Sakka, the king of the 33 gods once asked the
Blessed Buddha:
Venerable Sir, what is the cause & reason, why some beings here do
not attain
Nibbana in this very life?
And what is the cause and reason, why
some beings
here do indeed attain Nibbana in this very life?
There are, King of the thirty-three Devas, forms experiencable by
the eye, sounds
experiencable by the ear, smells experiencable by the nose, touches
experiencable
by the body, and mental phenomena experiencable by the mind, that
all are attractive,
charming, agreeable, pleasing, enticing, tempting and tantalizing.
If a bhikkhu hunts
for delight in them, welcomes them, & remains holding on to them,
his mind becomes
addicted to them and clings to them! Any bhikkhu with a mind
dominated by clinging
cannot attain Nibbana!
This is the cause & reason, King of the Devas,
why many & most beings here, do not attain Nibbana in this very
life...
There are, King of the Devas, forms experiencable
by the eye, sounds experiencable
by the ear, smells experiencable by the nose, touches experiencable
by the body,
and mental phenomena experiencable by the mind, that all are
attractive, charming,
agreeable, pleasing, enticing, tempting and tantalizing. If any
bhikkhu avoids seeking any delight in them, nor does he welcome
them, nor does he remain holding to them, his mind does not become
addicted to them, nor cling to them. A bhikkhu mentally freed of
clinging can indeed attain Nibbana!
This is the cause and reason, King of the Devas,
why some beings here attain Nibbana in this very life....