With VajirāVajirāsutta

At Sāvatthī.Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Then the nun Vajirā robed up in the morning and, taking her bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms.Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya sāvatthiṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi. She wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on her return from almsround, she went to the Dark Forest for the day’s meditation,Sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena andhavanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya. plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a tree to meditate.Andhavanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.

Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the nun Vajirā feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make her fall away from immersion, went up to her and addressed her in verse:Atha kho māro pāpimā vajirāya bhikkhuniyā bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo yena vajirā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā vajiraṁ bhikkhuniṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

“Who created this sentient being?“Kenāyaṁ pakato satto, Where is its maker?kuvaṁ sattassa kārako; Where has the being arisen?Kuvaṁ satto samuppanno, And where does it cease?”kuvaṁ satto nirujjhatī”ti.

Then the nun Vajirā thought,Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: “Who’s speaking this verse, a human or a non-human?”“ko nu khvāyaṁ manusso vā amanusso vā gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti?

Then she thought,Atha kho vajirāya bhikkhuniyā etadahosi: “This is Māra the Wicked, wanting to make me feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, wanting to make me fall away from immersion!”“māro kho ayaṁ pāpimā mama bhayaṁ chambhitattaṁ lomahaṁsaṁ uppādetukāmo samādhimhā cāvetukāmo gāthaṁ bhāsatī”ti.

Then Vajirā, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:Atha kho vajirā bhikkhunī “māro ayaṁ pāpimā” iti viditvā, māraṁ pāpimantaṁ gāthāhi paccabhāsi:

“Why do you believe there’s such a thing as a <j>‘sentient being’?“Kiṁ nu sattoti paccesi, Māra, is this your theory?māra diṭṭhigataṁ nu te; This is just a pile of conditions,Suddhasaṅkhārapuñjoyaṁ, you won’t find a sentient being here.nayidha sattupalabbhati.

When the parts are assembledYathā hi aṅgasambhārā, we use the word ‘chariot’.hoti saddo ratho iti; So too, when the aggregates are presentEvaṁ khandhesu santesu, ‘sentient being’ is the convention we use.hoti sattoti sammuti.

But it’s only suffering that comes to be,Dukkhameva hi sambhoti, lasts a while, then expires.dukkhaṁ tiṭṭhati veti ca; Naught but suffering comes to be,Nāññatra dukkhā sambhoti, naught but suffering ceases.”nāññaṁ dukkhā nirujjhatī”ti.

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Vajirā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ vajirā bhikkhunī”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.

The Linked Discourses on Nuns are complete.Bhikkhunīsaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.