出家者離家 精進不放逸 捨棄小利益 觀大利益者 如犀牛獨行 不貪著色聲 不縛於欲樂 離欲修梵行 以劍截蓮莖 修習出離道 精進以自勉 觀己行己行 不令放逸住 勇猛常精進 此岸到彼岸 解脫諸繫縛
chū jiā zhě lí jiā jīng jìn bù fàng yì shě qì xiǎo lì yì guān dà lì yì zhě rú xī niú dú xíng bù tān zhuó sè shēng bù fù yú yù lè lí yù xiū fàn xíng yǐ jiàn jié lián jīng xiū xí chū lí dào jīng jìn yǐ zì miǎn guān jǐ xíng jǐ xíng bù lìng fàng yì zhù yǒng měng cháng jīng jìn cǐ àn dào bǐ àn jiě tuō zhū jì fù
Key Message
Just as a rhinoceros walks alone without hesitation, a practitioner yields to no fear or temptation but strives solely toward enlightenment. Only when the small profits of the world are relinquished does greater freedom open.
▸The third chapter of the Sutta Nipāta, 'The Great Chapter' (大品, Mahā-vagga), contains twelve long suttas and contrasts with the preceding Minor Chapter in both depth and length.
The third chapter of the Sutta Nipāta, 'The Great Chapter' (大品, Mahā-vagga), contains twelve long suttas and contrasts with the preceding Minor Chapter in both depth and length. This chapter includes the 'Pabbajjā Sutta' (出家經) depicting the Buddha's renunciation and his journey before enlightenment, the 'Padhāna Sutta' (精進經) recounting how the practitioner repels the temptations of Māra, and the major discourses including the 'Nālaka Sutta' and the 'Dvayatānupassanā Sutta.' The core theme of the Great Chapter is supreme diligence (精進) and renunciation (出離) — liberation from worldly desires. The image of the rhinoceros (犀牛) striding alone symbolizes the ideal practitioner who advances freely toward truth without bondage. The Padhāna Sutta, which celebrates the scene just before the Buddha's enlightenment when he confronted Māra's armies beneath the Bodhi Tree, demonstrates that the armies of fear, desire, and conceit can be overcome only through wisdom and diligence.