑Squid◯

🐙Octopus▢

🦂Scorpion▢

🕷Spider▢

🕸Spiderweb◯

🐚Shell◯

🐌Snail▢

🐜Ant◯

🦗Grasshopper◯

🦟Mosquito◯

🐝Bee▢

🐞Ladybird◯

🦋Butterfly◯

🐛"Bug" yeah sure ok◯

🐾Pawprints◯

Food and Drink

🍓Strawberry▢

🍒Cherry◯

🍎Red apple◯

🍉Watermelon◯

🍑Peach◯

🍊Orange◯

🥭Mango◯

🍍Pineapple▢

🍌Banana◯

🍋Lemon▢

🍈Melon◯

🍏Green apple◯

���Pear◯

🥝Kiwi◯

🍇Grapes◯

🥥Coconut◯

🍅Tomato◯

🌶Chili▢

🍄Mushroom◯

🥕Carrot◯

🍠Sweet potato◯

🌽Corn◯

🥦Broccoli◯

🥒Cucumber◯

🥬Lettuce◯

🥑Avocado▢

🍆Aubergine◯

🥔Potato◯

🌰Nut◯

🥜Peanuts◯

🍞Bread▢

🥐Croissant◯

🥖Baguette▢

🥯Bagel◯

🥞Pancakes◯

🍳Frying pan◯

🥚Egg (somehow)◯

🧀Cheese▢

🥓Bacon◯

🥩Meat◯

🍗Chicken leg◯

🍖Anime meat◯

🍔Burger◯

🌭Hotdog▢

🥪Sandwich◯

🥨Pretzel◯

🍟Chips◯

🍕Pizza◯

🌮Taco◯

🌯Wrap◯

🥙Stuffed flatbread◯

🥘Paella◯

🍝Spaghetti◯

🥫Can◯

🥣Bowl◯

🥗Salad◯

🍲Pot of food◯

🍛Curry◯

🍜Noodles◯

🍣Sushi◯

🍤Fried prawn◯

🥡Takeaway container◯

🍚Cooked rice◯

🍱Bento◯

🥟Dumpling◯

🍢Oden◯

🍙Jelly Donut Rice ball◯

🍘Rice cracker◯

🍥Fishcake◯

🍡Dango◯

🥠Fortune cookie◯

🥮Moon cake◯

🍧Shave ice◯

🍨Ice cream◯

🍦See above◯

🥧Pie◯

🍰Cake slice◯

🍮Custard mate what kinda custard have you been eating, this is clearly a créme caramel◯

🎂Birthday cake▢

🧁Cupcake▢

🍭Lollipop◯

🍬Boiled sweet◯

🍫Chocolate◯

🍩Donut◯

🍪Cookie◯

🍯Honey◯

🧂Salt◯

🍿Popcorn◯

🥤Soft drink◯

🥛Milk◯

🍼Baby bottle◯

🍵Green tea◯

☕Coffee▢

🍺Beer◯

🍻Beers, plural◯

🥂Champagne glasses◯

🍾Champagne◯

🍷Red red wine◯

🥃Whiskey◯

🍸Martini◯

🍹Cocktail◯

🍶Sake◯

🥢Chopsticks◯

🍴Knife and fork▢

🥄Spoon◯

🔪Kitchen knife◯

🍽Plate▢

Travel and Places

🛑🎡Everything from the stop sign to Ferris wheel◯

🎠Merry-go-round horse▢

🎪🏕Everything from circus tent to campsite◯

🌇City at sunset yes I'm surprised as you are▢

🛤Train tracks◯

🛣Road◯

🗺Map◯

🗾Japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes and it's beautifuul!◯

🌐Globe with meridian lines▢

💺Plane seat◯

🧳Luggage◯

Activities and Events

🎈Balloon▢

🎀Bow◯

🎁Present◯

🎇Sparkler◯

🎆Fireworks◯

🧨Dynamite Firecracker◯

🧧Red envelope◯

🎐Wind chime◯

🎏Fish streamers◯

🎎Japanese dolls (that's what the emoji's called, don't @ me with the actual name for them)◯

🎑Moon viewing ceremony◯

🎍Pine decoration◯

🎋Tanabata◯

🎄Christmas tree▢

🎗Ribbon△

🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖Medals◯

🏆Trophy◯

📣Megaphone◯

🥅Goal◯

⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐🏈🏉🎾🏸🥍🏏🏑🏒SPORTS◯

🥌Curling stone◯

🛷Rosebud Sled◯

🎿Ski◯

⛸Skate◯

⛳Golf-hole◯

🎯Target◯

🏹Bow◯

🥏Frisbee◯

🎣Fishing rod▢

🎽Running shirt◯

🥋Martial arts uniform◯

🥊Boxing glove◯

🎱8-ball◯

🏓Ping-pong◯

🎳Bowling◯

♟Chess◯

🧩Puzzle piece◯

🎮Controller◯

🕹Joystick◯

👾Videogame alien◯

🔫Gun◯

🎲Dice◯

🎰Slot machine◯

🎴Flower playing card◯

🀄Mahjong tile◯

🃏Joker◯

🎩Top hat◯

📷📸Camera◯

🖼Painting◯

🖌Paintbrush◯

🖍Crayon◯

🧵String◯

🧶Wool◯

🎼🎵🎶Music▢

🎷🎺🎸🎻🥁Instruments◯

🎤Mic◯

🎧Headphones▢

🎚🎛🎙📻Assorted audio stuff◯

📺TV◯

📼VHS◯

📹Camcorder◯

📽Projector◯

🎥Film camera◯

🎞Film◯

🎬Clapperboard◯

🎭Comedy and tragedy masks◯

🎫🎟Tickets◯

Objects

📱🧻Everything from smartphone to toilet roll◯

🧸Teddy bear▢

🧷🧢Everything from safety pin to baseball cap◯

👑Crown▢

🎒💍Everything from backpack to ring◯

💎Diamond▢

💄👓Everything from lipstick to glasses◯

🕶Sunglasses▢

🥽📁Everything from goggles to folder◯

🕶Newspaper▢

🗞���Everything from rolled-up newspaper to right-pointing magnifying glass◯

🔮Crystal ball▢

🧿🔓Everything from Nazar amulet to open lock◯

Symbols

There are no compatible non-repeated Emoji here.◯

Flags

Aaaaand none here either.◯

Feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong.

[candoia-aspera]

Since I see some of you morons talking about how your local area is totally safe for your cat to roam around unsupervised, here’s a quick list of things outside that can injure, sicken or kill your cat.

- Predatory animals, from weasels, foxes and coyotes all the way up to mountain lions, alligators, bears and wolves. Even neighbourhood dogs may take a chunk out of any cat they can catch.

- Birds, and not even just birds of prey. Corvids, owls, herons and even large gulls can easily kill an adult cat.

- Venomous animals. These are particularly high risk, as cats like to play so much with the animals they catch. It’s not just snakes and scorpions, many spiders that are harmless to humans have bites that can be fatal to cats. There are also plenty of stinging insects that will absolutely kill your cat if they’re unlucky enough to be allergic to the venom.

- Poison. Not just antifreeze from cars, but poisonous animals such as toads, poison put down to kill pests that the cat may eat, and field sprays that the cat then licks off their coat are all equally dangerous.

- CARS. The leading cause of death for cats in the UK is currently road traffic accidents. No, they’re not “streetwise” if they don’t get hit - they just got lucky. All it takes is one time when they don’t and poor old kitty becomes pate for the scavengers.

- Pretty much anything you could find on a farm. Horses, cows, sheep, pigs, goats and even geese and chickens can and will kill a cat if they don’t like it being there. Farmers are also allowed to shoot cats on their property in most countries, and no one will bat an eye if a farm dog kills and eats your pet.

- Deer, moose and elk. The kick of the red deer can shatter a wolf’s skull into pieces. It’s not going to take a very big deer to do the same to your cat. 

- Boar. These are not just your regular bacon making hogs. They’ll happily make a meal out of a wandering cat.

- Parasites and disease. Ticks and fleas are one thing, but fungi, bacterial infections and viruses can all be picked up easily from other cats or infected animals, eating from an infected carcass, or drinking contaminated water. 

- PEOPLE. Not everyone is as nice as you and me, some people are assholes who like to see animals suffer. A friendly kitty is a very convenient target for someone who wants an animal to abuse. Unlike other animals, human have a great capacity for cruelty against the helpless, and very imaginative ways of making your curious, loving cat suffer.

[cosmicbug379]

i was tagged by @spacegayofficial !! You’re the best! Sorry it took me so long!

Rules: tag as many people as you want, and enjoy!

Also I’ve discovered I can’t actually see the answers on the app, so if you can’t see them and you would like to, I used the desktop site!

This or That

~ entertainment ~

movie marathons or tv marathons // cable or streaming // movie theater or Redbox  // reading or listening (it depends a lot on my mood) // music or podcasts (my mood changes so sometimes so definitely both) // new content or familiar content // canon content or fan content // watch alone or watch with friends // high fantasy or urban fantasy // historical fiction or dystopia // thriller or period drama // superheroes or spies // animated or live action (depends on what it is man)

~ food ~

sweet or salty // sour or spicy // tea or coffee ( neither? I’d rather drink Coke) // peaches or cherries (gods I’m so fucking picky. I don’t even like eating fruit. I will drink fruit juice and I will drink smoothies but actually EATING it? gross. bad textures. hate it) // pears or plums  (same with these I’m so sorry) // pomegranates or blackberries // dairy milk or non-dairy milk // sweet peppers or carrots (I won’t eat these either, especially carrots. bad.) // sushi or poke (I don’t like most sushi. Just the deepfried ones without cucumber in them and no fish. Again I’m so fucking picky it’s ridiculous. How am I still alive?) // pasta or pizza (I don’t like tomatoes or tomato sauce so yeah pizza is not my think. give me some nice chicken alfredo) // salad or soup // snacks or big meals

~ animals ~

cats or dogs (I have both!) // birds or fish // snakes or lizards // rabbits or guinea pigs // horses or deer // sheep or goats // pigs or cows // sea turtles or stingrays // butterflies or dragonflies // seals or jellyfish // bears or big cats // mice or hamsters

~ miscellaneous ~

polaroid or disposable camera // museums or libraries // national/state parks or local wilderness // greyscale or sepia // bike ride or car ride // floral patterns or gingham // spots or stripes // stargazing or watching the sunset // hiking or kayaking // naturally cluttered or naturally organized // loud colors or pastel colors

Other Info 

Do you collect anything? Kind of! I have a TON of those Funko! Pop figurines! I got one from a friend and then I bought a couple and now it’s what people get me for Christmas or my birthday all the time! I have SO many! I also have Poe Dameron from all three sequel movies, Cassian Andor, BB8, Gold Darth Vader, a stormtrooper, Fred and Ron Weasley, Eric Nortman from True Blood, Aladdin and Abu, Daenarys riding Drogon, Jorah Mormont, Arya Stark, Jon Snow, Jaime Lannister, (I want Oberyn SOOO bad maybe for my birthday in May), Dr Strange, 2 different versions of Steve Rogers, Scarlet Witch, Clint Barton, Pavel Chekov from the new Star Trek movies, Dean Winchester, Legolas!, Gimli, Galadriel, Gandalf riding Gwaihir, and most recently Cara Dune and Mando who i basically threw away George Weasley for. I’m sorry George, but Din Djarin is my space husband.

Secret skills/hobbies? I cross stitch! It’s super fun and relaxing and I really love doing it! My friend makes fun of me and calls me old and my mom once called me “grandma” because of it, but it’s fun!

Things you’d have in your dream home? I would LOVE a big kitchen! I love to cook and bake so that would be perfect! Also a pool? I know that sounds cliche, but I LOVE to swim and I hate every other form of exercise except maybe dancing, but I’m bad at that so I’ve got to exercise somehow. 

Tagging: @rzrcrst @longitud-de-onda @tarrevizslas @hdlynnslibrary @pascalisthepunkest @mandalore-is-the-way @landlockedmermaid77 @duamuteffe and anyone else who wants to do this!!

[loralee01]

A Discourse Community Analysis on Farmers

Final Draft By Lora Lee Johnson

There is a particular discourse community that I have been interested in for many years, that I am excited to look into being a part of —this is the discourse of farmers. I first fell in love with the ideas of being a farmer when I lived in Moscow, Idaho, where wheat, peas, and barley grew everywhere without the need of sprinklers. I had never seen this before in America, having always lived in the desert or the city. I saw this in Ethiopia, however, and just assumed it was an Ethiopia thing. Everything seemed to grow very easily and naturally in Moscow—we had asparagus growing in our ditches! Mother Earth watered it all sufficiently, and even brought in a dusting of new dirt every year to keep up the nutrients necessary for such large amounts of farming. I loved how natural and wholesome the farming seemed.

Several homes that aren’t in the city of Moscow, are placed on many acres of rolling, grassy hills, which to me, was very refreshing. I grew up in the shady, cluttered woods for a lot of my life, where we couldn’t see the sun for very long each day and where the trees were constantly hovering over me. I like the comfort the woodland provides, but I certainly appreciated and welcomed the vast, open spaces the farmers are lucky to enjoy every day in Moscow, ID.

On nearly every rural property in Moscow, Idaho, there are fields of crops and also livestock— happy livestock who had plenty of space and fresh grass. Sheep, cows, and horses, pigs and goats were everywhere! I really enjoyed going to dinner at friends’ homes where we would enjoy food straight from their abundant farm just out back. One night we enjoyed goat stew, which goat had been raised on fresh grass and had been slaughtered just hours before mealtime. The delicious stew also contained herbs and veggies from the garden, and which were empty of pesticides and full of love. I believe salt may have been the only ingredient in the stew that wasn’t grown in the yard. Homemade bread came with the stew along with homemade butter from the family pet goats. I had never seen this many home- raised/made food items in one meal before! I had always had a garden and chickens, but I have never made homemade bread or slaughtered my precious goat for a friend to enjoy. What kindness! And there were other meals we enjoyed that were similar to this goat stew meal, but with home-raised lamb or cow or chicken or pig. I think it is just beautiful and good to live this way.

The farmers of Moscow seem particularly relaxed, unlike some others in southern Idaho and elsewhere, who stress about possibly suffering a frost or draught at any moment. Moscow, Idaho farmers don’t even need to water their crops! I loved this friendly, wholesome, relaxed environment so much that I have since been trying to bring whatever I can of that lifestyle, to my home here, since I can’t live in Moscow now. I’m afraid, however, that the “relaxed” part of farming in Moscow, just can’t happen at my home in the woods.

Here is very different than there, and it is much more difficult to grow any sort of veggies or fruit in my higher-altitude, deer-riddled, shady woods at my house. I am studying and learning a lot, and I have mostly learned through trial and error that it will be a lot of work to be a farmer here. Animals and livestock seem to really like it here though, except for the lack of fresh grazing, and only if I can make enough space for them. My animals must make-due with trees and rocks instead of pasture. I am trying to enjoy country music still, since farmers seem to love it, but I already love my cowgirl boots and flannel that have replaced my loafers and blouses.

I can kill and prepare a delicious chicken for dinner now, and can grow a few vegetables such as squash, potatoes, and onions; but I have a long way to go and a lot to learn before I will feel a part of this farmer discourse. After all, almost all the farmers I know have grown up in their familiar farming community. I want my kids to grow up like that, at least a little, which is why I’m trying to learn these farmer things now, while my kids are very young. To be unafraid of our personal food supply, when snowed in, would feel very nice. It would also feel amazing to eat food without any nonsense in it.

My kids really enjoy being around farm life as they know it. I guess they only know the petting zoo at the fair and the pony rides at the party, though. They have always wanted to ride horses too, but they still have never done it. They have no farmer gear, and they know no country songs. The only thing they are familiar with is raising chickens and collecting eggs, which they really enjoy when weather is good. This is the year I plan to let them into the garden to help weed, water, and to harvest —which harvesting, I believe, will be the most fun for them. We may also try raising some lambs to try and learn how to harvest wool and to turn it into some sort of warm clothing.

Another interesting thing I have seen farmers do, is fly planes. This ability to spread vitamins all over a crop in under an hour’s time, is something these flyer farmers really like to brag about. A crop-duster pilot is in high demand in some places and gets paid an average of $1000 a job. And if you are a teenage boy who can take your date out in a small personal airplane with thousands of dollars, you will never lack dates. It seems to be mostly teens and very young men flying these tiny airplanes, and just ten feet off the ground. Maybe the wiser men know better. It can be very dangerous. A subtle breeze can take the plane down! When I think of all the things farmers can drive, I find it very impressive! They drive giant tractors and stick-shift trucks, horses, airplanes, all-terrain vehicles—and sometimes angry bulls just for fun!

           Farmers not only work hard when life calls for it, but they have fun too. They sometimes have little work in the winter and summer. During the slow seasons, they line dance, and drink, hunt, fish, go horse-back riding, and create furniture and toys. They have roping and bull-riding competitions too just for fun.

Farmers also eat well, and I love food. There is always plenty of wholesome food to go around on a farmer’s table. This Farmer lifestyle seems good and right for me. Maybe one day, I will make a mutton stew from only the finest, natural ingredients from my farm, followed by a calming horse-back ride and some line dancing. It sounds wonderful to me.

[viadescioism]

Dictionary of the Ravens of antimony as of 7/5/2019

Ravens:

LUST (E) | [eh] /ɛ/ as the “e” in “met.”

PASSION (U) | [oo] as the “oo” in “boot.”

DEVOTION (Æ)(A') | [Ay] as the "ay" in "May"

PREJUDICE (TA) | [Tah] as the "tɑ" in "taco"

ANGER (HA) | [Hah] as the "ho" in "holiday"

MISUNDERSTANDING (RA) | [Rah] as the "ro" in "roger"

SKILL (A) | [Ah] /ɑ/ as the “a” in “father.” as the “a” in “father.”

MIGHT (I) | [Ee] as the “ee” in “meet.”

ASCENDANCY (O) | [Oh] as the “o” in “boat.”

CHAOS (KA) | [Kah] as the “ca” in “cake.”

PANIC (ȜA) (Gha)| [Ghah] as the “ga” in "saga"

HORROR (þA) (Tha) | [Thah] as the “tha” in "thalamus"

DARK (SA) | [Sah] as the “so” in "soccer"

CONNECTION (LA) | [Lah] as the “la” in “lava”

LIGHT (MA) | [Mah] as the "mo" in "mother"

WISDOM (AR) | [Ar] as the “ar” in “car.”

KNOWLEDGE (JA) | [Jah] as the “jo” in “jogger"

LOGIC (NA) | [Nah] as the “no” in “not”

BINDING (BA) | [Bah] as the “bo” in “bottle”

WARDING (GA) | [Gah] as the “go” in “goggles”

PROTECTION (CA) | [Cah] as the “co” in “combat"

INSANITY (ZA) | [Zah] as the “zo” in “zombie"

ILLUSION (QA) | [Qah]

FANTASY (FA) | [Fah] as the “fa” in “father.”

ENERGY (KNA) | [Knah]

LIFE (SKA) | [Skah]

HEALTH (SHA) | [Shah]

CORRUPTION (ACK) | [Ack] as the “ɑck” in “blɑck”

DEATH (ABT) | [Abt]

BANISHMENT (ARD) | [Ard] as the “ard” in “card”

PAIN (PA) | [Pah] as the “po” in “potter”

EXPERIENCE (DA) | [Dah] as the “do” in “dodge”

ENLIGHTENMENT (XA) | [Ksah]

UNKNOWN (YA) | [Yah] as the “ya” in “Yarn'

RELEASE (VA) |  [Vah] as the “vo” in “vowel'

REBIRTH (WA) | [Wah] as the “wa” in “water”

Syntax:

Subject then Verb then Object (SVO)

Head then Initial

Noun then Adjective

Preposition then Noun

Possessee then Possessor

Noun then Honorific

Auxiliary then Verb

Configurations then State

The two configurations:

Projective, yang, masculine, Damakna = Dama

Receptive, yin, feminine, Dasakna = Dasa

The five states of the Ravens of antimony language:

Intention of hostility, aggression, and power = Uknaoxava

Intention of love, calm, and emotions = Shaknaoxava

Intention of logic, good communication, and inspiration = Naknaoxava

Intention of groundedness, sternness, and nurturing = Daknaoxava

Intention of great spiritual understanding, religious zeal, and divine unity = Skaknaoxava

Modifying words:

Plural  = "Ona" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Used like the -ing  = "Vada" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Possession ('s) =  "Iba" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Past tense = "Jaskadala" add this word at the beginning of the statement in order to change its tense.

Present tense = "Daskadala" add this word at the beginning of the statement in order to change its tense.

Future tense = "Yaskadala" add this word at the beginning of the statement in order to change its tense.

Prefix of -er = "Owa" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Prefix of -est = "Oxa" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Prefix that increases the power and energy of the word it is connected to used like the word "very" = "Aiokna" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Weakening of meaning, and sort of representing = "Oacki"

Indicates a question = "Oya"

Word that modifies the word before to make it a number = "Onakna"

Modifying word that changes nouns to the opposite = "Opawa"

Modifying word that changes nouns to the cute form ="Oshasha"

Modifying word that changes nouns to adjective or adverb form = "Oqaja"

Modifying word that changes adjectives to nouns form = "Oqata"

Word that releases energy at the end of a statements ‘so be it.’ = "Skaar"

Honorifics:

Lord, boss, Authority = Omabala

Worker, peasant, underling = Osabala

Master, teacher = Vaarla

Enlightened Being, ascended master = Yamasala

Student = Xajala

Non-binary sir = Dalala

Noun:

Genesis = Oxakna

Theós = Damakna

Theá = Dasakna

Ouranios Ethos = Madaqa

Agora Ethos = Ladaqa

Chthonic Ethos = Sadaqa

Andros = Uknayamasa

Sophizo = Shaknayamasa

Iaomai = Naknayamasa

Pharmakeia = Daknayamasa

Apotheosis = Xaoxa

Philosophia = Najaar

Eudaimonia = Umao

Philotimon = A'jau

Isoropia = Laarda

Sophrosyne = Tau

Eleutheria = Vadaska

Humility = Davaabt

Agapi = Xa'ua'

Stoicism = Abtgha

Physical plane = Dacada

Etheric plane = Shacada

Astral plane = Nacada

Mental plane = Ucada

Causal plane = Sacada

Akashic plane = Lacada

Buddhic plane = Macada

Atmic plane = Dasacada

monadic plane = Damacada

Adi Plane = Oxaknacada

"Name for the dot that makes space in between words." = Arlaar

"Name for colon that acts as a period at the end of a sentence." = Laabt

"Name for question mark." = Layaja

"Name for exclamation mark." = Laola

Force field, and protective energy = Cakna

Ravens of antimony aspects = Okna

Ravens of antimony  Sub aspects = Akna

Antimony = Xadakna

Sun = Ouknadakna

Moon = Oshaknadakna

Name = Skadaja

Help = Wadama

Abundance = Maoo

Alligator = Arskasasa

Ant = Arskakapa

Dear = Arskaiu

Badger = Arskaha

Bee = Arskaa

Camel = Arskahama

Cat = Arskaga

Cheetah = Arskahaa

Chicken = Arskabaskaka

Cow = Arskaba

Crocodile = Arskamama

Deer = Arskaa'

Dog = Arskau

Dolphin = Arskaosha

Duck = Arskavasha

Eagle = Arskavava

Elephant = Arskaua'

Fly = Arskaabt

Fox = Arskaaka

Frog = Arskaza

Giraffe = Arskao

Goat = Arskabada

Goldfish = Arskabasha

Hamster = Arska

Hippopotamus = Arskauu

Horse = Arskababaska

Human = Arskapadaxa

Kangaroo = Arskakaka

Lion = Arskauma

Lobster = Arskashaca

Monkey = Arskapadaxaqa

Octopus = Arskana

Owl = Arskaar

Panda = Arskara

Pig = Arskabaska

Rabbit = Arskae

Rat = Arskanana

Scorpion = Arskakapaha

Seal = Arskaskasha

Shark =  Arskashai

Sheep = Arskaska

Snail = Arskaca

Snake = Arskagha

Spider = Arskatha

Squirrel = Arska

Tiger =  Arskai

Turtle = Arskacaca

Wolf = Arskama

Zebra =  Arskasalama

Yes = Mava

No = Sava

Hello = Labadaska

Goodbye = Dava

Good morning = Tamama

Good afternoon = Tamala

Good evening = Tamasa

Welcome = Mabava

Good = Tama

Evil = Tasa

Time = Qadanakna

Magick = Knaxaja

Magic = Faknaxaja

Language = Laja

Person = Arskaxa

Animal = Arska

Raven = Arskasa

Sigil = Laqa

Text = Laqalaja

Book = Jalaqalaja

Box = Skaqaba

Lesson = Java

Element = Ushanadaskakna

Fire = Ukna

Water = Shakna

Air = Nakna

Earth = Dakna

Spirit = Skakna

Space = Skaknaya

Void =  Skaknayaack

Symbol = Daknalaqa

Mind = Skaskaarkna

Body = Skaskadakna

Soul =  Skaknao

Thought = Skaskaarknava

Individual = Skaska

Door = Daknaga

Doors = Daknagao

Build = Daknabagaca

Home = Daknabaskaca

Reincarnation = Abtwa

Action = Vadada

Terrestrial body = Odakna

Planet = Odakna

Number = Nakna

Library = Jalaqalajadaknabagaca

Sense = lada

Past = Jaskada

Present, Now, Here = Daskada

Future = Yaskada

Abomination = Sakaackyatha

Place = Daskada

Like = Mala

Secret = Naya

Next = Wava

Want = Baa'

Information = Naja

Release = Va

Focus = Taa'

God = Masa

Goddess = Sama

Deity = Yamasa

Northwest = Xaa'skaknaya

North = Xaskaknaya

Northeast  Xaoskaknaya

East = Oskaknaya

Southeast = Yaoskaknaya

South = Yaskaknaya

Southwest  = Yaa'skaknaya

West = A'skaknaya

Day = mama

Night = Sasa

Sunday =  Skamama

Monday = Knamama

Tuesday = Imama

Wednesday = Namama

Thursday = Omama

Friday = Umama

Saturday = Amama

Spring = Shaqadanakna

Summer = Skaqadanakna

Autumn = Ardqadanakna

Winter = Abtqadanakna

January, January moon = Wasaodakna

February, February moon = Usaodakna

March, March  moon = Knasaodakna

April, April moon = Shasaodakna

May, May moon = Skasaodakna

June, June moon = Dasaodakna

July, July moon = Vasaodakna

August, August moon = Isaodakna

September, September moon = Arsaodakna

October, October moon = Thasaodakna

November, November moon = Ardsaodakna

December, December moon = Abtsaodakna

Month = Saodakna

Lust = E

Passion = U

Devotion = A'

Prejudice =Ta

Anger = Ha

Skill = A

Might = I

Ascendancy = O

Chaos = Ka

Panic = Gha

Horror = Tha

Dark, Darkness = Sa

Connection = La

Light = Ma

Wisdom = Ar

Knowledge = Ja

Logic = Na

Binding = Ba

Protection = Ca

Insanity = Za

Illusion = Qa

Fantasy = Fa

Energy = Kna

Life = Ska

Spiritual life =  Padaxa

Health = Sha

Corruption = Ack

Death = Abt

Spiritual death = Yavawa

Banishment = Ard

Pain = Pa

Experience = Da

Enlightenment = Xa

Unknown = Ya

Rebirth = wa

Love = Eua'

Hate = Tahara

Power = Aio

Fear = Kaghatha

Spiritual = Salama

Reason = Arjana

Safety = Bagaca

Delusion = Zaqafa

Creation = Knaskasha

Destruction = Ackabtard

Magick = Knaxaja

Magic = Faknaxaja

Luck = Yama

Toilet = Ackshakna

Abyss = Saoo

Male = Damaska

Female = Dasaska

Nonbinary = Dalaska

Help = Wadama

Great spiritual awe, and a connection to all things past, present, and future = Dasalamaxa

Maybe = Mavalasava

Aman, showing of great honor, and reverence, at the end of communication, thanks, and respect for = skaar

You're welcome = Vawadama

Good morning = Malabadaska

Good afternoon = Lalabadaska

Good evening = Salabadaska

Goodnight = Sasalabadaska

Excuse me = Vaskada

Viadescioism = Talabalabadaja

Path, flow ,Road = Talaba

Emotion = Shaknada

Fluid, fluidity = Shaknaqa

Types of tree, head = Nadakna

Body, trunk =Cadakna

Leg, root = Badakna

Guidance = Talabawadama

Free = Basa

Trap = Bama

Heart = Daknalao

Verb:

Bind = Ba

Ward = Ga

Hate = Tahara

Fear = Kaghatha

Love = Eua'

Experience = Da

Pain = Pa

Panic = gha

Anger = Ha

Misunderstand = Ra

Lust = E

Focus = Taa'

Come = Bavadaskada

Luck = Yama

Help = Wadama

Name = Skadaja

Thank, Thank you, You're welcome = Vawadama

Get = Baba

Give = Vaba

Go = Vadaskada

Understand = Mara

Keep = Labaca

Let, Allow = A'da

Make = Naknaskasha

Put = A'ba

Seem = Tana

Take = Bava

Speak = Vakna

Be, Is, Are, Am, Are = Dada

Do, Does = Tada

Have, Has = Laba

Say = Naqada

See = Qada

Send = Lavava

May = A'ii

Will = Ida

Experience = Da

Time = Qadanakna

Welcome = Mabava

Power = Aio

Sense = Lada

Number = Nakna

Can = Mava

Listen = Arknalada

Open = Vaca

share = Vadalada

Learn, train = Xaja

Mean = Knaja

Like = Mala

Want = Bae

Release = Va

Hold = Bada

Teach, train = Vaar

Shine, shines, emanate, emit, summon, illuminate = Mavava

Activate, start = Navama

Deactivate, stop = Navasa

Cleanse = Ardshakna

Heal = Sha

Lift, Raise = Ooma

Lower, Drop = Oosa

Serve = Bavada

Bless = A'bakna

Vast, large, big = Maskaknaya

Small, minut = Saskaknaya

Kill = Sasada

Adjective, and Adverb:

On = Xama

Off = Xasa

Under = Vasa

Up, Above, high = Mao

Center, Middle = Lao

Down, Below, low = Sao

Within = Maknaca

Without = Saknacava

Not = Sara

First = Tata

Afraid = ghada

Good = Tama

Evil, Bad = Tasa

Individual = Skaska

Sorry = Wama

Open = Vaca

Mean = Knaja

Safe = Bagaca

Past = Jaskada

Present = Daskada

Future = Yaskada

Secret = Naya

Next = Wava

Unknown = Ya

Old = Saqadanakna

New = Maqadanakna

Trick = Aqa

Over = Vama

Through = Vala

Not = Sara

Then = Dayao

Please = Mau

Next = Wava

Wild = Uknaza

fertile = Madakna

pure = Knakna

Conjunction:

And = Lala

Or = Fafa

nor = Thatha

For = Vava

But = Ghagha

Preposition:

About = Jaa'

Across = Dalada

After = Daa'

Against = Sahama

Among = Badaskada

At = Ladaskada

Before = A'da

Between = Saa'ma

By = Daba

Up = Mao

Down = Sao

From = Bada

In, inside = Knaca

Out, outside = Knacava

Off = Xasa

On = Xama

Over = Vama

Through = Vala

Under = Vasa

To = Lava

With = Bala

As = Lada

For = Vava

Of = Labada

Above = Dao

Like = Mala

Next = Wava

Towards = Taskada

Pronoun:

Subject Pronoun/ Object Pronoun:

I, Me = Skada

You = Daska

It, That, This = Daya

Nonbinary pronoun/ Object pronouns = Dala

We, Us = Skada Ona

They, Them = Daska Ona

These, Those = Daya Ona

Reflexive or Intensive Pronouns "repeating word":

Myself = Skadaskada

Yourself = Daskadaska

Itself = DayaDaya

Nonbinary pronoun reflexive pronouns = Daladala

Ourselves = Skadaskada Ona

Yourselves = Daskadaska Ona

Themselves = Dayadaya Ona

Possessive Pronouns = "iba":

My, Mine = Skada Iba

Your, yours = Daska Iba

Nonbinary pronoun Possessive pronouns = Dala Iba

Its = Daya Iba

Our, ours = Skada Ona Iba

Their, Theirs = Daska Ona Iba

Question Words:

Where = Yadaskada

When = Yadaskada

Why = Yaya

What = Yaja

Who = Yadaya

How =  Knacayaja

[littleguymart]

thank you all for 12k!

I can’t believe this blog has been so successful! thank you all so much ♥

some small updates:

♥ I have a faq here!

♥ I do take requests and fold them into the queue!

♥ Send an ask or an instant message if you’ve bought a friend and you want to share! Their post will go in the adopted tag.

♥ I made a ko-fi! Drop by a small tip if you feel so inclined (but don’t worry about it!)

♥ I cleaned up the tag system! Look under the read more for specific tags to find your favorite kinds of friends/plush! You can also see the archive or a random post.

♥ to everyone that’s sent in a nice message, thank you so much! it really means a lot to me to see that people enjoy the friends as much as I do! take care, y’all & much love from ebayfriends ♥♥♥

tagging system (feel free to let me know if something is mistagged):

general: under 10, adopted

franchises & bigger groups: care bears, cryptids, digimon, neopets, pokemon

material: robotic, plush, plastic, rubber, metal, glass, wooden,

color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, rainbow, gold, silver, black, brown, grey

holidays: birthday, christmas, easter, hannukkah, halloween, valentine’s day

species/ type of friend:

airplane, alien, angel, anglerfish, apple, armadillo, astronaut, avocado banana, bat, bear, beaver, bee, bowling pin, bread, broccoli, bug, bunny, butterfly, bird, bus cabbage, cactus, cat, camel, camera, candle, candy corn, carrot, caterpillar, centaur, chameleon, chicken, clock, clown, computer, cookie, corn, cow, crab, crash test dummy, crayon, cupcake deer, devil, dinosaur, dog, doll, dolphin, donkey, dragon, droplet, duck earth, eel, egg, eiffel tower, elephant fairy, fire, fish, flamingo, flower, fox, frankenstein, fries, frog, furby, fuzzball gator, ghost, gingerbread, giraffe, gnome, goat, gorilla, grapes hamburger, hamster, happy face, heart, hedgehog, hippo, horse, house ice cream jelly bean, jellyfish, juice kangaroo, koala lemon, lightbulb, lighthouse, lime, lion, lizard, llama, lobster manatee, mango, menorah, mermaid, microbe, milk, misc, monkey, monster, moon, moose, mountain, mouse, mushroom narwhal octopus, orange, orca, otter, owl, oyster panda, peach, pear, peas, pelican, penguin, pepper, phone, piano, pickle, pie, pig, pineapple, pinecone, pizza, platypus, plum, popsicle, possum, potato, pumpkin raccoon, reindeer, rhino, robot seahorse, seal, sea slug, scarecrow, sheep, shark, shoe, shrimp, skeleton, skunk, sloth, snail, snake, snowball, snowman, soda, spider, squid, squirrel, star, stingray, strawberry, sun taco, tadpole, teeth, tiger, tomato, toucan, train, tree, troll, turtle unicorn vampire, vulture walrus, watermelon, water pistol, whale, witch, wizard, wolf, worm yeti zebra, zombie

specific pokemon, digimon & neopets: bellossom, caterpie, chomby, cybunny, delcatty, ditto, dragonair, grundo, hoppip, flaafy, jubjub, kacheek, kougra, machoke, pikachu, poogle, skitty, usul, venusaur, wigglytuff, wocky, wormadam, zafara, zubat

other characters: garfield, gloomy bear, hello kitty, humpty dumpty, goofy, nessie, monchichi, moomin, my melody, pink panther, puffle, purin, pusheen, shrek, tasmanian devil

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY THE HELPFUL MOTHER

S2;E15 ~ December 29, 1969

Directed by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Al Schwartz

Synopsis

Kim and Craig want their own phones, so they take on part-time jobs to pay for them. Kim’s job has her animal-sitting for the local pet shop, turning Lucy's living room into a zoo!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)

Guest Cast

Irving, a baby chimpanzee.

Radish, a talking parrot who says “You did it again, stupid!”

Breath-of-Spring, a deodorized skunk.

Bruce, a sarcastic mynah bird who says “Get away, kid, you bother me.” This quote from W.C. Fields was previously spoken in “Lucy and the Used Car Dealer” (S2;E9).  

The cast also includes baby leopards, a ring-tailed cat, bunnies, hamsters, canaries, doves, and a tank full of piranha (the only 'prop' [fake] animals in the episode).  

This is the only episode to only feature the Carter Family: Lucy, Harry, Craig and Kim.  A season five show will only feature Lucy and Harry, with archival clips of Kim and Craig.  This episode is also the only episode to have an ‘all-animal’ supporting cast!  

This is the final episode of calendar year 1969 and the final episode of the turbulent 1960s. For Lucille Ball, the decade began with saying farewell to Lucy Ricardo with the last “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” airing in April 1960. “The Lucy Show” was born in 1962 and ran through 1968. The decade also began with Ball's divorce from Desi Arnaz. In 1961 she married Gary Morton.  The upcoming decade would be quieter for Ball, but not for Lucie and Desi Jr., who would each face failed relationships that dominated the headlines.  

For some unknown reason, assistant choreographer Anita Mann was asked to introduce this dance-less and creature-filled episode on the series DVD. Mann fondly remembers that Lucille Ball was a virtual 'Dr. Doolittle' when working with animals.  

Lucy's phone number is KL5-8231. On rotary telephones the alpha characters K and L corresponded to the number 5 making Lucy's number 555-8321.  A 555 exchange is the accepted screen format to include a telephone number as it will never correspond with a real telephone number.

The episode includes multiple rotary telephones at Lucy's home and work, including Kim's Princess model. Rotary (dial) telephones were first introduced around 1904. In 1962, the touch tone button phone was introduced.  These gradually supplanted dial telephones throughout the decade. The Princess telephone, a compact rotary phone with an illuminated dial, was first introduced by Bell Telephone in 1959.  

Teenagers and telephones was a familiar TV and movie trope of the 1960s.  It most famously is celebrated in the 1960 stage musical and 1963 film Bye Bye Birdie, which features a song called “Telephone Hour.”  Interestingly, Bye Bye Birdie played on Broadway at the same time, just two blocks away, from Lucille Ball in Wildcat.

During the episode, Lucy and Harry are working on contracts for the Kasten account.  The name was previously given to a character played by Phil Silvers in “Lucy and the Efficiency Expert” (TLS S5;E13, above).  

Craig plays a drum solo over the phone for his friend Steve. Steve has been mentioned on several previous episode, but never seen. Later, Craig talks on the phone with Tina, a new name in the long list of Craig's girlfriends.  

To get Craig's attention over the din of his drumming, Kim calls out: “Hey, Buddy Rich!”  Buddy Rich (1917-1987) was a world-famous drummer.  He appeared with Lucille Ball in the film Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) and will guest star as himself on a 1970 episode of “Here's Lucy” (above). 

While Kim takes care of the animals for the local pet shop, Craig is earning extra money gluing wings on toy airplanes for Herbie's Hobby Shop and blowing up 500 balloons for the school dance.

Lucy gets a call from Mary Jane about Bridge Club and the Bowling League. She mentions Hilda, who is the only one who knows how to keep score. When Lucy's Bridge Club was introduced in “Lucy and Eva Gabor” (S1;E7, above) it consisted of Dolores, Maude and Nelly, but no Hilda.  Mary Jane is played by Mary Jane Croft, but she does not appear in this episode.

With his bandaged dialing finger, Harry invokes the name of the inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922). Bell is considered the father of the modern telephone and founded AT&T in 1885.  

Lucy compares her house full of animals to the San Diego Zoo. Located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, it is one of the most famous zoos in the world. It first opened in 1916 and is still in operation today.  

Lucy sings a lullaby to the chimp:

“Rock-a-bye Irving Hark to my chant. You're kinda cute But you're no Cary Grant.”

Here is yet another mention of Hollywood heartthrob, actor Cary Grant, who was mentioned in the previous episode “Lucy Protects Her Job” (S2;E14) as well as many episode of “I Love Lucy.”  

When Lucy gets a call from a kindly Officer O'Reilly that Kim is in jail for setting off the Pet Shop burglar alarm, she calls him “a nice Fuzz.”  It was a common TV trope to portray policeman with Irish accents and surnames. “Fuzz” was a slang word for policemen (or, in Lucy's generation, 'cops') that was coined due to the fact that so many serviceman coming home with short military haircuts became policeman. Their buzz cuts resembled peach fuzz.  The expression sounds particularly odd spoken by Lucille Ball. 

From 1951 to 1969 Lucille Ball worked on television with: 

chickens

cows

a calf

dogs of every breed

elephants (2 babies and one Jumbo)

many horses

a pony

a lion

chimpanzees

pigeons

sheep

dolphins

seals

bears

birds of all sorts

an antelope

rabbits

donkeys

deer

geese

turkeys

goats

an adorable kitten

a scent-free skunk

a baby leopard

and a ring-tailed cat  

All of these were LIVE animals!  The list does not include prop animals (like the piranha), imaginary animals, offstage creatures, or actors in animal suits!  

Lucille Ball got a lot of experience working with three trained chimpanzees in “Lucy the Babysitter” (TLS S5;E16, above) which not only starred three rambunctious chimps, but a baby elephant as well! 

A tank full of piranha were also featured in the pet shop in “Lucy Gets the Bird” (TLS S3;E12).  The comic payoff of retrieving a devoured item from the tank is repeated here. TV’s “Addams Family” (1964-66) kept piranha as pets the way other families kept goldfish. 

Little Ricky had a mini-menagerie on “I Love Lucy” that included Fred the dog, a frog named Hopalong, Tommy and Jimmy the turtles,  parakeets Alice and Phil, goldfish named Mildred and Charles, and a lizard (who fell – or jumped - out the window).

FISH ON A WIRE! When the piranha fish jumps out of the tank, the wire can be seen attached to the end of the fish. [Unfortunately, the wire can barely be seen in the still photo above.]

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS! Piranha fish are carnivorous and would not eat a leather pouch and paper.  

“Lucy the Helpful Mother” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5

The fun of this episode is seeing Lucy working with Irving the chimp. Lucy loved animals and incorporated them in scripts whenever she could.  The finale with her glued to three phones is particularly funny.  

[phamthituong]

LONG DISCOURSES – 1. THE PRIME NET

The Prime Net

Talk on Wanderers

Ethics

Views

The Grounds For Assertions About the Self and the Cosmos

The End of the Round

1. Talk on Wanderers

so i have heard. At one time the Buddha was traveling along the road between Rājagaha and Nālanda together with a large Saṅgha of around five hundred mendicants. The wanderer Suppiya was also traveling along the same road, together with his pupil, the brahmin student Brahmadatta. Meanwhile, Suppiya criticized the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, but his pupil Brahmadatta praised them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil followed behind the Buddha and the Saṅgha of mendicants directly contradicting each other.

Then the Buddha took up residence for the night in the royal rest-house in Ambalaṭṭhikā together with the Saṅgha of mendicants. And Suppiya and Brahmadatta did likewise. There too, Suppiya criticized the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, but his pupil Brahmadatta praised them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil kept on directly contradicting each other.

Then several mendicants rose at the crack of dawn and sat together in the pavilion, where the topic of evaluation came up:

“It’s incredible, reverends, it’s amazing how the diverse attitudes of sentient beings have been clearly comprehended by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For this Suppiya criticizes the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, while his pupil Brahmadatta praises them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil followed behind the Buddha and the Saṅgha of mendicants directly contradicting each other.”

When the Buddha found out about this discussion on evaluation among the mendicants, he went to the pavilion, where he sat on the seat spread out and addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was left unfinished?”

The mendicants told him what had happened, adding, “This was our conversation that was unfinished when the Buddha arrived.”

“Mendicants, if others criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, don’t make yourselves resentful, bitter, and exasperated. You’ll get angry and upset, which would be an obstacle for you alone. If others were to criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, and you got angry and upset, would you be able to understand whether they spoke well or poorly?”

“No, sir.”

“If others criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, you should explain that what is untrue is in fact untrue: ‘This is why that’s untrue, this is why that’s false. There’s no such thing in us, it’s not found among us.’

If others praise me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, don’t make yourselves thrilled, elated, and excited. You’ll get thrilled, elated, and excited, which would be an obstacle for you alone. If others praise me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, you should acknowledge that what is true is in fact true: ‘This is why that’s true, this is why that’s correct. There is such a thing in us, it is found among us.’

2. Ethics

2.1. The Shorter Section on Ethics

When an ordinary person speaks praise of the Realized One, they speak only of trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics. And what are the trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics that an ordinary person speaks of?

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up killing living creatures. He has renounced the rod and the sword. He’s scrupulous and kind, living full of compassion for all living beings.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up stealing. He takes only what’s given, and expects only what’s given. He keeps himself clean by not thieving.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up unchastity. He is celibate, set apart, avoiding the common practice of sex.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up lying. He speaks the truth and sticks to the truth. He’s honest and trustworthy, and doesn’t trick the world with his words.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up divisive speech. He doesn’t repeat in one place what he heard in another so as to divide people against each other. Instead, he reconciles those who are divided, supporting unity, delighting in harmony, loving harmony, speaking words that promote harmony.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up harsh speech. He speaks in a way that’s mellow, pleasing to the ear, lovely, going to the heart, polite, likable and agreeable to the people.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up talking nonsense. His words are timely, true, and meaningful, in line with the teaching and training. He says things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama refrains from injuring plants and seeds.’

‘He eats in one part of the day, abstaining from eating at night and food at the wrong time.’

‘He refrains from dancing, singing, music, and seeing shows.’

‘He refrains from beautifying and adorning himself with garlands, perfumes, and makeup.’

‘He refrains from high and luxurious beds.’

‘He refrains from receiving gold and money, raw grains, raw meat, women and girls, male and female bondservants, goats and sheep, chickens and pigs, elephants, cows, horses, and mares, and fields and land.’

‘He refrains from running errands and messages; buying and selling; falsifying weights, metals, or measures; bribery, fraud, cheating, and duplicity; mutilation, murder, abduction, banditry, plunder, and violence.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

The shorter section on ethics is finished.

2.2. The Middle Section on Ethics

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in injuring plants and seeds. These include plants propagated from roots, stems, cuttings, or joints; and those from regular seeds as the fifth. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such injury to plants and seeds.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in storing up goods for their own use. This includes such things as food, drink, clothes, vehicles, bedding, fragrance, and material possessions. The ascetic Gotama refrains from storing up such goods.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in seeing shows. This includes such things as dancing, singing, music, performances, and storytelling; clapping, gongs, and kettle-drums; art exhibitions and acrobatic displays; battles of elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, goats, rams, chickens, and quails; staff-fights, boxing, and wrestling; combat, roll calls of the armed forces, battle-formations, and regimental reviews. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such shows.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in gambling that causes negligence. This includes such things as checkers, draughts, checkers in the air, hopscotch, spillikins, board-games, tip-cat, drawing straws, dice, leaf-flutes, toy plows, somersaults, pinwheels, toy measures, toy carts, toy bows, guessing words from syllables, and guessing another’s thoughts. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such gambling.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still make use of high and luxurious bedding. This includes such things as sofas, couches, woolen covers—shag-piled, colorful, white, embroidered with flowers, quilted, embroidered with animals, double- or single-fringed—and silk covers studded with gems, as well as silken sheets, woven carpets, rugs for elephants, horses, or chariots, antelope hide rugs, and spreads of fine deer hide, with a canopy above and red cushions at both ends. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such bedding.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in beautifying and adorning themselves with garlands, fragrance, and makeup. This includes such things as applying beauty products by anointing, massaging, bathing, and rubbing; mirrors, ointments, garlands, fragrances, and makeup; face-powder, foundation, bracelets, headbands, fancy walking-sticks or containers, rapiers, parasols, fancy sandals, turbans, jewelry, chowries, and long-fringed white robes. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such beautification and adornment.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in unworthy talk. This includes such topics as talk about kings, bandits, and ministers; talk about armies, threats, and wars; talk about food, drink, clothes, and beds; talk about garlands and fragrances; talk about family, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women and heroes; street talk and well talk; talk about the departed; motley talk; tales of land and sea; and talk about being reborn in this or that state of existence. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy talk.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in arguments. They say such things as: “You don’t understand this teaching and training. I understand this teaching and training. What, you understand this teaching and training? You’re practicing wrong. I’m practicing right. I stay on topic, you don’t. You said last what you should have said first. You said first what you should have said last. What you’ve thought so much about has been disproved. Your doctrine is refuted. Go on, save your doctrine! You’re trapped; get yourself out of this—if you can!” The ascetic Gotama refrains from such argumentative talk.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in running errands and messages. This includes running errands for rulers, ministers, aristocrats, brahmins, householders, or princes who say: “Go here, go there. Take this, bring that from there.” The ascetic Gotama refrains from such errands.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in deceit, flattery, hinting, and belittling, and using material possessions to pursue other material possessions. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such deceit and flattery.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

The middle section on ethics is finished.

2.3. The Large Section on Ethics

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes such fields as limb-reading, omenology, divining celestial portents, interpreting dreams, divining bodily marks, divining holes in cloth gnawed by mice, fire offerings, ladle offerings, offerings of husks, rice powder, rice, ghee, or oil; offerings from the mouth, blood sacrifices, palmistry; geomancy for building sites, fields, and cemeteries; exorcisms, earth magic, snake charming, poisons; the crafts of the scorpion, the rat, the bird, and the crow; prophesying life span, chanting for protection, and animal cries. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes reading the marks of gems, cloth, clubs, swords, spears, arrows, weapons, women, men, boys, girls, male and female bondservants, elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, cows, goats, rams, chickens, quails, monitor lizards, rabbits, tortoises, or deer. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making predictions that the king will march forth or march back; or that our king will attack and the enemy king will retreat, or vice versa; or that our king will triumph and the enemy king will be defeated, or vice versa; and so there will be victory for one and defeat for the other. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making predictions that there will be an eclipse of the moon, or sun, or stars; that the sun, moon, and stars will be in conjunction or in opposition; that there will be a meteor shower, a fiery sky, an earthquake, thunder; that there will be a rising, a setting, a darkening, a brightening of the moon, sun, and stars. And it also includes making predictions about the results of all such phenomena. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes predicting whether there will be plenty of rain or drought; plenty to eat or famine; an abundant harvest or a bad harvest; security or peril; sickness or health. It also includes such occupations as computing, accounting, calculating, poetry, and cosmology. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making arrangements for giving and taking in marriage; for engagement and divorce; and for scattering rice inwards or outwards at the wedding ceremony. It also includes casting spells for good or bad luck, curses to prevent conception, bind the tongue, or lock the jaws; charms for the hands and ears; questioning a mirror, a girl, or a god as an oracle; worshiping the sun, worshiping the Great One, breathing fire, and invoking Siri, the goddess of luck. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes rites for propitiation, for granting wishes, for ghosts, for the earth, for rain, for property settlement, and for preparing and consecrating house sites, and rites involving rinsing and bathing, and oblations. It also includes administering emetics, purgatives, expectorants, and phlegmagogues; administering ear-oils, eye restoratives, nasal medicine, ointments, and counter-ointments; surgery with needle and scalpel, treating children, prescribing root medicines, and binding on herbs. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

These are the trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics that an ordinary person speaks of when they speak praise of the Realized One.

The longer section on ethics is finished.

3. Views

3.1. Theories About the Past

There are other principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. Those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things. And what are these principles?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past, and assert various hypotheses concerning the past on eighteen grounds. And what are the eighteen grounds on which they rely?

3.1.1. Eternalism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are eternalists, who assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the cosmos contracting, many eons of the cosmos expanding, many eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: one eon of the cosmos contracting and expanding; two, three, four, five, or ten eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.”’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: ten eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding; twenty, thirty, or forty eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.”’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.2. Partial Eternalism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are partial eternalists, who assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

There comes a time when, after a very long period has passed, this cosmos contracts. As the cosmos contracts, sentient beings are mostly headed for the realm of streaming radiance. There they are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

There comes a time when, after a very long period has passed, this cosmos expands. As it expands an empty mansion of Brahmā appears. Then a certain sentient being—due to the running out of their life-span or merit—passes away from that host of radiant deities and is reborn in that empty mansion of Brahmā. There they are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

But after staying there all alone for a long time, they become dissatisfied and anxious: ‘Oh, if only another being would come to this state of existence.’ Then other sentient beings—due to the running out of their life-span or merit—pass away from that host of radiant deities and are reborn in that empty mansion of Brahmā in company with that being. There they too are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

Now, the being who was reborn there first thinks: ‘I am Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. These beings were created by me! Why is that? Because first I thought:

“Oh, if only another being would come to this state of existence.” Such was my heart’s wish, and then these creatures came to this state of existence.’

And the beings who were reborn there later also think: ‘This must be Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. And we have been created by him. Why is that? Because we see that he was reborn here first, and we arrived later.’

And the being who was reborn first is more long-lived, beautiful, and illustrious than those who arrived later.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘He who is Brahmā—the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born—is permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. We who were created by that Brahmā are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence. This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? There are gods named ‘depraved by play.’ They spend too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. And in doing so, they lose their mindfulness, and they pass away from that host of gods.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘The gods not depraved by play don’t spend too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. So they don’t lose their mindfulness, and don’t pass away from that host of gods. They are permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. But we who were depraved by play spent too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. In doing so, we lost our mindfulness, and passed away from that host of gods. We are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? There are gods named ‘malevolent’. They spend too much time gazing at each other, so they grow angry with each other, and their bodies and minds get tired. They pass away from that host of gods.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘The gods who are not malevolent don’t spend too much time gazing at each other, so they don’t grow angry with each other, their bodies and minds don’t get tired, and they don’t pass away from that host of gods. They are permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. But we who were malevolent spent too much time gazing at each other, we grew angry with each other, our bodies and minds got tired, and we passed away from that host of gods. We are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence.’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘That which is called “the eye” or “the ear” or “the nose” or “the tongue” or “the body”: that self is impermanent, not lasting, transient, perishable. That which is called “mind” or “sentience” or “consciousness”: that self is permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.3. The Cosmos is Finite or Infinite

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about size, and assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite.

They say: ‘The cosmos is finite and bounded. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is finite and bounded.”’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as infinite.

They say: ‘The cosmos is infinite and unbounded. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong. The cosmos is infinite and unbounded. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as infinite. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is infinite and unbounded.”’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite vertically but infinite horizontally.

They say: ‘The cosmos is both finite and infinite. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong, and so are those who say that the cosmos is infinite. The cosmos is both finite and infinite. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite vertically but infinite horizontally. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is both finite and infinite.”’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The cosmos is neither finite nor infinite. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong, as are those who say that the cosmos is infinite, and also those who say that the cosmos is both finite and infinite. The cosmos is neither finite nor infinite.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.4. Equivocators

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are equivocators. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. If I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful I might be wrong. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with false speech they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. If I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful I might feel desire or greed or hate or repulsion. That would be grasping on my part. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with grasping they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. Suppose I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful. There are clever ascetics and brahmins who are subtle, accomplished in the doctrines of others, hair-splitters. You’d think they live to demolish convictions with their intellect. They might pursue, press, and grill me about that. I’d be stumped by such a grilling. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with examination they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin is dull and stupid. Because of that, whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘Suppose you were to ask me whether there is another world. If I believed there was, I would say so. But I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so. Suppose you were to ask me whether there is no other world … whether there both is and is not another world … whether there neither is nor is not another world … whether there are beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there both are and are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there neither are nor are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there is fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there both is and is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there neither is nor is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether a Realized One exists after death … whether a Realized One doesn’t exist after death … whether a Realized One both exists and doesn’t exist after death … whether a Realized One neither exists nor doesn’t exist after death. If I believed there was, I would say so. But I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who are equivocators resort to evasiveness and equivocation whenever they’re asked a question. Any ascetics and brahmins who resort to equivocation do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.5. Doctrines of Origination by Chance

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance. They assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds. And what are the two grounds on which they rely?

There are gods named ‘non-percipient beings’. When perception arises they pass away from that host of gods. It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect the arising of perception, but no further. They say: ‘The self and the cosmos arose by chance. Why is that? Because formerly I didn’t exist. Now, having not been, I’ve sprung into existence.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The self and the cosmos arose by chance.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance.

These are the two grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance do so on one or other of these two grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the eighteen grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past assert various hypotheses concerning the past. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past do so on one or other of these eighteen grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2. Theories About the Future

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future, and assert various hypotheses concerning the future on forty-four grounds. And what are the forty-four grounds on which they rely?

3.2.1. Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds. And what are the sixteen grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite …

of unified perception …

of diverse perception …

of limited perception …

of limitless perception …

experiences nothing but happiness …

experiences nothing but suffering …

experiences both happiness and suffering …

experiences neither happiness nor suffering.’

These are the sixteen grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form do so on one or other of these sixteen grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.2. Non-Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds. And what are the eight grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and non-percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite.’

These are the eight grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form do so on one or other of these eight grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.3. Neither Percipient Nor Non-Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds. And what are the eight grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and neither percipient nor non-percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite.’

These are the eight grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form do so on one or other of these eight grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.4. Annihilationism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are annihilationists. They assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being on seven grounds. And what are the seven grounds on which they rely?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘This self is physical, made up of the four primary elements, and produced by mother and father. Since it’s annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that is divine, physical, sensual, consuming solid food. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that is divine, physical, mind-made, complete in all its various parts, not deficient in any faculty. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self which has gone totally beyond perceptions of form. With the ending of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that “space is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite space. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self which has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite space. Aware that “consciousness is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite consciousness. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness. Aware that “there is nothing at all”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of nothingness. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of nothingness. Aware that “this is peaceful, this is sublime”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

These are the seven grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being do so on one or other of these seven grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.5. Extinguishment in the Present Life

There are some ascetics and brahmins who speak of extinguishment in the present life. They assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds. And what are the five grounds on which they rely?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘When this self amuses itself, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation, that’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because sensual pleasures are impermanent, suffering, and perishable. Their decay and perishing give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, this self enters and remains in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the placing of the mind and the keeping it connected there are coarse. But when the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, this self enters and remains in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and confidence, and unified mind, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the rapture and emotional excitement there are coarse. But with the fading away of rapture, this self enters and remains in the third absorption, where it meditates with equanimity, mindful and aware, personally experiencing the bliss of which the noble ones declare, “Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss”. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the bliss and enjoyment there are coarse. But giving up pleasure and pain, and ending former happiness and sadness, this self enters and remains in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

These are the five grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life do so on one or other of these five grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the forty-four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future assert various hypotheses concerning the future. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future do so on one or other of these forty-four grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the sixty-two grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past and the future assert various hypotheses concerning the past and the future.

Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future do so on one or other of these sixty-two grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

4. The Grounds For Assertions About the Self and the Cosmos

4.1. Anxiety and Evasiveness

Now, these things are only the feeling of those who do not know or see, the agitation and evasiveness of those under the sway of craving. Namely, when those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds …

partially eternal on four grounds …

finite or infinite on four grounds …

or they resort to equivocation on four grounds …

or they assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds …

they theorize about the past on these eighteen grounds …

or they assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or they assert the annihilation of an existing being on seven grounds …

or they assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds …

they theorize about the future on these forty-four grounds …

When those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, these things are only the feeling of those who do not know or see, the agitation and evasiveness of those under the sway of craving.

4.2. Conditioned by Contact

Now, these things are conditioned by contact. Namely, when those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds …

partially eternal on four grounds …

finite or infinite on four grounds …

or they resort to equivocation on four grounds …

or they assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds …

they theorize about the past on these eighteen grounds …

or they assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or they assert the annihilation of an existing being on seven grounds …

or they assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds …

they theorize about the future on these forty-four grounds …

When those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, that too is conditioned by contact.

4.3. Not Possible

Now, when those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, it is not possible that they should experience these things without contact.

4.4. Dependent Origination

Now, when those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, all of them experience this by repeated contact through the six fields of contact. Their feeling is a condition for craving. Craving is a condition for grasping. Grasping is a condition for continued existence. Continued existence is a condition for rebirth. Rebirth is a condition for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be.

5. The End of the Round

When a mendicant truly understands the six fields of contacts’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape, they understand what lies beyond all these things.

All of these ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future are trapped in the net of these sixty-two grounds, so that wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.

Suppose a deft fisherman or his apprentice were to cast a fine-meshed net over a small pond. They’d think: ‘Any sizable creatures in this pond will be trapped in the net. Wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.’ In the same way, all of these ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future are trapped in the net of these sixty-two grounds, so that wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.

The Realized One’s body remains, but his attachment to rebirth has been cut off. As long as his body remains he will be seen by gods and humans. But when his body breaks up, after life has ended, gods and humans will see him no more.

When the stalk of a bunch of mangoes is cut, all the mangoes attached to the stalk will follow along. In the same way, the Realized One’s body remains, but his attachment to rebirth has been cut off. As long as his body remains he will be seen by gods and humans. But when his body breaks up, after life has ended, gods and humans will see him no more.”

When he had spoken, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha, “It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing! What is the name of this exposition of the teaching?”

“Well, then, Ānanda, you may remember this exposition of the teaching as ‘The Net of Meaning’, or else ‘The Net of the Teaching’, or else ‘The Prime Net’, or else ‘The Net of Views’, or else ‘The Supreme Victory in Battle’.”

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants were happy with what the Buddha said. And while this discourse was being spoken, the galaxy shook.

English translations by Bhikkhu Sujato - English & Pāli

from Theravada - Dhamma Bậc Giác Ngộ Chỉ Dạy Được Các Bậc Trưởng Lão Gìn Giữ & Lưu Truyền - Feed https://theravada.vn/long-discourses-1-the-prime-net/ from Theravada https://theravadavn.tumblr.com/post/624512805275598848

[lethiphuonganh]

LONG DISCOURSES – 1. THE PRIME NET

The Prime Net

Talk on Wanderers

Ethics

Views

The Grounds For Assertions About the Self and the Cosmos

The End of the Round

1. Talk on Wanderers

so i have heard. At one time the Buddha was traveling along the road between Rājagaha and Nālanda together with a large Saṅgha of around five hundred mendicants. The wanderer Suppiya was also traveling along the same road, together with his pupil, the brahmin student Brahmadatta. Meanwhile, Suppiya criticized the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, but his pupil Brahmadatta praised them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil followed behind the Buddha and the Saṅgha of mendicants directly contradicting each other.

Then the Buddha took up residence for the night in the royal rest-house in Ambalaṭṭhikā together with the Saṅgha of mendicants. And Suppiya and Brahmadatta did likewise. There too, Suppiya criticized the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, but his pupil Brahmadatta praised them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil kept on directly contradicting each other.

Then several mendicants rose at the crack of dawn and sat together in the pavilion, where the topic of evaluation came up:

“It’s incredible, reverends, it’s amazing how the diverse attitudes of sentient beings have been clearly comprehended by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For this Suppiya criticizes the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, while his pupil Brahmadatta praises them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil followed behind the Buddha and the Saṅgha of mendicants directly contradicting each other.”

When the Buddha found out about this discussion on evaluation among the mendicants, he went to the pavilion, where he sat on the seat spread out and addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was left unfinished?”

The mendicants told him what had happened, adding, “This was our conversation that was unfinished when the Buddha arrived.”

“Mendicants, if others criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, don’t make yourselves resentful, bitter, and exasperated. You’ll get angry and upset, which would be an obstacle for you alone. If others were to criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, and you got angry and upset, would you be able to understand whether they spoke well or poorly?”

“No, sir.”

“If others criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, you should explain that what is untrue is in fact untrue: ‘This is why that’s untrue, this is why that’s false. There’s no such thing in us, it’s not found among us.’

If others praise me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, don’t make yourselves thrilled, elated, and excited. You’ll get thrilled, elated, and excited, which would be an obstacle for you alone. If others praise me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, you should acknowledge that what is true is in fact true: ‘This is why that’s true, this is why that’s correct. There is such a thing in us, it is found among us.’

2. Ethics

2.1. The Shorter Section on Ethics

When an ordinary person speaks praise of the Realized One, they speak only of trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics. And what are the trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics that an ordinary person speaks of?

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up killing living creatures. He has renounced the rod and the sword. He’s scrupulous and kind, living full of compassion for all living beings.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up stealing. He takes only what’s given, and expects only what’s given. He keeps himself clean by not thieving.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up unchastity. He is celibate, set apart, avoiding the common practice of sex.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up lying. He speaks the truth and sticks to the truth. He’s honest and trustworthy, and doesn’t trick the world with his words.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up divisive speech. He doesn’t repeat in one place what he heard in another so as to divide people against each other. Instead, he reconciles those who are divided, supporting unity, delighting in harmony, loving harmony, speaking words that promote harmony.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up harsh speech. He speaks in a way that’s mellow, pleasing to the ear, lovely, going to the heart, polite, likable and agreeable to the people.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up talking nonsense. His words are timely, true, and meaningful, in line with the teaching and training. He says things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama refrains from injuring plants and seeds.’

‘He eats in one part of the day, abstaining from eating at night and food at the wrong time.’

‘He refrains from dancing, singing, music, and seeing shows.’

‘He refrains from beautifying and adorning himself with garlands, perfumes, and makeup.’

‘He refrains from high and luxurious beds.’

‘He refrains from receiving gold and money, raw grains, raw meat, women and girls, male and female bondservants, goats and sheep, chickens and pigs, elephants, cows, horses, and mares, and fields and land.’

‘He refrains from running errands and messages; buying and selling; falsifying weights, metals, or measures; bribery, fraud, cheating, and duplicity; mutilation, murder, abduction, banditry, plunder, and violence.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

The shorter section on ethics is finished.

2.2. The Middle Section on Ethics

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in injuring plants and seeds. These include plants propagated from roots, stems, cuttings, or joints; and those from regular seeds as the fifth. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such injury to plants and seeds.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in storing up goods for their own use. This includes such things as food, drink, clothes, vehicles, bedding, fragrance, and material possessions. The ascetic Gotama refrains from storing up such goods.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in seeing shows. This includes such things as dancing, singing, music, performances, and storytelling; clapping, gongs, and kettle-drums; art exhibitions and acrobatic displays; battles of elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, goats, rams, chickens, and quails; staff-fights, boxing, and wrestling; combat, roll calls of the armed forces, battle-formations, and regimental reviews. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such shows.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in gambling that causes negligence. This includes such things as checkers, draughts, checkers in the air, hopscotch, spillikins, board-games, tip-cat, drawing straws, dice, leaf-flutes, toy plows, somersaults, pinwheels, toy measures, toy carts, toy bows, guessing words from syllables, and guessing another’s thoughts. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such gambling.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still make use of high and luxurious bedding. This includes such things as sofas, couches, woolen covers—shag-piled, colorful, white, embroidered with flowers, quilted, embroidered with animals, double- or single-fringed—and silk covers studded with gems, as well as silken sheets, woven carpets, rugs for elephants, horses, or chariots, antelope hide rugs, and spreads of fine deer hide, with a canopy above and red cushions at both ends. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such bedding.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in beautifying and adorning themselves with garlands, fragrance, and makeup. This includes such things as applying beauty products by anointing, massaging, bathing, and rubbing; mirrors, ointments, garlands, fragrances, and makeup; face-powder, foundation, bracelets, headbands, fancy walking-sticks or containers, rapiers, parasols, fancy sandals, turbans, jewelry, chowries, and long-fringed white robes. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such beautification and adornment.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in unworthy talk. This includes such topics as talk about kings, bandits, and ministers; talk about armies, threats, and wars; talk about food, drink, clothes, and beds; talk about garlands and fragrances; talk about family, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women and heroes; street talk and well talk; talk about the departed; motley talk; tales of land and sea; and talk about being reborn in this or that state of existence. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy talk.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in arguments. They say such things as: “You don’t understand this teaching and training. I understand this teaching and training. What, you understand this teaching and training? You’re practicing wrong. I’m practicing right. I stay on topic, you don’t. You said last what you should have said first. You said first what you should have said last. What you’ve thought so much about has been disproved. Your doctrine is refuted. Go on, save your doctrine! You’re trapped; get yourself out of this—if you can!” The ascetic Gotama refrains from such argumentative talk.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in running errands and messages. This includes running errands for rulers, ministers, aristocrats, brahmins, householders, or princes who say: “Go here, go there. Take this, bring that from there.” The ascetic Gotama refrains from such errands.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in deceit, flattery, hinting, and belittling, and using material possessions to pursue other material possessions. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such deceit and flattery.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

The middle section on ethics is finished.

2.3. The Large Section on Ethics

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes such fields as limb-reading, omenology, divining celestial portents, interpreting dreams, divining bodily marks, divining holes in cloth gnawed by mice, fire offerings, ladle offerings, offerings of husks, rice powder, rice, ghee, or oil; offerings from the mouth, blood sacrifices, palmistry; geomancy for building sites, fields, and cemeteries; exorcisms, earth magic, snake charming, poisons; the crafts of the scorpion, the rat, the bird, and the crow; prophesying life span, chanting for protection, and animal cries. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes reading the marks of gems, cloth, clubs, swords, spears, arrows, weapons, women, men, boys, girls, male and female bondservants, elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, cows, goats, rams, chickens, quails, monitor lizards, rabbits, tortoises, or deer. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making predictions that the king will march forth or march back; or that our king will attack and the enemy king will retreat, or vice versa; or that our king will triumph and the enemy king will be defeated, or vice versa; and so there will be victory for one and defeat for the other. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making predictions that there will be an eclipse of the moon, or sun, or stars; that the sun, moon, and stars will be in conjunction or in opposition; that there will be a meteor shower, a fiery sky, an earthquake, thunder; that there will be a rising, a setting, a darkening, a brightening of the moon, sun, and stars. And it also includes making predictions about the results of all such phenomena. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes predicting whether there will be plenty of rain or drought; plenty to eat or famine; an abundant harvest or a bad harvest; security or peril; sickness or health. It also includes such occupations as computing, accounting, calculating, poetry, and cosmology. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making arrangements for giving and taking in marriage; for engagement and divorce; and for scattering rice inwards or outwards at the wedding ceremony. It also includes casting spells for good or bad luck, curses to prevent conception, bind the tongue, or lock the jaws; charms for the hands and ears; questioning a mirror, a girl, or a god as an oracle; worshiping the sun, worshiping the Great One, breathing fire, and invoking Siri, the goddess of luck. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes rites for propitiation, for granting wishes, for ghosts, for the earth, for rain, for property settlement, and for preparing and consecrating house sites, and rites involving rinsing and bathing, and oblations. It also includes administering emetics, purgatives, expectorants, and phlegmagogues; administering ear-oils, eye restoratives, nasal medicine, ointments, and counter-ointments; surgery with needle and scalpel, treating children, prescribing root medicines, and binding on herbs. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

These are the trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics that an ordinary person speaks of when they speak praise of the Realized One.

The longer section on ethics is finished.

3. Views

3.1. Theories About the Past

There are other principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. Those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things. And what are these principles?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past, and assert various hypotheses concerning the past on eighteen grounds. And what are the eighteen grounds on which they rely?

3.1.1. Eternalism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are eternalists, who assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the cosmos contracting, many eons of the cosmos expanding, many eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: one eon of the cosmos contracting and expanding; two, three, four, five, or ten eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.”’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: ten eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding; twenty, thirty, or forty eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.”’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.2. Partial Eternalism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are partial eternalists, who assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

There comes a time when, after a very long period has passed, this cosmos contracts. As the cosmos contracts, sentient beings are mostly headed for the realm of streaming radiance. There they are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

There comes a time when, after a very long period has passed, this cosmos expands. As it expands an empty mansion of Brahmā appears. Then a certain sentient being—due to the running out of their life-span or merit—passes away from that host of radiant deities and is reborn in that empty mansion of Brahmā. There they are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

But after staying there all alone for a long time, they become dissatisfied and anxious: ‘Oh, if only another being would come to this state of existence.’ Then other sentient beings—due to the running out of their life-span or merit—pass away from that host of radiant deities and are reborn in that empty mansion of Brahmā in company with that being. There they too are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

Now, the being who was reborn there first thinks: ‘I am Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. These beings were created by me! Why is that? Because first I thought:

“Oh, if only another being would come to this state of existence.” Such was my heart’s wish, and then these creatures came to this state of existence.’

And the beings who were reborn there later also think: ‘This must be Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. And we have been created by him. Why is that? Because we see that he was reborn here first, and we arrived later.’

And the being who was reborn first is more long-lived, beautiful, and illustrious than those who arrived later.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘He who is Brahmā—the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born—is permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. We who were created by that Brahmā are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence. This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? There are gods named ‘depraved by play.’ They spend too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. And in doing so, they lose their mindfulness, and they pass away from that host of gods.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘The gods not depraved by play don’t spend too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. So they don’t lose their mindfulness, and don’t pass away from that host of gods. They are permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. But we who were depraved by play spent too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. In doing so, we lost our mindfulness, and passed away from that host of gods. We are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? There are gods named ‘malevolent’. They spend too much time gazing at each other, so they grow angry with each other, and their bodies and minds get tired. They pass away from that host of gods.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘The gods who are not malevolent don’t spend too much time gazing at each other, so they don’t grow angry with each other, their bodies and minds don’t get tired, and they don’t pass away from that host of gods. They are permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. But we who were malevolent spent too much time gazing at each other, we grew angry with each other, our bodies and minds got tired, and we passed away from that host of gods. We are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence.’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘That which is called “the eye” or “the ear” or “the nose” or “the tongue” or “the body”: that self is impermanent, not lasting, transient, perishable. That which is called “mind” or “sentience” or “consciousness”: that self is permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.3. The Cosmos is Finite or Infinite

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about size, and assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite.

They say: ‘The cosmos is finite and bounded. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is finite and bounded.”’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as infinite.

They say: ‘The cosmos is infinite and unbounded. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong. The cosmos is infinite and unbounded. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as infinite. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is infinite and unbounded.”’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite vertically but infinite horizontally.

They say: ‘The cosmos is both finite and infinite. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong, and so are those who say that the cosmos is infinite. The cosmos is both finite and infinite. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite vertically but infinite horizontally. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is both finite and infinite.”’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The cosmos is neither finite nor infinite. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong, as are those who say that the cosmos is infinite, and also those who say that the cosmos is both finite and infinite. The cosmos is neither finite nor infinite.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.4. Equivocators

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are equivocators. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. If I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful I might be wrong. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with false speech they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. If I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful I might feel desire or greed or hate or repulsion. That would be grasping on my part. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with grasping they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. Suppose I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful. There are clever ascetics and brahmins who are subtle, accomplished in the doctrines of others, hair-splitters. You’d think they live to demolish convictions with their intellect. They might pursue, press, and grill me about that. I’d be stumped by such a grilling. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with examination they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin is dull and stupid. Because of that, whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘Suppose you were to ask me whether there is another world. If I believed there was, I would say so. But I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so. Suppose you were to ask me whether there is no other world … whether there both is and is not another world … whether there neither is nor is not another world … whether there are beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there both are and are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there neither are nor are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there is fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there both is and is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there neither is nor is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether a Realized One exists after death … whether a Realized One doesn’t exist after death … whether a Realized One both exists and doesn’t exist after death … whether a Realized One neither exists nor doesn’t exist after death. If I believed there was, I would say so. But I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who are equivocators resort to evasiveness and equivocation whenever they’re asked a question. Any ascetics and brahmins who resort to equivocation do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.5. Doctrines of Origination by Chance

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance. They assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds. And what are the two grounds on which they rely?

There are gods named ‘non-percipient beings’. When perception arises they pass away from that host of gods. It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect the arising of perception, but no further. They say: ‘The self and the cosmos arose by chance. Why is that? Because formerly I didn’t exist. Now, having not been, I’ve sprung into existence.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The self and the cosmos arose by chance.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance.

These are the two grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance do so on one or other of these two grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the eighteen grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past assert various hypotheses concerning the past. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past do so on one or other of these eighteen grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2. Theories About the Future

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future, and assert various hypotheses concerning the future on forty-four grounds. And what are the forty-four grounds on which they rely?

3.2.1. Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds. And what are the sixteen grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite …

of unified perception …

of diverse perception …

of limited perception …

of limitless perception …

experiences nothing but happiness …

experiences nothing but suffering …

experiences both happiness and suffering …

experiences neither happiness nor suffering.’

These are the sixteen grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form do so on one or other of these sixteen grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.2. Non-Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds. And what are the eight grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and non-percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite.’

These are the eight grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form do so on one or other of these eight grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.3. Neither Percipient Nor Non-Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds. And what are the eight grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and neither percipient nor non-percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite.’

These are the eight grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form do so on one or other of these eight grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.4. Annihilationism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are annihilationists. They assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being on seven grounds. And what are the seven grounds on which they rely?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘This self is physical, made up of the four primary elements, and produced by mother and father. Since it’s annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that is divine, physical, sensual, consuming solid food. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that is divine, physical, mind-made, complete in all its various parts, not deficient in any faculty. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self which has gone totally beyond perceptions of form. With the ending of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that “space is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite space. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self which has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite space. Aware that “consciousness is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite consciousness. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness. Aware that “there is nothing at all”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of nothingness. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of nothingness. Aware that “this is peaceful, this is sublime”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

These are the seven grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being do so on one or other of these seven grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.5. Extinguishment in the Present Life

There are some ascetics and brahmins who speak of extinguishment in the present life. They assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds. And what are the five grounds on which they rely?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘When this self amuses itself, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation, that’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because sensual pleasures are impermanent, suffering, and perishable. Their decay and perishing give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, this self enters and remains in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the placing of the mind and the keeping it connected there are coarse. But when the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, this self enters and remains in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and confidence, and unified mind, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the rapture and emotional excitement there are coarse. But with the fading away of rapture, this self enters and remains in the third absorption, where it meditates with equanimity, mindful and aware, personally experiencing the bliss of which the noble ones declare, “Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss”. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the bliss and enjoyment there are coarse. But giving up pleasure and pain, and ending former happiness and sadness, this self enters and remains in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

These are the five grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life do so on one or other of these five grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the forty-four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future assert various hypotheses concerning the future. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future do so on one or other of these forty-four grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the sixty-two grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past and the future assert various hypotheses concerning the past and the future.

Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future do so on one or other of these sixty-two grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

4. The Grounds For Assertions About the Self and the Cosmos

4.1. Anxiety and Evasiveness

Now, these things are only the feeling of those who do not know or see, the agitation and evasiveness of those under the sway of craving. Namely, when those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds …

partially eternal on four grounds …

finite or infinite on four grounds …

or they resort to equivocation on four grounds …

or they assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds …

they theorize about the past on these eighteen grounds …

or they assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or they assert the annihilation of an existing being on seven grounds …

or they assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds …

they theorize about the future on these forty-four grounds …

When those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, these things are only the feeling of those who do not know or see, the agitation and evasiveness of those under the sway of craving.

4.2. Conditioned by Contact

Now, these things are conditioned by contact. Namely, when those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds …

partially eternal on four grounds …

finite or infinite on four grounds …

or they resort to equivocation on four grounds …

or they assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds …

they theorize about the past on these eighteen grounds …

or they assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or they assert the annihilation of an existing being on seven grounds …

or they assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds …

they theorize about the future on these forty-four grounds …

When those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, that too is conditioned by contact.

4.3. Not Possible

Now, when those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, it is not possible that they should experience these things without contact.

4.4. Dependent Origination

Now, when those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, all of them experience this by repeated contact through the six fields of contact. Their feeling is a condition for craving. Craving is a condition for grasping. Grasping is a condition for continued existence. Continued existence is a condition for rebirth. Rebirth is a condition for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be.

5. The End of the Round

When a mendicant truly understands the six fields of contacts’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape, they understand what lies beyond all these things.

All of these ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future are trapped in the net of these sixty-two grounds, so that wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.

Suppose a deft fisherman or his apprentice were to cast a fine-meshed net over a small pond. They’d think: ‘Any sizable creatures in this pond will be trapped in the net. Wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.’ In the same way, all of these ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future are trapped in the net of these sixty-two grounds, so that wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.

The Realized One’s body remains, but his attachment to rebirth has been cut off. As long as his body remains he will be seen by gods and humans. But when his body breaks up, after life has ended, gods and humans will see him no more.

When the stalk of a bunch of mangoes is cut, all the mangoes attached to the stalk will follow along. In the same way, the Realized One’s body remains, but his attachment to rebirth has been cut off. As long as his body remains he will be seen by gods and humans. But when his body breaks up, after life has ended, gods and humans will see him no more.”

When he had spoken, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha, “It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing! What is the name of this exposition of the teaching?”

“Well, then, Ānanda, you may remember this exposition of the teaching as ‘The Net of Meaning’, or else ‘The Net of the Teaching’, or else ‘The Prime Net’, or else ‘The Net of Views’, or else ‘The Supreme Victory in Battle’.”

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants were happy with what the Buddha said. And while this discourse was being spoken, the galaxy shook.

 English translations by Bhikkhu Sujato - English & Pāli

source https://theravada.vn/long-discourses-1-the-prime-net/ from Theravada https://theravadavn.blogspot.com/2020/07/long-discourses-1-prime-net.html

[theravadavn]

LONG DISCOURSES – 1. THE PRIME NET

The Prime Net

Talk on Wanderers

Ethics

Views

The Grounds For Assertions About the Self and the Cosmos

The End of the Round

1. Talk on Wanderers

so i have heard. At one time the Buddha was traveling along the road between Rājagaha and Nālanda together with a large Saṅgha of around five hundred mendicants. The wanderer Suppiya was also traveling along the same road, together with his pupil, the brahmin student Brahmadatta. Meanwhile, Suppiya criticized the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, but his pupil Brahmadatta praised them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil followed behind the Buddha and the Saṅgha of mendicants directly contradicting each other.

Then the Buddha took up residence for the night in the royal rest-house in Ambalaṭṭhikā together with the Saṅgha of mendicants. And Suppiya and Brahmadatta did likewise. There too, Suppiya criticized the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, but his pupil Brahmadatta praised them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil kept on directly contradicting each other.

Then several mendicants rose at the crack of dawn and sat together in the pavilion, where the topic of evaluation came up:

“It’s incredible, reverends, it’s amazing how the diverse attitudes of sentient beings have been clearly comprehended by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For this Suppiya criticizes the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha in many ways, while his pupil Brahmadatta praises them in many ways. And so both teacher and pupil followed behind the Buddha and the Saṅgha of mendicants directly contradicting each other.”

When the Buddha found out about this discussion on evaluation among the mendicants, he went to the pavilion, where he sat on the seat spread out and addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was left unfinished?”

The mendicants told him what had happened, adding, “This was our conversation that was unfinished when the Buddha arrived.”

“Mendicants, if others criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, don’t make yourselves resentful, bitter, and exasperated. You’ll get angry and upset, which would be an obstacle for you alone. If others were to criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, and you got angry and upset, would you be able to understand whether they spoke well or poorly?”

“No, sir.”

“If others criticize me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, you should explain that what is untrue is in fact untrue: ‘This is why that’s untrue, this is why that’s false. There’s no such thing in us, it’s not found among us.’

If others praise me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, don’t make yourselves thrilled, elated, and excited. You’ll get thrilled, elated, and excited, which would be an obstacle for you alone. If others praise me, the teaching, or the Saṅgha, you should acknowledge that what is true is in fact true: ‘This is why that’s true, this is why that’s correct. There is such a thing in us, it is found among us.’

2. Ethics

2.1. The Shorter Section on Ethics

When an ordinary person speaks praise of the Realized One, they speak only of trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics. And what are the trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics that an ordinary person speaks of?

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up killing living creatures. He has renounced the rod and the sword. He’s scrupulous and kind, living full of compassion for all living beings.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up stealing. He takes only what’s given, and expects only what’s given. He keeps himself clean by not thieving.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up unchastity. He is celibate, set apart, avoiding the common practice of sex.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up lying. He speaks the truth and sticks to the truth. He’s honest and trustworthy, and doesn’t trick the world with his words.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up divisive speech. He doesn’t repeat in one place what he heard in another so as to divide people against each other. Instead, he reconciles those who are divided, supporting unity, delighting in harmony, loving harmony, speaking words that promote harmony.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up harsh speech. He speaks in a way that’s mellow, pleasing to the ear, lovely, going to the heart, polite, likable and agreeable to the people.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama has given up talking nonsense. His words are timely, true, and meaningful, in line with the teaching and training. He says things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘The ascetic Gotama refrains from injuring plants and seeds.’

‘He eats in one part of the day, abstaining from eating at night and food at the wrong time.’

‘He refrains from dancing, singing, music, and seeing shows.’

‘He refrains from beautifying and adorning himself with garlands, perfumes, and makeup.’

‘He refrains from high and luxurious beds.’

‘He refrains from receiving gold and money, raw grains, raw meat, women and girls, male and female bondservants, goats and sheep, chickens and pigs, elephants, cows, horses, and mares, and fields and land.’

‘He refrains from running errands and messages; buying and selling; falsifying weights, metals, or measures; bribery, fraud, cheating, and duplicity; mutilation, murder, abduction, banditry, plunder, and violence.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

The shorter section on ethics is finished.

2.2. The Middle Section on Ethics

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in injuring plants and seeds. These include plants propagated from roots, stems, cuttings, or joints; and those from regular seeds as the fifth. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such injury to plants and seeds.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in storing up goods for their own use. This includes such things as food, drink, clothes, vehicles, bedding, fragrance, and material possessions. The ascetic Gotama refrains from storing up such goods.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in seeing shows. This includes such things as dancing, singing, music, performances, and storytelling; clapping, gongs, and kettle-drums; art exhibitions and acrobatic displays; battles of elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, goats, rams, chickens, and quails; staff-fights, boxing, and wrestling; combat, roll calls of the armed forces, battle-formations, and regimental reviews. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such shows.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in gambling that causes negligence. This includes such things as checkers, draughts, checkers in the air, hopscotch, spillikins, board-games, tip-cat, drawing straws, dice, leaf-flutes, toy plows, somersaults, pinwheels, toy measures, toy carts, toy bows, guessing words from syllables, and guessing another’s thoughts. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such gambling.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still make use of high and luxurious bedding. This includes such things as sofas, couches, woolen covers—shag-piled, colorful, white, embroidered with flowers, quilted, embroidered with animals, double- or single-fringed—and silk covers studded with gems, as well as silken sheets, woven carpets, rugs for elephants, horses, or chariots, antelope hide rugs, and spreads of fine deer hide, with a canopy above and red cushions at both ends. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such bedding.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in beautifying and adorning themselves with garlands, fragrance, and makeup. This includes such things as applying beauty products by anointing, massaging, bathing, and rubbing; mirrors, ointments, garlands, fragrances, and makeup; face-powder, foundation, bracelets, headbands, fancy walking-sticks or containers, rapiers, parasols, fancy sandals, turbans, jewelry, chowries, and long-fringed white robes. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such beautification and adornment.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in unworthy talk. This includes such topics as talk about kings, bandits, and ministers; talk about armies, threats, and wars; talk about food, drink, clothes, and beds; talk about garlands and fragrances; talk about family, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women and heroes; street talk and well talk; talk about the departed; motley talk; tales of land and sea; and talk about being reborn in this or that state of existence. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy talk.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in arguments. They say such things as: “You don’t understand this teaching and training. I understand this teaching and training. What, you understand this teaching and training? You’re practicing wrong. I’m practicing right. I stay on topic, you don’t. You said last what you should have said first. You said first what you should have said last. What you’ve thought so much about has been disproved. Your doctrine is refuted. Go on, save your doctrine! You’re trapped; get yourself out of this—if you can!” The ascetic Gotama refrains from such argumentative talk.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in running errands and messages. This includes running errands for rulers, ministers, aristocrats, brahmins, householders, or princes who say: “Go here, go there. Take this, bring that from there.” The ascetic Gotama refrains from such errands.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still engage in deceit, flattery, hinting, and belittling, and using material possessions to pursue other material possessions. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such deceit and flattery.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

The middle section on ethics is finished.

2.3. The Large Section on Ethics

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes such fields as limb-reading, omenology, divining celestial portents, interpreting dreams, divining bodily marks, divining holes in cloth gnawed by mice, fire offerings, ladle offerings, offerings of husks, rice powder, rice, ghee, or oil; offerings from the mouth, blood sacrifices, palmistry; geomancy for building sites, fields, and cemeteries; exorcisms, earth magic, snake charming, poisons; the crafts of the scorpion, the rat, the bird, and the crow; prophesying life span, chanting for protection, and animal cries. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes reading the marks of gems, cloth, clubs, swords, spears, arrows, weapons, women, men, boys, girls, male and female bondservants, elephants, horses, buffaloes, bulls, cows, goats, rams, chickens, quails, monitor lizards, rabbits, tortoises, or deer. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making predictions that the king will march forth or march back; or that our king will attack and the enemy king will retreat, or vice versa; or that our king will triumph and the enemy king will be defeated, or vice versa; and so there will be victory for one and defeat for the other. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making predictions that there will be an eclipse of the moon, or sun, or stars; that the sun, moon, and stars will be in conjunction or in opposition; that there will be a meteor shower, a fiery sky, an earthquake, thunder; that there will be a rising, a setting, a darkening, a brightening of the moon, sun, and stars. And it also includes making predictions about the results of all such phenomena. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes predicting whether there will be plenty of rain or drought; plenty to eat or famine; an abundant harvest or a bad harvest; security or peril; sickness or health. It also includes such occupations as computing, accounting, calculating, poetry, and cosmology. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes making arrangements for giving and taking in marriage; for engagement and divorce; and for scattering rice inwards or outwards at the wedding ceremony. It also includes casting spells for good or bad luck, curses to prevent conception, bind the tongue, or lock the jaws; charms for the hands and ears; questioning a mirror, a girl, or a god as an oracle; worshiping the sun, worshiping the Great One, breathing fire, and invoking Siri, the goddess of luck. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

‘There are some ascetics and brahmins who, while enjoying food given in faith, still earn a living by unworthy branches of knowledge, by wrong livelihood. This includes rites for propitiation, for granting wishes, for ghosts, for the earth, for rain, for property settlement, and for preparing and consecrating house sites, and rites involving rinsing and bathing, and oblations. It also includes administering emetics, purgatives, expectorants, and phlegmagogues; administering ear-oils, eye restoratives, nasal medicine, ointments, and counter-ointments; surgery with needle and scalpel, treating children, prescribing root medicines, and binding on herbs. The ascetic Gotama refrains from such unworthy branches of knowledge, such wrong livelihood.’ Such is an ordinary person’s praise of the Realized One.

These are the trivial, insignificant details of mere ethics that an ordinary person speaks of when they speak praise of the Realized One.

The longer section on ethics is finished.

3. Views

3.1. Theories About the Past

There are other principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. Those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things. And what are these principles?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past, and assert various hypotheses concerning the past on eighteen grounds. And what are the eighteen grounds on which they rely?

3.1.1. Eternalism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are eternalists, who assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the cosmos contracting, many eons of the cosmos expanding, many eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: one eon of the cosmos contracting and expanding; two, three, four, five, or ten eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.”’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect their many kinds of past lives. That is: ten eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding; twenty, thirty, or forty eons of the cosmos contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

They say: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I recollect my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Because of this I know:

“The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.”’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal, barren, steady as a mountain peak, standing firm like a pillar. They remain the same for all eternity, while these sentient beings wander and transmigrate and pass away and rearise.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.2. Partial Eternalism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are partial eternalists, who assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

There comes a time when, after a very long period has passed, this cosmos contracts. As the cosmos contracts, sentient beings are mostly headed for the realm of streaming radiance. There they are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

There comes a time when, after a very long period has passed, this cosmos expands. As it expands an empty mansion of Brahmā appears. Then a certain sentient being—due to the running out of their life-span or merit—passes away from that host of radiant deities and is reborn in that empty mansion of Brahmā. There they are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

But after staying there all alone for a long time, they become dissatisfied and anxious: ‘Oh, if only another being would come to this state of existence.’ Then other sentient beings—due to the running out of their life-span or merit—pass away from that host of radiant deities and are reborn in that empty mansion of Brahmā in company with that being. There they too are mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the sky, steadily glorious, and they remain like that for a very long time.

Now, the being who was reborn there first thinks: ‘I am Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. These beings were created by me! Why is that? Because first I thought:

“Oh, if only another being would come to this state of existence.” Such was my heart’s wish, and then these creatures came to this state of existence.’

And the beings who were reborn there later also think: ‘This must be Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. And we have been created by him. Why is that? Because we see that he was reborn here first, and we arrived later.’

And the being who was reborn first is more long-lived, beautiful, and illustrious than those who arrived later.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘He who is Brahmā—the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born—is permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. We who were created by that Brahmā are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence. This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? There are gods named ‘depraved by play.’ They spend too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. And in doing so, they lose their mindfulness, and they pass away from that host of gods.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘The gods not depraved by play don’t spend too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. So they don’t lose their mindfulness, and don’t pass away from that host of gods. They are permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. But we who were depraved by play spent too much time laughing, playing, and making merry. In doing so, we lost our mindfulness, and passed away from that host of gods. We are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? There are gods named ‘malevolent’. They spend too much time gazing at each other, so they grow angry with each other, and their bodies and minds get tired. They pass away from that host of gods.

It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect that past life, but no further.

They say: ‘The gods who are not malevolent don’t spend too much time gazing at each other, so they don’t grow angry with each other, their bodies and minds don’t get tired, and they don’t pass away from that host of gods. They are permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity. But we who were malevolent spent too much time gazing at each other, we grew angry with each other, our bodies and minds got tired, and we passed away from that host of gods. We are impermanent, not lasting, short-lived, perishable, and have come to this state of existence.’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘That which is called “the eye” or “the ear” or “the nose” or “the tongue” or “the body”: that self is impermanent, not lasting, transient, perishable. That which is called “mind” or “sentience” or “consciousness”: that self is permanent, everlasting, eternal, imperishable, remaining the same for all eternity.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self and the cosmos are partially eternal and partially not eternal do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.3. The Cosmos is Finite or Infinite

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about size, and assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite.

They say: ‘The cosmos is finite and bounded. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is finite and bounded.”’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as infinite.

They say: ‘The cosmos is infinite and unbounded. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong. The cosmos is infinite and unbounded. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as infinite. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is infinite and unbounded.”’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin—by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus—experiences an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite vertically but infinite horizontally.

They say: ‘The cosmos is both finite and infinite. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong, and so are those who say that the cosmos is infinite. The cosmos is both finite and infinite. Why is that? Because by dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus I experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that I meditate perceiving the cosmos as finite vertically but infinite horizontally. Because of this I know:

“The cosmos is both finite and infinite.”’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The cosmos is neither finite nor infinite. The ascetics and brahmins who say that the cosmos is finite are wrong, as are those who say that the cosmos is infinite, and also those who say that the cosmos is both finite and infinite. The cosmos is neither finite nor infinite.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the cosmos is finite or infinite do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.4. Equivocators

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are equivocators. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation on four grounds. And what are the four grounds on which they rely?

It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. If I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful I might be wrong. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with false speech they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. If I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful I might feel desire or greed or hate or repulsion. That would be grasping on my part. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with grasping they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the third ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. They think: ‘I don’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful. Suppose I were to declare that something was skillful or unskillful. There are clever ascetics and brahmins who are subtle, accomplished in the doctrines of others, hair-splitters. You’d think they live to demolish convictions with their intellect. They might pursue, press, and grill me about that. I’d be stumped by such a grilling. That would be stressful for me, and that stress would be an obstacle.’ So from fear and disgust with examination they avoid stating whether something is skillful or unskillful. Whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the third ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

And what is the fourth ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin is dull and stupid. Because of that, whenever they’re asked a question, they resort to evasiveness and equivocation: ‘Suppose you were to ask me whether there is another world. If I believed there was, I would say so. But I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so. Suppose you were to ask me whether there is no other world … whether there both is and is not another world … whether there neither is nor is not another world … whether there are beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there both are and are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there neither are nor are not beings who are reborn spontaneously … whether there is fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there both is and is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether there neither is nor is not fruit and result of good and bad deeds … whether a Realized One exists after death … whether a Realized One doesn’t exist after death … whether a Realized One both exists and doesn’t exist after death … whether a Realized One neither exists nor doesn’t exist after death. If I believed there was, I would say so. But I don’t say it’s like this. I don’t say it’s like that. I don’t say it’s otherwise. I don’t say it’s not so. And I don’t deny it’s not so.’ This is the fourth ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely when resorting to evasiveness and equivocation.

These are the four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who are equivocators resort to evasiveness and equivocation whenever they’re asked a question. Any ascetics and brahmins who resort to equivocation do so on one or other of these four grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.1.5. Doctrines of Origination by Chance

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance. They assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds. And what are the two grounds on which they rely?

There are gods named ‘non-percipient beings’. When perception arises they pass away from that host of gods. It’s possible that one of those beings passes away from that host and is reborn in this state of existence. Having done so, they go forth from the lay life to homelessness. By dint of keen, resolute, committed, and diligent effort, and right focus, they experience an immersion of the heart of such a kind that they recollect the arising of perception, but no further. They say: ‘The self and the cosmos arose by chance. Why is that? Because formerly I didn’t exist. Now, having not been, I’ve sprung into existence.’ This is the first ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance.

And what is the second ground on which they rely? It’s when some ascetic or brahmin relies on logic and inquiry. They speak of what they have worked out by logic, following a line of inquiry, expressing their own perspective: ‘The self and the cosmos arose by chance.’ This is the second ground on which some ascetics and brahmins rely to assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance.

These are the two grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about chance do so on one or other of these two grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the eighteen grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past assert various hypotheses concerning the past. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past do so on one or other of these eighteen grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2. Theories About the Future

There are some ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future, and assert various hypotheses concerning the future on forty-four grounds. And what are the forty-four grounds on which they rely?

3.2.1. Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds. And what are the sixteen grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite …

of unified perception …

of diverse perception …

of limited perception …

of limitless perception …

experiences nothing but happiness …

experiences nothing but suffering …

experiences both happiness and suffering …

experiences neither happiness nor suffering.’

These are the sixteen grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form do so on one or other of these sixteen grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.2. Non-Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds. And what are the eight grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and non-percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite.’

These are the eight grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form do so on one or other of these eight grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.3. Neither Percipient Nor Non-Percipient Life After Death

There are some ascetics and brahmins who say there is life after death, and assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds. And what are the eight grounds on which they rely?

They assert: ‘The self is sound and neither percipient nor non-percipient after death, and it is physical …

non-physical …

both physical and non-physical …

neither physical nor non-physical …

finite …

infinite …

both finite and infinite …

neither finite nor infinite.’

These are the eight grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form do so on one or other of these eight grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.4. Annihilationism

There are some ascetics and brahmins who are annihilationists. They assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being on seven grounds. And what are the seven grounds on which they rely?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘This self is physical, made up of the four primary elements, and produced by mother and father. Since it’s annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that is divine, physical, sensual, consuming solid food. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that is divine, physical, mind-made, complete in all its various parts, not deficient in any faculty. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self which has gone totally beyond perceptions of form. With the ending of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that “space is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite space. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self which has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite space. Aware that “consciousness is infinite”, it’s reborn in the dimension of infinite consciousness. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness. Aware that “there is nothing at all”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of nothingness. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self becomes rightly annihilated. There is another self that has gone totally beyond the dimension of nothingness. Aware that “this is peaceful, this is sublime”, it’s been reborn in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. You don’t know or see that. But I know it and see it. Since this self is annihilated and destroyed when the body breaks up, and doesn’t exist after death, that’s how this self becomes rightly annihilated.’ That is how some assert the annihilation of an existing being.

These are the seven grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert the annihilation, eradication, and obliteration of an existing being do so on one or other of these seven grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

3.2.5. Extinguishment in the Present Life

There are some ascetics and brahmins who speak of extinguishment in the present life. They assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds. And what are the five grounds on which they rely?

There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘When this self amuses itself, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation, that’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because sensual pleasures are impermanent, suffering, and perishable. Their decay and perishing give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, this self enters and remains in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the placing of the mind and the keeping it connected there are coarse. But when the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, this self enters and remains in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and confidence, and unified mind, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the rapture and emotional excitement there are coarse. But with the fading away of rapture, this self enters and remains in the third absorption, where it meditates with equanimity, mindful and aware, personally experiencing the bliss of which the noble ones declare, “Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss”. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

But someone else says to them: ‘*That* self of which you speak does exist, I don’t deny it. But that’s not how *this* self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life. Why is that? Because the bliss and enjoyment there are coarse. But giving up pleasure and pain, and ending former happiness and sadness, this self enters and remains in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. That’s how this self attains ultimate extinguishment in the present life.’ That is how some assert the extinguishment of an existing being in the present life.

These are the five grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life. Any ascetics and brahmins who assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life do so on one or other of these five grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the forty-four grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future assert various hypotheses concerning the future. Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the future do so on one or other of these forty-four grounds. Outside of this there is none. The Realized One understands this … And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

These are the sixty-two grounds on which those ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past and the future assert various hypotheses concerning the past and the future.

Any ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future do so on one or other of these sixty-two grounds. Outside of this there is none.

The Realized One understands this: ‘If you hold on to and attach to these grounds for views it leads to such and such a destiny in the next life.’ He understands this, and what goes beyond this. Yet since he does not misapprehend that understanding, he has realized extinguishment within himself. Having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape from feelings, the Realized One is freed through not grasping.

These are the principles—deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute—which the Realized One makes known after realizing them with his own insight. And those who genuinely praise the Realized One would rightly speak of these things.

4. The Grounds For Assertions About the Self and the Cosmos

4.1. Anxiety and Evasiveness

Now, these things are only the feeling of those who do not know or see, the agitation and evasiveness of those under the sway of craving. Namely, when those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds …

partially eternal on four grounds …

finite or infinite on four grounds …

or they resort to equivocation on four grounds …

or they assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds …

they theorize about the past on these eighteen grounds …

or they assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or they assert the annihilation of an existing being on seven grounds …

or they assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds …

they theorize about the future on these forty-four grounds …

When those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, these things are only the feeling of those who do not know or see, the agitation and evasiveness of those under the sway of craving.

4.2. Conditioned by Contact

Now, these things are conditioned by contact. Namely, when those ascetics and brahmins assert that the self and the cosmos are eternal on four grounds …

partially eternal on four grounds …

finite or infinite on four grounds …

or they resort to equivocation on four grounds …

or they assert that the self and the cosmos arose by chance on two grounds …

they theorize about the past on these eighteen grounds …

or they assert that the self lives on after death in a percipient form on sixteen grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or that the self lives on after death in a neither percipient nor non-percipient form on eight grounds …

or they assert the annihilation of an existing being on seven grounds …

or they assert the ultimate extinguishment of an existing being in the present life on five grounds …

they theorize about the future on these forty-four grounds …

When those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, that too is conditioned by contact.

4.3. Not Possible

Now, when those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, it is not possible that they should experience these things without contact.

4.4. Dependent Origination

Now, when those ascetics and brahmins theorize about the past and the future on these sixty-two grounds, all of them experience this by repeated contact through the six fields of contact. Their feeling is a condition for craving. Craving is a condition for grasping. Grasping is a condition for continued existence. Continued existence is a condition for rebirth. Rebirth is a condition for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be.

5. The End of the Round

When a mendicant truly understands the six fields of contacts’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape, they understand what lies beyond all these things.

All of these ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future are trapped in the net of these sixty-two grounds, so that wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.

Suppose a deft fisherman or his apprentice were to cast a fine-meshed net over a small pond. They’d think: ‘Any sizable creatures in this pond will be trapped in the net. Wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.’ In the same way, all of these ascetics and brahmins who theorize about the past or the future are trapped in the net of these sixty-two grounds, so that wherever they emerge they are caught and trapped in this very net.

The Realized One’s body remains, but his attachment to rebirth has been cut off. As long as his body remains he will be seen by gods and humans. But when his body breaks up, after life has ended, gods and humans will see him no more.

When the stalk of a bunch of mangoes is cut, all the mangoes attached to the stalk will follow along. In the same way, the Realized One’s body remains, but his attachment to rebirth has been cut off. As long as his body remains he will be seen by gods and humans. But when his body breaks up, after life has ended, gods and humans will see him no more.”

When he had spoken, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha, “It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing! What is the name of this exposition of the teaching?”

“Well, then, Ānanda, you may remember this exposition of the teaching as ‘The Net of Meaning’, or else ‘The Net of the Teaching’, or else ‘The Prime Net’, or else ‘The Net of Views’, or else ‘The Supreme Victory in Battle’.”

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants were happy with what the Buddha said. And while this discourse was being spoken, the galaxy shook.

  English translations by Bhikkhu Sujato - English & Pāli

from Theravada - Dhamma Bậc Giác Ngộ Chỉ Dạy Được Các Bậc Trưởng Lão Gìn Giữ & Lưu Truyền - Feed https://theravada.vn/long-discourses-1-the-prime-net/

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Pack Goat Breeds: Packing Quite a Kick!

Photos by Marc Warnke of packgoats.com

Pack goat breeds range from Kiko goats to Saanens to Toggenburgs. But five factors outweigh which breed you choose.

I turned off the highway at the small green and white sign that read Pack Idaho. Erv and Teri Crowther run the small organic farm that supplies my neighborhood convenience store with raw cow milk and the best yogurt I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t come for milk or produce, though. I came to meet the goats.

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Furry heads butted under my hands; the wethers demanded to be pet. As the goats crowded around, Teri introduced everyone. “Watch out for Willie,” Teri said with a laugh. “He’s a butt rubber.” As if on cue, the goat sidled against me and rubbed his head against my butt. Luckily, he was dehorned and my backside survived the experience.

The Crowthers use these goats to pack gear for camping, hunting, and trail maintenance into the Rocky Mountains. We are more accustomed to mules, donkeys, and even llamas as pack animals but pack goat breeds are gaining popularity in the United States. Goats are well suited to the high country. Their surefooted nature makes them able to navigate steeper, rougher, and less-maintained trails than other stock animals. They have less impact on the environment than other pack animals. Goats eat a variety of plants and weeds and thus don’t overgraze. Even their poop resembles rabbit or deer droppings. A well-trained goat doesn’t have to be led. Whereas a llama sometimes needs to be dragged and a horse, if it gets away, can run all the way back to the trailhead, a goat wants nothing more than to stay with their human. You are their alpha and they will follow you anywhere.

Goats are also a lower cost option for people wanting to try out packing with an animal. The cost per animal to feed, house, and care for goats is less than 20% of that per horse or mule. They require less space, so you can start with a couple of goats even if you don’t have extensive pastureland. You can fit several goats in the back of a pickup truck so they don’t require a horse trailer.

Goats make great hunting companions. The smell of blood and wild game doesn’t bother them. They don’t bolt from the scent of predatory animals the way horses do. Erv and Teri were packing with their goats when he heard the lead goat give a warning noise. He looked back in time to see a mountain lion, on a rock outcropping, take a swipe at the goat. Erv managed to scare the mountain lion off before anyone, human or goat, got hurt. Once the danger was gone, the string of goats calmly resumed walking.

The downside to packing with goats is their size. They can’t make as many miles a day as bigger animals and they can’t carry as much gear. A full-sized, well-trained pack goat breed can carry between 50 and 70 pounds. A horse, under the same conditions, can carry 200 pounds.

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The Crowthers’ goats are all an Saanen-Alpine goat mix. They have packed with Toggenburg goats in the past but found them to be too smart. There is no clear consensus on what pack goat breeds are best; you should research breeds to find qualities that are most important to you. It’s a good idea to talk to a qualified breeder that understands goat packing.

What you want in a good pack goat breed boils down to five things: size, conformation, personality, conditioning, and training. Of these, conditioning and training are the most important and can make up for deficiencies in size and conformation.

Conformation is the combined structural correctness and musculature, including frame and shape. A good pack goat should be at least 34” at the withers and at least 200 pounds. It should have a flat back from withers to loin. The cannon bone should be half the length of the upper leg. The goat should be wide across shoulders, and legs should track reasonably straight. It should have good bone size in its legs and feet. Some hockiness is good in a pack goat if you are going to be taking it into mountainous areas; hockiness is a tendency for the hocks of the hind legs to turn inward. This makes a goat more agile on rocks.

Decide what personality traits are important to you. Some breeds of goats “talk” more than others. If you are looking for a companion, this could be good thing; if you are hunting it might not be. Some breeds are known to take to crossing water better. Some are more wary and alert for predators. If you have a chance to observe the kid before you buy, get one that is bright-eyed and follows you around.

Training starts very young. There are soft, lightweight training panniers you can put on your kid as you lead them around the pasture. Now you are ready for the single most important thing a pack goat needs: conditioning. You can’t take a fat, out-of-shape human, put a heavy pack on him, put him on a trail at 9,000 feet and expect him not to be gasping and wheezing after a few feet. It is no different when caring for goats. If you take an out-of-shape pasture goat up there, he’s going to make it about half a mile then lie down in the middle of the trail and refuse to get up.

The future of packing with goats into the high country is unclear. I spoke with Marc Warnke, an active member of North American Packgoat Association (NAPgA) and owner of packgoats.com. The Shoshone National Forest is considering changes to their forest management plan aimed at banning pack goats in core bighorn sheep habitat. Pack goat enthusiasts like Marc are worried that if the Forest Service bans access in that area, other national forests will follow suit. “None of it is based on accurate science,” Marc told me. “It’s all based on fear and just trying to blanketly eliminate any potential risk versus what we would call reasonable risk. If you access the NAPgA website and do any research on the information NAPgA is putting out, it is very, very clear that pack goats don’t present a reasonable risk to wild sheep populations. It’s really unfortunate the direction they are trying to go with it.”

According to Marc, if you want to get started packing with goats, all you need is a collar, a leash, a saddle (which is called a sawbuck) and some panniers. You will also need a baby goat and some time. Goats can’t pack heavy weight until they are almost four years. However, it is very difficult to convert an adult into a packer. You really need to start with babies. As for the training, Marc has this advice: “I’ve trained everything from dogs to horses. Goats are one of the softest animals to train. They need to be trained with love. You can never be heavy-handed with them. It just doesn’t work. It’s not a functional disciplinary tool. All you have to do is yell at a goat and he’s torn for hours. I wish more people didn’t think they were so tough and beat-uppable.”

The secret life of the pack goat is getting less secret every day. For enthusiasts, breeders and businesses like Marc’s and the Crowthers’, the pack goat carries its own weight as an asset to hunters, campers, and outfitters.

Have you tried packing with goats? What pack goat breeds would you recommend?

GET GOING WITH PACK GOATS!

Basics: PackGoats.com

Reading: The Pack Goat or Practical Goatpacking

Meet up with other Goat Packers: Napga.org

Originally published in the November/December 2017 issue of Goat Journal.

Pack Goat Breeds: Packing Quite a Kick! was originally posted by All About Chickens

[dcnativegal]

Learning the lingo

After 6 months in the Oregon Outback, I am slowly learning the lingo:

·        Cali refers to California. Washington is usually Washington state.

·        A rig can be anything from a tiny pickup to an enormous truck hauling cows. The latter is also referred to as a cow can.

·        Ontario is not in Canada and Albany is not in New York. They’re both in Oregon.  

·        PCS refers to a legal charge, possession of a controlled substance. And unless you have a medical marijuana card, you WILL be busted if you are in possession of weed. Every single one of my new clients who see me for substance use disorder is court mandated. I’m getting to know the probation officers.  Nice people, although one is a scary badass. I’m glad I’m not under his scrutiny.

·        The ‘nun’s cap’ is the white thingie that people pee into so as to pour more neatly their pee into a small plastic container.

·        Tameeka and Lattigo are white girls.

·        “Meadow maggots” is a derogatory term for sheep. Apparently, cow ranchers look down on sheep ranchers. Who knew.

·        I can tell a heifer from a bull or steer. I just learned how to tell a hen from a rooster. I recognize an owl call including a baby owl which is very different. I still know nothing about cuts of beef. All I know is my favorite is filet mignon, always has been. Medium well done please.  If you like beef, Lake County is the place to be. We ate steak at a friend’s house that was one of the “Murphy cows.” Now that’s eating local and organic.

 Things I’m getting used to:

·        Traveling on a road all by myself for dozens of miles before there is another vehicle.

·        Not locking anything

·        Not recycling anything. Sorry. It’s a huge hassle here… I’ll work on that, especially cans…

·        Bad teeth. Many people here have missing teeth. I do wonder what they can eat and how they accommodate the missing ones.

·        No one, but no one, dresses up. I’ve been to a funeral. One person besides me wore dressy black. This is a very casually dressed place. I might end of giving away all my dressy stuff.  

·        Horseshoe art. I am the proud owner of a horseshoe Christmas tree.

·        Actual tumbleweeds, blowing across the road.

·        The lack of ethnic food. I like a couple of diners that are run by Mexican people, and the food is delish. There’s a Chinese food place in Lakeview­­. A fabulous Thai place in Klamath. In Paisley, we prefer the pizza at the Pioneer to the pizza at Homestead Café, but the beef au jus is better at the Homestead.  I dream of tekel gomen and doro tibs with injera, but even the Ethiopian place in Reno NV has closed.

·        The old air raid siren in Lakeview that rises up and into everyone’s awareness (everyone who can hear with their ears) every weekday at noon. Same sound that I heard once in Brooklyn when visiting Jonah. It was Friday early evening and the air raid siren goes off. I’m startled and probably cursed: what the hell is that? Jonah says, oh it’s the beginning of Sabbath for the Hasidim. In Lakeview, it’s a test of the volunteer fire department. Which tries very hard.

·        Ahem, everyone has medical flight insurance.

Things I can’t get used to:

·        Watching for deer on the road. They spring out of nowhere. I saw a pickup truck hit a deer right in front of me. The deer was so young I thought it was a dog. It hit the front and flew into the edge of the road. The truck stopped and I road on past, shaken. Minutes later, I was helping Valerie feed the cows. I’m sitting in Old Blue, odometer north of 475,000 miles, with the seat coil pinching my left flank, and I’m driving it through an eager and hungry crowd of yearlings. I was panicked that I’d hit one, and the damn fools are going counterclockwise around the truck as I lurch forward with the clutch and the gas. They’re wondering, is the hay coming off the other side? Am I missing some alfalfa?? I didn’t hit any but I was terrified. I’ve already killed a chipmunk and a rabbit…

·        People take serious lunch breaks and whole operations shut down for 90 minutes. The post office, the library, the DMV. If it’s a one-person show, of course they need a break.  Just a TAD inconvenient, and I often forget.

·        Listening to Oregon Public Radio and the strongest station is in Portland so the weather has nothing to do with our weather, east of the Cascades. When I listen to the Lakeview station there’s a bit of a mention, but I seem to miss the local reports. I’m used to living in the capital city of the most powerful country in the world. Oh and most of the weather is the same through large swaths. Here there are microclimates every 10 miles. Weather.com says it’s 31 but my thermometer tells me its 36. I’m told Paisley is in a banana belt. I’ve yet to see any banana trees.

·        Howling winds. Pretty normal around here apparently, especially in North Lake where I work now, but when there is a wind advisory, which is frequent in winter, we’re talking 80mph gusts. I wait for the roof to fly off. So far, still there. I’ve never before been kept awake by wind.

·        The almost complete absence of black people. One of my addicts told me, when I mentioned how few there are here, said wait ‘til the July 4th fireworks. There’ll be something like 20 black people!

 Things I’m getting more used to but is still hard:

·        Conservative points of view. Anti-immigrant especially. Which I don’t understand. I’ve heard this opinion from several people, spontaneously, like when I was getting the computer all tuned up to start an assessment, and this loquacious client says, what do you think about Trump and his immigration stuff? I think it’s great: not enough jobs for Americans. Those wetbacks come here and jump on welfare…   All of which is so not true. But what I do is give him a look and say, so, what brings you here?  Another time I was hanging out in the only pharmacy in all of Lake County (does that not boggle the mind??) and there are three women of a certain age hanging out at the register, and one says to another, those immigrants sure don’t have a work ethic. I couldn’t help myself, I said, at the register, That’s not true! And the woman who turned to tend to me didn’t look at me, rang me up, and wished me a nice day. Right. I came out to her sidekick on another visit. I’d picked up Valerie’s medication and the woman says, Oh so YOU’RE the Little! And I said, no, I’m the Lincoln, Valerie Little is my partner. Again, no eye contact, and “oh, I’ve got it now!” I’m just coming out willy nilly. I really can’t be bothered. We’re here (in tiny numbers in Lake County), we’re queer, and I’m not hiding that fact from you. My timidity from my early weeks here has vanished.

·        Terrible internet. There’s still a wait list for new accounts in Paisley and in some other parts of Lake County, and there’s some delay. If I had more energy I’d do some research and then bug the shit out of one of my elected representatives. Of course, we the internet-less are maybe 50 families? But still….  One blessing: getting to know the library, which has wifi and an amazing librarian. We use a MiFi gizmo which maxes out pretty quickly when I stream, so I don’t. No more binge watching. Another blessing: I’m actually reading books again.

·        It’s way harder to see the people I love. I have to ship my kids in at great expense, with long drives to retrieve them, and a motel room at either end. I hope my sister and some portion of her family can come visit. Any friend who wants to see the Oregon Outback on the way to Crater Lake and then the coast of Oregon has a bedroom in my house, and I’ll come get you from Reno or Portland. Preferably Reno.  There are also tiny airports in Eugene and Klamath, if you have the money.

·        My church. Hard, but I still go.

What I love:

·        The broad vistas everywhere, even looking toward the end of the street, there’s a field, and mountains in the distance. The changing sky, and sun and clouds. The look of the animals in the fields, mostly cows, but also horses, sheep, goats and llamas or are they alpacas? And there’s that Shetland pony farm by Klamath Falls.

·        I’ve discovered some amazing podcasts which keep me awake during the long drives around here. This American Life, Moth Radio Hour and Modern Love are my favorites.

·        The clean air. It’s so windy that it’s always fresh. Except in Lakeview which has some sort of air pattern that holds smoke and fog close to town.

·        The lack of sirens. I only think about them when I’m in a city like Eugene or Bend and hear one.

·        The lack of pretension. I’m talking about yards and houses. Whatever shelters you from the wind can be a home. Fifth wheels or recreational vehicles can be a ‘tiny house’—I believe others have pointed out the difference in class between tiny houses and mobile homes. (Sorta like erotica is for rich people, porn for everyone else.) A whole lot of people out here live in mobile homes, or rather, manufactured homes. Cozy, affordable housing. There may be chickens in the yard, 5 vehicles in various stages of disrepair, a wagon full of bark (as in our front yard), or a fence made of wagon tires. Whatever. The chair of any DC area homeowner’s association would have a heart attack here.

·        Friendliness. The tiny waves from drivers in cars (a flick of the fingers up from the steering wheel.)   People holding doors open for you when you’re not that close to the door. Even when they don’t approve of your ‘lifestyle’ as I know one storekeeper most vehemently does not, I am waited on courteously.  I figure that much of this is because of the monoculture and the general scarcity of humans. George Lakoff calls this “in-group nurturance.”  Still, it’s nice. In DC, I was so tired of being honked at by the car right behind me at every green light. Here in Lake County? No green, or yellow lights. There are two blinking red lights that I know of just so you’ll wake up from your long drive stupor and notice there’s another tiny highway intersecting.

·        I live in a lovely loft-home made cozy from Valerie’s Korean furniture and my art. I’ve made a life here. I work 3 days a week, which is in my opinion an absolutely ideal schedule, especially when the work is so demanding of heart and mind as mine is for me. I have a writer’s group, a church, and a couple of friends. I’m grateful for a generous coworker who’s helping me get acclimated to Christmas Valley: another planet in the solar system of Lake County. Talk about off the grid….and not hippies either. More like burnt out and traumatized veterans. I live with my lover and friend, Miss Valerie, when she isn’t a ranch hand. She gets ‘sirred’ in Lakeview restaurants, but so what, we share the huevo rancheros without skipping a beat. She’s funny, practical, and creative. Girl has a work ethic that puts me entirely to shame. Also frugal. This is one of our power struggles. I’m like, buy the damn thing. She’s like, ‘make it, fake it or do without.’  This frontier world is about that for real. I make her laugh, she demands kisses as I walk by, and when I’m eating solid food, she makes me eggs every morning and scrapes off ice from the windshield. The cross-continent relocation was well worth the schlep.

    �N۳��

[viadescioism]

The arskasa ona language of the ravens of antimony, and the basic dictionary

The alphabet of desire known as the Ravens of antimony can also be written, and spoken using its own syntax, and grammar. It's language is primarily based off english and is primarily used by me The Wolf of antimony to obscure information from people I do not want to know it. It is also used as a magickal language in my rituals, and spells as something that can connect me more in my craft when I am partaking in it. This language is made up of the 36 sounds of the ravens of antimony alphabet of desire. These sounds are connected together along with the meanings of the sounds to form words. This means that you can take the ravens of antimony's word for raven which is arskasa, and are able to split it down in its letters to gain its basic meaning. In the case of arskasa it would come down to AR - SKA - SA. AR meaning wise, SKA meaning life, and SA meaning dark, so the word for Raven technically comes out to in its base meaning wise life dark. Arskasa is a word that is also made up of a another word. This word being arska meaning animal. Also each letter is its own syllable and will be spoken as such. The Ravens of antimony language is written, and spoken in subject-verb-object sentence structure, just like English.

LUST (E) | [eh] as the “e” in “met.”

PASSION (U) | [oo] as the “oo” in “boot.”

DEVOTION (Æ)(A') | [Ay] as the "ay" in "May"

PREJUDICE (TA) | [Tah]

ANGER (HA) | [Hah]

MISUNDERSTANDING (RA) | [Rah]

SKILL (A) | [Ah] as the “a” in “father.”

MIGHT (I) | [Ee] as the “ee” in “meet.”

ASCENDANCY (O) | [Oh] as the “o” in “boat.”

CHAOS (KA) | [Kah]

PANIC (ȜA) (Gha)| [Ghah]

HORROR (þA) (Tha) | [Thah]

DARK (SA) | [Sah]

CONNECTION (LA) | [Lah]

LIGHT (MA) | [Mah]

WISDOM (AR) | [Ar] as the “ar” in “car.”

KNOWLEDGE (JA) | [Jah]

LOGIC (NA) | [Nah]

BINDING (BA) | [Bah]

WARDING (GA) | [Gah]

PROTECTION (CA) | [Cah]

INSANITY (ZA) | [Zah]

ILLUSION (QA) | [Qah]

FANTASY (FA) | [Fah]

ENERGY (KNA) | [Knah]

LIFE (SKA) | [Skah]

HEALTH (SHA) | [Shah]

CORRUPTION (ACK) | [Ack]

DEATH (ABT) | [Abt]

BANISHMENT (ARD) | [Ard] as the “ard” in “card”

PAIN (PA) | [Pah]

EXPERIENCE (DA) | [Dah]

ENLIGHTENMENT (XA) | [Ksah]

UNKNOWN (YA) | [Yah]

RELEASE (VA) |  [Vah]

REBIRTH (WA) | [Wah]

The two configurations:

Projective, yang, masculine, Damakna = Dama

Resistant, yin, feminine, Dasakna = Dasa

The five states of the Ravens of antimony language:

Intention of hostility, aggression, and power = Uknaoxava

Intention of love, calm, and emotions = Shaknaoxava

Intention of logic, good communication, and inspiration = Naknaoxava

Intention of groundedness, sternness, and nurturing = Daknaoxava

Intention of great spiritual understanding, religious zeal, and divine unity = Skaknaoxava

modifying words:

plural  = "Ona" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

used like the -ing  = "Vada" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

possession ('s) =  "Iba" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Past tense = "Jaskadala" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Present tense = "Daskadala" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

Future tense = "Yaskadala" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

prefix of er = "Owa" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

prefix of est = "Oxa" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

prefix that increases the power and energy of the word it is connected to used like the word "very" = "Aiokna" as its own separate word after the word it is modifying

weakening of meaning, and sort of representing = "Acki"

Indicates a question = "Oya"

to release the energy of the sentence = "Ovakna"

word that modifies the word before to make it a number = "Onakna"

modifying word that changes nouns to the opposite = "Opawa"

modifying word that changes nouns to the cute form ="Oshasha"

modifying word that changes nouns to adjective or adverb form = "Oqaja"

word that releases energy at the end of a statements = Oxajava

Honorifics:

Lord, boss, Authority = Omabala

worker, peasant, underling = Osabala

Master, teacher = Vaarla

God, enlightened Being, ascended master = Yamasala

Student = Xajala

Non-binary sir = Dalala

Noun:

Genesis = Oxakna

Theós = Damakna

Theá = Dasakna

Ouranios Ethos = Madaqa

Agora Ethos = Ladaqa

Chthonic Ethos = Sadaqa

Andros = Uknayamasa

Sophizo = Shaknayamasa

Iaomai = Naknayamasa

Pharmakeia = Daknayamasa

Apotheosis = Xaoxa

Philosophia = Najaar

Eudaimonia = Umao

Philotimon = A'jau

Isoropia = Laarda

Sophrosyne = Tau

Eleutheria = Vadaska

Humility = Davaabt

Agapi = Xa'ua'

Stoicism = Abtgha

"Name for the dot that makes space in between words." = Arlaar

"Name for colon that acts as a period at the end of a sentence." = Laabt

"Name for question mark." = Layaja

"Name for exclamation mark." = Laola

Force field, and protective energy = Cakna

Ravens of antimony aspects = Okna

Ravens of antimony  Sub aspects = Akna

Antimony = Xadakna

Sun = Ouknadakna

Moon = Oshaknadakna

Name = Skadaja

Help = Wadama

Abundance = Maoo

Alligator = Arskasasa

Ant = Arskakapa

Dear = Arskaiu

Badger = Arskaha

Bee = Arskaa

Camel = Arskahama

Cat = Arskaga

Cheetah = Arskahaa

Chicken = Arskabaskaka

Cow = Arskaba

Crocodile = Arskamama

Deer = Arskaa'

Dog = Arskau

Dolphin = Arskaosha

Duck = Arskavasha

Eagle = Arskavava

Elephant = Arskaua'

Fly = Arskaabt

Fox = Arskaaka

Frog = Arskaza

Giraffe = Arskao

Goat = Arskabada

Goldfish = Arskabasha

Hamster = Arska

Hippopotamus = Arskauu

Horse = Arskababaska

Human = Arskapadaxa

kangaroo = Arskakaka

Lion = Arskauma

Lobster = Arskashaca

Monkey = Arskapadaxaqa

Octopus = Arskana

Owl = Arskaar

Panda = Arskara

Pig = Arskabaska

Rabbit = Arskae

Rat = Arskanana

Raven = Arskasa

Scorpion = Arskakapaha

Seal = Arskaskasha

Shark =  Arskashai

Sheep = Arskaska

Snail = Arskaca

Snake = Arskagha

Spider = Arskatha

Squirrel = Arska

Siger =  Arskai

Turtle = Arskacaca

Wolf = Arskama

Zebra =  Arskasalama

Yes = Mava

No = Sava

Hello = Labadaska

Goodbye = Dava

Good morning = Tamama

Good afternoon = Tamala

Good evening = Tamasa

Welcome = Mabava

Good = Tama

Evil = Tasa

Time = Qadanakna

Magick = Knaxaja

Magic = Faknaxaja

Language = Laja

Person = Arskaxa

Animal = Arska

Raven = Arskasa

Sigil = Laqa

Text = Laqalaja

Book = Jalaqalaja

Box = Skaqaba

Lesson = Java

Element = Ushanadaskakna

Fire = Ukna

Water = Shakna

Air = Nakna

Earth = Dakna

Spirit = Skakna

Space = Skaknaya

Void =  Skaknayaack

Symbol = Daknalaqa

Mind = Skaskaarkna

Body = Skaskadakna

Individual = Skaska

Door = Daknaga

Doors = Daknagao

Building = Daknabagaca

Reincarnation = Abtwa

Action = Vada

Terrestrial body = Odakna

Planet = Odakna

Number = Nakna

Library = Jalaqalajadaknabagaca

Sense = lada

Past = Jaskada

Present, Now, Here = Daskada

Future = Yaskada

Abomination = Sakaackyatha

Place = Daskada

Like = Mala

Secret = Naya

Next = Wava

Want = Ba'

Information = Naja

Release = Va

Focus = Taa'

God = Masa

Goddess = Sama

Deity = Yamasa

Northwest = Xaa'skaknaya

North = Xaskaknaya

Northeast  Xaoskaknaya

East = Oskaknaya

Southeast = Yaoskaknaya

South = Yaskaknaya

Southwest  = Yaa'skaknaya

West = A'skaknaya

Day = mama

Night = Sasa

Sunday =  Skamama

Monday = Knamama

Tuesday = Imama

Wednesday = Namama

Thursday = Omama

Friday = Umama

Saturday = Amama

Spring = Shaqadanakna

Summer = Skaqadanakna

Autumn = Ardqadanakna

Winter = Abtqadanakna

January, January moon = Wasaodakna

February, February moon = Usaodakna

March, March  moon = Knasaodakna

April, April moon = Shasaodakna

May, May moon = Skasaodakna

June, June moon = Dasaodakna

July, July moon = Vasaodakna

August, August moon = Isaodakna

September, September moon = Arsaodakna

October, October moon = Thasaodakna

November, November moon = Ardsaodakna

December, December moon = Abtsaodakna

Month = Saodakna

Lust = E

Passion = U

Devotion = A'

Prejudice =Ta

Anger = Ha

Skill = A

Might = I

Ascendancy = O

Chaos = Ka

Panic = Gha

Horror = Tha

Dark, Darkness = Sa

Connection = La

Light = Ma

Wisdom = Ar

Knowledge = Ja

Logic = Na

Binding = Ba

Protection = Ca

Insanity = Za

Illusion = Qa

Fantasy = Fa

energy = Kna

Life = Ska

Spiritual life =  Padaxa

Health = Sha

Corruption = Ack

Death = Abt

Spiritual death = Yavawa

Banishment = Ard

Pain = Pa

Experience = Da

Enlightenment = Xa

Unknown = Ya

Rebirth = wa

Love = Eua'

Hate = Tahara

Power = Aio

Fear = Kaghatha

Spirituality = Salama

Reason = Arjana

Safety = Bagaca

Delusion = Zaqafa

Creation = Knaskasha

Destruction = Ackabtard

Magick = Knaxaja

Magic = Faknaxaja

Luck = Yama

Toilet = Ackshakna

Abyss = Saoo

Male = Damaska

Female = Dasaska

Nonbinary = Dalaska

Help = Wadama

great spiritual awe and a connection to all things past present and future = Dasalamaxa

Maybe = Mavalasava

Aman, showing of great honor and reverence, at the end of communication, thanks and respect for = skaar

You're welcome =  Vawadama

Good morning = Malabadaska

Good afternoon = Lalabadaska

Good evening = Salabadaska

Goodnight = Sasalabadaska

Excuse me = Vaskada

Verb:

Bind = Ba

Ward = Ga

Hate = Tahara

Fear = Kaghatha

Love = Eua'

Experience = Da

Pain = Pa

Panic = gha

Anger = Ha

Misunderstand = Ra

Lust = E

Focus = Taa'

Come = Bavadaskada

Luck = Yama

Help = Wadama

Name = Skadaja

Thank, Thank you, You're welcome = Vawadama

Get = Baba

Give = Vaba

Go = Vadaskada

Understand = Mara

Keep = Labaca

Let, Allow = A'da

Make = Naknaskasha

Put = A'ba

Seem = Tana

Take = Bava

Speak = Vakna

Be, Is, Are, Am, Are = Dada

Do, Does = Tada

Have, Has = Laba

Say = Naqada

See = Qada

Send = Lavava

May = A'ii

Will = Ida

Experience = Da

Time = Qadanakna

Welcome = Mabava

Power = Aio

Sense = Lada

Number = Nakna

Build = Daknabagaca

Can = Mava

listen = Arknalada

Open = Vaca

share = Vadalada

Learn = Xaja

Mean = Knaja

Like = Mala

Want = Bae

Release = Va

Hold = Bada

Teach = Vaar

shine, shines, emanate, emit, summon, illuminate = Mavava

Activate, start = Navama

Deactivate, stop = Navasa

Adjective, and Adverb:

On = Xama

Off = Xasa

Under = Vasa

Up, Above = Mao

Center, Middle = Lao

Down, Below = Sao

Not = Sara

First = Taa'

Afraid = ghada

Good = Tama

Evil, Bad = Tasa

Individual = Skaska

Sorry = Wama

Open = Vaca

Mean = Knaja

Safe = Bagaca

Past = Jaskada

Present = Daskada

Future = Yaskada

Secret = Naya

Next = Wava

Unknown = Ya

Old = Saqadanakna

New = Maqadanakna

Trick = Aqa

Over = Vama

Through = Vala

Not = Sara

Then = Dayao

Please = Mau

Next = Wava

wild = Uknaza

Conjunction:

And = Lala

Or = Fafa

nor = Thatha

For = Vava

But = Ghagha

Preposition:

About = Jaa'

Across = Dalada

After = Daa'

Against = Sahama

Among = Badaskada

At = Ladaskada

Before = A'da

Between = Saa'ma

By = Daba

Up = Mao

Down = Sao

From = Bada

In = Knaca

Out = Knacava

Off = Xasa

On = Xama

Over = Vama

Through = Vala

Under = Vasa

To = Lava

With = Bala

As = Lada

For = Vava

Of = Labada

Above = Dao

Like = Mala

Next = Wava

Pronoun:

Subject Pronoun/ Object Pronoun:

I, Me = Skada

You = Daska

It, That, This = Daya

Nonbinary pronoun/ Object pronouns = Dala

We, Us = Skada Ona

They, Them = Daska Ona

These, Those = Daya Ona

Reflexive or Intensive Pronouns "repeating word":

Myself = Skadaskada

Yourself = Daskadaska

Itself = DayaDaya

Nonbinary pronoun reflexive pronouns = Daladala

Ourselves = Skadaskada Ona

Yourselves = Daskadaska Ona

Themselves = Dayadaya Ona

Possessive Pronouns = "iba":

My, Mine = Skada Iba

Your, yours = Daska Iba

Nonbinary pronoun Possessive pronouns = Dala Iba

Its = Daya Iba

Our, ours = Skada Ona Iba

Their, Theirs = Daska Ona Iba

Not sure:

Where = Yadaskada

When = Yadaskada

Why = Yaya

What = Yaja

Who = Yadaya

How =  Knacayaja

[josephkitchen0]

Pack Goat Breeds: Packing Quite a Kick!

Photos by Marc Warnke of packgoats.com

Pack goat breeds range from Kiko goats to Saanens to Toggenburgs. But five factors outweigh which breed you choose.

I turned off the highway at the small green and white sign that read Pack Idaho. Erv and Teri Crowther run the small organic farm that supplies my neighborhood convenience store with raw cow milk and the best yogurt I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t come for milk or produce, though. I came to meet the goats.

Furry heads butted under my hands; the wethers demanded to be pet. As the goats crowded around, Teri introduced everyone. “Watch out for Willie,” Teri said with a laugh. “He’s a butt rubber.” As if on cue, the goat sidled against me and rubbed his head against my butt. Luckily, he was dehorned and my backside survived the experience.

The Crowthers use these goats to pack gear for camping, hunting and trail maintenance into the Rocky Mountains. We are more accustomed to mules, donkeys and even llamas as pack animals but pack goat breeds are gaining popularity in the United States. Goats are well suited to the high country. Their surefooted nature makes them able to navigate steeper, rougher and less-maintained trails than other stock animals. They have less impact on the environment than other pack animals. Goats eat a variety of plants and weeds and thus don’t overgraze. Even their poop resembles rabbit or deer droppings. A well-trained goat doesn’t have to be led. Whereas a llama sometimes needs to be dragged and a horse, if it gets away, can run all the way back to the trailhead, a goat wants nothing more than to stay with their human. You are their alpha and they will follow you anywhere.

Goats are also a lower cost option for people wanting to try out packing with an animal. The cost per animal to feed, house and care for goats is less than 20% of that per horse or mule. They require less space, so you can start with a couple of goats even if you don’t have extensive pastureland. You can fit several goats in the back of a pickup truck so they don’t require a horse trailer.

Goats make great hunting companions. The smell of blood and wild game doesn’t bother them. They don’t bolt from the scent of predatory animals the way horses do. Erv and Teri were packing with their goats when he heard the lead goat give a warning noise. He looked back in time to see a mountain lion, on a rock outcropping, take a swipe at the goat. Erv managed to scare the mountain lion off before anyone, human or goat, got hurt. Once the danger was gone, the string of goats calmly resumed walking.

The downside to packing with goats is their size. They can’t make as many miles a day as bigger animals and they can’t carry as much gear. A full-sized, well-trained pack goat breed can carry between 50 and 70 pounds. A horse, under the same conditions, can carry 200 pounds.

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The Crowthers’ goats are all an Saanen-Alpine goat mix. They have packed with Toggenburg goats in the past but found them to be too smart. There is no clear consensus on what pack goat breeds are best; you should research breeds to find qualities that are most important to you. It’s a good idea to talk to a qualified breeder that understands goat packing.

What you want in a good pack goat breed boils down to five things: size, conformation, personality, conditioning, and training. Of these, conditioning and training are the most important and can make up for deficiencies in size and conformation.

Conformation is the combined structural correctness and musculature, including frame and shape. A good pack goat should be at least 34” at the withers and at least 200 pounds. It should have a flat back from withers to loin. The cannon bone should be half the length of the upper leg. The goat should be wide across shoulders, and legs should track reasonably straight. It should have good bone size in its legs and feet. Some hockiness is good in a pack goat if you are going to be taking it into mountainous areas; hockiness is a tendency for the hocks of the hind legs to turn inward. This makes a goat more agile on rocks.

Decide what personality traits are important to you. Some breeds of goats “talk” more than others. If you are looking for a companion, this could be good thing; if you are hunting it might not be. Some breeds are known to take to crossing water better. Some are more wary and alert for predators. If you have a chance to observe the kid before you buy, get one that is bright-eyed and follows you around.

Training starts very young. There are soft, lightweight training panniers you can put on your kid as you lead them around the pasture. Now you are ready for the single most important thing a pack goat needs: conditioning. You can’t take a fat, out-of-shape human, put a heavy pack on him, put him on a trail at 9,000 feet and expect him not to be gasping and wheezing after a few feet. It is no different when caring for goats. If you take an out-of-shape pasture goat up there, he’s going to make it about half a mile then lie down in the middle of the trail and refuse to get up.

The future of packing with goats into the high country is unclear. I spoke with Marc Warnke, an active member of North American Packgoat Association (NAPgA) and owner of packgoats.com. The Shoshone National Forest is considering changes to their forest management plan aimed at banning pack goats in core bighorn sheep habitat. Pack goat enthusiasts like Marc are worried that if the Forest Service bans access in that area, other national forests will follow suit. “None of it is based in accurate science,” Marc told me. “It’s all based on fear and just trying to blanketly eliminate any potential risk versus what we would call reasonable risk. If you access the NAPgA website and do any research on the information NAPgA is putting out, it is very, very clear that pack goats don’t present a reasonable risk to wild sheep populations. It’s really unfortunate the direction they are trying to go with it.”

According to Marc, if you want to get started packing with goats, all you need is a collar, a leash, a saddle (which is called a sawbuck) and some panniers. You will also need a baby goat and some time. Goats can’t pack heavy weight until they are almost four years. However, it is very difficult to convert an adult into a packer. You really need to start with babies. As for the training, Marc has this advice: “I’ve trained everything from dogs to horses. Goats are one of the softest animals to train. They need to be trained with love. You can never be heavy-handed with them. It just doesn’t work. It’s not a functional disciplinary tool. All you have to do is yell at a goat and he’s torn for hours. I wish more people didn’t think they were so tough and beat-uppable.”

The secret life of the pack goat is getting less secret every day. For enthusiasts, breeders and businesses like Marc’s and the Crowthers’, the pack goat carries its own weight as an asset to hunters, campers, and outfitters.

Have you tried packing with goats? What pack goat breeds would you recommend?

GET GOING WITH PACK GOATS!

Basics: PackGoats.com

Reading: The Pack Goat or Practical Goatpacking

Meet up with other Goat Packers: Napga.org

Originally published in the November/December 2017 issue of Goat Journal.

Pack Goat Breeds: Packing Quite a Kick! was originally posted by All About Chickens