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THE TEACHINGS OF I ! IE BUDDHA
A frcimldiiori of the
Translated from the Pali
Maurice Walshe
Wtspom Publications * Boston
Wisdom Publications
199 Elm Street
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
First published in 1987 in paperback under the title of
Thus Have I Heard: The Long Discourses of the Buddha
© Maurice Walshe, 1987, 1995
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies
now known or later developed, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cat a logi ng- i n -Pu blica tion Data
Tipitaka. Suttapitaka. Dlghanikaya. English
The long discourses of the Buddha : a translation of the Digha Nikaya / by
Maurice Walshe.
p. cm. — (Teachings of the Buddha)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-86171-103-3 (alk. paper)
I. Walshe, Maurice O’C. (Maurice O’ Connell) II. Title. III. Series.
BQ1292.E53W35 1996
294.3' 823— dc20 95-11288
ISBN 0-86171-103-3
*
02 01
8 7 6 5
Cover designed by: EJ-SawjjL
Set in DPalatino 10 on 12.5 point
Wisdom Publications' books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines
for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines
for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
To the Sangha
East and West
Printed in the United States of America.
Contents
\ List of Illustrations 1 o
, Foreword 11
Preface 13
Technical Notes 15
t Introduction 19
, Summary of the Thirty-Four Suttas 35
( DIVISION one: THE MORALITIES
j 1 % Brahmajdla Sutta : The Supreme Net
What the T eaching Is Not 67
I 2 Samahhaphala Sutta : The Fruits of the Homeless
S Life 91
jj 3 Ambattha Sutta: About Ambattha
Pride Humbled 111
1 4 Sonadanda Sutta: About Sonadanda
The Qualities of a True Brahmin 123
3 Kutadanta Sutta: About Kutadanta
I " A Bloodless Sacrifice 133
I 6 Mahdli Sutta: About Mahali
Heavenly Sights, Soul and Body 143
* 7 Jdliya Sutta: About Jaliya 149
8' Mahasthanada Sutta : The Great Lion's Roar 131
i 9 Potthapdda Sutta : About Potthapada
| States of Consciousness 139
i 10 Subha Sutta : About Subha
] Morality, Concentration, Wisdom 171
| 11 Kevaddha Sutta : About Kevaddha
What Brahma Didn't Know 173
7
8 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
12 Lohicca Sutta : About Lohicca
Good and Bad Teachers 181
13 Tevijja Sutta : The Threefold Knowledge
The Way to Brahma 1 87
4 DIVISION two: the great division
(14 ) Mahapadana Sutta : The Great Discourse on the
^ Lineage 199
15 Mahanidana Sutta : The Great Discourse on
Origination 223
16 \ Mahdparinibbdna Sutta : The Great Passing
The Buddha's Last Days 231
17 Mahasudassana Sutta : The Great Splendour
A King's Renunciation 279
18 Janavasabha Sutta: About Janavasabha
Brahma Addresses the Gods 291
19 Mahagovinda Sutta : The Great Steward
A Past Life of Gotama 301
20 Mahasamaya Sutta : The Mighty Gathering
Devas Come to See the Buddha 315
(21 ; Sakkapanha Sutta : Sakka's Questions
A God Consults the Buddha 321
22 Mahasatipafthdna Sutta : The Greater Discourse on the
Foundations of Mindfulness 335
23 Paydsi Sutta : About Payasi
Debate with a Sceptic 351
/DIVISION three: the patika division
24 Patika Sutta : About Patikaputta
The Charl&tan 371
25 Udumbarika-Sthandda Sutta : The Great Lion's Roar to
the Udurhbarikans 385
26 Cakkavytti-Sihandda Sutta : The Lion's Roar on the
Turning of the Wheel 395
27 Agganna Sutta : On Knowledge of Beginnings 407
28 Sampasadanvya Sutta : Serene Faith 417
29 Pasadika Sutta : The Delightful Discourse 427
Contents 9
/ 30 ; Lakkhana Sutta : The Marks of a Great Man 441
'31 Sigdlaka Sutta: To Sigalaka
Advice to Lay People 461
32) Atdndtiya Sutta : The Atanata Protective
Verses 471
33 SangitiSutta: The Chanting Together 479
34 Dasuttara Sutta : Expanding Decades 311
Bibliography 325
List of Abbreviations 331
Notes 333
Index 623
I
1
List of Illustrations
Map of India at the time of the Buddha, drawn by C.R. Shaw,
Totnes, Devon, 1986. 6
The road between Rajagaha and Nalanda, drawn by Pang
Chinasai, London, 1986. 66
Statue of Buddha Sakyamuni, Burma, 18th century. By courtesy
of the trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum (I.M. 65-
1912). 110
Flying monk, from a Thai paper folding-book, about mid-igth
century. By permission of the British Library (OR 13703
f2o). 150
The past Buddhas, drawn by Pang Chinasai, London,
1986. 198
Monk in meditation, from a Thai paper folding-book, about
mid-i9th century. By permission of the British Library (OR 13703
f45). 222
Statue of Buddha Sakyamuni, Burma, possibly 17th century. By
courtesy of the trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum (I.S.
21 & A.— 1970). 278
Deva, from a Thai paper folding-book with coloured paintings,
1830—40. By permission of the British Library (ADD 15347
f48). 314
The Charlatan, drawn by Pang Chinasai, London, 1987. 370
Statue of Sariputta, Burma, about 1850. By courtesy of the
trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum (I.S. 11 (22)-
1969). 416
The Four Great Kings, from Buddhist Cosmology, Thonburi
Version, 1982. Fine Art Department of Bangkok, Thailand.
470
Monk, from a Thai paper folding-book, about mid-igth century.
By permission of the British Library (OR 13703 fiy). 524
Monk preaching to laity, from a Thai manuscript, 1868. By
permission of the British Library (OR 6630 ijx). 626
10
Foreword
It is with much pleasure that I write this brief foreword to Mr
Walshe's translation of the DTgha Nikaya. The translator is a
devout Buddhist whose Pali scholarship is backed up by per-
sonal practice of meditation. His translation work is therefore a
most important contribution to the study of Buddhism.
Mr Walshe has been active in the Buddhist world of Great
Britain for many years. Long before I came to Britain, his name
was known to me through his essays in The Wheel' series of
the Buddhist Publication Society of Sri Lanka. In 1977 my
venerable teacher. Tan Ajahn Chah Subhatto and I arrived in
London at the invitation of the English Sangha Trust of which
Mr Walshe was one of the Trustees. This Trust had been
established in 1956 in order to bring about a Western Sangha in
Britain, and towards this end, Mr Walshe has consistently
worked for nearly thirty years. At one time he combined this
with the post of Vice-President of the Buddhist Society of Great
Britain, his career at the Institute of Germanic Studies in
London University (of which his translations of the sermons of
Meister Eckhart are a testimonial), as well as studying Pali in
his spare time.
Even though Pali scholars have produced quite accurate
literal translations of the Pali Canon, one often feels the lack of
profound insight into these remarkable scriptures. The Suttas
need to be studied, reflected on, and practised in order to
realise their true meaning. They are 'Dhamma discourses', or
contemplations on the. 'way things are'. They are not meant to
be 'sacred scriptures' which tell us what to believe. One should
read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them,
and investigate the present reality, the present experience with
11
12 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the Truth
beyond words.
In this new translation of the long discourses Mr Walshe has
kindly offered us another opportunity to read and reflect on the
Buddha's teachings.
May all those who read them, benefit and develop in their
practice of the Dhamma.
May all beings be freed from all suffering.
May all beings be enlightened.
VENERABLE SUMEDHO THERA
Amaravati
Great Gaddesden
Hertfordshire
England
January 1986
Preface
The two main reasons for making this translation of some of
the oldest Buddhist scriptures are: (1) The spread of Buddhism
as a serious way of life in the Western world, and of even more
widespread serious interest in it as a subject worthy of close
study, and (2) the fact that English is now effectively the world
language, the most widespread linguistic vehicle for all forms
of communication. True, the Pali scriptures have already been
translated in almost their entirety into English, mainly through
the devoted efforts of the Pali Text Society, which has now
entered into the second century of its activity. But existing
translations are now dated stylistically as well as containing
many errors and a modem version has therefore become
necessary. *
First, and foremost, the entire merit for this translation
belongs to the Venerable Balangoda Anandamaitreya Maha
Nayaka Thera, Aggamahapandita (though he has, of course, no
need of such puhha) for having convinced me that I could, and
therefore of course should, undertake this task. To me there
remains merely the demerit of its many imperfections. Work-
ing on it has provided me with much joy, solace and
illumination.
My particular thanks for help and encouragement are due,
besides the illustrious and (in all senses) venerable gentleman
just mentioned, to the Ven. Dr H. Saddhatissa, a friend of many
years' standing from whom I have leamt so much, the Ven.
Nyanaponika who inspired an earlier, more modest venture in
translation, the Ven. Dr W. Rahula who guided my early,
faltering steps in Pali, as well as the Ven. P. Vipassi and Messrs
K.R. Norman and L.S. Cousins, whose collective brains I have
*3
14 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
picked on knotty points. It is fitting also to pay tribute here to
the Ven. Achaan Cha (Bodhinana Thera) and his illustrious
pupil Achaan Sumedho, whose efforts in establishing a
flourishing branch of the Sangha in Britain have made such
translation work all the more necessary; and — others please
note! — much remains to be done in this field.
My principles of translation are briefly discussed in the
Introduction. I am aware of a few trifling inconsistencies as
well as a few repetitions in the notes. The former will, I think,
cause no inconvenience: they were hard to avoid altogether in
this, quite possibly the last, translation these scriptures will
receive without benefit of electronic gadgetry. And as for the
repetitions, these can perhaps be overlooked in connection
with a text which is itself so repetitious.
My sincere thanks are due to Wisdom Publications for pro-
ducing this book so splendidly, and to the Buddhist Society of
Great Britain for a generous donation towards costs.
MAURICE WALSHE
St Albans
Hertfordshire
England
January 1986
Technical Notes
This book is in three parts: Division One, containing Suttas
1—13; Division Two, containing Suttas 14—23; Division Three,
containing Suttas 24—34.
The Suttas are divided into verses and, in some cases, into
sections as well. The verse and section numbers are based on
Rhys Davids's system. Thus, Sutta 16, verse 2.25 denotes Sutta
16, chapter or section 2, verse 25. For the sake of brevity this
appears in the notes as DN 16.2.23 and in the index as 16.2.25.
The numbers at the top of the page, for example i 123, refer to
the volume and page number of the Pali Text Society's edition
in Pali. Thus, i 123 refers to volume one, page 123 of the DTgha
Nikaya. The numbers in square brackets in the actual text also
refer to these page numbers.
In this edition any passage can easily be looked up by either
method.
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Pali texts printed in the West use a standard system of Roman
spelling, with a few minor variations. Virtually the same sys-
tem, with the addition of one or two extra letters, is used for
Sanskrit. The Pali alphabet, like that of Sanskrit, is set out in a
more logical order than the Roman
The vowels have their 'continental' values:
a 1 u as in 'father', 'machine', 'rude',
a i u as the corresponding short sounds,
e and o are always long as (approximately) in 'eh' and
'home', but without the southern English diphthongal glide.
16 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
Before two consonants e and o are also short.
m (also printed m and in some older works q) is not really a
vowel but a mark of nasalisation (probably originally rather as
in French). Today it is read as ng in 'sing' (=n).
Some consonants cause difficulty for the Western student.
The difference between the consonants in the first (velar) row is
this:
kh is like the normal English k in 'king', which we usually
pronounce with a distinct puff of breath after it.
k is the same but without this puff of breath as in French
The Pali Alphabet
Vowels aaiiuueo m(m,q)
Consonants
Voiceless Voiceless
unaspirated aspirated
Voiced Voiced
unaspirated aspirated
Nasal
Velar
k
kh
8
g h
h
Palatal
c
ch
j
jh
n
Retroflex
t
th
d
dh
n
Dental
t
th
d
dh
n
Labial
Miscellaneous
P
y rllvsh
ph
b
bh
m
'kilo'. After s this pronunciation occurs in English too: compare
'kin' and 'skin'. In 'skin' the k is not the same as in 'kin'.
g and gh differ in precisely the same way as k and kh, but it
is difficult for English speakers to make this distinction,
h is the corresponding nasal, that is, ng in 'sing'.
The same distinctions are made between the five columns for
the palatal, retroflex, dental and labial rows. Thus c is almost
like the English ch in 'church', or more exactly as in 'discharge'.
In the retroflex row (sometimes called 'cerebral') the tip of the
tongue is turned back, whereas in the dental row it touches the
upper front teeth. Most English speakers pronounce t and d
somewhere between the two and can scarcely hear the differ-
ence between these two series.
Of the remaining consonants, y and s are always as in 'yes', 1
is to 1 as t is to t, and v is pronounced as English 'v' or 'w'.
Double consonants are pronounced double as in Italian: thus
mettd is rather like 'met tar'. Note that v kh, gh etc. are unitary
Technical Notes 17
consonants which only appear double in transcription. Each is
represented by one letter in Oriental alphabets.
The Relationship Between Sanskrit and Pali
It is helpful to have some knowledge of the relationship be-
tween Pali and Sanskrit. Pali, as explained in the Introduction
on page 48, is a kind of simplified Sanskrit.
Sanskrit in transcription has some extra consonants: r (rarely
r), \, s, s.
r was originally syllabic r as in 'Brno', but is now usually
pronounced h.
1 was originally syllabic 1 as in 'Plzen' (or, almost, the second 1
in 'little'), but is now usually pronounced li. Note: Sanskrit 1 is
not the same as Pali 1, but both are so rare that there is no
confusion.
s is a thin sh sound as in 'shin'.
s is a thick sh sound as might be heard in 'push' (exagger-
ating the difference from that in 'shin').
In Pali r appears as a vowel, usually the same vowel as occurs
near it: Sanskrit krta (done) >Tali kata ; Sanskrit rju (straight)
> Pali uju.
Both s and s appear in Pali as s, but are then subject to the
usual rule of s + consonant: Sanskrit s + consonant becomes
(the same) consonant -I- h: thus sp>ph, st>th, etc.
The above rules combine in the case of one key-word:
Sanskrit trsna (thirst, craving) > Pali tanhd. Here r>a, s>s, and
then sn>nh.
Sanskrit consonant clusters are simplified, producing one
single or double consonant: Sanskrit agni (fire) > Pali aggi;
Sanskrit s varga (heaven) > Pali sagga; Sanskrit mdrga (path) >
Pali magga; Sanskrit dtman (self) > Pali atta; Sanskrit samjhd
(perception) Pali s anna; Sanskrit sparsa (contact) > Pali phassa;
Sanskrit alpa (little) > Pali appa etc. Instead of vv we find bb,
and instead of dy, dhy we find jj, jh: Sanskrit nirvana > Pali
nibbanw, Sanskrit adya (today) > Pali ajja; Sanskrit dhy ana
(absorption) > Pali jhdna.
It follows that while the form of a Sanskrit word cannot be
predicted from its Pali equivalent, the Pali form can usually be
18 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
predicted from the Sanskrit, provided the word occurs. The
meanings of Sanskrit and Pali words are also not quite always
the same.
As regards grammatical simplification, it need perhaps only
be mentioned here that the Sanskrit dative case has in most
instances been replaced by the genitive in Pali. Thus in the
phrase Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammd-Sambuddhassa
(Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, fully- enlightened
Buddha) the words tassa etc are originally genitive forms with
dative meaning. However we do find the expression namo
Buddhaya (homage to the Buddha) with a true dative form.
Those who wish to learn some Pali — which is to be encour-
aged! — should start with Johansson and proceed to Warder
(see Bibliography). Sanskrit is a difficult language, but Michael
Coulson's Teach Yourself volume (1976) renders it as painless
as possible.
Introduction
This translation is a 'substantive' translation because it is
complete as to substance. Nothing has been omitted except the
more wearisome of the very numerous repetitions which are
such a striking feature of the original.
The Pali scriptures here translated are from the 'Triple
Basket' ( Tipitaka ), a collection of the Buddha's teachings regard-
ed as canonical by the Theravada school of Buddhism, which is
found today in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand, and was until
recently equally strong in Laos and Cambodia. It is now also
well established in Britain and other Western countries. The
claim of this school is to have preserved the original teaching of
the Buddha, and there are good grounds for at least considering
that the doctrine as found in the Pali scriptures comes as close
as we can get to what the Buddha actually taught. In any case
the Pali Tipitaka is the only canon of an early school that is
preserved complete. It is not, however, in the true spirit of
Buddhism to adopt a 'fundamentalist' attitude towards the
scriptures, and it is thus open to the reader, Buddhist as well as
non-Buddhist, to regard the texts here translated with an open
and critical mind.
THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
Siddhattha Gotama ( in Sanskrit, Siddhartha Gautama), who
became the Buddha, the Enlightened One, may have lived from
about 563-483 B.C., through many modern scholars suggest a later
dating. 1 Oriental traditions offer a number of alternative datings,
that favoured in Sri Lanka and south-east Asia being 623 -543 . It
19
20 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
wa^ on this basis that the 2500th anniversary of his passing into
final Nibbana was celebrated, as Buddha Jayanti, in the East in
1:956— 57. He belonged to the Sakya clan dwelling on the edge of
the Himalayas, his actual birthplace being a few miles north of
the present-day Indian border, in Nepal. His father, Sud-
dhodana, was in fact an elected chief of the clan rather than the
king he was later made out to be, though his title was raja — a
term which only partly corresponds to our word 'king'. Some of
the states of North India at that time were kingdoms and others
republics, and the Sakyan republic was subject to the powerful
king of neighbouring Kosala, which lay to the south.
Disentangling the probable facts from the mass of legend
surrounding Gotama's life, we may assume the following to be
approximately correct. Though brought up to a life of luxury,
the young prince was overcome by a sense of the essentially
sorrowful aspect of life, and he decided to seek the cause and
cure of this state which he termed dukkha (conventionally but
inadequately rendered 'suffering' in English). At the age of
twenty-nine he renounced the world, going forth 'from the
household life into homelessness' in accordance with an al-
ready well-established tradition, thus joining the ranks of the
wandering ascetics (s amanas: see p. 22). He went successively to
two teachers, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, who
taught him how to attain to high meditative states. Realising,
however, that even the attainment of these states did not solve
his problem, Gotam^ went off on his own and practised severe
austerities for six years, gathering a little group of five ascetics
around him. However, finding that even the most extreme
forms of asceticism likewise did not lead to the goal, he
abandoned these excesses, and sat down at the foot of a tree by
the river Nerarijara, at the place now known as Bodh Gaya,
determined not to arise from the spot until enlightenment
should dawn. During that night he passed beyond the medi-
tative stages he had previously reached, and attained to com-
plete liberation as the Buddha— the Enlightened or Awakened
One. He spent the remaining forty-five years of his life wan-
dering up and down the Ganges Valley, expounding the doc-
trine that he had found and establishing the Sangha or Order of
Buddhist monks and nuns, which still exists today.
Introduction 21
HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND TO THE
buddha's times
' Ascetics and Brahmins'
India in the Buddha's day did not yet suffer from the grinding
poverty of the present time. The modem caste system had not
fully developed, but we find its germ in the division of society
into four groups or 'colours' (Pali vanna). The designation
betrays the origin of the distinction, being based on the con-
quest of northern India in about 1600 B.C. by the comparatively
light-skinned Aryans, who looked down on those of darker
hue they found there. In the context of Buddhism, where this
racial and aristocratic term (literally 'noble') is applied to the
nobility of the spirit, we shall use the form Ariyan, based on
Pah.
The Brahmins were the guardians of the religious cult
brought into India by the Aryans. In later, non-Buddhist
sources we always hear of the Brahmins as taking the leading
place in society. Buddhist sources, however (Sutta 3, for exam-
ple), assert the supremacy of the Khattiyas (Skt. ksatriya),
the Noble or Warrior class to which Gotama belonged. It
appears that while further west the Brahmins had already
established their supremacy, this was not yet the case in the
Ganges valley. In the third place came the Vessas (Skt. vaisya)
or merchants, and finally the Suddas (Skt. sudra ) or workers.
Below these there were certainly some slaves (we even hear of a
Sudda having a slave), and some unfortunates of the class who
were later to become known as 'untouchables'. But in addition
to these groupings, there were considerable numbers of
people, including at least a few women, who had opted out of
conventional society.
In the texts we frequently meet with the compound samana-
brdhmand, which we render 'ascetics and Brahmins'. While the
Pali Text Society dictionary correctly states that this compound
expression denotes quite generally 'leaders in religious life', it
is also true that the two groups were usually rivals.
The religious situation in northern India around 500 B.C. is
very interesting, and was undoubtedly exceptionally favour-
able to the development of the Buddhist and other faiths.
22 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
Though the Brahmins formed an important and increasingly
powerful hereditary priesthood, they were never, like their
counterparts elsewhere, able to assert their undisputed auth-
ority by persecuting and perhaps exterminating other religious
groups. It seems that some Brahmins would not have been
averse to such a course, but it was not open to them. They were
a caste set aside from other men (in reading about them in the
Buddhist texts, one is insistently reminded of the New Testa-
ment picture of the Pharisees, though in both cases the picture
presented is, to say the least, one-sided). They alone were
learned in the Three Vedas, knew the mystic mantras, and
could conduct the all-important, bloody and expensive sac-
rifices. In fact, not all Brahmins exercised their priestly func-
tions; some had settled down to agriculture or even trade, while
continuing to expect the deference which they regarded as their
due.
The earlier (Dravidian?) inhabitants who had been overrun
by the Aryans were the creators of the Indus Valley civilisation
with the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, all now in
Pakistan. And it is to this civilisation that We must look for the
origins of the second stream of religious life, that of the samanas
(Skt. sramanas). These have sometimes been absurdly called
'recluses', whereas the term really means the very opposite. True,
a samana might occasionally be a recluse, a hermit shut away
from the world in a rocky cell, but the more usual type was a
wandered who had indeed 'abandoned the world' to lead a more
or less ascetic life. He - or, rarely, she - was in fact, to use a
modem expression, a drop-out from society, though differing
from our modem drop-outs in at least one important respect:
the samanas as a group received no less respect from all classes,
even kings, than did the Brahmins (see Sutta 2, verse 25ff.).
Their teachings were many and varied — some wise and some
exceedingly foolish, some loftily spiritual and some crudely
materialistic. The point is that they were completely free to
teach whatever they pleased, and, so far from being persecuted
as they might have been elsewhere, were received with honour
wherever they went. We can distinguish several different
groups of these people. There were in particular the self-
mortifiers on the One hand, and th^ vyanderers on the other,
Introduction 23
whose only austerity probably consisted in their detachment
from family ties and, in theory at least, their observance of
chastity. Many of the bizarre and often revolting practices of the
first group are detailed in Sutta 8, verse 14. As pointed out in a
note to that Sutta, the practice of extreme austerity (tapas)
should not be called 'penance' because the motivation is entire-
ly different from that of a Christian penitent, to whom such
people might be superficially compared. The word tapas, which
basically means 'heat', is used both for the austere practices
indulged in and for the result they are intended to achieve,
which is power, that is, the development of various paranormal
powers. The belief was that these could be achieved by means
of such practices and, in particular, by sexual restraint. Thus, so
far from practising austerity like the Christian penitent, to atone
for past sins, they undertook these practices in the hope of
future powers, including, perhaps, those very joys that had
been temporarily renounced.
The wanderers ( paribbajakas ), some of whom were Brahmins,
wore clothes (unlike many of the others, who went completely
naked), and they led a less uncomfortable life. They were
'philosophers' who propounded many different theories about
the world and nature, and delighted in disputation. The Pali
Canon introduces us to six well-known teachers of the time, all
of whom were older than Gotama. They are Purana Kassapa, an
amoralist, Makkhali Gosala, a determinist, Ajita Kesakambali, a
materialist, Pakudha Kaccayana, a categorialist, the Nigantha
Nataputta (the Jain leader known to us as Mahavlra), who was a
relativist and eclectic, and Sarijaya Belatthaputta, an agnostic
sceptic or positivist (I borrow most of the descriptive epithets
from Jayatilleke). Their different views are quoted by King
Ajatasattu in Sutta 2, verses 16—32.
Besides these there were the propounders of the originally
secret teaching incorporated in the Upanisads which came to be
grafted on to orthodox Brahmanism, and whose doctrines were
later to form the core of the Vedanta system. For them, the
impersonal Brahman is the supreme reality, and the goal of the
teaching is the realisation that the individual human soul or self
(atman) is ultimately identical with the universal Self ( Atmanf,
which is another term for Brahman (the capitalisation here is
24 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
merely for clarity: the teaching was at first and for long oral, and
even when written down in an Oriental alphabet, such a
distinction could not be made, since capital letters do not exist
in any Eastern script). These aupanisadas are not mentioned in
the Pali Canon, though it is almost (but not, perhaps, quite)
certain that Gotama was acquainted with their teachings.
It has been urged that 'at depth there is no contradiction
between the greatest insights of the Upanisads and the Bud-
dha's teaching' — a view that would be contested by many. We
shall return very briefly to this point later (page 31). Suffice it to
say here that any theory that the Buddha taught a doctrine of a
supreme Self can only be said to fly in the face of the evidence.
Nor is it true, as is sometimes said, that in ancient India every-
body believed in karma (the law of moral cause and effect) and
rebirth, or indeed in anything else. There were, as we have
seen, materialists, sceptics and equivocators, and all sorts of
fantastic theorists. Neither can we accept the statement that the
Buddha was 'a Hindu who sought to reform the ancient reli-
gion'. Apart from the anachronistic use of the term 'Hindu', this
is wrong because he rejected the claims of the Brahmins as
religious authorities and, while not totally denying the exist-
ence of their gods, assigned to these a fundamentally unimpor-
tant role in the scheme of things. In so far as he belonged to any
existing tradition, it was that of the samanas , and like them he
taught as he saw fit. As a teacher he was not beholden to
anyone: he agreed <$r disagreed with tradition or the views of
others entirely in accordance with his sovereign perception of
the truth. It is, however, correct to say that the situation in India
in his time was particularly favourable to the spread of his
teaching, while the Teacher's long life enabled this to become
firmly established in his lifetime and under his direction.
MAIN POINTS OF THE TEACHING
The main points of the Buddha's teaching need only be briefly
summarised here. In his first sermon (Samyutta Nikaya 56.11)
the Buddha taught that there were twp extremes to be avoided:
over-indulgence in sensuality on the one hand, and self-torture
Introduction 25
on the other. He had had personal experience of both. Buddh-
ism is thus the middle way between these extremes, and also
between some other pairs of opposites, such as etemalism and
annihilationism (see Sutta 1, verse i.3off. and verse 3-9ff.).
The Four Noble Truths
The most succinct formulation of the teaching is in the form of
the Four Noble Truths:
1. Suffering ( dukkha );
2. The Origin of Suffering ( dukkha-samudaya ), which is craving
(tanhd);
3. The Cessation of Suffering ( dukkha-nirodha );
4. The Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering ( dukkha -
nirodha-gamim-patipada), which is the Noble Eightfold Path
( ariya-atthangika-magga ). This consists of:
(1) Right View ( sammd-ditthi ) (N.B. singular, not Right Views!)
(2) Right Thought (sammd-sankappa)
(3) Right Speech ( sammd-vdcd )
(4) Right Action ( samma-kammanta )
(5) Right Livelihood ( samma-djiva )
(6) Right Effort ( sammd-vdydma )
(7) Right Mindfulness ( sammd-sati )
(8) Right Concentration ( samma-samadhi ).
For a full account of these, see Sutta 22, verses 18—22.
The eight steps can be subsumed under the three heads of I.
Morality {sUa) (steps 3—5), II. Concentration ( samddhi ) (steps
6—8), and III. Wisdom (pahhd) (steps 1—2). It will be noticed
that in this arrangement the order is different. This is because,
while some preliminary wisdom is needed to start on the path,
the final flowering of the higher wisdom follows after develop-
ment of morality and concentration (cf. Sutta 33, verse 3.3(6)).
Stages on the Path
Progress on the path leading to the cessation of suffering, and
hence to Nibbana, is described in many places, notably in Sutta
2, in a long passage which is repeated verbatim in the following
Suttas. 2 The most fundamental meditative exercise is set forth
26 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
in Sutta 22. The breakthrough to the transcendental is achie-
ved in four stages, each of which is subdivided into two: path
( magga ) and fruition ( phala ). By attaining the first of these
stages one ceases to be a mere 'worldling' ( puthujjana ) and be-
comes a noble person ( ariya-puggala ). The stages or 'path-
moments' are designated in terms of the successive breaking of
ten fetters. Standard descriptions of these stages are given at
many places.
At the first stage, one 'enters the Stream' and thus becomes a
Stream-Winner ( sotdpanna ) by an experience also referred to
(for example, in Sutta 2, verse 102) as the 'opening of the
Dhamma-eye'. The first path-moment is immediately followed
by the fruition (phala), and likewise with the other three paths.
At First Path, one is said to have 'glimpsed Nibbana' (cf.
Visuddhimagga 22.126), and thereby three of the five lower
fetters are discarded for ever: 1. personality-belief { sakkdya -
ditthi), that is, belief in a self; 2. doubt ( vicikiccha ) and 3.
attachment to rites and rituals ( silabbata-pardmdsa ). In other
words, having had a glimpse of reality and perceived the falsity
of the self-belief, one is unshakeable and no more dependent
on external aids. One who has gained this state can, it is said,
no longer be bom in 'states of woe' and is assured of attaining
Nibbana after, at the most, seven more lives.
At the second stage, one becomes a Once-Retumer (sakadagd-
mi), in whom the fourth and fifth lower fetters are greatly
weakened: 4. sensuhl desire ( kdma-rdga ) and 5. ill-will (vydpd-
da ). Such a person will attain to Nibbana after at most one
further human rebirth. It is interesting to note that sensuality
and ill-will are so powerful that they persist, in however
attenuated a form, for so long.
At the third stage, one becomes a Non-Returner ( anagami ), in
whom the fourth and fifth fetters are completely destroyed. In
such a person all attachments to this world have ceased, and at
death one will be reborn in a higher world, in one of the Pure
Abodes (see Cosmology p. 42), and will attain Nibbana from
there without returning to this world. It may be mentioned that
in Samyutta Nikaya 22.89 Venerable Khemaka actually
gives some account of what it feels like to be a Non-Returner.
Finally, at the fourth stage, one becomes an Arahant (Sanskrit
Introduction 27
Arhat, literally 'worthy one'), by the destruction of the five
higher fetters: 6. craving for existence in the Form World
(rupa-raga), 7. craving for existence in the Formless World
(arupa-rdga) (see p. 42 for more about these), 8. conceit ( mdna ), 9.
restlessness ( uddhacca ), 10. ignorance ( avijjd ). For such a one, the
task has b$en completed, and that person will attain final
Nibbana 'without remainder' at death.
It should perhaps be added that there are two different ideas
that are widely circulated in the East. One is that in this
degenerate age it is not possible to become an Arahant. The
other, less pessimistic view is that while lay persons can attain
to the first three paths, only monks can become Arahants. There
is no scriptural authority for either idea. It should also be
mentioned that the Arahant ideal is one that is perfectly valid
for all schools of Buddhism. Likewise, the concept of the
Bodhisattva, who renounces the enjoyment of Nirvana in order
to bring all beings to enlightenment, which is considered the
hallmark of the Mahayana schools as opposed to the Hlnayana, 3
in fact exists in Theravada Buddhism as well. The difference of
schools is one of emphasis, and does not constitute the un-
bridgeable gap imagined by some, chiefly in the West. But it
cannot be our task to enter further into these matters here.
Nibbana or Nirvana
The Sanskrit form is better known in the West than the Pali
Nibbana. There are, not surprisingly, many misapprehensions
about this. In fact it has been said by one witty scholar that all
we have to go on is our misconception of Nirvana, because
until we have realised it we cannot know it as it really is. But if
we cannot say much about what it is, we can at least say
something about what it is not. Robert Caesar Childers, in his
famous and still useful Pali dictionary (1875), devoted a whole
long article, in fact a short treatise, to proving to his own
satisfaction that Nibbana implies total extinction, and this
view, though certainly erroneous, is still to be met with among
some Western scholars. And yet, it would be odd indeed if
Buddhists were supposed to have to tread the entire path right
up to the attainment of Arahantship merely in order to finish
28 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
up with that total obliteration which the materialists, and many
ordinary people today, assume to occur for all of us, good, bad
and indifferent, at the end of our present life. It is true, some
colour is given to this idea by the etymology of the term ( nir +
\/W = 'blowing out' as of a lamp). Contrasted with this,
however, we find other very different descriptions of Nibbana.
Thus in Sutta 1.3.20 it is used for 'the highest happiness',
defined as the indulgence in the pleasures of the five senses —
obviously a non-Buddhist use of the word, though it is not
otherwise attested in pre-Buddhist sources. We thus find two
apparently contradictory meanings of Nibbana: 1. 'extinction',
2. 'highest bliss'. And while these were wrongly used in the
examples quoted, they both occur in authentic texts.
In considering this problem, it is as well to note the words of
the Venerable Nyanatiloka in his Buddhist Dictionary:
One cannot too often and too emphatically stress the
fact that not only for the actual realization of the goal
of Nibbana, but also for a theoretical understanding
of it, it is an indispensable preliminary condition to
grasp fully the truth of Anatta, the egolessness and
insubstantiality of all forms of existence. Without
such an understanding, one will necessarily miscon-
ceive Nibbana — according to one's either mater-
ialistic or metaphysical leanings - either as anni-
hilation of an ego, or as an eternal state of existence
into which an Ego or Self enters or with which it
merges.
What this in effect means is that in order to 'understand'
Nibbana one should have 'entered the Stream' or gained First
Path, and thus have got rid of the fetter of personality-belief.
While scholars will continue to see it as part of their task to try
to understand what the Buddha meant by Nibbana, they
should perhaps have sufficient humility to realise that this is
something beyond the range of purely scholarly discussion. In
the systematisation of the Abhidhamma (see p. 52), Nibbana is
simply included as the 'unconditioned element' ( asankhata -
dhdtu), but with no attempt at definition. Nibbana is indeed the
Introduction 29
extinction of the 'three fires' of greed, hatred and delusion, or
the destruction of the 'corruptions' ( dsava ) of sense-desire,
becoming, wrong view and ignorance. Since the individual
'self' entity is not ultimately real, it cannot be said to be
annihilated in Nibbana, but the illusion of such a self is des-
troyed.
Very oddly, in the Pali-English Dictionary, it is said that
Nibbana is 'purely and simply an ethical state ... It is therefore
not transcendental.' In fact it is precisely the one and only
transcendental element in Buddhism, for which very reason no
attempt is made to define it in terms of a personal god, a higher
self, or the like. It is ineffable. It can, however, be realised, and
its realisation is the aim of the Buddhist practice. While no
description is possible, positive references to Nibbana are not
lacking: thus at Dhammapada 204 and elsewhere it is called 'the
highest bliss' ( paramam sukham ), and we may conclude this
brief account with the famous quotation from Udana 8.3:
There is, monks, an Unborn, Unbecome, Unmade,
Uncompounded ( ajatam abhutam akatam asankha-
tam ). If there were not this Unborn . . ., then there
would be no deliverance here visible from that
which is bom, become, made, compounded. But
since there is this Unborn^ Unbecome, Unmade, Un-
compounded, therefore a deliverance is visible from
that which is bom, become, made, compounded.
This is, at the same time, perhaps the best answer we can give
concerning the Upanisadic Atman. Buddhism teaches no such
thing— nevertheless the above quotation could certainly be
applied to the Atman as understood in Vedanta, or indeed to the
Christian conception of God. However, to the followers of those
faiths it would be an insufficient description, and the additions
they would make would for the most part be unacceptable to
Buddhists. It can, however, be suggested that this statement
represents the fundamental basis of all religions worthy of the
name, as well as providing a criterion to distinguish hue
religion from such surrogates as Marxism, humanism and the
like.
30 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
The Three Marks (tilakkhana)
The formula of the three marks (also referred to as 'signs of
being', 'signata', etc.) is found in many places (in expanded,
versified form Dhammapada 277 9 ). It runs.
1. 'All sankharas 4 (compounded things) are impermanent': Sab-
be sankhdra aniccd
2. 'All sankharas are unsatisfactory': Sabbe sankhara dukkha
3. 'All dhammas (all things including the unconditioned) are
without self': Sabbe dhamma anattd
The first and second of these marks apply to all mundane
things, everything that 'exists' ( sankhdra in its widest sense).
The third refers in addition to the unconditioned element
( 1 a-sankhata , that is, not a sankhdra , thus Nibbana). This does not
'exist' (relatively), but IS.
Thus, nothing lasts for ever, all things being subject to change
and disappearance. Nothing is completely satisfactory: dukkha ,
conventionally rendered 'suffering', has the wide meaning of
not satisfying, frustrating, painful in whatever degree. Even
pleasant things come to an end or cease to attract, and the
painful aspect of life is too well-known and ubiquitous to need
discussion.
The first two marks can perhaps be appreciated without too
much effort, even though their profound penetration is mpre
difficult. It is the third mark that has provoked much con-
troversy and misunderstanding.
An-attd (Skt. an-atman) is the negative of attd/dtman 'self'. So
much is clear. In ordinary usage atta is a pronoun used for all
persons and genders, singular and plural, meaning myself ,
'herself', 'ourselves', 'themselves', etc. It has no metaphysical
implications whatsoever. This, then, is the self of daily life,
which has a purely relative and conventional reality if only
because it is an almost indispensable expression in everyday
speech. As a noun, atta to the Buddhist means an imaginary
entity, a so-called 'self', which is not really there. The five
khandhas or aggregates, the various parts that make up our
empirical personality (see Sutta 22, verse 14), do not constitute
a self, either individually or collectively. Our so-called 'self.
Introduction 31
then, is something bogus. It is, however, a concept that we d i n g
to with great tenacity. See further, p. 32.
It was said earlier that any theory that the Buddha taught
such a doctrine as the Upanisadic Higher Self can only be said
to fly in the face of the evidence. This is borne out by the third
mark: all dhammas are without self. The term dhamma here
includes Nibbana, the Buddhist ultimate. Thus this is expressly
stated not to be any kind of 'Higher Self'. There are those who
believe that what the Buddha taught and what the Upanisads
taught must agree. Be that as it may at some deeper level, the
expression is certainly different. It is arguable that the Buddha
considered the term 'self', which to him was something evanes-
cent, to be ludicrously inappropriate to the supreme reality,
whatever its nature. To pursue such arguments as this any
further is surely fruitless.
Levels of Truth
An important and often overlooked aspect of the Buddhist
teaching concerns the levels of truth, failure to appreciate which
has led to many errors (see n. 220). Very often the Buddha talks
in the Suttas in terms of conventional or relative truth ( sammuti -
or vohdra-sacca), according to which people and things exist
just as they appear to the naive understanding. Elsewhere,
however, when addressing an audience capable of appreciating
his meaning, he speaks in terms of ultimate truth ( paramattha -
sacca ), according to which 'existence is a mere process of
physical and mental phenomena within which, or beyond
which, no real ego-entity nor any abiding substance can ever be
found' ( Buddhist Dictionary under Paramattha). In the
Abhidhamma, the entire exposition is in terms of ultimate
truth. It may also be observed that many 'Zen paradoxes' and
the like really owe their puzzling character to their being put in
terms of ultimate, not of relative truth. The full understanding
of ultimate truth can, of course, only be gained by profound
insight, but it is possible to become increasingly aware of the
distinction. There would seem in fact to be a close parallel in
modem times in the difference between our naive world-view
and that of the physicist, both points of view having their use
32 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
in their own sphere. Thus, conventionally speaking, or accord-
ing to the naive world-view, there are solid objects such as
tables and chairs, wiiereas according to physics the alleged
solidity is seen to be an illusion, and whatever might turn out to
be the ultimate nature of matter, it is certainly something very
different from that which presents itself to our senses. Howev-
er, when the physicist is off duty, he or she makes use of solid
tables and chairs just like everyone else.
In the same way, all such expressions as T, 'self' and so on
are always in accordance with conventional truth, and the
Buddha never hesitated to use the word attd 'self' (and also with
plural meaning: 'yourselves', etc.) 5 in its conventional and
convenient sense. In fact, despite all that has been urged to the
contrary, there is not the slightest evidence that he ever used it
in any other sense except when critically quoting the views of
others, as should clearly emerge from several of the Suttas here
translated.
In point of fact, it should be stressed that conventional truth
is sometimes extremely important. The whole doctrine of karma
and rebirth has its validity only in the realm of conventional
truth. That is why, by liberating ourselves from the viewpoint
of conventional truth we cease to be subject to karmic law.
Objections to the idea of rebirth in Buddhism, too, are some-
times based on a misunderstanding of the nature of the two
truths. As long as we are unenlightened 'worldlings', our minds
habitually operate in terms of 'me' and 'mine', even if in theory
we know better. It is not until this tendency has been complete-
ly eradicated that full enlightenment can dawn. At Samyutta
Nikaya 22.89 the Venerable Khemaka, who is a Non-Returner,
explains how 'the subtle remnant of the 'I'-conceit, of the
T-desire, an unextirpated lurking tendency to think: 'I am",
still persists even at that advanced stage.
Probably the best account of the Buddha's attitude to truth is
given by Jayatilleke in The Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge
(1963, 36iff.). It may be mentioned that for those who find this
work hard going, his second, posthumous book. The Message of
the Buddha (1975), makes for easier reading. Jayatilleke has been
attacked for equating the philosophy of Buddhism too closely
Introduction 33
with the modem school of logical positivism. In this connection
it is perhaps best to let him speak for himself:
The Buddha, again, was the earliest thinker in his-
tory to recognise the fact that language tends to
distort in certain respects the nature of reality and to
stress the importance of not being misled by linguis-
tic forms and conventions. In this respect, he fore-
shadowed the modem linguistic or analytical philo-
sophers. ( The Message of the Buddha, 33).
It seems hard to find any fault with that. Jayatilleke goes on:
He was the first to distinguish meaningless ques-
tions and assertions from meaningful ones. As in
science he recognised perception and inference as
the twin sources of knowledge, but there was one
difference. For perception, according to Buddhism,
included extra-sensory forms as well, such as tele-
pathy and clairvoyance. Science cannot ignore such
phenomena and today there are Soviet as well as
Western scientists, who have admitted the validity
of extra-sensory perception in the light of ex-
perimental evidence.
Probably most readers will concede the possibility that the
Buddha knew a few things which modem science is only now
beginning to discover, or accept. We will leave it at that.
Kamma
The Sanskrit form of this word, karma, is more familiar to
Westerners, but as its meaning in non-Buddhist contexts is not
necessarily always the same as in Buddhism, there is some
advantage in using the Pali form kamma here. The literal
meaning of the word is 'action', and at Anguttara Nikaya 6.63
the Buddha defines it as volition ( cetana ). It is therefore any
deliberate act, good or bad (in Pali kusala 'skilful, wholesome' or
akusala 'unskilful, unwholesome'). A good act will normally
lead to pleasant results for the doer, and a bad act to unpleasant
34 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
ones. The correct Pali (and Sanskrit) word for such results is
vipdka ('ripening'), though karma/kamma tends in practice to
be used loosely for the results as well as the deeds that pro-
duced them — even sometimes by those who really know
better. But it is as well to be aware of the correct distinction.
The question is sometimes asked whether there is free-will
in Buddhism. The answer should be clear: each karmic act is
the exercise of a choice, good or bad. Thus though our actions
are limited by conditions, they are not totally determined.
In this computerised age, it may be helpful to some to think
of kamma as 'programming' our future. Thus the 'karma-
formations' ( sahkhdras ) mentioned below are the 'programme'
which we have — through ignorance — made in past lives. The
aim of the practice, of course, is to get beyond all kamma. An
account of how to progress towards this aim is given in many
Suttas, and especially in the first division of the Digha Nikaya.
The Twelve Links of the Chain of Dependent Origination
This famous formulation is found in many places in the Canon,
and is also represented visually in Tibetan thangkas in the form
of a twelve-spoked wheel. The Pali term paticca-samuppada (Skt.
pratitya-samutpdda) is usually rendered 'dependent origination',
though Edward Conze preferred 'conditioned co-production'. It
has been much debated by Western scholars, some of whom
produced some strange theories on the subject. The usual
formulation is as follows:
1. Ignorance conditions the 'Karma-formations' ( avijjd -
paccayd sankhdrd)
2. The Karma-formations condition Consciousness ( sankhdra -
paccayd vihndnam )
3. Consciousness conditions Mind-and-Body (lit. 'Name-and-
Form': vihhdna-paccayd ndma-rupahi)
4. Mind-and-Body conditions the Six Sense-Bases ( nama -
rupa-paccayd saldyatanam )
5. The Six Sense-Bases condition Contact (s alayatana-paccayd
phasso )
6. Contact conditions Feeling ( phassa-paccayd vedana )
7. Feeling conditions Craving ( vedana-paccaya tanha)
Introduction 35
8. Craving conditions Clinging ( tanha-paccayd upadanam)
9. Clinging conditions Becoming ( upddana-paccayd bhavo )
10. Becoming conditions Birth ( bhava-paccayd jdti)
11. Birth conditions (12) Ageing- and-Death (jati-paccaya jara-
maranam).
This is best understood if taken in reverse order. In Sutta 15,
verse 2 the Buddha says to Ananda: 'If you are asked: "Has
ageing-and-death a condition for its existence?" you should
answer: "Yes. "If asked: "What conditions ageing-and-death?"
you should answer: "Ageing-and-death is conditioned by
birth"', and so on. Thus, if there were no birth, there could be
no ageing-and-death: birth is a necessary condition for their
arising.
According to the usual view, which is certainly correct but
perhaps not the only way of regarding the matter, the twelve
links ( nidanas ) are spread over three lives: 1—2 belonging to a
past life, 3—10 to this present life, and 11 — 12 to a future life.
Thus the development of our 'karma-formations' or behaviour
patterns is due to past ignorance (that is, the fact that 'we' are
not enlightened). These patterns condition the arising of a new
Consciousness in the womb, on the basis of which a new
psycho-physical complex ( ndma-rupa ) comes into being, equip-
ped with the six sense-bases (of sight, hearing, smelling, tasting
and touching, with mind as the sixth sense). Contact of any of
these with a sense-object (sight, sound, etc.) produces feeling,
which may be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. On the basis of
pleasant feeling, desire or craving arises. The links from con-
sciousness to feeling are the results of past actions ( vipdka ),
whereas craving, clinging and the process of becoming are
volitional (that is, kamma), and will therefore have results for the
future. In fact they set in train the same process of (re)birth (due
to ignorance) that we witnessed before, and birth must inevit-
ably lead to death. This is the continuous process in which we,
as unenlightened beings, are caught up.
Curiously, in the Digha Nikaya we do not find the twelve
links. The steps from feeling to ageing-and-death are men-
tioned in Sutta 1, verse 3.71, while in the two main expositions
in this book, the process in reverse is traced back only to its
36 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
starting-point in this life, that is, to consciousness and mind-
and-body, which are said to condition each other mutually.
Thus, in Sutta 14, we have a set of ten steps instead of the usual
twelve, while in Sutta 15, still more remarkably, the six sense-
bases are omitted, thus making a total of only nine links. In
other parts of the Canon there are occasional expansions
beyond the twelve links give here, but this is the standard
formula. It seems that the repeaters ( bhdnakd ) of the Digha had a
tradition of their own to which they firmly adhered.
While we should certainly not make Ananda's mistake (Sutta
15, verse 1) of thinking the whole thing easy to understand, we
can get some general grasp of it, especially if we regard the links
in reverse order, which is the way the Buddha explained it to
Ananda. At least we shall find that it is not so arbitrary or
nonsensical as some Western scholars have supposed.
Rebirth
There are some people in the West who are attracted in many
ways to Buddhism, but who find the idea of rebirth a
stumbling-block, either because they find it distasteful and/or
incredible in itself, or in some cases because they find it hard to
reconcile with the 'non-self' idea. Some such considerations as
any of these sometimes even lead people to declare that the
Buddha did not actually teach rebirth at all, or that if he did so,
this was only for popular consumption, because his hearers
could not have accented the truth. All such views are based on
various kinds of misunderstanding.
It should be noted, incidentally, that Buddhists prefer to
speak, not of reincarnation, but of rebirth. Reincarnation is the
doctrine that there is a transmigrating soul or spirit that passes
on from life to life. In the Buddhist view we may say, to begin
with, that that is merely what appears to happen, though in
reality no such soul or spirit passes on in this way. In Majjhima
Nikaya 38 the monk Sati was severely rebuked for declaring
that 'this very consciousness' transmigrates, whereas in reality
a new consciousness arises at rebirth dependent on the old.
Nevertheless there is an illusion of continuity in much the same
way as there is within this life. Rebirth from life to life is in
principle scarcely different from the rebirth from moment to
Introduction yj
moment that goes on in this life. The point can be intellectually
grasped, with a greater or less degree of difficulty, but it is only
at the first path-moment, with the penetration of the spurious
nature of what we call self, that it is clearly understood without
a shadow of doubt remaining.
It cannot be the purpose of this book to argue in favour of a
belief in rebirth, but sceptics might do well to read Rebirth as
Doctrine and Experience by Francis Story (Buddhist Publication
Society 1975), which has an introduction by Ian Stevenson,
Carlson Professor of Psychiatry in the University of Virginia.
This book contains some case-histories from Thailand and
elsewhere which are difficult to explain except on the rebirth
hypothesis, and Prof. Stevenson, too, has published several
volumes of research-findings of a similar nature from various
parts of the world. It may be that the excessive credulity which
characterised some previous ages has, in the present time,
given way to equally excessive scepticism.
Cosmology ^
If we even provisionally accept the idea of rebirth, this almost
necessarily requires acceptance of some kind of spirit-world or
worlds. In the Buddhist scriptures we find a scheme of post-
mortem worlds which, while having much in common with
general Indian ideas, is in many of its details unique. Here,
there are no eternal heavens or hells, though some of both are
said to be tremendously long-lasting; but all is in an eternal flux
in which worlds and world- systems are bom and perish, and
living beings are continually bom, die and are reborn according
to their karmic deserts. It is a grandiose, but ultimately frighten-
ing and horrifying vision. Deliverance from it is only possible
through the insight engendered by following the path taught
by one of the Buddhas who occasionally arise on the scene. For
those who fail to gain this insight there can be a happy rebirth
for a long time in one of the temporary heaven-worlds, but no
permanent deliverance from the perils of birth-and-death. This
is samsdra or cyclic existence, the 'on-faring'.
All existence in the various realms of samsara is in one of the
three worlds: the World of Sense-Desires ( kdma-loka ), the World
of Form (or the 'fine-material world': rupa-loka) and the Form-
Introduction
38 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
less (or 'immaterial') World ( ariipa-loka ), the latter two of which
are inhabited by those who have attained, in this life, the
corresponding mental absorptions (jhdnas) frequently described
in the texts. Beyond all this lies the realm of the Supramundane
( lokuttara ) or Nibbana — the 'other shore', the only secure
haven. And this, though it can be experienced, cannot be
described.
There are thirty-one states in which, it is said, one can be
reborn, distributed over the three worlds. The lowest of the
three, the World of Sense-Desires, consists of the first eleven
states, of which human rebirth is the fifth. Below this are the
fourfold 'states of woe': hells, the world of asuras (sometimes
rendered 'titans'), of hungry ghosts ( petas ), and of animals,
while above it are the six lowest heavens. Above these are the
sixteen heavens of the World of Form, and above these again
the four heavens of the Formless World.
Special importance attaches to the human condition, since it
is next to impossible to gain enlightenment from any other
sphere than this: the realms below the human are too miser-
able, and those above it too happy and carefree for the neces-
sary effort to be easily made.
The list as it stands show signs of late elaboration, but many
of the spheres shown, or their inhabitants, are mentioned in the
Suttas of this collection.
THE THIRTY-ONE ABODES
( Reading from below)
The Formless World
Arupa-loka
31. Sphere of Neither-
31. Nevasahnanasahriayatanupaga
Perception-Nor-Non-
deva
Perception (devas of)
30. Sphere of No-Thingness
30. Akiricahriayatanupaga
(devas of)
deva
29. Sphere of Infinity of Con-
29. Virinanaricayatanupaga
sciousness (devas of)
deva
28. Sphere of Infinity of Space
28. Akasanancayatanupaga
(devas of)
deva
The World of Form
Rupa-loka
27. Peerless devas
27.
Akanittha deva
26. Clear-Sighted devas
26.
Sudassi deva
25. Beautiful (or Clearly Visi-
25-
Sudassa deva
ble) devas
24. Untroubled devas
24.
Atappa deva
23. Devas not Falling Away
23.
Aviha deva
22. Unconscious beings
22.
Asaririasatta
21. Very Fruitful devas
21.
Vehapphala deva
20. Devas of Refulgent Glory
20.
Subhakinna deva
19. Devas of Unbounded Glory 19.
Appamanasubha deva
18. Devas of Limited Glory
18.
Parittasubha deva
17. Devas of Streaming
* 7 -
Abhassara deva
Radiance
16. Devas of Unbounded
16.
Appamanabha deva
Radiance
15. Devas of Limited
15 -
Parittabha deva
Radiance
14. Great Brahmas
14.
Maha Brahma
13. Ministers of Brahma
13.
Brahma-Purohita deva
12. Retinue of Brahma
12.
Brahma-Parisajja deva
The World of Sense-Desires
Kama-loka
11. Devas Wielding Power
11.
Paranimmita-vasavatti
over Others' Creations
deva
10. Devas Delighting in Crea-
10.
Nimmanarati deva
tion
9. Contented devas
9 -
Tusita deva
8. Yama devas
8.
Yama deva
7. The Thirty-Three Gods
7 -
Tavatimsa deva
6. Devas of the Four Great
6.
Catumaharajika deva
Kings
5. THE HUMAN WORLD
5 -
MANUSSA LOKA
4. The animal world
4 -
Tiracchana Yoni
3. The world of hungry
3 -
Peta Loka
ghosts
2. The asuras ('titans')
2.
Asura
1. Hells
1.
Niraya.
40 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
EXPLANATIONS OF THE THIRTY-ONE ABODES
The World of Sense Desires
1. Hells. The hell-states are often rendered 'purgatory' to indi-
cate that they are not eternal. See n.244. Descriptions of the
hells, their horrors and the length of time supposedly spent
there, became increasingly lurid as time went on. In the Digha
Nikaya there are no such descriptions, the kind and duration of
suffering in such 'states of woe' being left quite vague. Jaya-
tilleke ( The Message of the Buddha, 251) quotes from the Samyut-
ta Nikaya 36.4 (= S iv.206):
When the average ignorant person makes an asser-
tion that there is a Hell ( patdla ) under the ocean, he
is making a statement that is false and without basis.
The word 'hell' is a term for painful bodily sensa-
tions.
This certainly deserves more credence as a saying of the Bud-
dha than the late Suttas Majjhima Nikaya 129, 130. See also
Visuddhimagga i3-93ff. for more on the first four abodes.
2. Asuras. See n.512. Rebirth among the asuras or titans is
sometimes omitted from the list of separate destinations. In the
Mahayana tradition they are often regarded more favourably
than in the Pali Canon — perhaps a reminiscence of their earlier
status as gods.
3. Hungry ghosts. -These unhappy creatures are depicted with
enormous bellies and tiny mouths. They wander about the
world in great distress, which can, however, be alleviated by
generous offerings. The Petavatthu, the seventh book of the
Khuddaka Nikaya and one of the latest portions of the Canon,
has many strange tales about them.
4. The animal world. The animal kingdom, together with the
human realm, constitutes the only realm of beings normally
visible to human sight and therefore indisputably existing
(Ajita Kesakambali, like any modem rationalist, disbelieved in
all the rest). There are those today in the West who object
strongly to the idea that the Buddha taught that we can be
reborn as animals, though at first sight the evidence is all
against them. However, since tiracchana, normally meaning
Introduction 41
'animal', is used in Sutta 1 in the compounds tiracchana-kathd,
tiracchdna-vijjd, meaning 'low talk', 'base art', it is just possible
that as a 'destination' for humans tiracchana-yoni can be taken
as a low rebirth. Some confirmation is provided by the case of
Khorakkhattiya (Sutta 24, verse 9 and n.244).
5. The human world. Rebirth as a human being is regarded as
a great opportunity which should be seized, since it may not
easily recur, and it is almost impossible to 'enter the Stream'
and so start on the path to Nibbana from any other condition
(but see n.6oo). Beings in the states below the human are too
miserable, fearful and benighted, and those above it are too
happy to make the necessary effort. In the human world we
encounter both joy and sorrow, often very evenly balanced, and
it is also possible to attain to a state of equanimity which is
favourable to progress. Nevertheless, most human beings are
very much under the sway of sense-desires, as indeed are the
inhabitants of the worlds immediately above this one.
6. The Realm of the Four Great Kings. These kings are the
guardians of the four quarters, and a lively account of existence
on their plane is given in Sutta 20, to which reference should be
made. The beings from here on are called devas, or in some
cases alternatively Brahmas. Various kinds of non-human
beings, not all of whom are beneficent, are supposed to be
located in or associated with this realm, and are mentioned in
Sutta 20. Since the inhabitants of this sphere (especially the
gandhabbas, heavenly musicians and attendants on the kings
and their followers) are still addicted to sense-pleasures, it is
considered disgraceful for a monk to be reborn there. However,
as we are told in Sutta 21, verse 11, it is possible for such to
progress to a much higher plane if they make the effort.
7. The Thirty-Three Gods. Their heaven had once been the
abode of the asuras, who had been expelled from it. No list of
the thirty-three exists, but their chief is Sakka (Sankrit Sakra),
who is either a reformed Indra or, as Rhys Davids considered, a
Buddhist replacement for him. Many good people were reborn
in this realm.
8. Ydma devas. These devas are usually only mentioned in
passing. The name is said to mean 'those who have attained to
divine bliss', but may also relate to Yama, king of the dead.
Introduction 43
42 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
9. Contented devas. It is in their heaven that Bodhisattas
reside before their last birth, and Once-Retumers are also
sometimes bom here.
10, 11. Devas Delighting in Creation; devas Wielding Power over
Others' Creations. The former can create any shape they like, the
latter delight in things created by others, to get them in their
power. These two are the highest in the World of Sense Desires.
The World of Form (Fine-Material World)
12. The Retinue of Brahma. The inhabitants of abodes 12—21 are
known as devas or Brahmas. Rebirth in these worlds is depen-
dent on experience of the lower jhanas as well as moral be-
haviour. Those who live in them are free from sensual desire,
though in most cases only by suppression through the jhanas,
not by eradication.
13—14. Ministers of Brahma and Great Brahmas. See below.
15—21. These are all worlds in which those who have experi-
enced the lower jhanas may be reborn according to their
development: thus the highest sphere, number 21, is inhabited
by those who have had a strong experience of the fourth jhana,
and so on downwards.
22. Unconscious beings. See n.65.
23—27. These are the Pure Abodes in which Non-Returners
are reborn, and whence they gain Nibbana without returning
to earth.
The Formless World (Immaterial World)
28—31. These correspond to the four higher jhanas of the
Formless World,, and rebirth in these realms depends on the
attainment of these jhanas, as for numbers 12—21. Gotama
attained to the Sphere of No-Thingness under his first teacher,
Alara Kalama, and to the Sphere of Neither-Perception-Nor-
Non-Perception under his second teacher Uddaka Ramaputta.
He thus reached the highest state attainable without breaking
through to the Supramundane (lokuttara) which is "beyond the
Three Worlds'.
SOME NAMES AND DESIGNATIONS
Brahma
In Buddhism there is not one Brahma or Great Brahma but
many, and they are not immortal. The origin of the belief in
Brahma as creator of the world is given in Sutta 1, verse 2.2ff.,
and a satirical picture of the boastful Great Brahma (who
nevertheless is a true follower of the Buddha) is given in Sutta
11. But though not almighty or eternal, Brahmas are powerful
and benevolent beings who are still believed, in Oriental
Buddhist countries, to be able to bestow mundane favours (for
example the Brahma shrine outside the Erawan Hotel in Bang-
kok). One Great Brahma, Sahampati, begged the newly-
enlightened Buddha to teach those who had "little dust on their
eyes'.
There is no certain or even probable trace of the neuter
Brahman in Pali scriptures. In Sutta 13 two young Brahmins
consult the Buddha on how to attain to 'union with Brahma' or
more correctly "fellowship with Brahma'. Rhys Davids has been
accused of mistranslating sahavyatd here as 'union', thus im-
plying a mystical union rather than merely belonging to the
company of Brahma. But the Brahmins had explained to the
Buddha that they were puzzled because different teachers
interpreted the path to Brahma in different ways. Thus both
interpretations may well be implied here.
Buddha
This is of course a generic term, not a proper name: Gotama
was "the Buddha', not just "Buddha' (the same should apply to
Christ "the Anointed', but usage is against this). It is a past
participle form meaning 'awakened', thus 'enlightened'. Bud-
dhas appear at vast intervals of time. Besides the fully-
enlightened Buddha who teaches Dhamma to the world
( Samma-Sambuddha ) there is the "private Buddha' ( Pacceka -
Buddha), who is enlightened but does not teach. As time went
on, a more and more elaborate Buddhology developed, the first
beginnings of which can be seen here in Sutta 14. It was under
the Buddha DIpankara, vast ages ago, that the Brahmin
44 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
Sumedha first made the determination to become a Buddha,
which he finally did as the historical Buddha Gotama. See
especially Sutta 14.
Deva
This word is difficult to translate, and in general I have retained
the Pali form, though in the case of the Thirty-Three Gods I
have called them such, since they constitute something of a
pantheon like that found in ancient Greece and elsewhere, even
though few of them are individually named. As will be seen
from the table, the term deva is applied to the inhabitants of all
or any of the states above the human, though those in the
World of Form can also be called Brahma - a term which is
probably better restricted to the inhabitants of realm No. 14.
The etymological meaning of deva is 'bright, shining' (related to
Latin deus, dfvus), but the word is popularly associated with the
root div 'to play'.
Devas are said to be of three kinds: 1. Conventional, that is,
kings and princes, who are addressed as 'Deva!' (hence the
Indian idea of the 'god-king' — a title adopted by the kings of
Cambodia but misapplied in modem times to the Dalai Lama!),
2. purified, that is, Buddhas and Arahants, and 3. spontaneous-
ly bom ( uppattideva ), that is, devas in the sense as used here.
Besides the form deva (which is uncommon in the third sense
in the singular), we find the abstract noun devata used much
like 'deity' in English. It should be noted that though this noun
is grammatically feminine, it does not necessarily imply female
sex. When it is wished to indicate the sex, the words devaputta
'deva's son' and devadhita 'deva's daughter' may be used,
though as most devas are spontaneously reborn this should not
be taken literally (however, there are some indications of sexual
reproduction occurring in the lowest heavens: we learn from
Suttas 20 and 21 that the gandhabba chief Timbaru had a
daughter).
Devas have all been human, and may be reborn again in
human form, which in fact would be good fortune for them, as
it is so much easier to gain enlightenment from the human
state. In view of their former human state, it has been suggest-
Introduction 45
ed that they are not unlike spirits (in the Spiritualist sense);
another suggested translation is 'angels', but on the whole it
seemed best (with one slight exception noted) to retain the Pali
term for these beings. (The word Devachan used by Theoso-
phists is not in fact derived from deva, but is the Tibetan word
bde-ba-can 'land of bliss', rendering the Sanskrit Sukhdvatt.)
Gandhabbas
Celestial musicians (see Suttas 20, 21), subject to Dhatarattha,
the Great King of the East, they act as attendants on the devas,
and are still much addicted to sense-pleasures.
It was formerly thought that gandhabbas also presided at
conception, but this is due to a misunderstanding of a passage
in Majjhima Nikaya 38 where it is stated that a 'gandhabba'
must be present in addition to a man and a woman for
conception to take place. The word here means, as the commen-
taries explain, 'being about to be bom', that is the new con-
sciousness arising dependent on that of a being who has died.
Garudds
These are giant birds, ever at war with the nagas (except when,
under the Buddha's influence, a truce is called: Sutta 20, verse
11). The garuda ( khruth ) is the royal badge of Thailand. In
Indian legend, Visnu rode on a garuda.
Nagas
The most interesting and difficult of the various classes of
non-human beings. Basically the term seems to apply to snakes,
in particular the king cobra, but nagas are also associated with
elephants, probably on account of the snake- like hunk. They are
very wise and powerful, though they suffer terribly from the
attacks of the garudas. The term is often used for a great man,
including the Buddha. But as Malalasekera writes ( Dictionary of
Pali Proper Names ii, 13 55): 'In the accounts given of the nagas,
there is undoubtedly great confusion between the nagas as
supernatural (sic!) beings, as snakes, and as the name of certain
non-Aryan tribes, but the confusion is too difficult to unravel.'
46 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
Tathagata
The word generally used by the Buddha in referring to himself
or to other Buddhas, though it seemingly can apply to any
Arahant. Etymologically it means either — tathd-dgata Thus
come 7 or tathd-gata 'thus gone'. It would seem to be a way of
indicating that 'he who stands before you' is not like other
beings. For commentarial explanations, see Bhikkhu Bodhi's
separate translation of Sutta 1 (see n.n). The Digha commen-
tury (see p. 50) gives no fewer than eight different explanations,
and the Mahayana schools have many more.
Yakkhas
Yakkhas, who are subject to Vessavana, Great King of the
North, are curiously ambivalent creatures, for reasons explained
in Sutta 32, verse 2. Some are believers in the Buddha, but
others, not wishing to keep the precepts, are hostile to the
Dhamma, and they are in fact in the majority. Among the 'good
yakkhas', however, we find (Sutta 19) Janavasabha, who had
been King Bimbisara of Magadha and a Stream- Winner! Later
tradition insists more and more on the bad side of the yakkhas,
who come to be regarded as ogres or demons pure and simple
— with the female of the species being more deadly than the
male.
THE PALI CANON
According to tradition, the text of the Pali Canon was settled at
a Council held at Rajagaha immediately after the Teacher's
passing, having been memorised by leading Elders, who were
highly realised practitioners of the Dhamma. In fact it is clear
that the collection as we have it originated over a longer period.
The Canon was preserved in oral form until the first century
B.C., when it became apparent that the sacred texts might
vanish from the earth if they were not recorded in writing. They
were accordingly written down under King Vattagamani at this
time in Sri Lanka, though some portions may already have
been committed to writing earlier. The feat of memory involved
' Introduction 47
in preserving such an extensive body of text orally for so long
may seem extraordinary to us, but was quite usual in ancient
India. Writing was certainly known in India in the Buddha's
time, but was not used for such purposes. It must, however, be
remembered that in the course of forty-five years the Buddha
preached, doubtless often in a standardised form (see p. 49), to
many thousands of people, and that many of the monks and
nuns had trained minds and memories, and will have known
full well the meaning of what they were repeating.
From about the time of the Second Council, held at Vesali a
century after the Buddha's passing, we hear of divisions and
the formation of sects within the Order. This led eventually to
the rise of the Mahayana schools. An up-to-date account of
these developments can be found in A.K. Warder's Indian
Buddhism. Here we need merely note that the Theravada type of
Buddhism was carried early to Ceylon, and later to Burma,
Thailand and other parts of south-east Asia, whereas the forms
of Buddhism that spread to Tibet, China, Japan and other more
northerly regions were of the developed, Mahayana type. Por-
tions of the early scriptures of some of the schools that arose
have been preserved, either in Sanskrit or, very often, in
Chinese and/or Tibetan translations. The Sanskrit of these texts
is often very bad, but the attempt was clearly made to lend
dignity to the teaching by using the classical language. We thus
find that Buddhist terms are found in both Pali and Sanskrit
forms, and while the Pali terms are doubtless older, the Sanskrit
forms are sometimes better known to the Western reader. Thus
Sanskrit karma is more often used by Westerners than Pali
kamma, Sanskrit dharma and nirvana than Pali dhamma and
nibbdna.
THE PALI LANGUAGE
Strictly speaking, the word Pali means 'text'. But the expression
Pdlibhdsd, meaning 'language of the texts', was early taken to be
the name of the language itself. Its use is practically confined to
Buddhist subjects, and then only in the Theravada school. Its
exact origins are the subject of learned debate. While we cannot
48 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
go too deeply into the matter here, it may be said that the
traditional equation with the language of the ancient kingdom
of Magadha, and the assertion that Pali is, literally and precise-
ly, the language spoken by the Buddha himself, cannot be
sustained. All the same, the language the Buddha actually spoke
was in all probability not very different from Pali.
From the point of view of the non- specialist, we can think of
Pali as a kind of simplified Sanskrit. Its development, like that
of other early Indian dialects, can be thought of as similar to an
early form of Italian just breaking away from Latin. A close
parallel is found in the word for 'seven', where Latin septem has
become Italian sette, the pt being simplified by assimilation to
ft. The Sanskrit equivalent sapta is in Pali satta, and similar
types of simplification are found in hundreds of words. The
grammar, too, has been slightly simplified, though not nearly so
much as that of Italian. 6 But the two languages are still so close
that it is possible to convert whole passages of Sanskrit into Pali
simply by making the necessary mechanical transpositions. 7
See p. 17 for more details about the relationship between Pali
and Sanskrit.
THIS TRANSLATION
The text on which this translation is based is the Pali Text
Society edition by T.W. Rhys Davids and J.E. Carpenter (3
volumes, 1890— 1910)? 8 I have made some slight use of the Thai
translation as well as of Franke's German one, and have also
made a few corrections following the Ven. Buddhadatta, Nana-
moli and others, as indicated at the appropriate places.
It must be pointed out that any translator of the Pali Canon is
faced with peculiar difficulties, if only owing to the repetitive-
ness of the originals. Even the manuscripts contain numerous
abridgements, and any translator must necessarily abridge a
great deal more. I have dealt with repetitions in three ways.
Long sections have been condensed into a few lines, which
appear in italics and include the Sutta and verse numbers of the
omitted passages. Where it is clear from the context what is
being omitted I have simply used ellipses; where it is not clear I
Introduction 49
have used ellipses as well as the Sutta and verse number. In
doing so I have ensured that nothing of substance has been
omitted. I have made no excisions on account of real or alleged
lateness or inauthenticity or the like: such matters are left to the
reader's judgement, with an occasional note for guidance. I
have as far as possible avoided the use of masculine nouns and
pronouns where both sexes are implied. I have, however,
always been guided by my understanding of the text, bearing
in mind the many admonitions addressed specifically to
monks, as well as the words of Brahmins and others who were
undoubtedly 'sexist'. I have also kept the masculine gender in a
few cases where to do otherwise would have produced intoler-
able awkwardness or (in verse) spoilt the scansion. I have tried
to convey as much as possible the style of the original, render-
ing it into an English which is, I hope, neither too archaic nor
too hypermodem. 9
I have permitted myself a few syntactic abridgements.
Phrases like Bhagavatd saddhim sammodi sammodanTyam katham
sardmyam vttisdreiva, which Rhys Davids renders: 'He ex-
changed with the Blessed One the greetings and compliments
of politeness and courtesy', have been cut down, in this case to
'exchanged courtesies with him'. As regards the designation
Bhagavd, I have used 'the Lord' in narration, varied occasionally
in quoted speech with 'the Blessed Lord'. Other translators
have 'the Blessed One', 'the Exalted One', and so on.
The repetitions in the Canon have probably two distinct
sources. It is extremely likely that the Buddha himself de-
veloped a standard form for sermons, which he doubtless
uttered verbatim, or nearly so, many thousands of times during
his forty- five years' ministry. He would seem to have gone on
the principle which many teachers use and recommend to this
day: 'First tell them what you are going to say, then say it, then
tell them what you have said.' His disciples will then have
extended this principle into a system of rigidly stereotyped
phrases. The second source of repetition will have been inhe-
rent in the oral tradition itself, as is witnessed by oral literature
all over the world. This is always characterised by long repeti-
tive passages and stereotyped epithets and descriptions. This
tendency will in the present instance have been reinforced by
50 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
the wish to preserve the Master's words as accurately as possi-
ble. It should also be remembered that it was not all a mere
matter of mechanical repetition, though this undoubtedly occur-
red occasionally too.
THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE PALI CANON
Certainly, not all parts of the Pali Canon are equally old or can
be literally taken to be the Buddha's precise words. This is plain
common sense and does not mean completely rejecting their
authenticity. Recent research has gone far to vindicate the claim
that the Pali ' Canon holds at least a prime place among our
sources in the search for 'original' Buddhism, or, in fact, 'what
the Buddha taught'. No attempt can be made here to go into
any detail concerning questions of authenticity, or of the chro-
nological stratification of the materials found in the Digha
Nikaya. Some indications of scholarly opinion on this subject
can be found, especially, in Pande, Studies in the Origins of
Buddhism (1967), though not all his findings are equally accept-
able. Personally I believe that all, or almost all doctrinal state-
ments put directly into the mouth of the Buddha can be
accepted as authentic, and this seems to me the most important
point. 10
THE COMMENTARIES
An invaluable aid to the understanding of the Pali Canon is
provided by the old Commentaries ( Atthakathd ). These need to
be used with caution, and they certainly contain numerous
pious fabrications. Without them, however, our understanding
of the Suttas would be woefully deficient. The two chief com-
mentaries have been published in Pali by the Pali Text Society.
The earliest is called Sumangalavildsim ('Effulgence of the Great
Blessing'), but is usually known more prosaically as the Digha
Nikaya Commentary ( DTghanikdy-atthakathd or DA, 3 volumes,
1886—1932, reprinted 1971). This is by the great Buddhaghosa,
who lived in the 5th century C.E. The second, or Sub-
Commentary (ttkd), called Dighanikdy-atthakathd-tlkd-Lmattha-
Introduction 51
vannnana 'Explanation of Obscurities in the Digha-Nikaya
Commentary' or DAT for short (3 vols., ed. Lily de Silva, 1970),
is a commentary on the commentary. Extensive extracts from
these two commentaries on Suttas 1 and 13 (with further
passages from a third, called the 'New Sub-Commentary') are
given by Bhikkhu Bodhi in his separate translations of those
Suttas, and similar extracts are given by Soma Thera in his
version of Sutta 22. Some scanty comments are also quoted
(sometimes without translation!) by Rhys Davids at intervals. I
have added a few more extracts in my notes where it seemed
necessary, besides occasionally clarifying or correcting Rhys
Davids's notes.
Buddhaghosa was an Indian scholar-monk of amazing erudi-
tion who spent many years in Sri Lanka, where he wrote The
Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga), a comprehensive guide to
doctrine and meditation, splendidly translated into English by
the Ven. Nanamoli and published by the Buddhist Publication
Society, Sri Lanka (1956+). His version is a great improvement
on the older one published by the Pali Text Society as The Path
of Purity. It appears that the old commentaries on the Pali
Canon, some of which seem to have been very ancient, were
translated into Sinhalese and the Pali originals lost, and that
Buddhaghosa made from these a new Pali version. In general it
is clear that he is recording traditional opinions and interpreta-
tions, holding back, except on rarp occasions, from expressing a
personal opinion with admirable self-effacement. It is to be
expected that in due course the major commentaries will be
translated into English from their rather difficult late Pali lan-
guage.
THE DIVISIONS OF THE PALI CANON
The Pali Canon is divided into three main sections ( Tipitaka :
the Three Baskets).
x. Vinaya Pitaka
This deals with monastic discipline, for monks and nuns.
Translated by I.B. Homer as The Book of Discipline (6 volumes,
PTS 1938—66).
52 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
2. Sutta Pitaka
The 'Discourses' ( Suttas ): the portion of the Canon of most
interest to lay Buddhists (see below).
3. Abhidhamma Pitaka
The 'further doctrine', a highly schematised philosophical com-
pendium in seven books, most of which have now been
translated into English by the PTS.
The Sutta Pitaka consists of five collections ( nikdyas ). The pre-
sent translation is a new version of the first of these.
(1) DTgha Nikdya ('long collection', i.e. collection of long
discourses). Translated by T.W. and C.A.F. Rhys Davids (SBB, 3
volumes, 1899—1921) as 'Dialogues of the Buddha'. The Pali text
(ed. T.W. Rhys Davids and J.E. Carpenter, PTS, 3 volumes,
1890—1910) is referred to here as D, the translation as RD (see
Note on References).
(2) Majjhima Nikdya ('medium collection'). The Teachings of the
Buddha: The Middle Length Discourses of Buddha: A New Translation of
the Majjhima Nikdya. Original translation by Bhikkhu Nanamoli,
edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi, Boston 1993. [MN]
(3) Samyutta Nikdya ('collection of groups', i.e. according to
subject-matter). Translated by C.A.F. Rhys Davids and F.L.
Woodward (PTS, 5 volumes, 1917—30) as 'Kindred Sayings'.
[SN]
(4) Anguttara Nikdya ('collection of expanding groups', i.e.
single things, twos, threes, and so on up to elevens). Translated
by F.L. Woodward and E.M. Hare (PTS, 5 volumes, 1932—36) as
'Gradual Sayings'. [AN]
(5) Khuddaka Nikdya ('lesser collection'), a heterogeneous
collection in 13 divisions of very varying interest to the modem
reader:
(i) Khuddaka Pdtha ('minor text'— used as a novice's hand-
book). Translated with its commentary by Ven. Nanamoli (PTS
i960) as 'Minor Readings and Illustrator'. [Khp]
(ii) Dhammapada ('verses on Dhamma'), one of the most
famous of Buddhist scriptures, an anthology in 26 chapters and
Introduction 33
423 stanzas. Of the more than 30 English translations, the prose
version by Narada Thera (various editions, including one by
Murray, London 1972) is recommended for the serious student.
The Penguin translation by J. Mascaro, though very readable, is
marred by serious errors of interpretation. [Dhp]
(iii) Uddna ('solemn utterances'), translated by F.L. Wood-
ward (SBB 1933) as 'Verses of Uplift' (!). [Ud]
(iv) Itivuttaka ('thus it was said'), translated by Woodward
together with (iii) as 'Thus It Was Said'. [It]
(v) \ Sutta Nipdta ('collection of suttas'), verse translation by
E.M. Hare (SBB 1933) as 'Woven Cadences'; prose translation by
K.R. Norman (PTS 1984) as 'The Group of Discourses' [Sn]
(vi) Vimdnavatthu ('stories of the [heavenly] mansions'),
translated by I.B. Homer (PTS 1974) as 'Stories of the Mansions'.
[Vv]
(vii) Petavatthu ('stories of the departed' (or 'of hungry
ghosts')), translated by H.S. Gehman as 'Stories of the Departed'
and included with (vi). [Pv]
(viii) Theragdtha ('songs of the male elders', i.e. Arahants)
[Thag] and (ix). Thengdtha ('songs of the female elders', i.e.
Arahants) [Thig]. Verse translation of (viii) and (ix) by C.A.F.
Rhys Davids (PTS, 2 volumes, 1909, 1937) as 'Psalms of the Early
Buddhists'; prose translation of (viii) and (ix) by K.R. Norman
(PTS, 2 volumes, 1969, 1971) as 'The Elders' Verses'.
(x) Jdtaka ('birth-stories', i.e. tales (547) of former lives of the
Buddha): Much used as parables, otherwise mainly of interest
as folklore. Translated (PTS 1895— 1907, 1913 in 6 volumes, re-
printed 1981 in 3 volumes) under editorship of E.B. Cowell Qa]
(xi) Niddesa ('exposition'), an old commentary, ascribed to
Sariputta, to parts of (v). No English translation exists. [Nid]
(xii) Patisambhida Magga ('path of discrimination'). Transla-
tion by the late Ven. Nanamoli edited by A.K. Warder (PTS
1982). [Pts]
(xiii) Apaddna ('tradition', i.e. legend). Tales of Arahants
similar to (x). No English translation exists. [Ap]
(xiv) Buddhavamsa ('chronicle of Buddhas') Translated by I.B.
Homer (PTS 1975). [Bv]
(xv) Cariydpitaka ('basket of conduct') Translated by I.B. Hor-
ner together with (xiv). [Cp]
A Summary of the Thirty-Four Suttas
DIVISION one: the moralities
i. Brahmajala Sutta : The Supreme Net (What the Teaching is
Not). The monks observe the wanderer Suppiya arguing with
his pupil about the merits of the Buddha, his doctrine ( Dham -
ma ) and the order ( Sangha ). The Buddha tells them not to be
affected by either praise or blame of the teaching, and declares
that the 'worldling' will praise him for superficial reasons and
not for the essence of his teaching. He lists sixty-two different
types of wrong view, all of which are based on contact of the six
sense-bases and their objects. Contact conditions craving, which
in turn leads to clinging, to (re)becoming, to birth, to ageing
and death and all manner of suffering. But the Tathagata (the
Buddha) has gone beyond these things, and all sixty-two wrong
views are trapped in his net.
2. Samannaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Homeless Life. King
Ajatasattu of Magadha, who gained the throne by parricide,
comes to the Buddha with a question he has already posed in
vain to six rival 'philosophers': What are the fruits, visible here
and now (in this life) of the life of renunciation? The Buddha
tells him, and then goes on to speak of the higher benefits, the
various meditative states, and finally true liberation (this sec-
tion recurs in the next eleven Suttas). The King, deeply impress-
ed, declares himself a lay-follower. The Buddha later tells his
disciples that but for his crime Ajatasattu would have become a
Stream- winner by the 'opening of the Dhamma-eye'.
3. Ambattha Sutta: About Ambattha (Pride Humbled). Pok-
kharasati, a famous Brahmin teacher, sends his pupil Ambattha
(supposedly fully trained in Brahmin lore) to find out if the
55
56 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
'ascetic Gotama' is the great man he is alleged to be (and if,
therefore, he bears the 'thirty-two marks of a Great Man'),
Ambattha, proud of his Brahmin birth, behaves stupidly and
arrogantly towards the Buddha, and thereupon learns a thing or
two about his own ancestry, besides being made to realise that
the Khattiyas (the warrior-noble caste) are superior to the
Brahmins. Humbled, he returns to Pokkharasati, who is fu-
rious at his conduct, hastens to see the Buddha, learns that he
does indeed bear the thirty-two marks, and becomes a convert.
4. Sonadanda Sutta: About Sonadanda (Qualities of a True
Brahmin). The Brahmin Sonadanda of Campa learns of the
ascetic Gotama's arrival and goes to see him, against the advice
of other Brahmins who think it beneath his dignity. The
Buddha asks him about the qualities of a true Brahmin. He
mentions five, but at the Buddha's instance admits that these
can be reduced to two: wisdom and morality. He becomes a
convert but does not experience the 'opening of the Dhamma-
eye'.
5. Kutadanta Sutta: About Kutadanta (A Bloodless Sacrifice).
The Brahmin Kutadanta wants to hold a great sacrifice with the
slaughter of many hundreds of beasts. He appeals (improbably,
as Rhys Davids points out!) to the Buddha for advice on how to
do this. The Buddha tells him the story of an ancient king and
his Brahmin chaplain, who performed a purely symbolic,
bloodless sacrifice. Kutadanta sits in silence at the end of this
narrative, having realised that the Buddha did not say: 'I have
heard this', and the Buddha confirms that it is a story from one
of his past lives, thus technically a 'birth-story' (Jdtaka ). The
Buddha then tells of 'sacrifices more profitable', that is, the
higher benefits as in Sutta 2. Kutadanta liberates the hundreds
of animals he had destined for slaughter, saying: 'Let them be
fed with green grass and given cool water to drink, and let cool
breezes play upon them'. He becomes a lay-follower, and the
'pure and spotless Dhamma-eye' opens in him,
6. Mahali Sutta: About Mahali (Heavenly Sights, Soul and
Body). Otthaddha (sumamed Mahali) the Licchavi enquires of
the Buddha about why some people cannot hear 'heavenly
sounds' and so on, which the Buddha explains as due to their
practice of 'one-sided samadhi'. In the letter part, the Buddha
A Summary of the Thirty -Four Suttas 57
teHs how two ascetics, Mandissa and Jaliya, had asked him
whether the soul, or life principle, is the same as the body, or
different (this is one of the 'unanswered questions' mentioned
in Sutta 9). The Buddha says anyone who has attained to higher
states of understanding will no longer be bothered by such
questions.
7. Jaliya Sutta: About Jaliya merely repeats the last part
of Sutta 6.
8. Mahasihandda Sutta: The Great Lion's Roar is also called
'The Lion's Roar to Kassapa'. The naked ascetic Kassapa asks if
it is true that the Buddha condemns all forms of austerity. The
Buddha denies this, saying one must distinguish. Kassapa
gives a list of standard practices (some of them rather revolting),
and the Buddha says one may do any of these things but, if
one's morality, heart and wisdom are not developed, one is still
far from being an ascetic or a Brahmin (in the true sense). He
himself has practised all possible austerities to perfection, and
morality and wisdom as well. Kassapa requests ordination, and
soon through diligent practice he becomes an Arahant.
9. Potthapada Sutta: About Potthapada (States of Con-
sciousness). The ascetic Potthapada tells the Buddha that he and
his fellows have been debating about 'the higher extinction of
consciousness', and seeks a ruling on the matter. The Buddha
says those who think mental states arise and pass away by
chance are quite wrong. He lists the various jhana states,
showing how perception can be 'controlled'. Potthapada says
he has never heard anything like all this before. The discussion
moves to various kinds of possible self, all of which the Buddha
refutes, and to the 'unanswered questions' and the reason for
their not being answered. Citta, son of an elephant-trainer,
joins in the discussion, and finally, while Potthapada becomes a
lay-follower, Citta becomes a bhikkhu and soon gains Ara-
hantship. In this Sutta we first find the parable of the man who
said he was in love with the most beautiful girl in the country,
without knowing who she was or what she looked like.
10. Subha Sutta: About Subha (Morality, Concentration, Wis-
dom). Shortly after the Buddha's death, Ananda explains the
Ariyan morality, concentration and wisdom (as in Sutta 2) to
the young Brahmin Subha, who becomes a lay-follower.
58 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
11. Kevaddha Sutta: About Kevaddha (What Brahma Didn't
Know). Kevaddha urges the Buddha to perform miracles to
strengthen people's faith. The Buddha refuses, saying the only
kind of miracle he approves of is the 'miracle of instruction'.
He tells the story of the monk who wanted to know 'where the
four great elements cease without remainder'. By psychic power
he ascended into the heavens, but none there could tell
him— not even the Great Brahma, who referred him back to the
Buddha for an answer.
12. Lohicca Sutta : About Lohicca (Good and Bad Teachers).
Lohicca has the pernicious view that if anyone were to discover
some new doctrine, he should keep it to himself. The Buddha
puts him right and explains the difference between good and
bad teachers.
13. Tevijja Sutta : The Threefold Knowledge (The Way to
Brahma). Two young Brahmins are puzzled because different
teachers speak of different ways of attaining fellowship (or
union) with Brahma, which to them is the highest goal. The
Buddha gets them to admit that none of their teachers, or even
those from whom the tradition stems, have ever seen Brahma
face to face, then instructs them in the Brahmavihdras, which do
lead to that goal— which is not, of course, the goal of-Buddhism.
division two: the great division
* '
14. Mahapadana Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Lineage. This
refers to the last seven Buddhas, going back 'ninety-one aeons'
in time. The life of the Buddha Vipassi at that remote period is
told in terms similar to early versions of the life of Gotama. All
Buddhas go through the same experiences in their last earthly
life. The Buddha's realisation is equated with the understand-
ing of dependent origination (see next Sutta).
15. Mahdniddna Sutta: The Great Discourse on Origination.
Ananda is rebuked for saying the law of dependent origination
is 'as clear as clear' to him. The Buddha explains it in reverse
order first, but going back only to mind-and-body and con-
sciousness (that is, factors 4 and 3 of the usual list of 12), and
also omitting the six sense-bases (No 5). The exposition ends
A Summary of the Thirty-Four Suttas 59
with a reference to the seven stages of consciousness and the
two realms.
16. Mahaparinibbdna Sutta: The Great Passing (The Buddha's
Last Days). The longest Sutta of all, telling (not without some
legendary embroidery) the story of the Buddha's last days. King
Ajatasattu, wishing to attack the Vajjians, sends to the Buddha
to know what the outcome will be. The Buddha replies indirect-
ly, pointing out the advantages of the Vajjian republican sys-
tem, and later urges the monks to observe comparable rules for
the Sangha. With Ananda, he visits a series of places and gives
discourses to monks and laity. At Pataligama he prophesies the
place's future greatness (it became Asoka's capital Pataliputra).
At Vesali the courtesan Ambapali invites him to a meal, and
gives her mango-grove to the order. He tells Ananda that he
will pass away within three months. At Pava Cunda the smith
serves a meal including 'pig's delight' ( sukara-maddava ) (pork,
truffles?— opinions vary) which only the Buddha eats. Later he
is taken very ill, but is careful to exonerate Cunda. At Kusinara
the Buddha rests between twin sal- trees. Ananda begs him not
to pass away in such an insignificant place, but he says it was
once a famous capital (see Sutta 17). After giving last instruc-
tions to the Sangha (and refusing to appoint a successor), he
utters the final admonition 'strive on untiringly' — appamadena
sampadetha — and passes away. The Sutta concludes with an
account of the funeral and distribution of the ashes in eight
portions.
17. Mahdsudassana Sutta: The Great Splendour (A King's
Renunciation). Much the same story recurs in Jataka 95. King
Mahasudassana lived in fairy-tale splendour and possessed the
seven treasures, but finally retired to his Dhamma palace (built
by the gods) to lead a life of meditation.
18. fanavasabha Sutta: About Janavasabha (Brahma Addresses
the Gods). A yakkha (of the good variety) appears to the
Buddha declaring that he is now called Janavasabha, but on
earth was King Bimbisara of Magadha, the Buddha's great
supporter, killed by his son Ajatasattu. He tells of the assembly
of the Thirty-Three Gods at which Brahma declared how, since
the Buddha's mission on earth, the ranks of the gods (devas) are
increasing and those of their opponents the asuras, declining.
60 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
19. Mahdgovinda Sutta : The Great Steward (A Past Life of
Gotama). The gandhabba Pancasikha appears to the Buddha
and reports, similarly to Sutta 18, on a meeting of the gods.
Then follows the story of the Great Steward who conducted the
affairs of seven kings and then retired into the homeless life,
bringing many people to the Brahma- world which is the high-
est people can reach in an age when there is no Buddha. At the
end the Buddha tells Pancasikha that he was that steward, but
that the path he now teaches, as the Buddha, goes beyond what
he was able to teach then.
20. Mahasamaya Sutta: The Mighty Gathering (Devas Come
to See the Buddha). A Sutta practically all in verse giving much
mythological lore.
21. Sakkapahha Sutta: Sakka's Questions (A God Consults the
Buddha). Sakka, king of the Thirty-Three Gods, approaches the
Buddha through the aid of Pancasikha, who sings a love-song
(!) to him to attract his attention. Sakka puts various questions
on the holy life to the Buddha. We also hear the story of the nun
Gopika who became a man, and as such rebuked three of the
Buddha's monks who had been reborn in the lowest of the
heavens, bidding them strive harder and rise higher, which
two of them succeeded in doing. Sakka himself is put on the
right path and rewards Pancasikha (who is not so advanced!)
with the hand of the gandhabba maiden he desired.
22. Mahdsatipatthana Sutta: The Greater Discourse on the
Foundations of Mindfulness. Very different in character from
the Suttas immediately preceding, this is held by many to be
the most important Sutta in the Canon. It recurs verbatim less
verses 18—21, as No 10 in the Majjhima Nikaya. The 'one way'
for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and
distress, for the gaining of Nibbana is the four foundations of
mindfulness: mindfulness of body, feelings, mind and mind-
objects. Detailed instructions for mindful awareness of brea-
thing, and so on, are given. Thus, under mind-objects, we read,
for example: 'If sensual desire is present in himself, a monk
knows that it is present. If sensual desire is absent in himself, a
monk knows that it is absent. And he knows how unarisen
sensual desire comes to arise, and he knows how the abandon-
ment of arisen sensual desire comes a^bQut, and he knows how
A Summary of the Thirty-Four Suttas 61
the non-arising of the abandoned sensual desire in the future
will come about.' ('Monk' here, according to the Commentary,
means anyone who does the practice). The Sutta ends with an
account of the Four Noble Truths.
23. Pdydsi Sutta : About Payasi (Debate with a Sceptic). Prince
Payasi does not believe in future lives, or in the rewards and
penalties of good and bad deeds. The Ven. Kumara-Kassapa
convinces him of his error by means of a series of clever
parables. Finally Payasi, converted, establishes a charity for
ascetics and the needy, but does so grudgingly. As a result he is
reborn in the lowest of the heavens.
DIVISION THREE: THE 'PATIKA' DIVISION
24. Pdtika Sutta: About Patikaputta (The Charlatan). The Bud-
dha has an exceedingly stupid disciple Sunakkhatta, who even-
tually leaves him. Sunakkhatta is greatly impressed by some
dubious 'holy men' whom he takes to be Arahants. The boast-
ful naked ascetic Patikaputta challenges the Buddha to a contest
of miracles. The Buddha waits for him to appear, but — as the
Buddha prophesied — he cannot even rise from his seat to meet
the Buddha. The Sutta is not unamusing, but definitely sub-
standard material. A final section on the 'Origin of Things'
seems to have been tacked on.
25. Udumbarika-Sihandda Sutta : The Lion's Roar to the Udum-
barikans. The wanderer Nigrodha, staying at the Udumbarika
lodging, boasts that he can 'floor the ascetic Gotama' with a
single question. He is of course defeated, and the Buddha
shows a way beyond that of self-mortification — 'to reach the
pith'.
26. Cakkavatti-SThanada Sutta: The Lion's Roar on the Turn-
ing of the Wheel. At the beginning and end of the discourse,
the Buddha exhorts his monks to 'keep to their own preserves'
by the practice of mindfulness. Then he tells of a 'wheel-turning
monarch' (a righteous ruler) who had the sacred Wheel-
Treasure, which had to be carefully guarded. He was followed
by a line of righteous kings, but eventually they degenerated,
and society went from bad to worse, while the human life-span
62 The Long Discourses of the Buddha
sank to ten years and all sense of morality was lost. After a brief
but dreadful 'sword-interval' things improved, and finally
another Buddha, Metteyya (Sanskrit Maitreya) will appear.
27. Aggahha Sutta: On Knowledge of Beginnings. A some-
what similar fable, this time addressed to the Brahmins, whose
pretensions the Buddha refutes. There is no difference between
Brahmins and others if they behave badly. A somewhat fanciful
account of the origin of castes is given.
28. Sampasddamya Sutta: Serene Faith. Sariputta explains his
reasons for his complete faith in the Buddha.
29. Pasddika Sutta : The Delightful Discourse. A discussion of
good and bad teachers, and why the Buddha has not revealed
certain points.
30. Lakkhana Sutta : The Marks of a Great Man. Verses on the
curious 'thirty-two marks of a Great Man' beloved of the
Brahmins. These are in a variety of metres in the original.
31. Sigdlaka Sutta : To Sigalaka (Advice to Lay People). Advice
to the young layman Sigalaka on morality, related to the four
quarters, zenith and nadir which, in memory of his father, he
had been worshipping.
32. Atandtiya Sutta: The Atanata Protective verses.
33. Sangiti Sutta : The Chanting Together (Lists of terms for
recitation).
34. Dasuttara Sutta : Expanding Decades. Similar material to
Sutta 33, arranged under ten heads.
The Long Discourses
of the Buddha
DTgha Nikdya
NAMO TASSA BHAGAVATO ARAHATO
SAMMASAMBUDDHASSA
HOMAGE TO THE BLESSED ONE, THE ARAHANT,
THE FULLY-ENLIGHTENED BUDDHA
Division One
The M orahties
i Brahmajala Sutta: The Supreme
Net
What the Teaching Is Not
[i] 1.1. Thus have I heard . 11 Once the Lord was travelling along
the main road between Rajagaha and Nalanda 12 with a large
company of some five hundred monks. And the wanderer
Suppiya was also travelling on that road with his pupil the
youth Brahmadatta. And Suppiya 13 was finding fault in all
sorts of ways with the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha,
whereas his pupil Brahmadatta was speaking in various ways
in their praise. And so these two, teacher and pupil, directly
opposing each other's arguments, followed close behind the
Lord and his order of monks.
1.2. Then the Lord stopped for one night with his monks at
the royal park of Ambalatthika. And Suppiya too stopped
there for the night with his pupil Brahmadatta. And Suppiya
went on abusing the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha,
while his [2] pupil Brahmadatta defended them. And thus
disputing, they followed close behind the Buddha and his
order of monks.
1.3. Now in the early morning a number of monks, having
got up, gathered together and sat in the Round Pavilion, and
this was the trend of their talk: 'It is wonderful, friends, it is
marvellous how the Blessed Lord, the Arahant, the fully-
enlightened Buddha knows, sees and clearly distinguishes the
different inclinations of beings! For here is the wanderer
Suppiya finding fault in Mil sorts of ways with the Buddha, the
Dhamma and the Sangha, while his pupil Brahmadatta in
various ways defends them. And, still disputing, they follow
closely behind the Blessed Lord and his order of monks.'
1.4. Then the Lord, being aware of what those monks were
saying, went to the Round Pavilion and sat down on the pre-
67
68 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta i i 4
pared seat. Then he said: "Monks, what was the subject of
your conversation just now? What talk have I interrupted?'
And they told him.
1.5. 'Monks, if anyone should speak in disparagement of
me, of the Dhamma or of the Sangha, [3] you should not be
angry, resentful or upset on that account. If you were to be
angry or displeased at such disparagement, that would only
be a hindrance to you. For if others disparage me, the Dham-
ma or the Sangha, and you are angry or displeased, can you
recognise whether what they say is right or not?' 'No, Lord.'
'If others disparage me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, then you
must explain what is incorrect as being incorrect, saying:
"That is incorrect, that is false, that is not our way, 14 that is
not found among us."
1.6. 'But, monks, if others should speak in praise of me, of
the Dhamma or of the Sangha, you should not on that account
be pleased, happy or elated. If you were to be pleased, happy
or elated at such praise, that would only be a hindrance to
you. If others praise me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, you
should acknowledge the truth of what is true, saying: "That is
correct, that is right, that is our way, that is found among us."
1.7. 'It is, monks, for elementary, inferior matters of moral
practice 15 that the worldling 16 would praise the Tathagata. 17
And what are these elementary, inferior matters for which the
worldling would praise him?'
*
[ Short Section on Morality ] 18
[4] 1.8. '"Abandoning the taking of life, the ascetic Gotama
dwells refraining from taking life, without stick or sword, scru-
pulous, compassionate, trembling for the welfare of all living
beings." Thus the worldling would praise the Tathagata. 19
"Abandoning the taking of what is not given, the ascetic Gota-
ma dwells refraining from taking what is not given, living
purely, accepting what is given, awaiting what is given, with-
out stealing. Abandoning unchastity, the ascetic Gotama
lives far from it, aloof from the village-practice of sex. 20
1.9. '"Abandoning false speech, the ascetic Gotama dwells
refraining from false speech, a truth-speaker, one to be relied
i 6 What the Teaching Is Not 69
on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world.
Abandoning malicious speech, he does not repeat there what
he has heard here to the detriment of these, or repeat here
what he has heard there to the detriment of those. Thus he is
a reconciler of those at variance and an encourager of those at
one, rejoicing in peace, loving it, delighting in it, one who
speaks up for peace. Abandoning harsh speech, he refrains
from it. He speaks whatever is blameless, pleasing to the ear,
agreeable, reaching the heart, urbane, pleasing and attractive
to the multitude. Abandoning idle chatter, he speaks at the
right time, what is correct and to the point, 21 of Dhamma and
discipline. He is a speaker whose words are to be treasured,
seasonable, [3] reasoned, well-defined and connected with the
goal." 22 Thus the worldling would praise the Tathagata.
1.10. '"The ascetic Gotama is a refrainer from damaging
seeds and crops. He eats once a day and not at night, refrain-
ing from eating at improper times. 23 He avoids watching
dancing, singing, music and shows. He abstains from using
garlands, perfumes, cosmetics, ornaments and adornments.
He avoids using high or wide beds. He avoids accepting gold
and silver. 24 He avoids accepting raw grain or raw flesh, he
does not accept women and young girls, male or female
slaves, sheep and goats, cocks and pigs, elephants, cattle,
horses and mares, fields and plots; 25 he refrains from running
errands, from buying and selling, from cheating with false
weights and measures, from bribery and corruption, decep-
tion and insincerity, from wounding, killing, imprisoning,
highway robbery, and taking food by force." Thus the
worldling would praise the Tathagata.'
[Middle Section on Morality]
1.11. "'Whereas, gentlemen, some ascetics and Brahmins, feed-
ing on the food of the faithful, are addicted to the destruction
of such seeds as are propagated from roots, from stems, from
joints, from cuttings, from seeds, the ascetic Gotama refrains
from such destruction." Thus the worldling would praise the
Tathagata. [6]
1.12. "'Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins, feeding on the
70 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta 1 i 7
food of the faithful, remain addicted to the enjoyment of
stored-up goods such as food, drink, clothing, carriages, beds,
perfumes, meat, the ascetic Gotama refrains from such enjoy-
ment.
1.13. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins. . .remain ad-
dicted to attending such shows as dancing, singing, music,
displays, recitations, hand-music, cymbals and drums, fairy-
shows, 26 acrobatic and conjuring tricks, 27 combats of ele-
phants, buffaloes, bulls, goats, rams, cocks and quail, fighting
with staves, boxing, wrestling, sham-fights, parades, man-
oeuvres and military reviews, the ascetic Gotama refrains from
attending such displays.
1.14. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain ad-
dicted to such games and idle pursuits as eight- or ten-row
chess, 28 'chess in the air', 29 hopscotch, spillikins, dicing, hit-
ting sticks, 'hand- pictures', ball-games, blowing through toy
pipes, playing with toy ploughs, turning somersaults, playing
with toy windmills, measures, carriages, [7] and bows, guess-
ing letters, 30 guessing thoughts, 31 mimicking deformities, the
ascetic Gotama refrains from such idle pursuits.
1.15. "'Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain ad-
dicted to high and wide beds and long chairs, couches adorned
with animal figures, 32 fleecy or variegated coverlets, coverlets
with hair on both sides or one side, silk coverlets, embroider-
ed with gems or without, elephant-, horse- or chariot-rugs,
choice spreads of antelope-hide, couches with awnings, or
with red cushions at both ends, the ascetic Gotama refrains
from such high and wide beds.
1.16. "'Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain addict-
ed to such forms of self-adornment and embellishment as rub-
bing the body with perfumes, massaging, bathing in scented
water, shampooing, using mirrors, ointments, garlands, scents,
unguents, cosmetics, bracelets, headbands, fancy sticks, bot-
tles, swords, sunshades, decorated sandals, turbans, gems,
yak-tail fans, long-fringed white robes, the ascetic Gotama
refrains from such self-adornment.
1.17. "'Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain ad-
dicted to such unedifying conversation 33 as about kings, rob-
i 9 What the Teaching Is Not 71
bers, ministers, armies, dangers, wars, food, drink, clothes,
beds, garlands, perfumes, relatives, carriages, villages, towns
and cities, countries, women, [8] heroes, street- and well-
gossip, talk of the departed, desultory chat, speculations about
land and sea, 34 talk about being and non-being, 35 the ascetic
Gotama refrains from such conversation.
1.18. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain ad-
dicted to disputation such as: 'You don't understand this doc-
trine and discipline — I do!' 'How could you understand this
doctrine and discipline?' 'Your way is all wrong - mine is
right!' 'I am consistent — you aren't!' 'You said last what you
should have said first, and you said first what you should
have said last!' 'What you took so long to think up has been
refuted!' 'Your argument has been overthrown, you're defeat-
ed!' 'Go on, save your doctrine — get out of that if you can!'
the ascetic Gotama refrains from such disputation. 36
1.19. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain ad-
dicted to such things as running errands and messages, such
as for kings, ministers, nobles. Brahmins, householders and
young men who say: 'Go here — go there! Take this there —
bring that from there!' the ascetic Gotama refrains from such
errand-running.
1.20. "'Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins remain ad-
dicted to deception, patter, hinting, belittling, and are always
on the make for further gains, the ascetic Gotama refrains
from such deception." Thus the worldling would praise the
Tathagata.' 37
[Large Section on Morality ]
1.21. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins, feeding on the
food of the faithful, make their living by such base arts, such
wrong means of livelihood as palmistry, 38 divining by signs,
portents, dreams, body-marks, mouse-gnawings, fire-obla-
tions, oblations from a ladle, of husks, rice-powder, rice-
grains, ghee or oil, from the mouth or of blood, reading the
finger-tips, house- and garden-lore, skill in charms, ghost-
lore, earth-house lore, 39 snake-lore, poison-lore, rat-lore, bird-
72 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta 1 i 11
lore, crow-lore, foretelling a person's life-span, charms against
arrows, knowledge of animals' cries, the ascetic Gotama re-
frains from such base arts and wrong means of livelihood.
1.22. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins make their
living by such base arts as judging the marks of gems, sticks,
clothes, swords, spears, arrows, weapons, women, men, boys,
girls, male and female slaves, elephants, horses, buffaloes,
bulls, cows, goats, rams, cocks, quail, iguanas, bamboo-rats, 40
tortoises, deer, the ascetic Gotama refrains from such base
arts.
1.23. "'Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins make their
living by such base arts as predicting: "The chiefs 41 will march
out — the chiefs will march back', 'Our chiefs [10] will advance
and the other chiefs will retreat', 'Our chiefs will win and the
other chiefs will lose', 'The other chiefs will win and ours will
lose', 'Thus there will be victory for one side and defeat for
the other', the ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts.
1.24. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins make their
living by such base arts as predicting an eclipse of the moon,
the sun, a star; that the sun and moon will go on their proper
course — will go astray; that a star will go on its proper course
— will go astray; that there will be a shower of meteors, a blaze
in the sky, an earthquake, thunder; a rising, setting, darken-
ing, brightening of the moon, the sun, the stars; and 'such
will be the outcome of these things', the ascetic Gotama re-
frains from such base arts and wrong means of livelihood.
[11]
1.25. "'Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins make their
living by such base arts as predicting good or bad rainfall; a
good or bad harvest; security, danger; disease, health; or ac-
counting, computing, calculating, poetic composition, philo-
sophising, the ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts and
wrong means of livelihood.
1.26. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins make their
living by such base arts as arranging the giving and taking in
marriage, engagements and divorces; [declaring the time for]
saving and spending, bringing good or bad luck, procuring
abortions, 42 using spells to bind the tongue, binding the jaw,
making the hands jerk, causing deafness, getting answers
i 13 . What the Teaching Is Not 73
with a mirror, a girl-medium, a deva; worshipping the sun or
Great Brahma, breathing fire, invoking the goddess of luck,
the ascetic Gotama refrains from such base arts and wrong
means of livelihood.
1.27. '"Whereas some ascetics and Brahmins, feeding on the
food of the faithful, make their living by such base arts, such
wrong means of livelihood as appeasing the devas and re-
deeming vows to them, making earth-house spells, causing
virility or impotence, preparing and consecrating building-
sites, giving ritual rinsings and bathings, making sacrifices,
giving emetics, purges, expectorants and phlegmagogues,
giving ear-, eye-, nose-medicine, ointments and counter-oint-
ments, eye-surgery, surgery, pediatry, using balms to counter
the side-effects of previous remedies, the ascetic Gotama re-
frains from such base arts and wrong means of livelihood." 43
It is, monks, for such elementary, inferior matters of moral
practice that the worldling would praise the Tathagata.
[12] 1.28/There are, monks, other matters, profound, hard to
see, hard to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond mere
thought, subtle, to be experienced by the wise, which the Tatha-
gata, having realised them by his own super-knowledge, pro-
claims, and about which those who would truthfully praise
the Tathagata would rightly speak. And what are these
matters?'
[The Sixty-Two Kinds of Wrong Views]
1.29. There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who are
speculators about the past, having fixed views about the past,
and who put forward [13] various speculative theories about
the past, in eighteen different ways. On what basis, on what
grounds do they do so?
1.30. "There are some ascetics and Brahmins who are Etemal-
ists, who proclaim the eternity of the self and the world in
four ways. On what grounds?
1.31. [Wrong view 1] 44 'Here, monks, a certain ascetic or
Brahmin has by means of effort, exertion, application, earnest-
ness and right attention attained to such a state of mental con-
centration that he thereby recalls past existences — one birth.
74 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta 1 i 16
two births, three, four, five, ten births, a hundred, a thousand,
a hundred thousand births, several hundred, several thou-
sand, several hundred thousand births. “There my name was
so-and-so, my clan was so-and-so, my caste was so-and-so,
my food was such-and-such, I experienced such-and-such
pleasant and painful conditions, I lived for so long. Having
passed away from there, I arose there. There my name was so-
and-so. . .And having passed away from there, I arose here/'
Thus he remembers various past [14], lives, their conditions
and details. And he says: “The self and the world are eternal,
barren 45 like a mountain-peak, set firmly as a post. These
beings rush round, circulate, pass away and re-arise, but this
remains eternally. Why so? I have by means of effort, exertion,
attained to such a state of mental concentration that I have
thereby recalled various past existences. . .That is how I know
the self and the world are eternal ..." That is the first way in
which some ascetics and Brahmins proclaim the eternity of
the self and the world.
1.32. [Wrong view 2] 'And what is the second way? Here,
monks, a certain ascetic or Brahmin has by means of effort,
exertion . . . attained to such a state of mental concentration
that he thereby recalls one period of contraction and expan-
sion, 46 two such periods, three, four, five, ten periods of con-
traction and expansion . . . “There my name was so-and-so ..."
[15I That is the second,, way in which some ascetics and Brah-
mins proclaim the eternity of the self and the world.
1.33. [Wrong view 3] 'And what is the third way? Here,
monks, a certain ascetic or Brahmin has by means of effort . . .
attained to such a state of mental concentration that he recalls
ten, twenty, thirty, forty periods of contraction and expansion.
“There my name was so-and-so ..." [16] That is the third way
in which some ascetics and Brahmins proclaim the eternity of
the self and the world.
1.34. [Wrong view 4] 'And what is the fourth way? Here a
certain ascetic or Brahmin is a logician, 47 a reasoner. Hammer-
ing it out by reason, following his own line of thought, he
argues: “The self and the world are eternal, barren like a
mountain-peak, set firmly as a post. These beings rush round,
circulate, pass away and re-arise, but this remains for ever."
i 17 What the Teaching Is Not 75
That is the fourth way in which some ascetics and Brahmins
proclaim the eternity of the self and the world.
1.35. 'These are the four ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins are Etemalists, and proclaim the eternity of the self
and the world on four grounds. And whatever ascetics or
Brahmins are Etemalists and proclaim the eternity of the self
and the world, they do so on one or other of these four
grounds. There is no other way.
1.36. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands: These view-
points thus grasped and adhered to will lead to such-and-such
destinations in another world. This the Tathagata knows, and
more, but he is not [17] attached to that knowledge. And being
thus unattached he has experienced for himself perfect peace,
and having truly understood the arising and passing away of
feelings, their attraction and peril and the deliverance from
them, the Tathagata is liberated without remainder.
1.37. 'There are, monks, other matters, profound, hard to
see, hard to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond mere
thought, subtle, to be experienced by the wise, which the
Tathagata, having realised them by his own super-knowledge,
proclaims, and about which those who would truthfully praise
the Tathagata would rightly speak. And what are these mat-
ters?'
[End of first recitation-section]
2.1. 'There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who are
partly Etemalists and partly Non-Etemalists, who proclaim
the partial eternity and the partial non-eternity of the self and
the world in four ways. On what grounds?
2.2. 'There comes a time, monks, sooner or later after a long
period, when this world contracts. At a time of contraction,
beings are mostly reborn in the Abhassara Brahma 48 world.
And there they dwell, mind-made, 49 feeding on delight, 50 self-
luminous, moving through the air, glorious — and they stay
like that for a very long time.
2.3. [Wrong view 5] 'But the time comes, sooner or later after
a long period, when this world begins to expand. In this ex-
panding world an empty palace of Brahma 51 appears. And
76 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta 1 i 19
then one being, from exhaustion of his life-span or of his
merits, 52 falls from the Abhassara world and arises in the
empty Brahma-palace. And there he dwells, mind-made, feed-
ing on delight, self-luminous, moving through the air,
glorious — and he stays like that for a very long time.
2.4. 'Then in this being who has been alone for so long
there arises unrest, discontent and worry, and he thinks: "Oh,
if only some other beings would come here!" And other
beings, [18] from exhaustion of their life-span or of their
merits, fall from the Abhassara world and arise in the Brahma-
palace as companions for this being. And there they dwell,
mind-made,. . .and they stay like that for a very long time.
2.5. "And then, monks, that being who first arose there
thinks: "Im Brahma, the Great Brahma, the Conqueror, the
Unconquered, the All-Seeing, the All-Powerful, the Lord, the
Maker and Creator, Ruler, Appointer and Orderer, Father of
All That Have Been and Shall Be. These beings were created
by me. How so? Because I first had this thought: 'Oh, if only
some other beings would come here!' That was my wish, and
then these beings came into this existence!" But those beings
who arose subsequently think: "This, friends, is Brahma,
Great Brahma, the Conqueror, the Unconquered, the All-See-
ing, the All-Powerful, the Lord, the Maker and Creator, Ruler,
Appointer and Orderer, Father of All That Have Been and
Shall Be. How so? We have seen that he was here first, and
that we arose after him."
2.6. 'And this being that arose first is longer-lived, more
beautiful and more powerful than they are. And it may hap-
pen that some being falls from that realm and arises in this
world. Having arisen in this world, he goes forth from the
household life into homelessness. Having gone forth, he by
means of effort, exertion, application, earnestness and right
attention attains to such a degree of mental concentration that
he thereby recalls his last existence, but recalls none before
that. And he thinks: "That Brahma,. . .he made us, and he is
permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to change, the same for
ever and ever. But we who were [19] created by that Brahma,
we are impermanent, unstable, short-lived, fated to fall away,
and we have come to this world." This is the first case where-
i 21 What the Teaching Is Not 77
by some ascetics and Brahmins are partly Etemalists and part-
ly Non-Etemalists.
2.7. [Wrong view 6] 'And what is the second way? There
are, monks, certain devas called Corrupted by Pleasure. 53 They
spend an excessive amount of time addicted to merriment,
play and enjoyment, so that their mindfulness is dissipated,
and by the dissipation of mindfulness those beings fall from
that state.
2.8. 'And it can happen that a being, having fallen from that
state, arises in this world. Having arisen in this world, he goes
forth from the household life into homelessness. Having gone
forth, he by means of effort, exertion,. . .recalls his last exis-
tence, but recalls none before that.
2.9. 'He thinks: "Those reverend devas who are not cor-
rupted by pleasure do not spend an excessive amount of time
addicted to merriment, play and enjoyment. Thus their mind-
fulness is not dissipated, and so they do not fall from that
state. They are permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to
change, the same for ever and [20] ever. But we, who are cor-
rupted by pleasure, spent an excessive amount of time addicted
to merriment, play and enjoyment. Thus we, by the dissipa-
tion of mindfulness, have fallen from that state, we are imper-
manent, unstable, short-lived, fated to fall away, and we have
come to this world." This is the second case.
2.10. [Wrong view 7] 'And what is the third way? There are,
monks, certain devas called Corrupted in Mind. 54 They spend
an excessive amount of time regarding each other with envy.
By this means their minds are corrupted. On account of their
corrupted minds they become weary in body and mind. And
they fall from that place.
2.11. 'And it can happen that a being, having fallen from
that state, arises in this world. He . . . recalls his last existence,
but recalls none before that.
2.12. 'He thinks: "Those reverend devas who are not cor-
rupted in mind do not spend an excessive amount of time re-
garding each other with envy... They do not become cor-
rupted in mind, or weary in body and mind, and so they do
not fall from that state. They are permanent, stable, eternal. . .
[21] But we, who are corrupted in mind,. . .are impermanent.
y 8 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta i i 22
unstable, short-lived, fated to fall away, and we have come to
this world." This is the third case.
2.13. [Wrong view 8] "And what is the fourth way? Here, a
certain ascetic or Brahmin is a logician, a reasoner. Hammer-
ing it out by reason, following his own line of thought, he
argues: "Whatever is called eye or ear or nose or tongue or
body, that is impermanent, unstable, non-eternal, liable to
change. But what is called thought, 55 or mind or conscious-
ness, that is a self that is permanent, stable, eternal, not
subject to change, the same for ever and ever!" This is the
fourth case.
2.14. 'These are the four ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins are partly Etemalists and partly Non-Etemalists .
Whatever ascetics and Brahmins . . . proclaim the partial
eternity and the partial non-eternity of the self and the world,
they do so on one or other of these four grounds. There is no
other way.
2.15. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands: These [22]
viewpoints thus grasped and adhered to will lead to such-
and-such destinations in another world. This the Tathagata
knows, and more, but he is not attached to that knowledge.
And being thus unattached he has experienced for himself
perfect peace, and having truly understood the arising and
passing away of feelings, their attraction and peril and the
deliverance from them, the Tathagata is liberated without re-
mainder. *
'These, monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to
see, hard to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond mere
thought, subtle, to be experienced by the wise, which the
Tathagata, having realised them by his own super-knowledge,
proclaims, and about which those who would truthfully praise
the Tathagata would rightly speak.
2.16. "There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who
are Finitists and Inhnitists, 56 and who proclaim the finitude
and infinitude of the world on four grounds. What are they?
2.17. [Wrong view 9] 'Here a certain ascetic or Brahmin has
by means of effort. . .attained to such a state of concentration
that he dwells perceiving the world as finite. He thinks: "This
1 i 24 What the Teaching Is Not 79
world is finite and bounded by a circle. How so? Because I
have. . .attained to such a state of concentration that I dwell
perceiving the world as finite. Therefore I know that this
! world is finite and bounded by a circle." This is the first case.
2.18. [Wrong view 10] 'And what is the second way? Here a
! certain ascetic or Brahmin has [23] attained to such a state of
concentration that he dwells perceiving the world as infinite.
| He thinks: "This world is infinite and unbounded. Those
! ascetics and Brahmins who say it is finite and bounded are
wrong. How so? Because I have attained to such a state of
concentration that I dwell perceiving the world as infinite.
Therefore I know that this world is infinite and unbounded."
i . This is the second case.
2.19. [Wrong view n] 'And what is the third way? Here a
' certain ascetic or Brahmin has attained to such a state of con-
sciousness that he dwells perceiving the world as finite up-
I and-down, and infinite across. He thinks: "The world is finite
and infinite. Those ascetics and Brahmins who say it is finite
are wrong, and those who say it is infinite are wrong. How
i so? Because I have attained to such a state of concentration
| that I dwell perceiving the world as finite up-and-down, and
infinite across. Therefore I know that the world is both finite
and infinite." This is the third case.
2.20. [Wrong view 12] 'And what is the fourth case? Here a
certain ascetic or Brahmin is a logician, a reasoner. Hammering
it out by reason, he argues: "This world is neither finite nor
infinite. Those who say it is finite are wrong, and so are those
■ [24] who say it is infinite, and those who say it is finite and
j infinite. This world is neither finite nor infinite." This is the
■ fourth case. 57
2.21. 'These are the four ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins are Finitists and Infinitists, and proclaim the fini-
tude and infinitude of the world on four grounds. There is no
j other way.
2.22. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands: These view-
points thus grasped and adhered to will lead to such-and-such
destinations in another world. . .(as verse 75).
"These, monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to
80 Brahmajala Sutta : Sutta 1 i 26
see, hard to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond mere
thought, subtle, to be experienced by the wise, which the
Tathagata, having realised them by his own super-knowledge,
proclaims, and about which those who would truthfully praise
the Tathagata would rightly speak.
2.23. 'There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who
are Eel- Wrigglers. 58 When asked about this or that matter,
they resort to evasive statements, and they wriggle like eels on
four grounds. What are they?
2.24. [Wrong view 13] 'In this case there is an ascetic or
Brahmin who does not in truth know whether a thing is good
or bad. He thinks: "I do not in truth know whether this is
good [25] or whether it is bad. Not knowing which is right, I
might declare: 'That is good', or 'That is bad', and that might
be a lie, and that would distress me. And if I were distressed,
that would be a hindrance to me." 59 Thus fearing to lie, ab-
horring to lie, 60 he does not declare a thing to be good or bad,
but when asked about this or that matter, he resorts to evasive
statements and wriggles like an eel: "I don't say this, I don't
say that. I don't say it is otherwise. I don't say it is not. I don't
not say it is not." This is the first case.
2.25. [Wrong view 14] 'What is the second way? Here an
ascetic or Brahmin does not in truth know whether a thing is
good or bad. He thinks: "I might declare: "That is good', or
'That is bad', and I might feel desire or lust or hatred or aver-
sion. If I felt desire, lust, hatred or aversion, that would be
attachment on my part. If I felt attachment, that would distress
me, and if I were distressed, that would be a hindrance to
me." [26] Thus, fearing attachment, abhorring attachment, he
resorts to evasive statements. . .This is the second case.
2.26. [Wrong view 15] 'What is the third way? Here an asce-
tic or Brahmin does not in truth know whether a thing is good
or bad. He thinks: "I might declare: "That is good', or 'That is
bad', but there are ascetics and Brahmins who are wise, skil-
ful, practised debaters, like archers who can split hairs, who
go around destroying others' views with their wisdom, and
they might cross-examine me, demanding my reasons and
arguing. And I might not be able to reply. Not being able to
i 29 What the Teaching Is Not 81
reply would distress me, and if I were distressed, that would
be a hindrance to me." Thus, fearing debate, abhorring de-
bate, he resorts to evasive statements. This is the third case.
[27]
2.27. [Wrong view 16] 'What is the fourth way? Here, an
ascetic or Brahmin is dull and stupid. 61 Because of his dullness
and stupidity, when he is questioned he resorts to evasive
statements and wriggles like an eel: "If you ask me whether
there is another world — if I thought so, I would say there is
another world. But 1 don't say so. And I don't say otherwise.
And I don't say it is not, and I don't not say it is not." "Is
there no other world? ..." "Is there both another world and no
other world? ..." "Is there neither another world nor no other
world? . . . " 62 "Are there spontaneously-born beings? . . . " 63
"Are there not. . .?" "Both. . .?" "Neither. . .?" "Does the Tatha-
gata exist after death? Does he not exist after death? Does he
both exist and not exist after death? Does he neither exist nor
not exist after death?. . ." 64 "If I thought so, I would say so. . .1
don't say it is not." This is the fourth case.
2.28. 'These are the four ways [28] in which those ascetics
and Brahmins who are Eel-Wrigglers resort to evasive state-
ments . . . There is no other way.
2.29. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands: These view-
points thus grasped and adhered to will lead to such-and-such
destinations in another world ... (as verse 15).
'These, monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to
see . . . which the Tathagata, having realised them by his own
super-knowledge, proclaims, and about which those who
would truthfully praise the Tathagata would rightly speak.
2.30. 'There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who
are Chance-Originationists, and who proclaim the chance
origin of the self and the world on two grounds. What are
they?
2.31. [Wrong view 17] 'There are, monks, certain devas called
Unconscious. 65 As soon as a perception arises in them, those
devas fall from that realm. And it may happen that a being
falls from that realm and arises in this world. He . . . recalls his
last existence, but none [29] before that. He thinks: "The self
82 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta 1 i 31
and the world have arisen by chance. How so? Before this I
did not exist. Now from not-being I have been brought to
being." This is the first case.
2.32. [Wrong view 18] 'What is the second case? Here, an
ascetic or Brahmin is a logician, a reasoner. He hammers out
his own opinion and declares: "The self and the world have
arisen by chance." This is the second case.
2.33. These are the two ways in which those ascetics and
Brahmins who are Chance-Originists proclaim the chance ori-
gin of the self and the world. There is no other way.
2.34. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands. . .
'These, monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to
see, . . . which the Tathagata, having realised them by his own
super-knowledge, proclaims, and about which those who [30]
would truthfully praise the Tathagata would rightly speak.
2.33. 'And these, monks, are the eighteen ways in which
these ascetics and Brahmins are speculators about the past. . .
There is no other way.
2.36. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands . . .
2.37. "There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who
are speculators about the future, having fixed views about the
future, and who put forward various speculative theories
about the future in forty-four different ways. On what basis,
on what grounds do they do so?
2.38. "There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who
[31] proclaim a doctripe of Conscious Post-Mortem Survival,
and do so in sixteen different ways. On what basis?
[Wrong views 19—34] 'They declare that the self after death is
healthy and conscious and (1) material, 66 (2) immaterial, 67 (3)
both material and immaterial, (4) neither material nor imma-
terial, (3) finite, (6) infinite, (7) both, (8) neither, (9) of uniform
perception, (10) of varied perception, (11) of limited perception,
(12) of unlimited perception, (13) wholly happy, (14) wholly
miserable, (13) both, (16) neither.
2.39. 'These are the sixteen ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins proclaim a doctrine of conscious post-mortem sur-
vival. There is no other way.
2.40. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands. . .
'These, monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to
{ 24 What the Teaching Is Not 83
see, . . . which the Tathagata, having realised them by his own
super-knowledge, [32] proclaims, and about which those who
would truthfully praise the Tathagata would rightly speak.'
[End of Second Recitation-Section ]
3.1. There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who pro-
claim a doctrine of Unconscious Post-Mortem Survival, and
they do so in eight ways. On what basis?
3.2. [Wrong views 33-42] 'They declare that the self after
death is healthy and unconscious and {1) material, (2) imma-
terial, (3) both, (4) neither, (5) finite, (6) infinite, (7) both, (8)
neither. 68
3.3. 'These are the eight ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins proclaim a doctrine of Unconscious Post-Mortem
Survival. There is no other way.
3.4. "This, monks, the Tathagata understands. . .These,
monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to see, . . .
which the Tathagata, having realised them by his own super-
knowledge, proclaims, [33] and about which those who would
truthfully praise the Tathagata would rightly speak.
3.5. 'There are some ascetics and Brahmins who declare a
doctrine of Neither-Conscious-nor-Unconscious Post-Mortem
Survival, and they do so in eight ways. On what basis?
3.6. [Wrong views 43-50] They declare that the self after
death is healthy and neither conscious nor unconscious and
(1) material, (2) immaterial, (3) both, (4) neither, (3) finite, (6) in-
finite, (7) both, (8) neither. 69
3.7. 'These are the eight ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins proclaim a doctrine of Neither-Conscious-Nor-Un-
Conscious Post-Mortem Survival. There is no other way.
3.8. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands ... These,
monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to see, . . .
which the Tathagata, having realised them by his own super-
’Tcnowledge, proclaims, and about which those who would
truthfully praise the Tathagata would rightly speak. [34]
3.9. 'There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who are
Annihilationists, who proclaim the annihilation, destruction
84 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta i i 35
and non-existence of beings, and they do so in seven ways.
On what basis?
3^10. [Wrong view 51] 'Here a certain ascetic or Brahmin de-
clares and holds the view: "Since this self is material, com-
posed of the four great elements, 70 the product of mother and
father, 71 at the breaking-up of the body it is annihilated and
perishes, and does not exist after death. This is the way in
which this self is annihilated." That is how some proclaim the
annihilation, destruction and non-existence of beings.
3.11. [Wrong view 52] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
such a self as you say. I don't deny it. But that self is not wholly
annihilated. For there is another self, divine, 72 material, be-
longing to the sense-sphere, 73 fed on real food. 74 You don't
know it or see it, but I do. It is this self that at the breaking-up
of the body perishes . . . " 75
3.12. [Wrong view 53] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
such a self as you say. I don't deny it. But that self is not wholly
annihilated. For there is another self, divine, material, mind-
made, 76 complete with all its parts, not defective in any sense-
organ. . .It is this self that at the breaking-up of the body
perishes ..."
3.13. [Wrong view 54] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
such a self as you say. . .There is another self which, by pass-
ing entirely beyond bodily sensations, by the disappearance
of all sense of resistance and by non-attraction to the percep-
tion of diversity, seeipg that space is infinite, has realised the
Sphere of Infinite Space. 77 [35] It is this self that at the breaking-
up of the body perishes ..."
3.14. [Wrong view 55] 'Another says to him: "There is an-
other self which, by passing entirely beyond the Sphere of In-
finite Space, seeing that consciousness is infinite, has real-
ised the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness. It is this self that at
the breaking-up of the body perishes ..."
3.15. [Wrong view 56] 'Another says to him: "There is an-
other self which, by passing entirely beyond the Sphere of In-
finite Consciousness, seeing that there is no thing, has real-
ised the Sphere of No-Thingness. It is this self that at the
breaking-up of the body perishes ..."
3.16. [Wrong view 37] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
i 37 What the Teaching Is Not 85
such a self as you say. I don't deny it. But that self is not wholly
annihilated. For there is another self which, by passing entire-
ly beyond the Sphere of No-Thingness and seeing: 'This is
peaceful, this is sublime', has realised the Sphere of Neither-
Perception-Nor-Non-Perception. You don't know it or see it,
but I do. It is this self that at the breaking-up of the body is
annihilated and perishes, and does not exist after death. This
is the way in which the self is completely annihilated." That is
how some proclaim the annihilation, destruction and non-
existence of beings.
3.17. 'These are the seven ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins proclaim a doctrine of annihilation, destruction and
non-existence of beings . . . [36] There is no other way.
3.18. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands ... These,
monks, are those other matters, profound, hard to see,. . .
which the Tathagata, having realised them by his own super-
knowledge, proclaims, and about which those who would
truthfully praise the Tathagata would rightly speak.
3.19. 'There are, monks, some ascetics and Brahmins who
are proclaimers of Nibbana Here and Now, and who proclaim
Nibbana here and now for an existent being in five ways. On
what grounds?
3.20. [Wrong view 58] 'Here a certain ascetic or Brahmin
declares and holds the view: "In as far as this self, being fur-
nished and endowed with the fivefold sense-pleasures, in-
dulges in them, then that is when the self realises the highest
Nibbana here and now." 78 So some proclaim it.
3.21. [Wrong view 59] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
such a self as you say. I don't deny it. But that is not where
the self realises the highest Nibbana here and now. Why so?
Because, sir, sense-desires are impermanent, painful and sub-
ject to change, and from their change and transformation there
arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and distress. But [37]
when this self, detached from sense-desires, detached from
unwholesome states, enters and abides in the first jhana, 79
which is accompanied by thinking and pondering, 80 and the
delight 81 and happiness 82 bom of detachment, that is when
the self realises the highest Nibbana here and now."
3.22. [Wrong view 60] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
86 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta i i 38
such a self as you say. But that is not when the self attains
Nibbana. How so? Because on account of thinking and pon-
dering, that state is considered gross. But when the self by the
subsiding of thinking and pondering enters and abides in the
second jhana, with inner tranquillity and oneness of mind,
which is free from thinking and pondering and is bom of
concentration, 83 and accompanied by delight and joy, that is
when the self realises the highest Nibbana here and now."
3.23. [Wrong view 61] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
such a self as you say. But that is not when the self attains
Nibbana. How so? Because on account of the presence of de-
light there is mental exhilaration, and that state is considered
gross. But when the self, with the waning of delight, dwells in
equanimity, 84 mindful and clearly aware, 85 experiencing in his
own body that joy of which the Noble Ones say: 'Happy
dwells one who has equanimity and mindfulness', and so
enters and abides in the third jhana, that is when the self real-
ises the highest Nibbana here and now."
3.24. [Wrong view 62] 'Another says to him: "Sir, there is
such a self as you say. I don't deny it. But that is not where
the self experiences the highest Nibbana here and now. Why
so? Because the mind contains the idea of joy, and that state is
considered gross. But when, with the abandonment of plea-
sure and pain, with the disappearance of previous joy and
grief, [38] one enters and abides in a state beyond pleasure
and pain in the fourth jhana, which is purified by equanimity
and mindfulness, that is where the self realises the highest
Nibbana here and now." That is how some proclaim the
highest Nibbana here and now for an existent being.
3.25. "These are the five ways in which these ascetics and
Brahmins proclaim a doctrine of Nibbana here and now.
There is no other way.
3.26. 'This, monks, the Tathagata understands. . .
3.27. 'These are the forty-four ways in which those ascetics
and Brahmins who are speculators about the future, having
fixed ideas about the future, put forward various speculative
views about the future. There is no other way.
3.28. "This, monks, the Tathagata understands. . .[39]
i 40 What the Teaching Is Not 87
3.29. 'These are the sixty-two ways in which those ascetics
and Brahmins who are speculators about the past, the future,
or both, put forward views about these. There is no other
way.
3.30. This, monks, the Tathagata understands: These view-
points thus grasped and adhered to will lead to such-and-such
destinations in another world. This the Tathagata knows, and
more, but he is not attached to that knowledge. And being
thus unattached he has experienced for himself perfect peace,
and having truly understood the arising and passing away of
feelings, their attraction and peril and the deliverance from
them, the Tathagata is liberated without remainder.
3.31. 'These, monks, are those other matters, profound, hard
to see, hard to understand, peaceful, excellent, beyond mere
thought, subtle, to be experienced by the wise, which the
Tathagata, having realised them by his own super-knowledge,
proclaims, and about which those who would truthfully praise
the Tathagata would rightly speak.'
[Conclusion]
3.32. [Wrong views 1—4] Thus, monks, when those ascetics
and Brahmins who are Etemalists proclaim the eternity of the
self and the world in four [40] ways, that is merely the feeling
of those who do not know and see, the worry and vacillation
of those immersed in craving.
3.33. [Wrong views 5—8] 'When those who are partly Etemal-
ists and partly Non-Etemalists proclaim the partial eternity
and the partial non-eternity of the self and the world in four
ways, that is merely the feeling of those who do not know and
see ...
* 3.34. [Wrong views 9—12] 'When those who are Finitists
and Infinitists proclaim the finitude and infinitude of the
world on four grounds, that is merely the feeling of those who
do not know and see ...
3.35. [Wrong views 13—16] "When those who are Eel-
Wrigglers resort to evasive statements, and wriggle like eels
on four grounds, that is merely the feeling. . .
88 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta 1 i 42
3.36. [Wrong views 17— 18] 'When those who are Chance
Originationists proclaim the chance origin of the self and the
world on two grounds, this is merely the feeling. . .
3.37. [Wrong views 1-18] 'When those who are speculators
about the past, having fixed views about the past, put forward
various speculative theories about the past in eighteen diffe-
rent ways, this is merely the feeling of those who do not know
and see, the worry and vacillation of those immersed in
craving.
3.38. [Wrong views 19-34] 'When those who proclaim a
doctrine of Conscious Post-Mortem Survival do so in sixteen
different ways, that is merely the feeling . . . [41]
3.39. [Wrong views 35—42] 'When those who proclaim a
doctrine of Unconscious Post-Mortem Survival do so in eight
different ways, that is merely the feeling. . .
3.40. [Wrong views 43-50] 'When those who proclaim a
doctrine of Neither-Conscious-nor-Unconscious Post-Mortem
survival do so in eight ways, that is merely the feeling. . .
3.41. [Wrong views 51-57] 'When those who are Annihila-
tionists proclaim the annihilation, destruction and non-exis-
tence of beings in seven ways, that is merely the feeling, . .
3.42. [Wrong views 58-62] 'When those who are pro-
claimed of Nibbana Here and Now proclaim Nibbana here
and now for an existent being on five grounds, that is merely
the feeling. . .
343- [Wrong views 19—62] 'When those who are speculators
about the future in forty-four different ways. . .
3.44. [Wrong views 1-62] 'When those ascetics and
Brahmins who are speculators about the past, the future, or
both, having fixed views, put forward views in sixty-two
different ways, that is merely the feeling of those who do not
know and see, the worry and vacillation of those immersed in
craving.
3.45. 'When those ascetics and Brahmins who are [42] Eter-
nalists proclaim the eternity of the self and the world in four
ways, that is conditioned by contact. 86
3.46. 'When those who are partly Etemalists and partly Non-
Etemalists ...
3.47. 'When those who are Finitists and Infinitists . . .
i 45 What the Teaching Is Not 89
3.48. 'When those who are Eel-Wrigglers . . .
3.49. 'When those who are Chance-Originationists . . .
3.50. 'When those who are speculators about the past in
eighteen ways . . .
3.51. 'When those who proclaim a doctrine of Conscious
Post-Mortem Survival.
3.52. 'When those who proclaim a doctrine of Unconscious
Post-Mortem Survival . . .
3.53. 'When those who proclaim a doctrine of Neither-Con-
scious-Nor-Unconscious Post-Mortem Survival. . .
3.54. 'When those who are Annihilationists . . .
3.55. 'When those who are proclaimed of Nibbana Here and
Now. . .
3.56. 'When those who are speculators about the future . . .
[43]
3.57. 'When those ascetics and Brahmins who are specula-
ted about the past, the future, or both, having fixed views,
put forward views in sixty-two different ways, that is condi-
tioned by contact.
3.58— 70. 'That all of these ( Etemalists and the rest) should ex-
perience that feeling without contact is impossible. [44]
3.71. 'With regard to all of these. . ., [45] they experience
these feelings by repeated contact through the six sense-
bases; 87 feeling conditions craving; craving conditions cling-
ing; clinging conditions becoming; becoming conditions birth;
birth conditions ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, sad-
ness and distress. 88
'When, monks, a monk understands as they really are the
arising and passing away of the six bases of contact, their at-
traction and peril, and the deliverance from them, he knows
that which goes beyond all these views.
3.72. 'Whatever ascetics and Brahmins who are speculators
about the past or the future or both, having fixed views on the
matter and put forth' speculative views about it, these are all
trapped in the net with its sixty-two divisions, and wherever
they emerge and try to get out, they are caught and held in
this net. Just as a skilled fisherman or his apprentice might cover
a small piece of water with a fine-meshed net, thinking: “What-
ever larger creatures there may be in this water, they are all
90 Brahmajala Sutta: Sutta i i 46
trapped in the net, [46] caught, and held in the net", so it is
with all these: they are trapped and caught in this net.
3.73. 'Monks, the body of the Tathagata stands with the link
that bound it to becoming cut. 89 As long as the body subsists,
devas and humans will see him. But at the breaking-up of the
body and the exhaustion of the life-span, devas and humans
will see him no more. Monks, just as when the stalk of a
bunch of mangoes has been cut, all the mangoes on it go with
it, just so the Tathagata' s link with becoming has been cut. As
long as the body subsists, devas and humans will see him.
But at the breaking-up of the body and the exhaustion of the
life-span, devas and humans will see him no more/
3.74. At these words the*Venerable Ananda said to the Lord:
'It is marvellous. Lord, it is wonderful. What is the name of
this exposition of Dhamma?'
'Ananda, you may remember this exposition of Dhamma as
the Net of Advantage, 90 the Net of Dhamma, the Supreme
Net, the Net of Views, or as the Incomparable Victory in
Battle.'
Thus the Lord spoke, and the monks rejoiced and were de-
lighted at his words. And as this exposition was being pro-
claimed, the ten-thousand world-system shook.
2 Samannaphala Sutta:
The Fruits of the Homeless Life
[47] 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was staying at Raja-
gaha, in Jivaka Komarabhacca's 91 mango-grove, together with
a large company of some twelve hundred and fifty monks.
And at that time King Ajatasattu Vedehiputta 92 of Magadha,
having gone up to the roof of his palace, was sitting there sur-
rounded by his ministers, on the fifteenth- day fast- day, 93 the
full-moon of the fourth month, 94 called Komudi. 95 And King
Ajatasattu, on that fast-day/gave vent to this solemn utter-
ance: 'Delightful, friends, is this moonlight night! Charming
is this moonlight night! Auspicious is this moonlight night!
Can we not today visit some ascetic or Brahmin, to visit whom
would bring peace to our heart?' 96
2. Then one minister said to King Ajatasattu: 'Sire, there is
Purana Kassapa, who has many followers, a teacher of many,
who is well-known, renowned, the founder of a sect, highly
honoured by the multitude, of long standing, long-since gone
forth, aged and venerable. May Your Majesty visit this Purana
Kassapa. He may well bring peace to Your Majesty's heart.' At
these words King Ajatasattu was silent.
3. Another minister said: 'Sire, there is [48] Makkhali Gosala,
who has many followers . . . He may well bring peace to your
Majesty's heart.' At these words King Ajatasattu was silent.
4. Another minister said: 'Sire, there is Ajita Kesakamball
. . . ' At these words King Ajatasattu was silent.
3. Another minister said: 'Sire, there is Pakudha Kaccayana
. . .' At these words King Ajatasattu was silent.
6. Another minister said: 'Sire, there is Sanjaya Belatthaput 1
ta. . .' At these words King Ajatasattu was silent.
7. Another minister said: 'Sire, there is [49] the Nigantha
91
92 Samahhaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 i 50
Nataputta, who has many followers, a teacher of many, who is
well-known, . . . aged and venerable. May Your Majesty visit
the Nigantha Nataputta. He may well bring peace to Your
Majesty's heart.' At these words King Ajatasattu was silent.
8. All jthis time Jivaka Komarabhacca was sitting silently
near King Ajatasattu. The King said to him: 'You, friend
Jivaka, why are you silent?' 'Sire, there is this Blessed Lord,
the Arahant, the fully-enlightened Buddha staying in my
mango-grove with a large company of some twelve hundred
and fifty monks. And concerning the Blessed Gotama this fair
report has been spread about: "This Blessed Lord is an Ara-
hant, a fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and
conduct, the Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable
Trainer of men to be tamed, 97 Teacher of gods and humans,
enlightened and blessed." May Your Majesty visit the Blessed
Lord. He may well bring peace to Your Majesty's heart.' 'Then,
Jivaka, have the riding-elephants made ready.'
9. 'Very good. Sire', said Jivaka, and he had five hundred
she-elephants made ready, and for the King the royal tusker.
Then he reported: 'Sire, the riding-elephants are ready. Now
is the time to do as Your Majesty wishes.' And King Ajatasat-
tu, having placed his wives each on one of the five hundred
she-elephants, mounted the royal tusker and proceeded in
royal state, accompanied by torch-bearers, from Rajagaha to-
wards JIvaka's mango-grove.
10. And when Kihg Ajatasattu came near the mango-grove
he felt fear and terror, and his hair stood on end. And feeling
[50] this fear and the rising of the hairs, the King said to
Jivaka: 'Friend Jivaka, you are not deceiving me? You are not
tricking me? You are not delivering me up to an enemy? How
is it that from this great number of twelve hundred and fifty
monks not a sneeze, a cough or a shout is to be heard?'
'Have no fear, Your Majesty, I would not deceive you or
trick you or deliver you up to an enemy. Approach, Sire, ap-
proach. There are the lights burning in the round pavilion.'
11. So King Ajatasattu, having ridden on his elephant as far
as the ground would permit, alighted and continued on foot
to the door of the round pavilion. Then he said: 'Jivaka, where
i 52 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 93
is the Lord?' 'That is the Lord, Sire. That is the Lord sitting
against the middle column with his order of monks in front of
him.'
12. Then King Ajatasattu went up to the Lord and stood to
one side, and standing there to one side the King observed
how the order of monks continued in silence like a clear lake,
and he exclaimed: 'If only Prince Udayabhadda were possess-
ed of such calm as this order of monks!'
'Do your thoughts go to the one you love. Your Majesty?'
'Lord, Prince Udayabhadda 98 is very dear to me. If only he
were possessed of the same calm as this order of monks!'
13. Then King Ajatasattu, having bowed down to the Lord
and saluted the order of monks with [51] joined hands, sat
down to one side and said: 'Lord, I would ask something, if
the Lord would deign to answer me.' 'Ask, Your Majesty, any-
thing you like.'
14. 'Lord, just as there are these various craftsmen, such as
elephant-drivers, horse-drivers, chariot-fighters, archers, stan-
dard-bearers, adjutants, army caterers, champions and senior
officers, scouts, heroes, brave fighters, cuirassiers, slaves' sons,
cooks, barbers, bathmen, bakers, garland-makers, bleachers,
weavers, basket-makers, potters, calculators and accountants
— and whatever other skills there are: they enjoy here and
now the visible fruits of their skills, they themselves are de-
lighted and pleased with this, as are their parents, children
and colleagues and friends, they maintain and support asce-
tics and Brahmins, thus assuring for themselves a heavenly,
happy reward tending towards paradise. Can you. Lord, point
to such a reward visible here and now as a fruit of the
homeless life?'
15. 'Your Majesty, do you admit that you have put this
question to other ascetics and Brahmins?' 'I admit it. Lord.'
'Would Your Majesty mind saying how they replied?' 'I do
not mind telling the Lord, or one like him.' [52] 'Well then.
Your Majesty, tell me.'
16. 'Once, Lord, I went to see Purana Kassapa. 99 Having ex-
changed courtesies, I sat down to one side and said: "Good
Kassapa, just as there are these various craftsmen, . . . they en-
94 Samannaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 153
joy here and now the visible fruits of their skills. . .(as verse
14). Can you, Kassapa, point to such a reward visible here and
now as a fruit of the homeless life?"
17. 'At this. Lord, Purana Kassapa said: "Your Majesty, by
5 the doer or instigator of a thing, by one who cuts or causes to
! be cut, by one who bums or causes to be burnt, by one who
causes grief and weariness, by one who agitates or causes agi-
tation, who causes life to be taken or that which is not given
1 to be taken, commits burglary, carries off booty, commits rob-
j bery, lies in ambush, commits adultery and tells lies, ho evil is
j done. If with a razor- sharp wheel one were to make of this
earth one single mass and heap of flesh, there would be no
evil as a result of that, no evil would accrue. If one were to go
along the south bank of the Ganges killing, slaying, cutting or
causing to be cut, burning or causing to be burnt, there would
I be no evil as a result of that, no evil would accrue. Or if one
were to go along the north bank of the Ganges giving and
causing to be given, sacrificing and causing to be sacrificed,
there would be no merit as a result of that, no merit would
accrue. [53] In giving, self-control, abstinence and telling the
truth, there is no merit, and no merit accrues."
18. 'Thus, Lord, Purana Kassapa, on being asked about the
present fruits of the homeless life, explained non-action to me.
Just as if on being asked about a mango he were to describe a
breadfruit-tree, or on being asked about a breadfruit-tree he
were to describe a mfingo, so Purana Kassapa, on being asked
about the present fruits of the homeless life, explained non-
action to me. And, Lord, I thought: "How should one like me
think despitefully of any ascetic or Brahmin dwelling in my
territory?" 100 so I neither applauded nor rejected Purana Kas-
sapa's words but, though displeased, not expressing my dis-
pleasure, saying nothing, rejecting and scorning speech, I got
up and left.
19. 'Once I visited Makkhali Gosala, 101 and asked him the
same question.
20. 'Makkahali Gosala said: "Your Majesty, there is no cause
or condition 102 for the defilement of beings, they are defiled
without cause or condition. There is no cause or condition for
the purification of beings, they are purified without cause or
i 55 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 95
condition. There is no self-power or other-power, there is no
power in humans, no strength or force, no vigour or exertion.
All beings, all living things, all creatures, all that lives is with-
out control, without power or strength, they experience the
fixed course of pleasure and pain through the six kinds of re-
birth. There [54] are one million four hundred thousand prin-
cipal sorts of birth, and six thousand others and again six
hundred. There are five hundred kinds of kamma, 103 or five
kinds, 104 and three kinds, 105 and half-kamma, 106 sixty-two
paths, sixty-two intermediary aeons, six classes of human-
kind, eight stages of human progress, four thousand nine
hundred occupations, four thousand nine hundred wanderers,
four thousand nine hundred abodes of nagas, 107 two thousand
sentient existences, three thousand hells, thirty-six places of
dust, seven classes of rebirth as conscious beings, seven as un-
conscious beings, and seven as beings 'freed from bonds', 108
seven grades of devas, men, goblins, seven lakes, seven great
and seven small protuberances, 109 seven great and seven small
abysses, seven great and seven small dreams, eight million
four hundred thousand aeons during which fools and wise
run on and circle round till they make an end of suffering.
'"Therefore there is no such thing as saying: 'By this disci-
pline or practice or austerity or holy life I will bring my un-
ripened kamma to fruition, or I will gradually make this
ripened kamma go away.' 110 Neither of these things is possi-
ble, because pleasure and pain have been measured out with
a measure limited by the round of birth-and-death, and there
is neither increase nor decrease, neither excellence nor infe-
riority. Just as a ball of string when thrown runs till it is all
unravelled, so fools and wise run on and circle round till they
make an end of suffering."
21. "Thus, Lord, Makkhali Gosala, on being asked about the
fruits of the homeless life, explained the purification of the
round of birth-and-death to me. . . [55] So I neither applauded
nor rejected Makkhali Gosala' s words but . . . got up and left.
22. 'Once I visited Ajita Kesakamball, 111 and asked him the
same question.
23. 'Ajita Kesakambali said: "Your Majesty, there is nothing
given, bestowed, offered in sacrifice, there is no fruit or result
96 Samannaphala Sutta: Sutta 2. i 57
of good or bad deeds, there is not this world or the next, there
is no mother or father, there are no spontaneously arisen
beings, 112 there are in the world no ascetics or Brahmins who
have attained, who have perfectly practised, who proclaim
this world and the next, having realised them by their own
super-knowledge. This human being is composed of the four
great elements, and when one dies the earth part reverts to
earth, the water part to water, the fire part to fire, the air part
to air, and the faculties pass away into space. They accompany
the dead man with four bearers and the bier as fifth, their
footsteps are heard as far as the cremation-ground. There the
bones whiten, the sacrifice ends in ashes. It is the idea of a
fool to give this gift: the talk of those who preach a doctrine of
survival is vain and false. Fools and wise, at the breaking-up
of the body, are destroyed and perish, they do not exist after
death."
24. "Thus, Lord, Ajita Kesakambali, on being asked about
the fruits of the homeless life, explained the doctrine of anni-
hilation to me. . .[56] . . .1 got up and left.
25. 'Once I visited Pakudha Kaccayana, 113 and asked him
the same question.
26. 'Pakudha Kaccayana said: "Your Majesty, these seven
things are not made or of a kind to be made, uncreated, un-
productive, barren, false, stable as a column. They do not
shake, do not change, obstruct one another, nor are they able
to cause one another pleasure, pain, or both. What are the
seven? The earth-body, the water-body, the fire-body, the air-
body; pleasure and pain and the life-principle. These seven
are not made. . .Thus there is neither slain nor slayer, neither
hearer nor proclaimer, neither knower nor causer of knowing.
And whoever cuts off a man's head with a sharp sword does
not deprive anyone of life, he just inserts the blade in the
intervening space between these seven bodies." [57]
27. 'Thus, Lord, Pakudha Kaccayana, on being asked about
the fruits of the homeless life, answered with something quite
different ... I got up and left.
28. 'I visited the Nigantha Nataputta, 114 and asked him the
same question.
29. "The Nigantha Nataputta said: "Your Majesty, here a
i 60 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 97
Nigantha is bound by a fourfold restraint. What four? He is
curbed by all curbs, enclosed by all curbs, cleared by all curbs,
and claimed by all curbs. 115 And as far as a Nigantha is bound
by this fourfold restraint, thus the Nigantha is called self-per-
fected, self-controlled, self-established."
[58] 30. "Thus, Lord, the Nigantha Nataputta, on being
asked about the fruits of the homeless life, explained the four-
fold restraint to me . . .1 got up and left.
31. 'Once I visited Sanjaya Belatthaputta, and asked him the
same question.
32. 'Sanjaya Belatthaputta said: "If you ask me: 'Is there an-
other world?' if I thought so, I would say so. But I don't think
so. I don't say it is so, and I don't say otherwise. I don't say it
is not, and I don't not say it is not. If you ask: 'Isn't there an-
other world?'. . .'Both?'. . .'Neither?'. . .'Is there fruit and re-
sult of good and bad deeds?' 'Isn't there?'. . .'Both?'. . .'Nei-
ther?' . . . 'Does the Tathagata [59] exist after death?' 'Does he
not?'. . .'Both?'. . .'Neither?'. . .1 don't not say it is not."
33. 'Thus, Lord, Sanjaya Belatthaputta, on being asked about
the fruits of the homeless life, replied by evasion. Just as if on
being asked about a mango he were to describe a breadfruit-
tree... And I thought: "Of all these ascetics and Brahmins,
Sanjaya Belatthaputta is the most stupid and confused." So I
neither applauded nor rejected his words, but go up and left.
34. 'And so. Lord, I now ask the Blessed Lord: Just as there
are these various craftsmen,. . .who enjoy here and now the
visible fruits of their skills, . . . assuring for themselves a
heavenly, happy reward . . . [60] Can you. Lord, point to such a
reward, visible here and now, as a fruit of the homeless life?'
'I can. Your Majesty. I will just ask a few questions in return
and you, Sire, shall answer as you see fit.
35. 'What do you think. Sire? Suppose there were a man, a
slave, a labourer, getting up before you and going to bed after
you, willingly doing whatever has to be done, well-mannered,
pleasant-spoken, working in your presence. And he might
think: "It is strange, it is wonderful, the destiny and fruits of
meritorious deeds! 116 This King Ajatasattu Vedehiputta of
Magadha is a man, and I too am a man. The King is addicted
to and indulges in the fivefold sense-pleasures, just like a god.
98 Samannaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 i 62
whereas I am a slave. . .working in his presence. I ought to do
something meritorious. Suppose I were to shave off my hair
and beard, don yellow robes, and go forth from the household
life into homelessness!" And before long he does so. And he,
having thus gone forth might dwell, restrained in body,
speech and thought, satisfied with the minimum of food and
clothing, content, in solitude. And then if people were to an-
nounce to you: "Sire, you remember that slave who worked in
your presence, and who shaved off his hair and beard and
went forth into homelessness? He is living restrained in body,
speech and thought, ... in solitude" — would you then say:
"That man must come back and be a slave and work for me as
before"?'
36. 'No indeed, Lord. For we should pay homage to him, [61]
we should rise and invite him and press him to receive from
us robes, food, lodging, medicines for sickness and requisites,
and make arrangements for his proper protection/
'What do you think, Sire? Is that one fruit of the homeless
life visible here and now?' 'Certainly, Lord.' 'Then that. Sire,
is the first such fruit of the homeless life.'
37. 'But, Lord, can you show any other reward, visible here
and now, as a fruit of the homeless life?'
'I can. Sire. I will just ask a few questions in return and you.
Sire, shall answer as you see fit. What do you think, Sire?
Suppose there were a man, a farmer, a householder, in your
service, the steward of an estate. He might think: "It is
strange, it is wonderful, the destiny and fruits of meritorious
deeds! This King Ajatasattu is a man, and I too am a man. The
King is addicted to and indulges in the fivefold sense-plea-
sures, just like a god, whereas I am a farmer, . . . the steward of
an estate. I ought to do something meritorious. Suppose I
were to ... go forth from the household life into homeless-
ness!" And before long he does so. And he, having thus gone
forth might dwell ... in solitude. And if people were to tell you
this. . .[62] would you then say: "That man must come back
and be a steward as before"?'
38. 'No indeed. Lord. For we should pay homage to him, we
should rise and invite him and press him to receive from us
robes, food, lodging, medicines for sickness and requisites,
and make arrangements for his proper protection.'
i 63 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 99
'What do you think. Sire? Is that one fruit of the homeless
life visible here and now?' 'Certainly, Lord.' 'Then that. Sire,
is the second such fruit of the homeless life.'
39. 'But, Lord, can you show me any other reward, visible
here and now, as a fruit of the homeless life that is more ex-
cellent and perfect than these?'
'I can. Sire. Please listen, Your Majesty, pay proper atten-
tion, and I will speak.' 'Yes, Lord', said King Ajatasattu, and
the Lord went on;
40. 'Your Majesty, it happens that a Tathagata arises in the
world, an Arahant, fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with
wisdom and conduct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, in-
comparable Trainer of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and
humans, enlightened and blessed. He, having realised it by
his own super- knowledge, proclaims this world with its devas,
maras 117 and Brahmas, its princes 118 and people. He preaches
the Dhamma, which is lovely in its beginning, lovely in its
middle, lovely in its ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and
displays the fully-perfected and purified holy life.
41. 'This Dhamma is heard by a householder or a house-
holder's son, or one reborn in some family or other. Having
heard this Dhamma, [63] he gains faith in the Tathagata.
Having gained this faith, he reflects: "The household life is
close and dusty, the homeless life is free as air. It is not easy,
living the household life, to live the fully-perfected holy life,
purified and polished like a conch-shell. Suppose I were to
shave off my hair and beard, don yellow robes and go forth
from the household life into homelessness!" And after some
time, he abandons his property, small or great, leaves his
circle of relatives, small or great, shaves off his hair and beard,
dons yellow robes and goes forth into the homeless life.
42. 'And having gone forth, he dwells restrained by the re-
straint of the rules, persisting in right behaviour, seeing dan-
ger in the slightest faults, observing the commitments he has
taken on regarding body, deed and word, devoted to the
skilled and purified life, perfected in morality, with the sense-
doors guarded, skilled in mindful awareness and content.
43. -62. 'And how. Sire, is a monk perfected in morality?
Abandoning the taking of life, he dwells refraining from
taking life, without stick or sword, scrupulous, compassionate.
ioo Samahhaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 1 7 1
trembling for the welfare of all living beings, thus he is ac-
complished in morality. Abandoning the taking of what is not
given,. . .abandoning unchastity,. . .(and so on through the three
sections on morality as Sutta i, verses 1.8-27). A monk refrains
from such base arts and wrong means of livelihood. Thus he
is perfected in morality. [64—69]
63. 'And then. Sire, that monk who is perfected in morality
sees no danger from any side owing to his being restrained
by morality. Just as a duly-anointed Khattiya king, having
conquered [70] his enemies, by that very fact sees no danger
from any side, so the monk, on account of his morality, sees
no danger anywhere. He experiences in himself the blameless
bliss that comes from maintaining this Ariyan morality. In
this way. Sire, he is perfected in morality.
64. 'And how. Sire, is he a guardian of the sense-doors?
Here a monk, on seeing a visible object with the eye, does not
grasp at its major signs or secondary characteristics. Because
greed and sorrow, evil unskilled states, would overwhelm him
if he dwelt leaving this eye-faculty unguarded, so he practises
guarding it, he protects the eye-faculty, develops restraint of
the eye-faculty. On hearing a sound with the ear, ... on smel-
ling an odour with the nose, ... on tasting a flavour with the
tongue,. . .on feeling an object with the body,. . .on thinking
a thought with the mind, he does not grasp at its major signs
or secondary characteristics,. . .he develops restraint of the
mind-faculty. He experiences within himself the blameless
bliss that comes from maintaining this Ariyan guarding of the
faculties. In this way. Sire, a monk is a guardian of the sense-
doors.
65. 'And how. Sire, is a monk accomplished in mindfulness
and clear awareness? Here a monk acts with clear awareness
in going forth and back, in looking ahead or behind him, in
bending and stretching, in wearing his outer and inner robe
and carrying his bowl, in eating, drinking, chewing and
swallowing, in evacuating and urinating, in walking, stand-
ing, sitting, lying down, in waking, in speaking and in
keeping silent he acts with clear awareness. In this way, [71] a
monk is accomplished in mindfulness and clear awareness.
i 72 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 101
66. 'And how is a monk contented? Here, a monk is satis-
fied with a robe to protect his body, with alms to satisfy his
stomach, and having accepted sufficient, he goes on his way.
Just as a bird with wings flies hither and thither, burdened by
nothing but its wings, so he is satisfied ... In this way, Sire, a
monk is contented.
67. "Then he, equipped with this Ariyan morality, with this
Ariyan restraint of the senses, with this Ariyan contentment,
finds a solitary lodging, at the root of a forest tree, in a moun-
tain cave or gorge, a charnel-ground, a jungle-thicket, or in the
open air on a heap of straw. Then, having eaten after his return
from the alms-round, he sits down cross-legged, holding his
body erect, and concentrates on keeping mindfulness estab-
lished before him. 119
68. 'Abandoning worldly desires, he dwells with a mind
freed from worldly desires, and his mind is purified of them.
Abandoning ill-will and hatred. . .and by compassionate love
for the welfare of all living beings, his mind is purified of ill-
will and hatred. Abandoning sloth-and-torpor, . . . perceiving
light, 120 mindful and clearly aware, his mind is purified of
sloth-and-torpor. Abandoning worry-and-flurry . . . and with
an inwardly calmed mind his heart is purified of worry-and-
flurry. Abandoning doubt, he dwells with doubt left behind,
without uncertainty as to what things are wholesome, his
mind is purified of doubt.
69. 'Just as a man who had taken a loan to develop his busi-
ness, and whose business had prospered, might pay off his
old debts, and with what was left over could support a wife,
might think: "Before this I developed my business by bor-
rowing, [72] but now it has prospered...", and he would
rejoice and be glad about that.
70. 'Just as a man who was ill, suffering, terribly sick, with
no appetite and weak in body, might after a time recover, and
regain his appetite and bodily strength, and he might think:
"Before this I was ill . . . ", and he would rejoice and be glad
about that.
71. 'Just as a man might be bound in prison, and after a
time he might be freed from his bonds without any loss, with
102 Samahhaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 i 74
no deduction from his possessions. He might think: “Before
this I was in prison. . . and he would rejoice and be glad
about that.
72. 'J us t as a man might be a slave, not his own master, de-
pendent on another, unable to go where he liked, and after
some time he might be freed from slavery, able to go where
he liked, might think: “Before this I was a slave . . . “[73] And
he would rejoice and be glad about that.
73. 'Just as a man, laden with goods and wealth, might go
on a long journey through the desert where food was scarce
and danger abounded, and after a time he would get through
the desert and arrive safe and sound at the edge of a village,
might think: "Before this I was in danger, now I am safe at
the edge of a village", and he would rejoice and be glad about
that.
74. 'As long. Sire, as a monk does not perceive the disap-
pearance of the five hindrances in himself, 121 he feels as if in
debt, in sickness, in bonds, in slavery, on a desert journey.
But when he perceives the disappearance of the five hin-
drances in himself, it is as if he were freed from debt, from
sickness, from bonds, from slavery, from the perils of the
desert.
75. 'And when he knows that these five hindrances have left
him, gladness arises in him, from gladness comes delight,
from the delight in his mind his body is tranquillised, with a
tranquil body he feels joy, and with joy his mind is concen-
trated. Being thus detached from sense-desires, detached from
unwholesome states, he enters and remains in the first jhana,
which is with thinking and pondering, bom of detachment,
filled with delight and joy. And with this delight and joy bom
of detachment, he so suffuses, drenches, fills and irradiates his
body that there is no spot in his entire body that is untouched
by this delight and joy bom of detachment. [74]
76. 'Just as a skilled bathman or his assistant, kneading the
soap-powder which he has sprinkled with water, forms from
it, in a metal dish, a soft lump, so that the ball of soap-powder
becomes one oleaginous mass, bound with oil so that nothing
escapes — so this monk suffuses, drenches, fills and irradiates
his body so that no spot remains untouched. This, Sire, is a
i 76 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 103
fruit of the homeless life, visible here and now, that is more
excellent and perfect than the former ones. 122
77. 'Again, a monk, with the subsiding of thinking and
pondering, by gaining inner tranquillity and oneness of mind,
enters and remains in the second jhana, which is without
thinking and pondering, bom of concentration, filled with
delight and joy. And with this delight and joy bom of concen-
tration he so suffuses his body that no spot remains un-
touched.
78. 'Just as a lake fed by a spring, with no inflow from east,
west, north or south, where the rain-god sends moderate
showers from time to time, the water welling up from below,
mingling with cool water, would suffuse, fill and irradiate that
cool water, so that no part of the pool was untouched by it —
so, with this delight and joy bom of concentration he so
suffuses his body that no spot remains untouched. [75] This,
Sire, is a fruit more excellent and perfect than the former ones.
79. 'Again, a monk with the fading away of delight remains
imperturbable, mindful and clearly aware, and experiences in
himself that joy of which the Noble Ones say: “Happy is he
who dwells with equanimity and mindfulness", and he enters
and remains in the third jhana. And with this joy devoid of
delight he so suffuses his body that no spot remains un-
touched.
80. 'Just as if, in a pond of blue, red or white lotuses 123 in
which the flowers, bom in the water, grown in the water, not
growing out of the water, are fed from the water's depths,
those blue, red or white lotuses would be suffused. . .with the
cool water — so with this joy devoid of delight the monk so
suffuses his body that no spot remains untouched. This is a
fruit of the homeless life, more excellent and perfect than the
former ones.
81. 'Again, a monk, having given up pleasure and pain, and
with the disappearance of former gladness and sadness, enters
and remains in the fourth jhana which is beyond pleasure and
pain, and purified by equanimity and mindfulness. And he
sits suffusing his body with that mental purity and
clarification [76] So that no part of his body is untouched by it.
82. 'Just as if a man were to sit wrapped from head to foot
104 Samahhaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 i 77
in a white garment, so that no part of him was untouched by
that garment — so his body is suffused. . .This is a fruit of the
homeless life, more excellent and perfect than the former ones.
83. 'And so, with mind concentrated, purified and cleansed,
unblemished, free from impurities, 124 malleable, workable,
established, and having gained imperturbability, he directs
and inclines his mind towards knowing and seeing. And he
knows: "This my body is material, made up from the four
great elements, bom of mother and father, fed on rice and
gruel, impermanent, liable to be injured and abraded, broken
and destroyed, and this is my consciousness which is bound
to it and dependent on it." 125
84. 'It is just as if there were a gem, a beryl, 126 pure, excel-
lent, well cut into eight facets, clear, bright, unflawed, perfect
in every respect, strung on a blue, yellow, red, white or
orange cord. A man with good eyesight, taking it in his hand
and inspecting it, would describe it as such. In the same way.
Sire, a monk with mind concentrated, purified and cleansed,
. . . directs his mind towards knowing and seeing. And he
knows: "This my body is material, made up of the four great
elements, . . . [77] and this is my consciousness which is bound
to it and dependent on it." This is a fruit of the homeless life,
more excellent and perfect than the former ones.
85. 'And he, with mind concentrated, . . f having gained im-
perturbability, applies and directs his mind to the production
of a mind-made body. And out of this body he produces
another body, having a form, 127 mind-made, complete in all
its limbs and faculties.
86. 'It is just as if a man were to draw out a reed from its
sheath. He might think: "This is the reed, this is the sheath,
reed and sheath are different. Now the reed has been pulled
from the sheath." Or as if a man were to draw a sword from
the scabbard. He might think: "This is the sword, this is the
scabbard, sword and scabbard are different. Now the sword
has been drawn from the scabbard." Or as if a man were to
draw a snake from its [old] skin. He might think: "This is the
snake, this is the skin, snake and skin are different. Now the
snake has been drawn from its skin." In the same way a monk
with mind concentrated . . . directs his mind to the production
i 80 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 103
of a mind-made body. He draws that body out of this body,
having form, mind-made, complete with all its limbs and
faculties. This is a fruit of the homeless life more excellent and
perfect than the former ones.
87. 'And he, with mind concentrated, . . . applies and directs
his mind [78] to the various supernormal powers. 128 He then
enjoys different powers: being one, he becomes many —
being many, he becomes one; he appears and disappears; he
passes through fences, walls and mountains unhindered as if
through air; he sinks into the ground and emerges from it as
if it were water; he walks on the water without breaking the
surface as if on land; he flies cross-legged through the sky like
a bird with wings; he even touches and strokes with his hand
the sun and moon, mighty and powerful as they are; 129 and he
travels in the body as far as the Brahma world.
88. 'Just as a skilled potter or his assistant can make from
well-prepared clay whatever kind of bowl he likes, or just as a
skilled ivory-carver or his assistant can produce from well-
prepared ivory any object he likes, or just as a skilled
goldsmith or his assistant can make any gold article he likes —
so the monk with mind concentrated. . .enjoys various super-
normal powers. . .[79] This is a fruit of the homeless life. . .
89. 'And he, with mind concentrated,. . .applies and directs
his mind to the divine ear. 130 With the divine ear, purified
and surpassing that of human beings, he hears sounds both
divine and human, whether far or near.
90. 'Just as a man going on a long journey might hear the
sound of a big drum, a small drum, a conch, cymbals or a
kettle-drum, and he might think: "That is a big drum,. . .a
kettle-drum", so the monk with mind concentrated . . . hears
sounds, divine or human, far or near. This is a fruit of the
homeless life, more excellent and perfect than the former ones.
91. 'And he, with mind concentrated,. . .applies and directs
his mind to the knowledge of others' minds. He knows and
distinguishes with his mind the minds of other beings or
other persons. He knows the mind with passion to be with
passion; he knows the mind without passion to be without
passion. 131 [80] He knows the mind with hate to be with hate;
he knows the mind without hate to be without hate. He
i
106 Samahhaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 i 82
knows the deluded mind to be deluded; he knows the un-
deluded mind to be undeluded. He knows the narrow mind
to be narrow; he knows the broad mind to be broad. He
knows the expanded mind to be expanded; he knows the un-
expanded mind to be unexpanded. He knows the surpassed
mind to be surpassed; he knows the unsurpassed mind to be
unsurpassed. He knows the concentrated mind to be concen-
trated; he knows the unconcentrated mind to be unconcen-
trated. He knows the liberated mind to be liberated; he knows
the unliberated mind to be unliberated.
92. 'Just as a woman, or a man or young boy, fond of his
appearance, might examine his face in a brightly polished
mirror or in water, and by examination would know whether
there was a spot there or not, so the monk, with mind con-
centrated, ... directs his mind to the knowledge of others'
minds. . .(as verse pi). [8i] This is a fruit of the homeless life. . .
93. 'And he, with mind concentrated, . . . applies and directs
his mind to the knowledge of previous existences. He remem-
bers many previous existences: one birth, two, three, four,
five births, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty births, a hundred, a
thousand, a hundred thousand births, several periods of con-
traction, of expansion, of both contraction and expansion.
"There my name was so-and-so, my clan was so-and-so, my
caste was so-and-so, my food was such-and-such, I experi-
enced such-and-such pleasant and painful conditions, I lived
for so long. Having passed away from there, I arose there.
There my name was so-and-so. . .And having passed away
from there, I arose here." Thus he remembers various past
births, their conditions and details.
94. 'It is just as if a man were to go from his village to
another, from that to yet another, and thence return to his
home village. He might think: "I came from my own village to
that other one where I stood, sat, spoke or remained silent like
this, and from that one I went to another, where I stood, sat,
spoke or remained silent like this, and from there [82] I have
just returned to my own village." 132 Just so the monk with
mind concentrated. . .remembers past births. . .This is a fruit
of the homeless life ...
i 84 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 107
95. 'And he, with mind concentrated,. . .applies and directs
his mind to the knowledge of the passing-away and arising of
beings. With the divine eye, 133 purified and surpassing that of
humans, he sees beings passing away and arising: base and
noble, well-favoured and ill-favoured, to happy and unhappy
destinations as kamma directs them, and he knows: "These
beings, on account of misconduct of body, speech or thought,
or disparaging the Noble Ones, have wrong view and will
suffer the kammic fate of wrong view. At the breaking-up of
the body after death they are reborn in a lower world, a bad
destination, a state of suffering, hell. But these beings, on
account of good conduct of body, speech or thought, of prai-
sing the Noble Ones, have right view and will reap the kam-
mic reward of right view. At the breaking-up of the body after
death they are reborn in a good destination, a heavenly
world." Thus with the divine eye... [83] he sees beings
passing away and rearising ...
96. 'It is just as if there were a lofty building at a crossroads,
and a man with good eyesight standing there might see
people entering or leaving a house, walking in the street, or
sitting in the middle of the crossroads. And he might think:
"These are entering a house ..." Just so, with the divine eye,
. . .he sees beings passing away and rearising. . .This is a fruit
of the homeless life ...
97. 'And he with mind concentrated, purified and cleansed,
unblemished, free from impurities, malleable, workable, es-
tablished and having gained imperturbability, applies and
directs his mind to the knowledge of the destruction of the
corruptions. 134 He knows as it really is: "This is suffering",
[84] he knows as it really is: "This is the origin of suffering",
he knows as it really is: "This is the cessation of suffering", he
knows as it really is: "This is the path leading to the cessation
of suffering." And he knows as it really is: "These are the cor-
ruptions", "This is the origin of the corruptions", "This is the
cessation of the corruptions", "This is the path leading to the
cessation of the corruptions." And through his knowing and
seeing his mind is delivered from the corruption of sense-
desire, from the corruption of becoming, from the corruption
108 Samahhaphala Sutta: Sutta 2 i 85
of ignorance, and the knowledge arises in him: "This is de-
liverance!", and he knows: "Birth is finished, the holy life has
been led, done is what had to be done, there is nothing
further here." 135
98. 'Just as Sire, in the midst of the mountains there were
a pond, clear as a polished mirror, where a man with good
eyesight standing on the bank could see oyster-shells, gravel-
banks, and shoals of fish, on the move or stationary. And he
might think: "This pond is clear, . . . there are oyster-shells . . .
just so, with mind concentrated,. . .he knows: "Birth is finish-
ed, the holy life has been led, done is what had to be done,
there is nothing further here." [85] This, Sire, is a fruit of the
homeless life, visible here and now, which is more excellent
and perfect than the previous fruits. And, Sire, there is no
fruit of the homeless life, visible here and now, that is more
excellent and perfect than this.' 136
99. At this King Ajatasattu exclaimed: 'Excellent, Lord, ex-
cellent! It is as if someone were to set up what had been
knocked down, or to point out the way to one who had got
lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark place, so that those
with eyes could see what was there. Just so the Blessed Lord
has expounded the Dhamma in various ways. And I, Lord, go
for refuge to the Blessed Lord, to the Dhamma, and to the
Sangha. May the Blessed Lord accept me from this day forth
as a lay-follower as long as life shall last! Transgression 137
overcame me. Lord, foolish, erring and wicked as I was, in
that I for the sake of the throne deprived my father, that good
man and just king/ of his life. May the Blessed Lord accept my
confession of my evil deed that I may restrain myself in
future!' 138
100. 'Indeed, Sire, transgression overcame you when you
deprived your father, that good man and just king, of his life.
But since you have acknowledged the transgression and con-
fessed it as is right, we will accept it. For he who acknow-
ledges his transgression as such and confesses it for better-
ment in future, will grow in the Ariyan discipline.'
101. At this. King Ajatasattu said: 'Lord, permit me to de-
part now. I am busy and have much to do.' 'Do now. Your
Majesty, as you think fit.' '
i 86 The Fruits of the Homeless Life 109
Then King Ajatasattu, rejoicing and delighting at these
words, rose from his seat, saluted the Lord, and departed with
his right side towards him.
102. As soon as the King had gone, [86] the Lord said: 'The
King is done for, his fate is sealed, monks! 139 But if the King
had not deprived his father, that good man and just king, of
his life, then as he sat here the pure and spotless Dhamma-
eye 140 would have arisen in him.'
Thus the Lord spoke, and the monks, delighted, rejoiced at his
words.
3 Ambattha Sutta: About
Ambattha
Pride Humbled
[87] 1.1 Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was touring Kosala
with a large number of monks, some five hundred, and he
came to a Kosalan Brahmin village called Icchanankala. And
he stayed in the dense jungle of Icchanankala. At that time the
Brahmin Pokkharasati was living at Ukkhattha, a populous
place, full of grass, timber, water and com, which had been
given to him by King Pasenadi of Kosala as a royal gift and
with royal powers. 141
1.2. And Pokkharasati heard say: 'The ascetic Gotama, son
of the Sakyans, who has gone forth from the Sakya clan, ... is
staying in the dense jungle of Icchanankala. And concerning
that Blessed Lord a good report has been spread about: "This
Blessed Lord is an Arahant, a fully-enlightened Buddha, per-
fected in knowledge and conduct, a Well-Farer, Knower of the
worlds, unequalled Trainer of men to be tamed. Teacher of
gods and humans, a Buddha, a Blessed Lord." He proclaims
this world with its gods, maras. Brahmas, the world of ascetics
and Brahmins with its princes and people, having come to
know it by his own knowledge. He teaches a Dhamma that is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, and lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and he displays the
fully-perfected, thoroughly purified [88] holy life. And indeed
it is good to see such Arahants.'
1.3. Now at that time Pokkharasati had a pupil, the youth
Ambattha, who was a student of the Vedas, who knew the
mantras, perfected in the Three Vedas, a skilled expounder of
the rules and rituals, the lore of sounds and meanings and,
fifthly, oral tradition, complete in philosophy 142 and in the
marks 143 of a Great Man, admitted and accepted by his master
111
112 Ambattha Sutta : Sutta j i 89
in the Three Vedas with the words: 'What I know, you know;
what you know, I know/
1.4. And Pokkharasati said to Ambattha: 'Ambattha, my son,
the ascetic Gotama, . .is staying in the dense jungle of Icchan-
ankala. And concerning that Blessed Lord a good report has
been spread about . . . Now you go to see the ascetic Gotama
and find out whether this report is correct or not, and whether
the Reverend Gotama is as they say or not. In that way we
shall put the Reverend Gotama to the test/
1.5. 'Sir, how shall I find out whether the report is true, or
whether the Reverend Gotama is as they say or not?' 'Accord-
ing to the tradition of our mantras, Ambattha, the great man
who is possessed of the thirty-two marks of a Great Man has
only two courses open to him. If he lives the household life he
wall become a ruler, a wheel-turning righteous monarch of the
law, 144 conqueror of the four quarters, who has established
the security of his realm and is possessed of the [89] seven
treasures. 145 These are: the Wheel-Treasure, the Elephant-
Treasure, the Horse-Treasure, the Jewel-Treasure, the Woman-
Treasure, the Householder-Treasure, and, as seventh, the
Counsellor-Treasure. He has more than a thousand sons who
are heroes, of heroic stature, conquerors of the hostile army.
He dwells having conquered this sea-girt land without stick
or sword, by the law. But if he goes forth from the household
life into homelessness, then he will become an Arahant, a
fully-enlightened Buddha, one who draws back the veil from
the world. 146 And, Ambattha, I am the passer-on of the man-
tras, and you are the receiver.'
1.6. 'Very good, sir', said Ambattha at Pokkharasati's words,
and he got up, passed by Pokkharasati with his right side, got
into his chariot drawn by a mare and, accompanied by a
number of young men, headed for the dense jungle of Icchan-
ankala. He drove as far as the carriage would go, then alighted
and continued on foot.
1.7. At that time a number of monks were walking up and
down in the open air. Ambattha approached them and said:
'Where is the Reverend Gotama to be found just now? We
have come to see the Reverend Gotama.'
r.8. The monks thought: 'This is Ambattha, a youth of good
9 Pride Humbled 113
family and a pupil of the distinguished Brahmin Pokkharasati.
The Lord would not mind having a conversation with such a
young man.' And they said to Ambattha: That is his dwel-
ling, with the door closed. Go quietly up to it, go on to the
verandah without haste, cough, and knock on the bolt. The
Lord will open the door to you/
1.9. Ambattha went up to the dwelling and on to the veran-
dah, coughed, and knocked. The Lord opened the door, and
Ambattha went in. The young men entered, exchanged
courtesies with the Lord, and sat down to one side. But Am-
battha walked up and down while the Lord sat there, [90]
uttered some vague words of politeness, and then stood so
speaking before the seated Lord.
1.10. And the Lord said to Ambattha: 'Well now, Ambattha,
would you behave like this if you were talking to venerable
and learned Brahmins, teachers of teachers, as you do with
me, walking and standing while I am sitting, and uttering
vague words of politeness?' 'No, Reverend Gotama. A Brah-
min should walk with a walking Brahmin, stand with a stand-
ing Brahmin, sit with a sitting Brahmin, and lie down with a
Brahmin who is lying down. But as for those shaven little
ascetics, menials, black scourings from Brahma's foot, with
them it is fitting to speak just as I do with the Reverend
Gotama/
1.11. But, Ambattha, you came here seeking something.
Whatever it was you came for, you should listen attentively to
hear about it. Ambattha, you have not perfected your training.
Your conceit of being trained is due to nothing but inexperi-
ence/ r
1.12. But Ambattha was angry and displeased at being called
untrained, and he turned on the Lord with curses and insults.
Thinking: 'The ascetic Gotama bears me ill-will', he said: 'Re-
verend Gotama, the Sakyans are fierce, rough-spoken, touchy
I91J and violent. Being of menial origin, being menials, they
do not honour, respect, esteem, revere or pay homage to Brah-
mins. With regard to this it is not proper. . .that they do not
pay homage to Brahmins.' This was the first time Ambattha
accused the Sakyans of being menials.
1.13. But, Ambattha, what have the Sakyans done to you?'
J
114 Ambattha Sutta: Sutta 3 i 93
'Reverend Gotama, once I went to Kapilavatthu on some busi-
ness for my teacher, the Brahmin Pokkharasati, and I came to
the Sakyans' meeting-hall. And at that time a lot of Sakyans
were sitting on high seats in their meeting-hall, poking each
other with their fingers, laughing and playing about together,
and it seemed to me that they were just making fun of me,
and no one offered me a seat. With regard to this, it is not
proper that they do not pay homage to the Brahmins/ This
was the second time Ambattha accused the Sakyans of being
menials.
1.14. "But Ambattha, even the quail, that little bird, can talk
as she likes on her own nest. Kapilavatthu is the Sakyans'
home, Ambattha. They do not deserve censure for such a
trifle.'
'Reverend Gotama, there are four castes: 147 the Khattiyas,
the Brahmins, the merchants and the artisans. And of these
four castes three — the Khattiyas, the merchants and the arti-
sans — are entirely subservient to the Brahmins. With regard
to this, [92] it is not proper that they should not pay homage to
the Brahmins.' This was the third time Ambattha accused the
Sakyans of being menials.
1.15. Then the Lord thought: 'This young man goes too far
in abusing the Sakyans. Suppose I were to ask after his clan-
name?' So he said: 'Ambattha, what is your clan?' 'I am a
Kanhayan, Reverend Gotama/ ■
'Ambattha, in former days, according to those who remem-
ber the ancestral lineage, the Sakyans were the masters, and
you are descended from a slave-girl of the Sakyans. For the
Sakyans regard King Okkaka as their ancestor. At one time
King Okkaka, to whom his queen was dear and beloved,
wishing to transfer the kingdom to her son, banished his
elder brothers from the kingdom — Okkamukha, Karandu,
Hatthinlya and Sinipura. And these, being banished, made
their home on the flank of the Himalayas beside a lotus-pond
where there was a big grove of teak- trees. 148 And for fear of
contaminating the stock they cohabited with their own sisters.
Then King Okkaka asked his ministers and counsellors:
"Where are the princes living now?" and they told him. At
this King Okkaha exclaimed: [93] -"They are strong as teak
i gj Pride Humbled 115
(sdka), these princes, they are real Sakyans!" 149 And that is
how the Sakyans got their well-known name. And the King
was the ancestor of the Sakyans.
1.16. 'Now King Okkaka had a slave-girl called Disa, who
gave birth to a black child. The black thing, when it was bom,
exclaimed: "Wash me, mother! Bath me, mother! Deliver me
from this dirt, and I will bring you profit!" Because, Am-
battha, just as people today use the term hobgoblin ( pisdca ) as
a term of abuse, so in those days they said black ( kanha ). And
they said: "As soon as he was bom, he spoke. He is bom a
Kanha, a hobgoblin!" That is how in former days. . .the Sak-
yans were the masters, and you are descended from a slave-
girl of the Sakyans.'
1.17. On hearing this, the young men said: 'Reverend Gota-
ma, do not humiliate Ambattha too much with talk of his
being descended from a slave-girl: Ambattha is well-bom, of
a good family, he is very learned, he is well-spoken, a scholar,
well able to hold his own in this discussion with the Reverend
Gotama!'
1.18. Then the Lord said to the young men: 'If you consider
that Ambattha is ill-bom, not of a good family, unlearned, [94]
ill-spoken, no scholar, unable to hold his own in this discus-
sion with the ascetic Gotama, then let Ambattha be silent, and
you conduct this discussion with me. But if you think he is . . .
able to hold his own, then you be quiet, and let him discuss
with me.'
1.19. 'Ambattha is well-bom. Reverend Gotama. . .We will
be silent, he shall continue.'
1.20. Then the Lord said to Ambattha: 'Ambattha, I have a
fundamental question for you, which you will not like to
answer. If you don't answer, or evade the issue, if you keep
silent or go away, your head will split into seven pieces. What
do you think, Ambattha? Have you heard from old and
venerable Brahmins, teachers of teachers, where the Kanha-
yans came from, or who was their ancestor?' At this, Am-
battha remained silent. The Lord asked him a second time. [95]
Again Ambattha remained silent, and the Lord said: 'Answer
me now, Ambattha, this is not a time for silence. Whoever,
Ambattha, does not answer a fundamental question put to
n6 Ambattha Sutta: Sutta 3 i 96
him by a Tathagata by the third asking has his head split into
seven pieces/ 150
1.21. And at that moment Vajirapani the yakkha, 151 holding
a huge iron club, flaming, ablaze and glowing, up in the sky
just above Ambattha, was thinking; 'If this young man Am-
battha does not answer a proper question put to him by the
Blessed Lord by the third time of asking. Til split his head
into seven pieces!' The Lord saw Vajirapani, and so did
Ambattha. And at the sight, Ambattha was terrified and
unnerved, his hairs stood on end, and he sought protection,
shelter and safety from the Lord. Crouching down close to the
Lord, he said: 'What did the Reverend Gotama say? May the
Reverend Gotama repeat what he said!' 'What do you think,
Ambattha? Have you heard who was the ancestor of the
Kanhayans?' 'Yes, I have heard it just as the Reverend Gotama
said, that is where the Kanhayans came from, he was their
ancestor.'
1.22. Hearing this, the young men made a loud noise and
clamour: 'So Ambattha is ill-bom, not of a good family, bom
of a slave-girl of the Sakyans, and the Sakyans are Ambattha' s
masters! We disparaged the ascetic Gotama, thinking he was
not speaking the truth!'
1.23. Then the Lord thought: 'It is too much, [96] the way
these young men humiliate Ambattha for being the son of a
slave-girl. I must get him out of this.' So he said to the young
men: 'Don't disparage Ambattha too much for being the son of
a slave-girl! That Kanha was a mighty sage. 152 He went to the
south country, 153 learnt the mantras of the Brahmins there,
and then went to King Okkaka and asked for his daughter
Maddarupi. And King Okkaka, furiously angry, exclaimed:
"So this fellow, the son of a slave-girl, wants my daughter!",
and put an arrow to his bow. But he was unable either to
shoot the arrow or to withdraw it. 154 Then the ministers and
counsellors came to the sage Kanha and said: "Spare the king.
Reverend Sir, spare the king!"
"'The king will be safe, but if he looses the arrow down-
wards, the earth will quake as far as his kingdom extends."
"'Reverend Sir, spare the king, spare the land!"
'"The king and the land will be' safe, but if he looses the
i 98 Pride Humbled 117
arrow upwards, as far as his realm extends the god will not let
it rain for seven years." 155
'"Reverend Sir, spare the king and the land, and may the
god let it rains!"
'"The king and the land will be safe, and the god will let it
rain, but if the king points the arrow at the crown prince, the
prince will be completely safe."
"Then the ministers exclaimed: "Let King Okkaka point the
arrow at the crown prince, the prince will be perfectly safe!"
The king did so, and the prince was unharmed. Then King
Okkaka, terrified and fearful of divine punishment, 156 [97]
gave away his daughter Maddarupi. So, young men, do not
disparage Ambattha too much for being the son of a slave-
girl. That Kanha was a mighty sage.'
1.24. Then the Lord said: 'Ambattha, what do you think?
Suppose a Khattiya youth were to wed a Brahmin maiden,
and there was a son of the union. Would that son of a Khat-
tiya youth and a Brahmin maiden receive a seat and water
from the Brahmins?' 'He would. Reverend Gotama.'
'Would they allow him to eat at funeral-rites, at rice-offer-
ings, at sacrifices or as a guest?' 'They would. Reverend Go-
tama.'
'Would they teach him mantras or not?' 'They would. Rever-
end Gotama.'
'Would they keep their women covered or uncovered?' 'Un-
covered, Reverend Gotama.'
'But would the Khattiyas sprinkle him with the Khattiya
consecration?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
'Why not?' 'Because, Reverend Gotama, he is not well-born
on his mother's side.'
1.25. 'What do you think, Ambattha? Suppose a Brahmin
youth were to wed a Khattiya maiden, and there was a son of
the union. Would that son of a Khattiya youth and a Brahmin
maiden receive a seat and water from the Brahmins?' 'He
would. Reverend Gotama.' . . .(as verse 24) [98] But would the
Khattiyas sprinkle him with the Khattiya consecration?' 'No,
Reverend Gotama.'
'Why not?' 'Because, Reverend Gotama, he is not well-born
on his father's side.'
n8 Ambattha Sutta: Sutta 3 i 99
1.26. 'So, Ambattha, the Khattiyas, through a man taking a
woman or a woman taking a man, are senior to the Brahmins.
What do you think, Ambattha? Take the case of a Brahmin
who, for some reason, has had his head shaved by the Brah-
mins, has been punished with a bag of ashes and banished
from the country or the city. Would he receive a seat and
water from the Brahmins?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
'Would they allow him to eat. . .as a guest?' 'No, Reverend
Gotama/
'Would they teach him mantras, or not?' 'They would not.
Reverend Gotama.'
'Would they keep their women covered or uncovered?'
'Covered, Reverend Gotama.'
1.27. 'What do you think, Ambattha? Take the case of a
Khattiya who. . .had his head shaved by the Khattiyas,. . .and
has been banished from the country or the city. Would he
receive a seat and water from the Brahmins?' 'He would,
Reverend Gotama.' . . . (as verse 24) 'Would they keep their
women covered or uncovered?' 'Uncovered, Reverend Gotama.'
'But that Khattiya has so far reached the extreme of humilia-
tion [99] that he has. . .been banished from the country or the
city. So even if a Khattiya has suffered extreme humiliation,
he is superior and the Brahmins inferior.
1.28. 'Ambattha, this verse was pronounced by Brahma
Sanankumara:
*
"The Khattiya's best among those who value clan;
He with knowledge and conduct is best of gods and
men."
'This verse was rightly sung, not wrongly, rightly spoken,
not wrongly, connected with profit, not unconnected. And,
Ambattha, I too say this:
"The Khattiya's best among those who value clan:
He with knowledge and conduct is best of gods and
men.'"
[End of first recitation-section ]
i 101 Pride Humbled 119
2.1. 'But, Reverend Gotama, what is this conduct, what is this
knowledge?'
'Ambattha, it is not from the standpoint of the attainment of
unexcelled knowledge-and-conduct that reputation based on
birth and clan is declared, nor on the conceit which says:
"You are worthy of me, you are not worthy of me!" For
wherever there is a giving, a taking, or a giving and taking in
marriage, there is always this talk and this conceit. . .But those
who are enslaved by such things are far from the attainment
of the unexcelled knowledge-and-conduct, [100I which is at-
tained by abandoning all such things!'
2.2 'But, Reverend Gotama, what is this conduct, what is
this knowledge?'
'Ambattha, a Tathagata arises in this world an Arahant,
fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and con-
duct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer
of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened
and blessed. He, having realised it by his own super-know-
ledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras and Brahmas,
its princes and people. He preaches the Dhamma which is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully-
perfected and purified holy life. 157 A disciple goes forth and
practises the moralities (Sutta 2, verse 41—62); he guards the sense-
doors, etc. ( Sutta 2, verse 64—75); attains the four jhdnas ( Sutta 2,
verse 75—82). Thus he develops conduct. He attains various
insights (Sutta 2, verse 83—95), and the cessation of the corruptions
( Sutta 2, verse 97 ) . . . And beyond this there is no further
development of knowledge and conduct that is higher or more
perfect.
2.3. 'But, Ambattha, in the pursuit of this unexcelled attain-
ment of knowledge and conduct [101] there are four paths of
failure. 158 What are they? In the first place, an ascetic or Brah-
min who has not managed to gain 159 this unexcelled attain-
ment, takes his carrying-pole 160 and plunges into the depths
of the forest thinking: "I will live on windfalls." But in this
way he only becomes an attendant on one who has attained.
This is the first path of failure. Again, an ascetic or Brahmin
. . . , being unable to live on windfalls, takes a spade and
Pride Humbled 121
r
1
120 Ambattha Sutta: Sutta 3 i 103
basket, thinking: "I will live on tubers and roots." 161 ...
This is the second path of failure. Again, an ascetic or
Brahmin, being unable to live on tubers and roots, makes a
fire-hearth at the edge of a village or small town and sits
tending the flame 162 . . .This is the third path of failure. Again,
an ascetic or Brahmin, being unable to tend the flame, [102]
erects a house with four doors at the crossroads thinking:
"Whatever ascetic or Brahmin arrives from the four quarters, I
will honour to the best of my strength and ability." But in this
way he only becomes an attendant on one who has attained to
unexcelled knowledge and conduct. This is the fourth path of
failure.
2.4. 'What do you think, Ambattha? Do you and your tea-
cher live in accordance with this unexcelled knowledge and
conduct?' 'No indeed. Reverend Gotama! Who are my teacher
and I in comparison? We are far from it!'
'Well then, Ambattha, could you and your teacher, being
unable to gain this . . . , go with your carrying-poles into
the depths of the forest, intending to live on windfalls?' 'No
indeed. Reverend Gotama.'
'Well then, Ambattha, could you and your teacher, being
unable to gain this . . . , live on tubers and roots, ... sit tend-
ing the flame, [103]. . .erect a house. . .?' 'No indeed, Rever-
end Gotama.'
2.5. 'And so, Ambattha, not only are you and your teacher
incapable of attaining this unexcelled knowledge and conduct,
but even the four paths of failure are beyond you. And yet
you and your teacher the Brahmin Pokkharasati utter these
words: "These shaven little ascetics, menials, black scrapings
from Brahma's foot, what converse can they have with Brahmins
learned in the Three Vedas?" - even though you can't even
manage the duties of one who has failed. See, Ambattha, how
your teacher has let you down!
2.6. 'Ambattha, the Brahmin Pokkharasati lives by the grace
and favour of King Pasenadi of Kosala. And yet the King does
not allow him to have audience face to face. When he confers
with the King it is through a curtain. Why should the King
not grant audience face to face to pne on whom he has bes-
towed a proper and blameless source of revenue? See how
your teacher has let you down!
i 105
2.7. 'What do you think, Ambattha? Suppose King Pasenadi
was sitting on the neck of an elephant or on horseback, or was
standing on the chariot-mat, conferring with his ministers
and princes about something. [104] And suppose he were to
step aside and some workman or workman's servant were to
come along and stand in his place. And standing there he
might say: "This is what King Pasenadi of Kosala says!"
Would he be speaking the King's words, as if he were the
King's equal?' 'No indeed, Reverend Gotama.'
2.8. 'Well then, Ambattha, it is just the same thing. Those
who were, as you say, the first sages of the Brahmins, the
makers and expounders of the mantras, whose ancient verses
are chanted, pronounced and collected by the Brahmins of
today — Atthaka, Vamaka, Vamadeva, Vessamitta, Yamataggi,
Angirasa, Bharadvaja, Vasettha, Kassapa, Bhagu 163 — whose
mantras are said to be passed on to you and your teacher: yet
you do not thereby become a sage or one practised in the way
of a sage — such a thing is not possible.
2.9. 'What do you think, Ambattha? What have you heard
said by Brahmins who are venerable, aged, the teachers of
teachers? Those first sages. . ., Atthaka,. . .Bhagu — did they
enjoy themselves, well-bathed, perfumed, their hair and beards
trimmed, adorned with garlands and wreaths, dressed in
white clothes, indulging in the pleasures of the five senses
and addicted to them, as you and your teacher do now?' [103]
'No, Reverend Gotama.'
2.xo. 'Or did they eat special fine rice with the black spots
removed, with various soups and curries, as you and your
teacher do now?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
'Or did they amuse themselves with women dressed up in
flounces and furbelows, as you and your teacher do now?'
'No, Reverend Gotama.'
'Or did they ride around in chariots drawn by mares with
braided tails, that they urged on with long goad-sticks?' 'No,
Reverend Gotama.'
'Or did they have themselves guarded in fortified towns
with palisades and barricades, by men with long swords. . .?'
'No, Reverend Gotama.'
'So, Ambattha, neither you nor your teacher are a sage or
one trained in the way of a sage. And now, as for your doubts
f
r
122 Ambattha Sutta: Sutta 3 i 107
and perplexities concerning me, we will clarify these by your
asking me, and by my answering your questions.'
2.11 Then, descending from his lodging, the Lord started to
walk up and down, and Ambattha did likewise. And as he
walked along with the Lord, Ambattha looked out for the
thirty-two marks of a Great Man on the Lord's body. And he
could see all of them except [106] for two. He was in doubt and
perplexity about two of these marks: he could not make up
his mind or be certain about the sheathed genitals or the large
tongue.
2.12. And the Lord, being aware of his doubts, effected by
his psychic power that Ambattha could see his sheathed geni-
tals, and then, sticking out his tongue, he reached out to lick
both ears and both nostrils, and then covered the whole circle
of his forehead with his tongue. Then Ambattha thought:
'The ascetic Gotama is equipped with all the thirty-two marks
of a Great Man, complete and with none missing/ Then he
said to the Lord: 'Reverend Gotama, may I go now? I have
much business, much to do.' 'Ambattha, do what you now
think fit.' So Ambattha got back into his chariot drawn by
mares and departed.
2.13. Meanwhile the Brahmin Pokkharasati had gone out-
side and was sitting in his park with a large number of Brah-
mins, just waiting for Ambattha. Then Ambattha came to the
park. He rode in the chariot as far as it would go, and then
continued on foot to where Pokkharasati was, saluted him,
and sat down to one side. Then Pokkharasati said:
2.14. 'Well, dear boy, did you see the Reverend Gotama?' 'I
did, sir/
'And was the Reverend Gotama such [107] as he is reported
to be, and not otherwise? And is he of such nature, and not
otherwise?' 'Sir, he is as he is reported to be, and he is of such
nature and not otherwise. He is possessed of the thirty-two
marks of a Great Man, all complete, with none missing.'
'But was there any conversation between you and the asce-
tic Gotama?' "There was, sir.'
'And what was this conversation about?' So Ambattha told
Pokkharasati all that had passed between the Lord and him-
self.
i 109 Pride Humbled 123
2.15. At this Pokkharasati exclaimed: 'Well, you're a fine
little scholar, a fine wise man, a fine expert in the Three
Vedas! Anyone going about his business like that ought when
he dies, at the breaking -up of the body, to go to the downfall,
to the evil path, to ruin, to hell! You have heaped insults on
the Reverend Gotama, as a result of which he has brought up
more and more things against us! You're a fine little scholar
. . . V He was so angry and enraged that he kicked Ambattha
over, and wanted to start out at once to see the Lord. [108]
2.16. But the Brahmins said: 'It is far too late, sir, to go to see
the ascetic Gotama today. The Reverend Pokkharasati should
go to see him tomorrow.'
Then Pokkharasati, having had fine hard and soft food
prepared in his own home, set out by the light of torches from
Ukkattha for the jungle of Icchanankala. He went by chariot as
far as possible, then continued on foot to where the Lord was.
Having exchanged courtesies with the Lord, he sat down to
one side and said:
2.17. 'Venerable Gotama, did not our pupil Ambattha come
to see you?' 'He did, Brahmin.' 'And was there any conversa-
tion between you?' 'There was.' 'And what was this conversa-
tion about?'
Then the Lord told Pokkharasati all that had passed be-
tween him and Ambattha. At this, Pokkharasati said to the
Lord: 'Reverend Gotama, Ambattha is a young fool. May the
Reverend Gotama pardon him.' 'Brahmin, may Ambattha be
happy.' [109]
2.18—19. Then Pokkharasati looked out for the thirty-two
marks of a Great Man on the Lord's body and he could see all
of them except for two: the sheathed genitals and the large ton-
gue; but the Lord set his mind at rest about these (as verse 11—12).
And Pokkharasati said to the Lord: 'May the Reverend Gota-
ma accept a meal from me today together with his order of
monks!' And the Lord consented by silence.
2.20. Seeing his acceptance, Pokkharasati said to the Lord: 'It
is time. Reverend Gotama, the meal is ready.' And the Lord,
having dressed in the early morning and taken his robe and
bowl, 164 went with his order of monks to Pokkharasati' s resi-
dence, and sat down on the prepared seat. Then Pokkharasati
1 no
124 Ambattha Sutta: Sutta 3
personally served the Lord with choice hard and soft food,
and the young men served the monks. And when the Lord
had taken his hand from the bowl, Pokkharasati sat down to
one side on a low stool.
2.21 And as Pokkharasati sat there, [110] the Lord delivered
a graduated discourse on generosity, on morality and on heaven,
showing the danger, degradation and corruption of sense-
desires, and the profit of renunciation. And when the Lord
knew that Pokkharasati's mind was ready, pliable, free from
the hindrances, joyful and calm, then he preached a sermon
on Dhamma in brief: on suffering, its origin, its cessation, and
the path. And just as a clean cloth from which all stains have
been removed receives the dye perfectly, so in the Brahmin
Pokkharasati, as he sat there, there arose the pure and spotless
Dhamma-eye, and he knew: 'Whatever things have an origin
must come to cessation/ 165
2.22. And Pokkharasati, having seen, attained, experienced
and penetrated the Dhamma, having passed beyond doubt,
transcended uncertainty, having gained perfect confidence in
the Teacher's doctrine without relying on others, said: 'Excel-
lent, Lord, excellent! It is as if someone were to set up what
had been knocked down, or to point out the way to one who
had got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark place, so that
those with eyes could see what was there. Just so the Blessed
Lord has expounded the Dhamma in various ways. . .1 go
with my son, mj* wife, my ministers and counsellors for re-
fuge to the Reverend Gotama, to the Dhamma and to the
Sangha. 166 May the Reverend Gotama accept me as a lay-
follower who has taken refuge from this day forth as long as
life shall last! And whenever the Reverend Gotama visits
other families or lay- followers in Ukkattha, may he also visit
the family of Pokkharasati! Whatever young men and mai-
dens are there will revere the Reverend Gotama and rise
before him, will give him a seat and water and will be glad at
heart, and that will be for their welfare and happiness for a
long time.'
'Well said. Brahmin!'
4 Sorjadarj4a Sutta: About
SoTj.adarj.4a
The Qualities of a True Brahmin
[111] 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was travelling
among the Angas with a large company of some five hundred
monks, and he arrived at Campa. At Campa he stayed by
Gaggara's lotus-pond. At that time the Brahmin Sonadanda
was living at Campa, a populous place, full of grass, timber,
water and com, which had been given to him by King Seniya
Bimbisara of Magadha as a royal gift and with royal powers.
2. And the Brahmins and householders of Campa heard
say: 'The ascetic Gotama of the Sakyans, who has gone forth
from the Sakya clan is travelling among the Angas . . . and is
staying by Gaggara's lotus-pool. And concerning that Blessed
Lord Gotama a good report has been spread about: "This
Blessed Lord is an Arahant, a fully-enlightened Buddha, per-
fected in knowledge and conduct, a Well-Farer, Knower of the
worlds, unequalled Trainer of men to be tamed. Teacher of
gods and humans, a Buddha, a Blessed Lord." He proclaims
this world with its gods, maras. Brahmas, the world of ascetics
and Brahmins with its princes and people, having come to
know it by his own knowledge. He teaches a Dhamma that is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle and lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and he displays the
fully-perfected, thoroughly purified holy life. And indeed it is
good to see such Arahants.' [112] Thereupon the Brahmins and
householders of Campa, leaving Campa in great crowds, in
vast numbers, went to Gaggara's lotus-pond.
3. Just then, the Brahmin Sonadanda had gone up to his
verandah for his midday rest. Seeing all the Brahmins and
householders making for Gaggara's lotus-pond, he asked his
steward the reason.
L. •
125
126 Sonadanda Sutta: Sutta 4 i 114
'Sir, it is the ascetic Gotama of the Sakyans. . .That is why
they are going to see him.'
'Well then, steward, go to the Brahmins and householders
of Campa and say to them: "Please wait, gentlemen, the
Brahmin Sonadanda will come to see the ascetic Gotama.'"
And the steward conveyed this message to [113] the Brah-
mins and householders of Campa.
4. Now at that time some five hundred Brahmins from
various provinces were in Campa on some business, and they
heard that Sonadanda intended to visit the ascetic Gotama. So
they called upon him and asked if this were true. 'So it is,
gentlemen, I am going to visit the ascetic Gotama.'
5. 'Sir, do not visit the ascetic Gotama, it is not fitting that
you should do so! If the Reverend Sonadanda goes to visit the
ascetic Gotama, his reputation will decrease, and that of the
ascetic Gotama will increase. This being so, it is not right that
the Reverend Sonadanda should visit the ascetic Gotama, but
rather the ascetic Gotama should visit him.
'The Reverend Sonadanda is well-born on both the mother's
and the father's side, of pure descent to the seventh genera-
tion, unbroken, of irreproachable birth, and therefore he should
not call on the ascetic Gotama, but rather the ascetic Gotama
should call on him. The Reverend Sonadanda is possessed of
great wealth and resources . . . [114] The Reverend Sonadanda is
a scholar, versed in the mantras, accomplished in the Three
Vedas, a skilled expounder of the rules and rituals, the lore of
sounds and meanings and, fifthly, oral tradition — an expoun-
der, fully versed in natural philosophy and the marks of a
Great Man. The Reverend Sonadanda is handsome, good-look-
ing, pleasing, of the most beautiful complexion, in form and
countenance like Brahma, of no mean appearance. He is vir-
tuous, of increasing virtue, endowed with increasing virtue.
He is well-spoken, of pleasing address, polite, of pure and
clear enunciation, speaking to the point. He is the teacher's
teacher of many, teaching the mantras to three hundred youths,
and many young men come from different districts and regions
seeking to learn the mantras in his presence, desirous to learn
them from him. He is aged, grown old, venerable, advanced
in years, long past his youth, whereas the ascetic Gotama is
i 116 The Qualities of a True Brahmin 127
youthful and newly gone forth as a wanderer. The Reverend
Sonadanda is esteemed, made much of, honoured, revered,
worshipped by King Seniya Bimbisara and by the Brahmin
Pokkharasati. He lives at Campa, a populous place, full of
grass, timber, water and com, which has been given to him
by King Seniya Bimbisara of Magadha as a royal gift, and
with royal powers. This being so, it is not proper that he
should visit the ascetic Gotama, but rather the ascetic Gotama
should visit him.' 167
6. At this Sonadanda replied: [113] 'Now listen, gentlemen,
as to why it is fitting for us to visit the Reverend Gotama, and
why it is not fitting for him to visit us. The ascetic Gotama is
well-bom on both sides of pure descent to the seventh genera-
tion, unbroken, of it reproachable birth . . . (as verse j). There-
fore it is fitting for us to visit him. He went forth, leaving a
great body of kinsmen. In fact he gave up much gold and
wealth to go forth, both hidden away and openly displayed.
The ascetic Gotama, while youthful, a black-haired youth, in
the prime of his young days, in the first stage of life went
forth from the household life into homelessness. Leaving his
grieving parents weeping with tear-stained faces, having cut
off his hair and beard and put on yellow robes, he went forth
into homelessness. He is handsome,. . .virtuous,. . .well-
spoken, . . . the teacher's teacher of many. He has abandoned
sensuality and dispelled vanity. He teaches action and the
results of action, honouring the blameless Brahmin way of
life. He is a wanderer of high birth, of a leading Khattiya
family. He is a wanderer from a wealthy family, of great
wealth and possessions. [116] People come to consult him from
foreign kingdoms and foreign lands. Many thousands of
devas have taken refuge with him.
'This good report has been spread about him: "This Blessed
Lord is an Arahant, a fully-enlightened Buddha, perfected in
knowledge and conduct. . ." (as verse 2). He bears the thirty-
two marks of a Great Man. He is welcoming, kindly of speech,
courteous, genial, clear and ready of speech. He is attended by
four assemblies, revered, honoured, esteemed and worshipped
by them. Many devas and humans are devoted to him. When-
ever he stays in any town or village, that place is not troubled
128 Sonadanda Sutta: Sutta 4 i 118
by non-human beings. He has a crowd, a multitude of fol-
lowers, is a teacher of many, he is consulted by the chief of
the various leaders of sects. It is not the way with the ascetic
Gotama's reputation, as it is with that of some ascetics and
Brahmins, about whom this or that is reported — the ascetic
Gotama's fame is based on his achievement of unsurpassed
wisdom and conduct. Indeed King Seniya Bimbisara of Ma-
gadha has gone for refuge to him together with his son, his
wife, his followers and his ministers. So have King Pasenadi
of Kosala and the Brahmin Pokkharasati. He is revered, hon-
oured, esteemed and worshipped by them. [117]
'The ascetic Gotama has arrived in Campa and is staying by
Gaggara's lotus-pond. And whatever ascetics and Brahmins
come to our territory are our guests. And we should revere,
honour, esteem and worship guests. Having come to Gaggara's
lotus-pond, the ascetic Gotama is such a guest, and should be
treated as such. Therefore it is not proper that he should come
to us, but rather we should go to him. However much I might
praise the ascetic Gotama, that praise is insufficient, he is
beyond all praise/
7. On hearing this, the Brahmins said to Sonadanda: 'Sir,
since you praise the ascetic Gotama so much, then even if he
were to live a hundred yojanas from here, it would be fitting
for a believing clansman to go with a shoulder-bag to visit
him. And so, sir, we shall all go to visit the ascetic Gotama.'
And so Sonadanda went with a large company of Brahmins to
Gaggara's lotus-pond.
8. But when Sonadanda had traversed the jungle-thickets, he
thought: 'If I ask the ascetic Gotama a question, he might say
to me: "That, Brahmin, is not a fitting question, it is not at all
a fitting question", and then the company might despise me,
saying: "Sonadanda is a fool, he has no sense, [118] he can't
put a proper question to the ascetic Gotama." And if anyone
were despised by this company, his reputation would suffer,
and then his income would suffer, for our income depends on
the gaining of a reputation. Or if the ascetic Gotama were to
ask me a question, my answer might not satisfy him, and he
might say: "That is not the right way to answer this ques-
tion." And then the company -might despise me... And if.
i 121 The Qualities of a True Brahmin 129
having come into the presence of the ascetic Gotama, I were to
turn away without showing myself, this company might des-
pise me . . . '
9. Then Sonadanda approached the Lord, exchanged cour-
tesies with him, and sat down to one side. Some of the Brah-
mins and householders made obeisance to the Lord, some ex-
changed courtesies with him, some saluted him with joined
palms, some announced their name and clan, and some sat
down to one side in silence. [119]
10. So Sonadanda took his seat with many thoughts going
through his mind: 'If I ask the ascetic Gotama a question, he
might say to me: "That, Brahmin, is not a fitting question ..."
If only the ascetic Gotama would ask me a question from my
own field of the Three Vedas! Then I could give him an
answer that would satisfy him!'
11. And the Lord, reading his mind, thought: 'This Sona-
danda is worried. Suppose I were to ask him a question from
his own field as a teacher of the Three Vedas!' So he said to
Sonadanda: 'By how many qualities do Brahmins recognise a
Brahmin? How would one declare truthfully and without fall-
ing into falsehood: "I am a Brahmin"?'
12. Then Sonadanda thought: [120] 'Now what I wanted,
hoped for, desired and longed for has happened. . .Now I can
give him an answer that will satisfy him.'
13. Straightening up, and looking round the assembly, he
said: 'Reverend Gotama, there are five such qualities . . . What
are they? A Brahmin is well-born on both the mother's and
the father's side, of pure descent to the seventh generation, . . .
he is a scholar versed in the mantras, ... he is handsome,
pleasing, ... he is virtuous, ... he is learned and wise, and is
the first or second to hold the sacrificial ladle. These are the
five qualities of a true Brahmin.'
14. 'But if one of these five qualities were omitted, could not
one be recognised as a true Brahmin, being possessed of four
of these qualities?'
'It is possible, Gotama. We could leave out appearance, for
what does that matter? If a Brahmin had the other four quali-
ties [121] he could be recognised as a true Brahmin.'
15. 'But could not one of these four qualities be omitted,
130 Sonadanda Sutta: Sutta 4 i 123
leaving three whereby one could be recognised as a true
Brahmin?'
'It is possible, Gotama. We could leave out the mantras, for
what do they matter? If he had the other three qualities he
could be recognised as a true Brahmin.'
16. 'But could not one of these three qualities be omitted
. . . ?'
'It is possible, Gotama. We could leave out birth, for what
does that matter? If a Brahmin is virtuous, of increasing virtue,
. . . and if he is learned and wise, and is the first or second to
hold the sacrificial ladle — then he can be recognised as a true
Brahmin and truthfully claim to be so.' [122]
17. At this the Brahmins said to Sonadanda: 'Don't say that,
Sonadanda don't say it! The Reverend Sonadanda is decrying
appearance, the mantras and birth, he is actually adopting the
ascetic Gotama's own words!'
18. Then the Lord said to the Brahmins: 'If you think the
Brahmin Sonadanda is not concentrating on his task, is using
wrong words, is lacking in wisdom, and is not fit to converse
with the ascetic Gotama, then let him cease, and you talk to
me. But if you think he is learned, speaks properly, is wise
and fit to converse with the ascetic Gotama, then you cease
and let him speak.'
19. Then Sonadanda said to the Lord: 'Let that be, Reverend
Gotama, and be silent. I will answer in this matter.' To the
Brahmins he said: 'Do not say the Reverend Sonadanda js
decrying appearance . . . and adopting the ascetic Gotama's
own words! [123] I do not decry appearance, mantras, or birth.'
20. Now at that time Sonadanda' s nephew, a young man
called Angaka, was sitting in the assembly, and Sonadanda
said: 'Gentlemen, do you see my nephew Angaka?' 'Yes, sir.'
'Angaka is handsome, good-looking, pleasing, of supreme-
ly fair complexion, in form and countenance like Brahma, of
no mean appearance, and there is none in this assembly his
equal except the ascetic Gotama. He is a scholar. . .1 was his
mantra-teacher. He is well-born on both sides. . .1 know his
parents. But if Angaka were to take life, take what is not
given, commit adultery, tell lies and drink strong drink —
what would good looks, or mantras> or birth profit him? But it
i 125 The Qualities of a True Brahmin 131
is because a Brahmin is virtuous, . . . because he is wise . . . :
on account of these two points that he can truthfully declare:
"I am a Brahmin.'"
21. 'But, Brahmin, if one were to omit one of these two
points, could one truthfully declare: "I am a Brahmin"?' [124]
'No, Gotama. For wisdom is purified by morality, and moral-
ity is purified by wisdom: where one is, the other is, the
moral man has wisdom and the wise man has morality, and
the combination of morality and wisdom is called the highest
thing in the world. Just as one hand washes the other, or one
foot the other, so wisdom is purified by morality and this
combination is called the highest thing in the world.'
22. 'So it is. Brahmin. Wisdom is purified by morality, and
morality is purified by wisdom: where one is, the other is, the
moral man has wisdom and the wise man has morality, and
the combination of morality and wisdom is called the highest
thing in the world. But, Brahmin, what is this morality and
what is this wisdom?'
'We only know this much, Gotama. It would be well if the
Reverend Gotama were to explain the meaning of this/
23. 'Then listen. Brahmin, pay proper attention, and I will
tell you.' 'Yes, sir', said Sonadanda in reply, and the Lord
said:
'Brahmin, a Tathagata arises in this world, an Arahant,
fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and con-
duct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer
of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened
and blessed. He, having realised it by his own super-know-
ledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras and Brahmas,
its princes and people. He preaches the Dhamma which is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully-
perfected and purified holy life. A disciple goes forth and prac-
tises the moralities ( Sutta 2, verses 41—63)} he guards the sense-
doors, etc. ( Sutta 2, verses 64-/4). That, Brahmin, is morality. 168
He attains the four jhanas ( Sutta 2, verses /3S2)} he attains
various insights ( Sutta 2, verses 83—95), an d the cessation of the
corruptions ( Sutta 2, verse 97). Thus he develops wisdom. That,
Brahmin, is wisdom.'
i 126
132 Sonadanda Sutta: Sutta 4
24. At these words Sonadanda said: 'Excellent, Lord, excel-
lent! It is as if someone were to set up what had been knocked
down, or to point out the way to one who had got lost, or to
bring an oil-lamp into a dark place, so that those with eyes
could see what was there. Just so the Blessed Lord has ex-
pounded the Dhamma in various ways. And I go for refuge to
the Blessed Lord Gotama, to the Dhamma and to the Sangha.
May the Reverend Gotama accept me from this day forth as a
lay-follower as long as life shall last! And may the Reverend
Gotama and his order of monks accept a meal from me tomor-
row!'
The Lord assented by silence. Then Sonadanda, seeing his
assent, rose, saluted the Lord, passed by to his right and
departed. As day was breaking, he caused hard and soft food
to be prepared in his own home, and when it was ready he
announced: 'Reverend Gotama, it is time; the meal is ready.'
25. And the Lord, having risen early, went with robe and
bowl and attended by his monks to Sonadanda's residence
and sat down on the prepared seat. And Sonadanda served
the Buddha and his monks with the finest foods with his own
hands until they were satisfied. And when the Lord had eaten
and taken his hand away from the bowl, Sonadanda took a
low stool and sat down to one side. Then he said to the Lord:
26. 'Reverend Gotama, if when I have gone into the assem-
bly I were to rise and salute the Lord, the company would
despise me. In that case my reputation would suffer, and if a
man's reputation suffers, his income suffers ... So if, on en-
tering the assembly, I should join my palms in greeting, may
the Reverend Gotama take it as if I had risen from my seat.
And if [126] on entering the assembly I should take off my
turban, may you take it as if I had bowed at your feet. Or if,
when riding in my carriage, I were to alight to salute the Lord,
the company would despise me ... So if, when I am riding in
my carriage, I raise my goad, may you take it as if I had
alighted from my carriage, and if I lower my hand, may you
take it as if I had bowed my head at your feet.' 169
27. Then the Lord, having instructed Sonadanda with a talk
on Dhamma, inspired him, fired, him with enthusiasm and
delighted him, rose from his seat arid departed.
5 Kutadanta Sutta: About Kutadanta
A Bloodless Sacrifice
[127] 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was travelling
through. Magadha with a large company of some five hundred
monks, and he arrived at a Brahmin village called Khanumata.
And there he stayed at the Ambalatthika park. 170 Now at that
time the Brahmin Kutadanta was living at Khanumata, a popu-
lous place, full of grass, timber, water and com, which had
been given to him by King Seniya Bimbisara of Magadha as a
royal gift and with royal powers.
And Kutadanta planned a great sacrifice: seven hundred
bulls, seven hundred bullocks, seven hundred heifers, seven
hundred he-goats and seven hundred rams were all tied up to
the sacrificial posts. 171
2. And the Brahmins and householders of Khanumata
heard say: "The ascetic Gotama ... is staying at Ambalatthika.
And concerning that Blessed Lord Gotama a good report has
been spread about: "This Blessed Lord is an Arahant, a fully-
enlightened Buddha, perfected in knowledge and conduct, a
Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, unequalled Trainer of men
to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, a Buddha, a Bless-
ed Lord." [128] He proclaims this world with its gods, maras
and Brahmas, the world of ascetics and Brahmins with its
princes and people, having come to know it by his own
knowledge. He teaches a Dhamma that is lovely in its begin-
ning, lovely in its middle and lovely in its ending, in the spirit
and in the letter, and he displays the fully-perfected, thoroughly
purified holy life. And indeed it is good to see such Arahants.'
And at that the Brahmins and householders, leaving Khanu-
mata in great numbers, went to Ambalatthika.
3. Just then, Kutadanta had gone up to his verandah for his
134 Kutadanta Sutta: Sutta 5 i 134
midday rest. Seeing all the Brahmins and householders mak-
ing for Ambalatthika, he asked his steward the reason. The
steward replied: 'Sir, it is the ascetic Gotama, concerning
whom a good report has been spread about: "This Blessed
Lord is an Arahant,. . .a Buddha, a Blessed Lord". That is why
they are going to see him/
4. Then Kutadanta thought: 'I have heard that the ascetic
Gotama understands how to conduct successfully the triple
sacrifice with its sixteen requisites. Now I do not understand
all this, but I want to make a big sacrifice. Suppose [129] I were
to go to the ascetic Gotama and ask him about the matter/ So
he sent his steward to the Brahmins and householders of
Khanumata to ask them to wait for him.
5. And at that time several hundred Brahmins were staying
at Khanumata intending to take part in Kutadanta's sacrifice.
Hearing of his intention to visit the ascetic Gotama, they went
and asked him if this were true. 'So it is, gentlemen, I am
going to visit the ascetic Gotama.'
6. 'Sir, do not visit the ascetic Gotama. . .( exactly the same
arguments as at Sutta 4, verse 5). [130—131] This being so, it is
not proper that the Reverend Kutadanta should visit the asce-
tic Gotama, but rather the ascetic Gotama should visit him.'
7. Then Kutadanta said to the Brahmins: 'Now listen, gen-
tlemen, as to why it is fitting for us to visit the Reverend
Gotama, and why it is not fitting for him to visit us . . . ( exactly
the same as Sutta 4, verse 6). [132-133] The ascetic Gotama has
arrived in Khanumata and is staying at Ambalatthika. And
whatever ascetics or Brahmins come to our territory are our
guests. . .He is beyond all praise/
8. On hearing this, the Brahmins said: 'Sir, since you praise
the ascetic Gotama so much, then even if he were to live a
hundred yojanas from here, it would be fitting for a believing
clansman to go with a shoulder-bag to visit him. And, sir, we
shall all go to visit the ascetic Gotama/ And so Kutadanta
went with a large company of Brahmins to Ambalatthika. He.
approached the Lord, [134] exchanged courtesies with him,
and sat down to one side. Some of the Brahmins and house-
holders of Khanumata made obeisance to the Lord, some ex-
changed courtesies with him, some saluted him with joined
i 136 A Bloodless Sacrifice 135
palms, some announced their name and clan, and some sat
down to one side in silence.
9. Sitting to one side, Kutadanta addressed the Lord: 'Rever-
end Gotama, I have heard that you understand how to con-
duct successfully the triple sacrifice with its sixteen requisites.
Now I do not understand all this, but I want to make a big
sacrifice. It would be well if the ascetic Gotama were to ex-
plain this to me.' 'Then listen. Brahmin, pay proper attention,
and I will explain/ 'Yes, sir', said Kutadanta, and the Lord
said:
10. 'Brahmin, once upon a time there was a king called
Mahavijita. 172 He was rich, of great wealth and resources, with
an abundance of gold and silver, of possessions and requi-
sites, of money and money's worth, with a full treasury and
granary. And when King Mahavijita was musing in private,
the thought came to him: "I have acquired extensive wealth in
human terms, I occupy a wide extent of land which I have
conquered. Suppose now I were to make a great sacrifice
which would be to my benefit and happiness for a long
time?" And calling his minister-chaplain, 173 he told him his
thought. [135] "I want to make a big sacrifice. Instruct me.
Reverend Sir, how this may be to my lasting benefit and
happiness."
11. 'The chaplain replied: "Your Majesty's country is beset
by thieves, it is ravaged, villages and towns are being destroy-
ed, the countryside is infested with brigands. If Your Majesty
were to tax this region, that would be the wrong thing to do.
Suppose Your Majesty were to think: 'I will get rid of this
plague of robbers by executions and imprisonment, or by
confiscation, threats and banishment', the plague would not
be properly ended. Those who survived would later harm
Your Majesty's realm. However, with this plan you can com-
pletely eliminate the plague. To those in the kingdom who are
engaged in cultivating crops and raising cattle, let Your Majesty
distribute grain and fodder; to those in trade, give capital; to
those in government service assign proper living wages. Then
those people, being intent on their own occupations, will not
harm the kingdom. Your Majesty's revenues will be great, the
land will be tranquil and not beset by thieves, and the people.
136 Kutadanta Sutta: Sutta 5 i 138
with joy in their hearts, will play with their children, and will
dwell in open houses."
'And saying: "So be it!", the king accepted the chaplain's
advice: he gave grain and fodder, capital to those in trade, . . .
proper living wages . . . and the people with joy in their hearts
. . . dwelt in open houses.
12. 'Then King Mahavijita sent for the chaplain and said: "I
have got rid of the plague of robbers; following your plan my
revenue has grown, the land is tranquil and not beset by
thieves, and the people with joy in their hearts play with their
children and dwell in open houses. Now I wish to make a
great sacrifice. Instruct me as to how this may be done to my
lasting benefit and happiness." "For this. Sire, you should
send for your Khattiyas from town and country, your advisers
and counsellors, the most influential Brahmins and the wealthy
householders of your realm, and say to them: 'I wish to make
a great sacrifice. Assist me in this, gentlemen, that it may be
to my lasting benefit and happiness.'" -
'The King agreed, and [137] did so. "Sire, let the sacrifice
begin, now is the time, Your Majesty. These four assenting
groups 174 will be the accessories for the sacrifice.
13. '"King Mahavijita is endowed with eight things. He is
well-born on both sides, . . . (as Sutta 4, verse 5) of irreproach-
able birth. He is handsome, ... of no mean appearance. He is
rich. . .with a full treasury and granary. He is powerful, hav-
ing a four-branched army 175 that is loyal, dependable, making
bright his reputation among his enemies. He is a faithful
giver and host, not shutting his door against ascetics. Brah-
mins and wayfarers, beggars and the needy — a fountain of
goodness. He is very learned in what should be learnt. He
knows the meaning of whatever is said, saying: 'This is what
that means.' He is a scholar, accomplished, wise, competent to
perceive advantage in the past, the future or the present. 176
King Mahavijita is endowed with these eight things. These
constitute the accessories for the sacrifice.
[138] 14. '"The Brahmin chaplain is endowed with four
things. He is well-born. . .He is a scholar, versed in the man-
tras ... He is virtuous, of increasing virtue, endowed with in-
creasing virtue. He is learned, accomplished and wise, and is the
j 140 A Bloodless Sacrifice 137
first or second to hold the sacrificial ladle. He has these four
qualities. These constitute the accessories to the sacrifice."
15. 'Then, prior to the sacrifice, the Brahmin chaplain taught
the King the three modes. "It might be that Your Majesty
might have some regrets about the intended sacrifice: 'I am
going to lose a lot of wealth', or during the sacrifice: 'I am
losing a lot of wealth', or after the sacrifice: 'I have lost a lot
of wealth.' In such cases, Your Majesty should not entertain
such regrets."
16. "Then, prior to the sacrifice, the chaplain dispelled the
King's qualms with ten conditions for the recipient: "Sire,
there will come to the sacrifice those who take life and those
who abstain from taking life. To those who take life, so will it
be to them; but those who abstain from taking life will have a
successful sacrifice and will rejoice in it, and their hearts may
be calmed within. There will come those who take what is not
given and those who refrain. . ., those who indulge in sexual
misconduct and those who refrain . . . , those who tell lies . . . ,
indulge in calumny, harsh and frivolous speech . . . , [139] those
who are covetous and those who are not, those who harbour
ill-will and those who do not, those who have wrong views and
those who have right views. To those who have wrong views it
will turn out accordingly, but those who have right views will
have a successful sacrifice and will rejoice in it, and their hearts
may be calmed within." So the chaplain dispelled the King's
doubts with ten conditions.
17. 'So the chaplain instructed the King who was making
the great sacrifice with sixteen reasons, urged him, inspired
him and gladdened his heart. "Someone might say: 'King
Mahavijita is making a great sacrifice, but he has not invited
his Khattiyas. . ., his advisers and counsellors, the most in-
fluential Brahmins and wealthy householders . . . ' But such
words would not be in accordance with the truth, since the
King has invited them. Thus the King may know that he will
have a successful sacrifice and rejoice in it, and his heart will
be calmed within. Or someone might say: 'King Mahavijita is
making a great sacrifice, but he is not well-born on both
sides. . .'[140] But such words would not be in accordance
with the truth ... Or someone might say: 'His chaplain is not
138 Kutadanta Sutta: Sutta 5 i 143
well-bom . . . ' [141] But such words would not be in accordance
with the truth." Thus the chaplain instructed the King with
sixteen reasons. . .
18. 'In this sacrifice, Brahmin, no bulls were slain, no goats
or sheep, no cocks and pigs, nor were various living beings
subjected to slaughter, nor were trees cut down for sacrificial
posts, nor were grasses mown for the sacrificial grass, and
those who are called slaves or servants or workmen did not
perform their tasks for fear of blows or threats, weeping and
in tears. But those who wanted to do something did it, those
who did not wish to did not: they did what they wanted to
do, and not what they did not want to do. The sacrifice was
carried out with ghee, oil, butter, curds, honey and molasses.
[142]
19. 'Then, Brahmin, the Khattiyas . . . , the ministers and
counsellors, the influential Brahmins, the wealthy house-
holders of town and country, having received a sufficient
income, came to King Mahavijita and said: "We have brought
sufficient wealth. Your Majesty, please accept it." "But, gentle-
men, I have collected together sufficient wealth. Whatever is
left over, you take away."
'At the King's refusal, they went away to one side and con-
sulted together: "It is not right for us to take this wealth back
to our own homes. The King is making a great sacrifice. Let us
follow his example."
20. 'Then the JKhattiyas put their gifts to the east of the
sacrificial pit, the advisers and counsellors set out theirs to the
south, the Brahmins to the west and the wealthy householders
to the north. And in this sacrifice no bulls were slain,. . . nor
were living beings subjected to slaughter. . .Those who want-
ed to do something did it, those who did not wish to did not . . .
The sacrifice was carried out with ghee, oil, butter, curds,
honey and molasses. [143] Thus there were the four assenting
groups, and King Mahavijita was endowed with eight things,
and the chaplain with four things in three modes. This, Brah-
min, is called the sixteenfold successful sacrifice in three
modes.'
21. At this the Brahmins shouted loudly and noisily: 'What
a splendid sacrifice! What a splendid way to perform a sacri-
fice!' But Kutadanta sat in silence. And the Brahmins asked
i 145 A Bloodless Sacrifice 139
him why he did not applaud the ascetic Gotama's fine words.
He replied: 'It is not that I do not applaud them. My head
would split open if I did not. 177 But it strikes me that the
ascetic Gotama does not say: "I have heard this", or "It must
have been like this", but he says: "It was like this or like that
at the time." And so, gentlemen, it seems to me that the
ascetic Gotama must have been at that time either King Ma-
havijita, the lord of the sacrifice, or else the Brahmin chaplain
who conducted the sacrifice for him. Does the Reverend Gota-
ma acknowledge that he performed, or caused to be perform-
ed, such a sacrifice, and that in consequence at death, after the
breaking-up of the body, he was reborn in a good sphere, a
heavenly state?' 'I do. Brahmin. I was the Brahmin chaplain
who conducted that sacrifice.'
22. 'And, Reverend Gotama, is there any other sacrifice that
is simpler, less difficult, more fruitful and profitable than this
threefold sacrifice with its sixteen attributes?' [144] 'There is.
Brahmin.'
'What is it. Reverend Gotama?' 'Wherever regular family
gifts are given to virtuous ascetics, these constitute a sacrifice
more fruitful and profitable than that.'
23. 'Why, Reverend Gotama, and for what reason is this
better?'
'Brahmin, no Arahants or those who have attained the Ara-
hant path will attend such a sacrifice. Why? Because there
they see beatings and throttlings, so they do not attend. But
they will attend the sacrifice at which regular family gifts are
given to virtuous ascetics, because there there are no beatings
or throttlings. That is why this kind of sacrifice is more fruit-
ful and profitable.'
24. 'But, Reverend Gotama, is there any other sacrifice that
is more profitable than [143] either of these?' 'There is. Brah-
min.'
'What is it, Reverend Gotama?' 'Brahmin, if anyone pro-
vides shelter for the Sangha coming from the four quarters,
that constitutes a more profitable sacrifice.'
25. 'But, Reverend Gotama, is there any sacrifice that is
more profitable than these three?' 'There is. Brahmin.'
'What is it. Reverend Gotama?' 'Brahmin, if anyone with a
pure heart goes for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma and
140 Kutadanta Sutta : Sutta 5 i 148
the Sangha, that constitutes a sacrifice more profitable than
[146] any of these three.'
26. 'But, Reverend Gotama, is there any sacrifice that is
more profitable than these four?' "There is. Brahmin.'
'What is it. Reverend Gotama?' 'Brahmin, if anyone with a
pure heart undertakes the precepts — to refrain from taking
life, from taking what is not given, from sexual immorality,
from lying speech and from taking strong drink and sloth-
producing drugs — that constitutes a sacrifice more profitable
than any of these four.'
27. 'But, Reverend Gotama, is there any sacrifice that is
more profitable than these five?' 'There is. Brahmin.' [147]
'What is it. Reverend Gotama?' 'Brahmin, a Tathagata arises
in this world, an Arahant, fully-enlightened Buddha, endow-
ed with wisdom and conduct, Well-Farer, Knower of the
worlds, incomparable Trainer of men to be tamed, Teacher of
gods and humans, enlightened and blessed. He, having real-
ised it by his own super-knowledge, proclaims this world with
its devas, maras and Brahmas, its princes and people. He
preaches the Dhamma which is lovely in its beginning, lovely
in its middle, lovely in its ending, in the spirit and in the
letter, and displays the fully-perfected and purified holy life. A
disciple goes forth and practises the moralities, etc. ( Sutta 2, verses
41—74). Thus a monk is perfected in morality. He attains the
four jhdnas ( Sutta 2, verses 75-82). That, Brahmin, is a sacrifice
. . .more profitable. He attains various insights ( Sutta 2, verse
83—95), and the cessation of the corruptions ( Sutta 2, verse 97).
He knows: "There is nothing further in this world." That,
Brahmin, is a sacrifice that is simpler, less difficult, more
fruitful and more profitable than all the others. And beyond
this there is no sacrifice that is greater and more perfect.'
28. 'Excellent, Reverend Gotama, excellent! It is as if some-
one were to set up what had been knocked down, or to point
out the way to one who had got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp
into a dark place, so that those with eyes could see what was
there. Just so the Reverend Gotama has expounded the Dham-
ma in various ways. May the Reverend Gotama accept me as a
lay-follower from this day forth as long as life shall last! And,
[148] Reverend Gotama, I set free the seven hundred bulls.
i 149 A Bloodless Sacrifice 141
seven hundred bullocks, seven hundred heifers, seven hun-
dred he-goats and seven hundred rams. I grant them life, let
them be fed with green grass and given cool water to drink,
and let cool breezes play upon them.'
29. Then the Lord delivered a graduated discourse to Kuta-
danta, on generosity, on morality and on heaven, showing the
danger, degradation and corruption of sense-desires, and the
profit of renunciation. And when the Lord knew that Kuta-
danta's mind was ready, pliable, free from the hindrances,
joyful and calm, then he preached a sermon on Dhamma in
brief: on suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. And
just as a clean doth from which all stains have been removed
receives the dye perfectly, so in the Brahmin Kutadanta, as he
sat there, there arose the pure and spotless Dhamma-eye, and
he knew: 'Whatever things have an origin must come to
cessation.'
30. Then Kutadanta, having seen, attained, experienced and
penetrated the Dhamma, having passed beyond doubt, trans-
cended uncertainty, having gained perfect confidence in the
Teacher's doctrine without relying on others, said: 'May the
Reverend Gotama and his order of monks accept a meal from
me tomorrow!'
The Lord assented by silence. Then Kutadanta, seeing his
consent, rose, saluted the Lord, passed by to his right and
departed. As day was breaking, he caused hard and soft food
to be prepared at his place of sacrifice, and when it was ready
he announced: 'Reverend Gotama, it is time; the meal is
ready.'
And the Lord, having risen early, went with robe and bowl
and attended by his monks to Kutadanta's place of sacrifice
and sat down on the prepared seat. And Kutadanta [149] served
the Buddha and his monks with the finest foods with his own
hands until they were satisfied. And when the Lord had eaten
and taken his hand away from the bowl, Kutadanta took a low
stool and sat down to one side.
Then the Lord, having instructed Kutadanta with a talk on
Dhamma, inspired him, fired him with enthusiasm and
delighted him, rose from his seat and departed. 178
6 Mahali Sutta: About Mahali
Heavenly Sights, Soul and Body
[150] 1 . Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was staying at Vesali,
at the Gabled Hall in the Great Forest. And at that time a large
number of Brahmin emissaries from Kosala and Magadha
were staying at Vesali on some business. And they heard say:
'The ascetic Gotama, son of the Sakyans, who has gone forth
from the Sakya clan, is staying at Vesali, at the Gabled Hall in
the Great Forest. And concerning that Blessed Lord a good
report has been spread about: "This Blessed Lord is an Ara-
hant, a fully-enlightened Buddha, perfected in knowledge and
conduct, a Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, unequalled Trainer
of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, a Buddha, a
Blessed Lord." He proclaims this world with its gods, maras
and Brahmas, the world of ascetics and Brahmins with its
princes and peoples, having come to know it by his own
knowledge. He teaches a Dhamma that is lovely in its begin-
ning, lovely in its middle and lovely in its ending, in the spirit
and in the letter, and he displays the fully-perfected, thoroughly
purified holy life. And indeed it is good to see such Arahants.'
2. And so these Brahmin emissaries from Kosala and Ma-
gadha went to the Great Forest, to the Gabled Hall. At that
time the Venerable Nagita was the Lord's personal attendant.
So they approached the Venerable Nagita and said: 'Reverend
Nagita, where is the Reverend Gotama now staying? We
would like to see him.' [151]
'Friends, it is not the right time to see the Lord. He is in
solitary meditation.' But the Brahmins just sat down to one
side and said: 'When we have seen the Lord Gotama, we will
go.'
3. Just then Otthaddha the Licchavi came to the Gabled Hall
143
144 Mahali Sutta: Sutta 6 i 153
with a large company, saluted the Venerable Nagita and stood
aside, saying: 'Where is the Blessed Lord staying, the Ara-
hant, the fully-enlightened Buddha? We would like to see
him.' 'Mahali, 179 it is not the right time to see the Lord, He is
in solitary meditation.' But Otthaddha just sat down to one
side, and said: 'When I have seen the Blessed Lord, the
Arahant, the fully-enlightened Buddha, I will go.'
4. Then the novice Siha 180 came to the Venerable Nagita,
stood aside and said: 'Venerable Kassapa, 181 these many Brah-
min emissaries from Kosala and Magadha have come here to
see the Lord, and Otthaddha the Licchavi, too, has come with
a large company to see the Lord. It would be well. Venerable
Kassapa, to allow these people to see him.' 'Well then, Siha,
you announce them to the Lord.' 'Yes, Venerable Sir', said
Siha. Then he went to the Lord, saluted him, stood aside and
said: 'Lord, these Brahmin emissaries from Kosala and Ma-
gadha have come here to see the Lord, and Otthaddha the
Licchavi likewise with a large [152] company. It would be well
if the Lord were to let these people see him.' 'Then, Siha,
prepare a seat in the shade of this dwelling.' 'Yes, Lord', said
Siha, and did so. Then the Lord came out of his dwelling-
place and sat down on the prepared seat.
3. The Brahmins approached the Lord. Having exchanged
courtesies with him, they sat down to one side. But Otthad-
dha did obeisance to the Lord, and then sat down to one side,
saying: 'Lord, not long ago Sunakkhatta the Licchavi 182 came
to me and said: "Soon I shall have been a follower of the Lord
for three years. I have seen heavenly sights, pleasant, delight-
ful, enticing, but I have not heard any heavenly sounds that
were pleasant, delightful, enticing." Lord, are there any such
heavenly sounds, which Sunakkhatta cannot hear, or are there
not?' 'There are such sounds, Mahali.'
6. 'Then, Lord, what is the reason, what is the cause why
Sunakkahtta cannot hear them?' [153] 'Mahali, in one case a
monk, facing east, goes into one-sided samadhi 183 and sees
heavenly sights, pleasant, delightful, enticing. . .but does not
hear heavenly sounds. By means of this one-sided samadhi he
sees heavenly sights but does not hear heavenly sounds. Why
i 156 Heavenly Sights , Soul and Body 145
is this? Because this samadhi only leads to the seeing of
heavenly sights, but not to the hearing of heavenly sounds.
7. 'Again, a monk facing south, west, north goes into a one-
sided samadhi and facing upwards, downwards or across sees
heavenly sights [in that direction], but does not hear heavenly
sounds. Why is this? Because this samadhi only leads to the
seeing of heavenly sights, but not to the hearing of heavenly
sounds. [154]
8. 'In another case, Mahali, a monk facing east. . .hears
heavenly sounds but does not see heavenly sights . . .
9. 'Again, a monk facing south, west, north, facing upwards,
downwards or across hears heavenly sounds, but does not see
heavenly sights . . .
10. 'In another case, Mahali, a monk facing east goes into
two-sided samadhi and both sees heavenly sights, pleasant,
delightful, enticing [155] and hears heavenly sounds. Why is
this? Because this two-sided samadhi leads to both the seeing
of heavenly sights and the hearing of heavenly sounds.
11. 'Again, a monk facing south, west, north, facing up-
wards, downwards or across sees heavenly sights and hears
heavenly sounds . . . And that is the reason why Sunakkhatta
comes to see heavenly sights but not to hear heavenly
sounds.' 184
12. 'Well, Lord, is it for the realisation of such samadhi-
states that monks lead the holy life under the Blessed Lord?'
'No, Mahali, there are other things, higher and more perfect
than these, for the sake of which monks lead the holy life
under me.'
[156] 13. 'What are they. Lord?' 'Mahali, in one case a monk,
having abandoned three fetters, becomes a Stream-Winner,
not liable to states of woe, firmly set on the path to enlighten-
ment. Again, a monk who has abandoned the three fetters,
and has reduced his greed, hatred and delusion, becomes a
Once-Retumer who, having returned to this world once more,
will make an end of suffering. Again, a monk who has aban-
doned the five lower fetters takes a spontaneous rebirth 185 [in
a higher sphere] and, without returning from that world,
gains enlightenment. Again, a monk through the extinction of
146 Mahali Sutta: Sutta 6 i 157
the corruptions reaches in this very life the uncorrupted de-
liverance of mind, the deliverance through wisdom, which he
has realised by his own insight. That is another thing higher
and more perfect than these, for the sake of which monks lead
the holy life under me/
14. 'Lord, is there a path, is there a method for the realisa-
tion of these things?' 'There is a path, Mahali, there is a
method/ [157] 'And, Lord, what is this path, what is this
method?'
'It is the Noble Eightfold Path, namely Right View, Right
Thought; Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood; Right
Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. This is the
path, this is the way to the realisation of these things.'
15. 'Once, Mahali, I was staying at Kosambi, in the Ghosita
Park. And two wanderers, Mandissa and Jaliya, the pupil of
the wooden-bowl ascetic, came to me, exchanged courtesies
with me, and sat down to one side. Then they said: "How is
it, friend Gotama, is the soul 186 the same as the body, or is the
soul one thing and the body another?" "Well now, friends, you
listen, pay proper attention, and I will explain." "Yes, friend",
they said, and I went on:
16. '"Friends, a Tathagata arises in the world, an Arahant,
fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and con-
duct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer
of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened
and blessed. He, Jnaving realised it by his own super-know-
ledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras and Brahmas,
its princes and people. He preaches the Dhamma which is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully-
perfected and purified holy life.
'"A disciple goes forth and practises the moralities ( Sutta 2,
verses 41—63). On account of his morality, he sees no danger
anywhere. He experiences in himself the blameless bliss that
comes from maintaining this Ariyan morality. In this way, he
is perfected in morality, (as Sutta 2, verses 64—74 ) - -It is as if he
were freed from debt, from sickness, from bonds, from slavery,
from the perils of the desert . . . Being thus detached from sense-
desires, detached from unwholesome states, he enters and
i 158 Heavenly Sights, Soul and Body 147
remains in the first jhana . . . and so suffuses, drenches, fills and
irradiates his body, that there is no spot in his entire body that
is untouched by this delight and joy bom of detachment. Now
of one who thus knows and thus sees, is it proper to say: 'The
soul is the same as the body', or 'The soul is different from the
body'?" "It is not, friend." 187 "But I thus know and see, and I
do not say that the soul is either the same as, or different from
the body."
17. ' "And the same with the second . . . , the third . . . , [158] the
fourth jhana (as Sutta 2, verses 77—82).
18. "'The mind bends and tends towards knowledge and
vision. Now, of one who thus knows and thus sees, is it
proper to say: 'The soul is the same as the body', or 'The
soul is different from the body'?" "It is not, friend."
19. '"He knows: 'There is nothing further here.' Now of one
who thus knows and thus sees, is it proper to say: 'The soul is
the same as the body', or 'The soul is different from the
body'?" "It is not, friend." "But I thus know and see, and I do
not say that the soul is either the same as, or different from
the body."'
Thus the Lord spoke, and Otthaddha the Licchavi rejoiced at
his words.
7 Jaliya Sutta: About Jaliya
[159] 1. Thus have I heard . 188 Once the Lord was staying at
Kosambi, in the Ghosita Park. And two wanderers, Mandissa
and Jaliya, the pupil of the wooden-bowl ascetic, came to him,
exchanged courtesies with him and sat down to one side . . .
(verses 1—5 = Sutta 6, verses 15—19). [160]
Thus the Lord spoke, and the two wanderers rejoiced at his
words.
149
8 MahasThanada Sutta: The Great
Lion's Roar 189
[161] 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was staying at
Ujunriaya in the deer-park of Kannakatthale. 190 There the
naked ascetic Kassapa came to him, exchanged courtesies with
him, and stood to one side. Then he said:
2. 'Friend Gotama, I have heard it said: "The ascetic Gota-
ma disapproves of all austerities, and censures and blames all
those who lead a harsh life of self-mortification. 191 Now are
those who say this telling the truth, and do they not slander
the Lord Gotama with lies? Do they explain the truth about
his Dhamma and what pertains to it, or does some fellow-
teacher of a different sect deserve to be blamed for this state-
ment? We would like to see the Lord Gotama refute this
charge."
3. 'Kassapa, those who say this are not telling the truth,
they slander me with lies. The situation occurs, Kassapa, that I
see one practiser of mortification, and with the divine [162]
eye 192 which is purified beyond the sight of humans I see
him arising after death, at the breaking-up of the body, in a
place of woe, a baleful state, a place of destruction, in hell.
Again, I see one practiser of mortification . . . arising after death
in a good place, a heavenly state. Again, I see one who prac-
tises little austerity. . .arising in a state of woe. . .Again, I see
one who practises little austerity. . .arising after death in a
good place, a heavenly state. Since I can see as it is the arising,
the destiny, the death and re-arising of those ascetics, how
could I disapprove of all austerities, and censure and blame all
those who lead a harsh life of self-mortification?
4. 'Kassapa, there are some ascetics and Brahmins who are
wise, skilled, practised in disputation, splitters of hairs, acute.
131
152 Mahasihanada Sutta: Sutta 8 i 165
who walk deverly along the paths of views. Sometimes their
views accord with mine, sometimes they do not. What they
sometimes applaud, we sometimes applaud. What they some-
times do not applaud, we sometimes do not applaud; what
they sometimes applaud, we sometimes do not applaud, and
what they sometimes do not applaud, we sometimes applaud.
What we sometimes applaud, they sometimes applaud, what
we sometimes do not applaud, they sometimes do not ap-
plaud. [163] What we sometimes applaud, they sometimes do
not applaud, and what we sometimes do not applaud, they
sometimes applaud.
5. 'On approaching them I say: "In these things there is no
agreement, let us leave them aside. In these things there is
agreement: there let the wise take up, cross-question and cri-
ticise these matters with the teachers or with their followers,
saying: 'Of those things that are unskilful 193 and reckoned as
such, censurable, to be refrained from, unbefitting a Noble One,
black, and reckoned as such — who is there who has com-
pletely abandoned such things and is free from them: the
ascetic Gotama, or some other venerable teachers?'"
6. 'It may be that the wise . . . say: "Of those things that are
unskilled . . .the ascetic Gotama has completely freed himself,
but the other reverend teachers only in part." In this case the
wise give us the greatest share of praise.
7. 'Or the wise may say: "Of those things that are skilled
and reckoned as jsuch, blameless, to be practised, fitting for a
Noble One, bright and reckoned as such, who is there who
has completely mastered them — the ascetic Gotama, or some
other reverend teachers?"
8. 'Or the wise may [164] say: "Of these things. . .the asce-
tic Gotama has completely mastered them, but the other
reverend teachers only in part." In this case the wise give
us the greatest share of praise.
9—12 (As verses y —5 but: 'the order of the ascetic Gotama's
disciples, or that of the other reverend teachers.') [165]
i 13. 'Kassapa, there is a path, there is a course of training,
whereby one who has followed it will know and see for him-
self: "The ascetic Gotama speaks at the proper time, what is
true, to the point 194 — the Dhamrria and the discipline." What
i 167 The Great Lion's Roar 133
is this path and this course of training? It is the Noble Eight-
fold Path, namely Right View, Right Thought; Right Speech,
Right Action, Right Livelihood; Right Effort, Right Mindful-
ness, Right Concentration. This is the path whereby one may
know and see for oneself: "The ascetic Gotama speaks at the
proper time, what is true, to the point — the Dhamma and the
discipline." '
14. At this, Kassapa said to the Lord: 'Gotama, these ascetic
practices of certain practisers of self-mortification [166] are con-
sidered proper to them: a naked ascetic uses no polite re-
straints, 195 licks his hands, does not come or stand still when
requested. He does not accept food offered or prepared for
him, or an invitation to a meal. He does not accept food out of
the pot or pan, nor on the threshold, among the firewood or
the rice-pounders, nor where two people are eating, from a
pregnant or nursing woman or from one living with a man,
nor from gleanings, from where a dog is standing or where
flies are swarming. He eats no fish or meat and drinks no rum
or spirits or fermented rice-gruel. 196 He is a one-house man 197
or a one-piece man, 198 a two-house man, a seven-piece man or
a seven-house man. He exists on one, two or seven little offer-
ings, eats only once a day, once in two days, once in seven
days. He takes to eating rice only twice a month. These are
considered proper practices.
'Or a man becomes a herb-eater, a millet-eater, a raw-rice-
eater, a wild-rice-eater, an eater of water-plants, of rice-husk-
powder, of rice-scum, of the flowers of oil-seeds, grass or cow-
dung, of forest roots and fruits, eating windfalls. He wears
coarse' hemp or mixed material, shrouds from corpses, rags
from the dust-heap, garments of bark-fibre, [167] antelope-
skins, grass, bark, shavings, blankets of human hair 199 or
horse-hair, the wings of owls. He is a plucker-out of hair and
beard, devoted to this practice; he is a covered-thorn man,
making his bed on them, sleeping alone in a garment of wet
mud, living in the open air, accepting whatever seat is offered,
living on filth and addicted to the practice, one who drinks no
water 200 and is addicted to the practice, or he dwells intent on
the practice of going to bathe three times before evening.' 201
15. 'Kassapa, a practiser of self-mortification may do all these
154 MahasThanada Sutta: Sutta 8 i 171
things, but if his morality, his heart and his wisdom are not
developed and brought to realisation, then indeed he is still
far from being an ascetic or a Brahmin. But, Kassapa, when a
monk develops non-enmity, non-ill-will and a heart full of
loving-kindness and, abandoning the corruptions, realises
and dwells in the uncorrupted deliverance of mind, the de-
liverance through wisdom, having realised it in this very life
by his own insight, then, Kassapa, that monk is termed an
ascetic and a Brahmin/ 202 [168]
16. At this Kassapa said to the Lord: 'Reverend Gotama, it is
hard to be an ascetic, it is hard to be a Brahmin.'
'So they say in the world, Kassapa: "It is hard to be an
ascetic, it is hard to be a Brahmin." If a naked ascetic were to
do all these things ... (as verse 14), and if this were the measure
and practice of the difficulty, the great difficulty, of being an
ascetic or Brahmin, it would not be right to say: "It is hard to
be an ascetic, it is hard to be a Brahmin", because any house-
holder or householder's son — even the slave-girl who draws
water — could do this saying: "Well, I will go naked. . . " (as
verse 14). But, Kassapa, because there is a very different kind of
asceticism beside this, therefore it is right to say: "It is hard
to be an ascetic, it is hard to be a Brahmin." [169] But, Kassapa,
when a monk develops non-enmity, non-ill-will and a heart
full of loving kindness . . . (as verse 15), then that monk is called
an ascetic and a Brahmin.' [170]
17. At this Kassapa said to the Lord: 'Reverend Gotama, it is
hard to understand an ascetic, it is hard to understand a
Brahmin.'
'So they say in the world, Kassapa: "It is hard to understand
an ascetic, it is hard to understand a Brahmin." If a naked
ascetic were to do all these things, and if this were the mea-
sure and practice of the difficulty, the great difficulty, of un-
derstanding an ascetic or Brahmin, it would not be right to
say that, because any householder. . .could understand it. [171]
But, Kassapa, because there is a very different kind of asceti-
cism and Brahmanism beside this, it is right to say: "It is hard
to understand an ascetic or a Brahmin." But, Kassapa, when a
monk develops non-enmity, non-ill-will and a heart full of
loving-kindness and, abandoning ,the corruptions, realises
i 174 The Great Lion's Roar 155
and dwells in the uncorrupted deliverance of mind, the de-
liverance through wisdom, having realised it in this very life
by his own insight, then, Kassapa, that monk is called an
ascetic and a Brahmin.'
18—20. Then Kassapa said to the Lord: 'Reverend Gotama,
what then is the development of morality, of the heart, and of
wisdom?'
/. 'Kassapa, a Tathagata arises in the world an Arahant, fully-
enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and conduct,
Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer of
men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened
and blessed. He, having realised it by his own super-know-
ledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras and Brahmas,
its princes and people. He preaches the Dhamma which is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully-
perfected and purified holy life. A disciple goes forth and prac-
tises the moralities (Sutta 2, verses 41 —63). [172] That is the per-
fection of morality. He guards the sense-doors, etc. and attains
the four jhdnas (Sutta 2 verses 64—82). [173—4] That is the
perfection of the heart. He attains various insights and the cessation
of the corruptions (Sutta 2, verses 83 —98). That is the perfection of
wisdom. And, Kassapa, there is nothing further or more perfect
than this perfection of morality, of the heart and of wisdom.
21. 'Kassapa, there are some ascetics and Brahmins who
preach morality. They praise morality in various ways. But as
regards the highest Ariyan morality, Kassapa, I do not see any
who have surpassed me in this. I am supreme in this regard,
in super-morality. There are some ascetics and Brahmins who
preach self-mortification and scrupulous austerity, which they
praise in various ways. But as regards the highest Ariyan self-
mortification and austerity, Kassapa, I do not see any who
have surpassed me in this. I am supreme in this regard, in
super-austerity. There are some ascetics and Brahmins who
preach wisdom. They praise wisdom in various ways. But as
regards the highest Ariyan wisdom, Kassapa, I do not see any
who have surpassed me in this. I am supreme in this regard,
in super-wisdom. There are some ascetics and Brahmins who
preach liberation. They praise liberation in various ways. But
156 MahasThanada Sutta: Sutta 8 i 176
as regards the highest Ariyan liberation, Kassapa, I do not see
any who have surpassed me in this. I am supreme in this
regard, in super-liberation. [175]
22. 'Kassapa, it may be that wanderers of other sects will
say: “The ascetic Gotama roars his lion's roar, but only in
empty places, not in company." They should be told that this
is not true: “The ascetic Gotama roars his lion's roar, and he
roars it in company." Or they may say: “The ascetic Gotama
roars his lion's roar, and in company, but he does so without
confidence." They should be told that this is not true: “The
ascetic Gotama roars his lion's roar, in company and con-
fidently." Or they may say: "The ascetic Gotama roars his
lion's roar, and in company, and confidently, but they do not
question him." They should be told that this is not true:
“The ascetic Gotama roars his lion's roar . . . and they question
him." Or they may say: ". . .and they question him, but he
does not answer." . . .Or they may say: “. . .he answers, but he
does not win them over with his answers." . . .Or they may
say: “. . .but they don't find it pleasing." . . .Or they may say:
". . .but they are not satisfied with what they have heard."
... Or they may say: "... but they don't behave as if they were
satisfied." ... Or they may say: "... but they are not on the
path of truth." ...Or they may say: “...but they are not
satisfied with the practice." They should be told that this is not
true: “The ascetic Gotama roars his lion's roar, in company and
confidently, they question him and he answers, he wins them
over with his answers, they find it pleasing and are Satisfied
with what they have heard, they behave as if they were
satisfied, they are on the path of truth, and they are satisfied
with the practice." That, Kassapa, is what they should be told,
•f 23. 'Once, Kassapa, I was staying at Rajagaha at the Vul-
tures' Peak. And a certain practiser of mortification [176] called
Nigrodha consulted me about the practice of austerity. 203 And
he was delighted with my explanation beyond all measure.'
'Lord, who on hearing Dhamma from you would fail to be
delighted beyond all measure? I am delighted beyond all
measure. Excellent, Lord, excellent! It is as if someone were to
set up what had been knocked down, or to point out the way
to one who had got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark
i 177 The Great Lion's Roar 157
place, so that those with eyes could see what was there. Just
so the Blessed Lord has expounded the Dhamma in various
ways. Lord, may I receive the going-forth at the Lord's hands,
may I receive ordination!'
24. 'Kassapa, whoever has formerly belonged to another sect
and wishes for the going-forth or ordination in this Dhamma
and discipline must wait four months, and at the end of four
months' probation, the monks who are established in mind
will give him the going-forth and the monastic ordination. But
there can be a distinction of persons in this.' 'Lord, if such is
the case, I will even wait four years, and at the end of that time
let the monks give me the going-forth and the monastic ordi-
nation.'
Then Kassapa received the going-[i77]-forth from the Lord
himself, and the monastic ordination. And the newly-ordain-
ed Venerable Kassapa, alone, secluded, unwearying, zealous
and resolute, in a short time attained that for which young
men of good birth go forth from the household life into
homelessness, that unexcelled culmination of the holy life,
having realised it here and now by his own super-knowledge
and dwelt therein knowing: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life
has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is
nothing further here.'
And the Venerable Kassapa became another of the Arahants.
9 Potthapada Sutta: About
Potthapada
States of Consciousness
[178] 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was staying at Sa-
vatthi, in Jeta's grove/ in Anathapindika's park. And at that
time the wanderer Potthapada was at the debating-haU near
the Tinduka tree, in the single-hailed park of Queen Mallika, 204
with a large crowd of about three hundred wanderers.
2. Then the Lord, rising early, took his robe and bowl and
went to Savatthi for alms. But it occurred to him: 'It is too
early to go to Savatthi for alms. Suppose I were to go to The
debating-hall to see the wanderer Potthapada?' And he did so.
3. There Potthapada was sitting with his crowd of wan-
derers, all shouting and making a great commotion, indulging
in various kinds of unedifying conversation, such as about
kings, robbers, ministers, armies, dartgers, wars, food, drink,
clothes, beds, garlands, perfumes, relatives, carriages, villages,
towns and cities, [179] countries, women, heroes, street- and
well-gossip, talk of the departed, desultory chat, speculations
about land and sea, talk of being and non-being.
4. But Potthapada saw the Lord coming from a distance,
and so he called his followers to order, saying: 'Be quiet,
gentlemen, don't make a noise, gentlemen! That ascetic Gota-
ma is coming, and he likes quiet and speaks in praise of
quiet. If he sees that this company is quiet, he will most likely
want to come and visit us.' At this the wanderers fell silent.
5. Then the Lord came to Potthapada, who said: 'Come,
reverend Lord, welcome, reverend Lord! At last the reverend
Lord has gone out of his way to come here. Be seated. Lord, a
seat is prepared.'
The Lord sat down on the prepared seat, and Potthapada
took a low stool and sat down to one side. The Lord said:
159
160 Potthapada Sutta: Sutta g i 181
'Potthapada, what were you all talking about? What conversa-
tion have I interrupted?'
6. Potthapada replied: 'Lord, never mind the conversation
we were having just now, it will not be difficult for the Lord
to hear about that later. In the past few days. Lord, the discus-
sion among the ascetics and Brahmins of various schools, sit-
ting together and meeting in the debating-hall, has concerned
[180] the higher extinction of consciousness, 205 and how this
takes place. Some said: "One's perceptions arise and cease
without cause or condition. When they arise, one is conscious,
when they cease, then one is unconscious." That is how they
explained it. But somebody else said: "No, that is not how it
is. Perceptions 206 are a person's self, which comes and goes.
When it comes, one is conscious, when it goes, one is uncon-
scious." Another said: "That is not how it is. There are asce-
tics and Brahmins of great powers, of great influence. They
draw down consciousness into a man and withdraw it. When
they draw it down into him, he is conscious, when they
withdraw it, he is unconscious." 207 And another said: "No,
that is not how it is. There are deities of great powers, of great
influence. They draw down consciousness into a man and
withdraw it. When they draw it down into him, he is con-
scious, when they withdraw it, he is unconscious." 208 It was
in this connection that I thought of the Lord: "Ah, surely, the
Blessed Lord, the Well-Farer, he is supremely skilled 209 about
these matters!^ The Blessed Lord well understands the higher
extinction of consciousness." What then. Lord, is this higher
extinction of consciousness?'
7. 'In this matter, Potthapada, those ascetics and Brahmins
who say one's perceptions arise and cease without cause or
condition are totally wrong. Why is that? One's perceptions
arise and cease [181] owing to a cause and conditions. Some
perceptions arise through training, and some pass away
through training.' 'What is this training?', the Lord said. 'Pot-
thapada, a Tathagata arises in this world an Arahant, fully-
enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and conduct,
Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer of
men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened
and blessed. He, having realised it by his own super-know-
i 183 States of Consciousness 161
ledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras and Brahmas,
its princes and people. He preaches the Dhamma which is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully-
perfected and purified holy life. A disciple goes forth and prac-
tises the moralities ( Sutta 2, verses 41-62). That for him is moral-
ity.
8. 'And then, Potthapada, that monk who is perfected in
morality sees no danger from any side .. .(as Sutta 2, verse 63).
In this way he is perfected in morality.
9—10. He guards the sense-doors, etc. ( Sutta 2, verses 64—75).
[182] Having reached the first jhana, he remains in it. And
whatever sensations of lust that he previously had disappear.
At that time there is present a true but subtle perception of
delight and happiness, 210 bom of detachment, and he be-
comes one who is conscious of this delight and happiness. In
this way some perceptions arise through training, and some
pass away through training. And this is that training', said
the Lord.
11. 'Again, a monk, with the subsiding of thinking and
pondering, by gaining inner tranquillity and unity of mind,
reaches and remains in the second jhana, which is free from
thinking and pondering, bom of concentration, filled with
delight and happiness. His former hue but subtle perception
of delight and happiness bom of detachment vanishes. At that
time there arises a hue but subtle perception [183] of delight
and happiness bom of concentration, and he becomes one
who is conscious of this delight and happiness. In this way
some perceptions arise through training, and some pass away
through training.
12. 'Again, after the fading away of delight he dwells in
equanimity, mindful and clearly aware, and he experiences in
his body that pleasant feeling of which the Noble Ones say:
"Happy dwells the man of equanimity and mindfulness", and
he reaches and remains in the third jhana. His former hue but
subtle sense of delight and happiness bom of concentration
vanishes, and there arises at that time a hue but subtle sense
of equanimity and happiness, and he becomes one who is
conscious of this true but subtle sense of equanimity and
162 Potthapada Sutta: Sutta 9 i 184
happiness. In this way some perceptions arise through train-
ing, and some pass away through training.
13. 'Again, with the abandonment of pleasure and pain, and
with the disappearance of previous joy and grief, he reaches
and remains in the fourth jhana, a state beyond pleasure and
pain, purified by equanimity and mindfulness. His former
true but subtle sense of equanimity and happiness vanishes,
and there arises a true but subtle sense of neither happiness
nor unhappiness, and he becomes one who is conscious of
this true but subtle sense of neither happiness nor unhappi-
ness. In this way some perceptions arise through training, and
some pass away through training.
14. 'Again, by passing entirely beyond bodily sensations, by
the disappearance of all sense of resistance and by non-attrac-
tion to the perception of diversity, seeing that space is infi-
nite, he reaches and remains in the Sphere of Infinite Space.
In this way some perceptions arise through training, and
some pass away through training.
15. 'Again, by passing entirely beyond [184] the Sphere of
Infinite Space, seeing that consciousness is infinite, he
reaches and remains in the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness.
In this way some perceptions arise through training, and
some pass away through training.
16. 'Again, by passing entirely beyond the Sphere of Infinite
Consciousness, seeing that there is no thing, he reaches and
remains in the Sjphere of No-Thingness, and he becomes one
who is conscious of this true but subtle perception of the
Sphere of No-Thingness. In this way some perceptions arise
through training, and some pass away through training. And
this is that training', said the Lord.
17. 'Potthapada, from the moment when a monk has gained
this controlled perception, 211 he proceeds from stage to stage
till he reaches the limit of perception. When he has reached
the limit of perception it occurs to him: "Mental activity is
worse for me, lack of mental activity is better. If I were to
think and imagine, 212 these perceptions [that I have attained]
would cease, and coarser perceptions would arise in me. Sup-
pose I were not to think or imagine?" So he neither thinks nor
imagines. And then, in him, just these perceptions arise, but
i 187 States of Consciousness 163
other, coarser perceptions do not arise. He attains cessation.
And that, Potthapada, is the way in which the cessation of
perception is brought about by successive steps.
18. 'What do you think, Potthapada? Have you heard of
this before?' 'No, Lord. As I understand it, the Lord has said:
"Potthapada, from the moment when a monk has gained this
controlled perception, he proceeds from stage to stage until he
reaches the limit of perception . . . He attains cessation [185] . . .
and that is the way in which the cessation of perception is
brought about by successive steps." ' "That is right, Potthapa-
da.'
19. 'Lord, do you teach that the summit of perception is just
one, or that it is many?' 'I teach it as both one and many.'
'Lord, how is it one, and how is it many?' 'According as he
attains successively to the cessation of each perception, so I
teach the summit of that perception: thus I teach both one
summit of perception, and I also teach many.'
20. 'Lord, does perception arise before knowledge, or know-
ledge arise before perception, or do both arise simultaneous-
ly?' 'Perception arises first, Potthapada, then knowledge, and
from the arising of perception comes the arising of know-
ledge. And one knows: "Thus conditioned, knowledge arises."
In this way you can see how perception arises first, and then
knowledge, and that from the arising of perception comes the
arising of knowledge.' 213
21. 'Lord, is perception a person's self, or is perception one
thing, and self another?' 214 'Well, Potthapada, do you postu-
late 215 a self?' [186] 'Lord, I postulate a gross self, material,
composed of the four elements, and feeding on solid food.'
'But with such a gross self, Potthapada, perception would be
one thing, and the self another. You can see that in this way.
Given such a gross self, certain perceptions would arise in a
person, and others pass away. In this way you can see that
perception must be one thing, the self another.' 216
22. 'Lord, I postulate a mind-made self complete with all its
parts, not defective in any sense-organ.' 217 'But with such a
mind-made self, perception would be one thing, and the self
another. . .' [187]
23. 'Lord, I assume a formless self, made up of percep-
164 Potthapada Sutta: Sutta 9 i 189
tion.' 218 'But with such a formless self, perception would be
one thing, and self another. .
24. 'But Lord, is it possible for me to know whether per-
ception is a person's self, or whether perception is one thing,
and self another?' 'Potthapada, it is difficult for one of diffe-
rent views, a different faith, under different influences, with
different pursuits and a different training to know whether
these are two different things or not.'
25. 'Well, Lord, if this question of self and perceptions is
difficult for one like me — tell me: Is the world eternal? 219 Is
only this true and the opposite false?' 'Potthapada, I have not
declared that the world is eternal and that the opposite view is
false.' 'Well, Lord, is the world not eternal?' 'I have not de-
clared that the world is not eternal . . . ' 'Well, Lord, is the
world infinite, . . . not infinite? . . . ' [188] 'I have not declared
that the world is not infinite and that the opposite view is
false.'
26. 'Well, Lord, is the soul the same as the body, ... is the
soul one thing and the body another?' 'I have not declared
that the soul is one thing and the body another.'
27. 'Well, Lord, does the Tathagata exist after death? Is only
this true and all else false?' 'I have not declared that the
Tathagata exists after death.' 'Well, Lord, does the Tathagata
not exist after death, . . . both exist and not exist after death?
. . . neither exist nor not exist after death?' 'I have not declared
that the Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death,
and that all else is false.'
28. 'But, Lord, why has the Lord not declared these things?'
'Potthapada, that is not conducive to the purpose, not condu-
cive to Dhamma, [189] not the way to embark on the holy life;
it does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation,
to calm, to higher knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana.
That is why I have not declared it.'
29. 'But, Lord, what has the Lord declared?' 'Potthapada, I
have declared: "This is suffering, this is the origin of suffer-
ing, this is the cessation of suffering, and this is the path
leading to the cessation of suffering."'
30. 'But, Lord, why has the Lord declared this?' 'Because,
Potthapada, this is conducive to the purpose, conducive to
i 192 States of Consciousness 165
Dhamma, the way to embark on the holy life; it leads to dis-
enchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to higher
knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. That is why I have
declared it.'
'So it is. Lord, so it is, Well-Farer. And now is the time for
the Blessed Lord to do as he sees fit.' Then the Lord rose from
his seat and went away.
31. Then the wanderers, as soon as the Lord had left, re-
proached, sneered and jeered at Potthapada from all sides,
saying: 'Whatever the ascetic Gotama says, Potthapada agrees
with him: "So it is. Lord, so it is, Well-Farer!" We don't
understand a word of the ascetic Gotama's whole discourse:
"Is the world eternal or not? — Is it finite or infinite? — Is the
soul the same as the body or different? — Does the Tathagata
exist after death or not, [190] or both, or neither?"'
Potthapada replied: 'I don't understand either about whether
the world is eternal or not ... or whether the Tathagata exists
after death or not, or both, or neither. But the ascetic Gotama
teaches a true and real way of practice which is consonant
with Dhamma and grounded in Dhamma. And why should
not a man like me express approval of such a true and real
practice, so well taught by the ascetic Gotama?'
32. Two or three days later, Citta, the son of the elephant-
trainer, went with Potthapada to see the Lord. Citta prostrated
himself before the Lord and sat down to one side. Potthapada
exchanged courtesies with the Lord, sat down to one side, and
told him what had happened. [191]
33. 'Potthapada, all those wanderers are blind and sightless,
you alone among them are sighted. Some things I have taught
and pointed out, Potthapada, as being certain, others as being
uncertain. Which are the things I have pointed out as uncer-
tain? "The world is eternal" I have declared to be uncertain . . .
"The Tathagata exists after death ..." Why? Because they are
not conducive ... to Nibbana. That is why I have declared
them as uncertain.
'But what things have I pointed out as certain? "This is suf-
fering, [192] this is the origin of suffering, this is the cessation
of suffering, this is the path leading to the cessation of suffer-
ing." Why? Because they are conducive to the purpose, con-
166 Potthapada Sutta: Sutta 9 i 194
ducive to Dhamma, the way to embark on the holy life; they
lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to
higher knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. That is why
I have declared them as certain.
34. 'Potthapada, there are some ascetics and Brahmins who
declare and believe that after death the self is entirely happy
and free from disease. I approached them and asked if this
was indeed what they declared and believed, and they replied:
"Yes." Then I said: "Do you, friends, living in the world,
know and see it as an entirely happy place?" and they replied:
"No." I said: "Have you ever experienced a single night or
day, or half a night or day, that was entirely happy?" and
they replied: "No." I said: "Do you know a path or a practice
whereby an entirely happy world might be brought about?"
and they replied: "No." I said: "Have you heard the voices of
deities who have been reborn in an entirely happy world,
saying: 'The attainment of an entirely happy world has been
well and rightly gained, and we, gentlemen, [193] have been
reborn in such a realm'?" and they replied: "No." What do
you think, Potthapada? Such being the case, does not the talk
of those ascetics and Brahmins turn out to be stupid?
35. 'It is just as if a man were to say: "I am going to seek out
and love the most beautiful girl in the country." They might
say to him: "Well, as to this most beautiful girl in the country,
do you know whether she belongs to the Khattiya, the Brah-
min, the merchant or the artisan class?" and he would say:
"No." Then they might say: "Well, do you know her name,
her clan, whether she is tall or short or of medium height,
whether she is dark or light-complexioned or sallow-skinned,
or what village or town or city she comes from?" and he
would say: "No." And they might say: "Well then, you don't
know or see the one you seek for and desire?" and he would
say: "No." Does not the talk of that man turn out to be
stupid?' 'Certainly, Lord.'
36. 'And so it is with those ascetics and Brahmins who
declare and believe that after death the self is entirely happy
and free from disease . . . [194] Does not their talk turn out to be
stupid?' 'Certainly, Lord.'
37. 'It is just as if a man were to build a staircase for a palace
i 197 States of Consciousness 167
at a crossroads. People might say to him: "Well now, this
staircase for a palace that you are building — do you know
whether the palace will face east, or west, or north or south, or
whether it will be high, low or of medium height?" and he
would say: "No." And they might say: "Well then, you don't
know or see what kind of a palace you are building the stair-
case for?" and he would say: "No." Don't you think that
man's talk would turn out to be stupid?' 'Certainly, Lord.'
38. (as verse 34) [195]
39. 'Potthapada, there are three kinds of "acquired self": 220
the gross acquired self, the mind-made acquired self, the
formless acquired self. What is the gross acquired self? It has
form, is composed of the four great elements, nourished by
material food. What is the mind-made self? It has form, com-
plete with all its parts, not defective in any sense-organ. What
is the formless acquired self? It is without form, and made up
of perception.
40. 'But I teach a doctrine for getting rid of the gross ac-
quired self, whereby defiling mental states disappear and
states tending to purification grow strong, and one gains and
remains in the purity and perfection of wisdom here [196] and
now, having realised and attained it by one's own super-
knowledge. Now, Potthapada, you might think: "Perhaps
these defiling mental states might disappear..., and one
might still be unhappy." 221 That is not how it should be
regarded. If defiling states disappear . . . , nothing but happi-
ness and delight develops, tranquillity, mindfulness and clear
awareness — and that is a happy state.
41. 'I also teach a doctrine for getting rid of the mind-made
acquired self. . .(as verse 40).
42. 'I also teach a doctrine for getting rid of the formless
acquired self. . .(as verse 40). [197]
43. 'Potthapada, if others ask us: "What, friend, is this gross
acquired self whose abandonment you preach . . . ?" being so
asked, we should reply: "This is 222 that gross acquired self for
the getting rid of which we teach a doctrine ..."
44. 'If others ask us: "What is this mind-made acquired self
. . .?" (as verse 43). [198]
43. 'If others ask us: "What is this formless acquired self
168 Potthapada Sutta: Sutta 9 i 200
. . .?" (as verse 43). What do you think, Potthapada? Does not
that statement turn out to be well-founded?' 'Certainly, Lord/
46. 'It is just as if a man were to build a staircase for a
palace, which was below that palace. They might say to him:
"Well now, this staircase for a palace that you are building, do
you know whether the palace will face east or west, or north or
south, or whether it will be high, low or of medium height?"
and he would say: "This staircase is right under the palace."
Don't you think that man's statement would be well-founded?'
'Certainly, Lord.' [199]
47. 'In just the same way, Potthapada, if others ask us:
"What is this gross acquired self . . . ?" "What is this mind-
made acquired self. . .?" "What is this formless acquired self
we reply: "This is this [gross, mind-made, formless]
acquired self for the getting rid of which we teach a doctrine,
whereby defiling mental states disappear and states tending
to purification grow strong, and one gains and remains in the
purity and perfection of wisdom here and now, having real-
ised and attained it by one's own super-knowledge." Don't
you think that statement is well-founded?' 'Certainly, Lord.'
48. At this, Citta, son of the elephant-trainer, said to the
Lord: 'Lord, whenever the gross acquired self is present,
would it be wrong to assume the existence of the mind-made
acquired self, or of the formless acquired self? Does only the
gross acquired self truly exist then? And similarly with the
mind-made acquired self, and the formless acquired self?'
49. 'Citta, whenever the gross acquired self is present, we
do not at that time speak of a mind-made acquired self, [200]
we do not speak of a formless acquired self. We speak only of
a gross acquired self. 223 Whenever the mind-made acquired
self is present, we speak only of a mind-made acquired self,
and whenever the formless acquired self is present, we speak
only of a formless acquired self.
'Citta, suppose they were to ask you: "Did you exist in the
past or didn't you, will you exist in the future or won't you,
do you exist now or don't you?" how would you answer?'
'Lord, if I were asked such a question, I would say: "I did
exist in the past, I did not not exist; I shall exist in the future, I
i 202 States of Consciousness 169
shall not not exist; I do exist now, I do not not exist." That,
Lord, would be my answer.'
50. 'But, Citta, if they asked: "The past acquired self that
you had, is that your only true acquired self, and are the
future and present ones false? Or is the one you will have in
the future the only true one, and are the past and present ones
false? Or is your present acquired self the only true one, and
are the past and future ones false?" how would you reply?'
'Lord, if they asked me these things, [201] I would reply: "My
past acquired self was at the time my only true one, the future
and present ones were false. My future acquired self will then
be the only true one, the past and present ones will be false.
My present acquired self is now the only true one, the past
and future ones are false." That is how I would reply.'
51. 'In just the same way, Citta, whenever the gross acquired
self is present, we do not at that time speak of a mind-made
acquired self . . . [or] of a formless acquired self.
52. 'In just the same way, Citta, from the cow we get milk,
from the milk curds, from the curds butter, from the butter
ghee, and from the ghee cream of ghee. And when there is
m i lk we don't speak of curds, of butter, of ghee or of cream of
ghee, we speak of milk; when there are curds we don't speak
of butter...; when there is cream of ghee... we speak of
cream of ghee. [202]
53. 'So too, whenever the gross acquired self is present, we
do not speak of the mind-made or formless acquired self;
whenever the mind-made acquired self is present, we do not
speak of the gross or formless acquired self; whenever the
formless acquired self is present, we do not speak of the gross
acquired self or the mind-made acquired self, we speak of the
formless acquired self. But, Citta, these are merely names, ex-
pressions, turns of speech, designations in common use in the
world, which the Tathagata uses without misapprehending
them.' 224
54. And at these words Potthapada the wanderer said to the
Lord: 'Excellent, Lord, excellent! It is as if someone were to set
up what had been knocked down, or to point out the way to
one who had got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark
170 Potthapada Sutta: Sutta 9 i 203
place, so that those with eyes could see what was there. Just
so the Blessed Lord has expounded the Dhamma in various
ways. Lord, I go for refuge to the Lord, the Dhamma and the
Sangha. May the Lord accept me as a lay-follower who has
taken refuge in him from this day forth as long as life shall
last!'
55. But Citta, son of the elephant-trainer, said to the Lord:
'Excellent, Lord, excellent! It is as if someone were to set up
what had been knocked down, or to point out the way to one
who had got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark place, so
that those with eyes could see what was there. Just so the
Blessed Lord has expounded the Dhamma in various ways.
Lord, I go for refuge to the Lord, the Dhamma and the Sangha.
May I, Lord, receive the going-forth at the Lord's hands, may I
receive ordination!'
56. And Citta, son of the elephant-trainer, received the going-
forth at the Lord's hands, and the ordination. And the newly-
ordained Venerable Citta, alone, secluded, unwearying, zeal-
ous and resolute, in a short time attained to that for the sake
of which young men of good birth go forth from the house-
hold life into [203] homelessness, that unexcelled culmination
of the holy life, having realised it here and now by his own
super-knowledge and dwelt therein, knowing: 'Birth is des-
troyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has
been done, there is nothing further here.'
*
And the Venerable Citta, son of the elephant-trainer, became
another of the Arahants.
xo Subha Sutta: About Subha
Morality, Concentration, Wisdom
[204] 1.1. Thus have I heard . 225 Once the Venerable Ananda
was staying at Savatthi, in Jeta's grove, in Anathapindika's
park, shortly after the Lord's final passing. 226 And at that time
the youth Subha, Todeyya's son, 227 was staying at Savatthi on
some business.
1.2. And Subha said to a certain young man: 'Go, my lad, to
where the ascetic Ananda is, ask him in my name if he is in
good health, free from fatigue, strong, vigorous and dwelling
in comfort, and say: "It would be good if the Reverend Anan-
da would, out of compassion, visit the dwelling of Subha the
son of Todeyya."'
1.3 'Very good, sir', replied the young man. Then he went
to the Venerable Ananda, exchanged courtesies with him, and
sat down to one side. Then he delivered [205] the message.
1.4. The Venerable Ananda replied: 'It is not the right time,
young man. Today I have taken some medicine. Perhaps it
will be possible to come tomorrow when the time and the
occasion are suitable.' And the young man rose, returned to
Subha and reported what had passed between him and the
Venerable Ananda, adding: 'My mission has been thus far
accomplished, that the Reverend Ananda will probably take
the opportunity to come tomorrow.'
1.5. And indeed, as that night was ending, the Venerable
Ananda dressed in the early morning, took his robe and bowl
and, accompanied by the Venerable Cetaka, 228 came to Su-
bha's dwelling, and sat down on the prepared seat. Then Subha
approached the Venerable Ananda, exchanged courtesies with
him, and sat down to one side. Then he said: [206] 'The Reve-
rend Ananda was for a long time the Reverend Gotama's per-
171
172 Subha Sutta : Sutta 10 i 207
sonal attendant, dwelling in his presence and near him. You,
Reverend Ananda, would know what things the Reverend
Gotama praised, and with which he aroused, exhorted and
established people. Which, Reverend Ananda, were those
things?'
1.6. 'Subha, there were three divisions of things which the
Lord praised, and with which he aroused, exhorted and estab-
lished people. Which three? The division of Ariyan morality, 229
the division of Ariyan concentration, and the division of Ari-
yan wisdom. These were the three divisions of things which
the Lord praised
'Well, Reverend Ananda, what is the division of Ariyan
morality which the Reverend Gotama praised. . .?'
1.7—29. 'Young sir, a Tathagat a arises in the world, an Ara-
hant, fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and
conduct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable
Trainer of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, en-
lightened and blessed. He, having realised it by his own
super-knowledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras
and Brahmas, its princes and people. He preaches the Dham-
ma which is lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle,
lovely in its ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and dis-
plays the fully-perfected and purified holy life. A disciple goes
forth and practises the moralities, etc. ( Sutta 2, verses 41—63). Thus
a monk is perfected in morality.
1.30. "That is the division of Ariyan morality which the Lord
praised ... But something more remains to be done.' 'It is
wonderful, Reverend Ananda, it is marvellous! This division
of Ariyan morality is perfectly fulfilled, not left incomplete.
And I do not see this division of Ariyan morality [207] fulfilled
thus anywhere among the ascetics and Brahmins of other
schools. And if any of them were to have found this perfec-
tion in themselves, they would have been so delighted that
they would have said: "We've done enough! The goal of our
asceticism has been reached! There's nothing more to be
done!" And yet the Reverend Ananda declares that there is
more to be done!'
[End of first recitation-section] ■,
i 210 Morality, Concentration, Wisdom 173
2.1. 'Reverend Ananda, what is the division of Ariyan concen-
tration which the Reverend Gotama praised . . . ?'
2.2—18. 'And how is a monk guardian of the sense-doors?
He guards the sense- doors and attains the four jhdnas ( Sutta 2,
verses 64—82). This comes to him through concentration. [208]
2.19. 'That is the division of Ariyan concentration which the
Lord praised . . . But something more remains to be done.' 'It is
wonderful. Reverend Ananda, it is marvellous! This division
of Ariyan concentration is perfectly fulfilled, not left incom-
plete. And I do not see this division of Ariyan concentration
fulfilled thus anywhere among the ascetics and Brahmins of
other schools. And if any of them were to have found this
perfection in themselves, they would have been so delighted
that they would have said: "We've done enough! The goal of
our asceticism has been reached! There's nothing more to be
done!" And yet the Reverend Ananda declares that there is
more to be done!'
2.20. 'Reverend Ananda, what is the division of Ariyan wis-
dom which the Reverend Gotama praised?'
2.21—22. 'And so, with mind concentrated he attains various
insights ( Sutta 2, verses 83—84). That is known to him by wis-
dom.
2.23—36. 'He realises the Four Noble Truths, the path and the
cessation of the corruptions ( Sutta 2, verses 83— 97). And he
knows: ". . .There is nothing further here."
2.37. 'That is the division of Ariyan wisdom which the Lord
praised, with which he aroused, exhorted and established
people. Beyond that there is nothing to be done.' [210]
'It is wonderful. Reverend Ananda, it is marvellous! This
division of Ariyan wisdom is perfectly fulfilled, not left in-
complete. And I do not see this division of Ariyan wisdom
fulfilled thus anywhere among the ascetics and Brahmins of
other schools. And there is nothing further to be done!
Excellent, Reverend Ananda, excellent! It is as if someone were
to set up what had been knocked down, or to point out the way
to one who had got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark
place, so that those with eyes could see what was there. Just so
the Reverend Ananda has expounded the Dhamma in various
ways.
1 210
174 Subha Sutta: Sutta 10
'Reverend Ananda, I go for refuge to the Lord Gotama, the !
Dhamma and the Sangha. May the Reverend Ananda accept !
me as a lay-follower who has taken refuge from this day forth
as long as life shall last!' s
!
i
ii Kevaddha Sutta: About
Kevaddha
What Brahma Didn't Know
[211] 1. Thus have I heard . Once the Lord was staying at Na-
landa, in Pavarika's mango grove. And the householder Ke-
vaddha 230 came to the Lord, prostrated himself before him,
and sat down to one side. He then said: 'Lord, this Nalanda is
rich, prosperous, populous, and full of people who have faith
in the Lord. It would be well if the Lord were to cause some
monk to perform superhuman feats and miracles. In this way
Nalanda would come to have even more faith ip the Lord.'
The Lord replied: 'Kevaddha, this is not the way I teach
Dhamma to the monks,, by saying: "Go, monks, and perform
superhuman feats and miracles for the white-clothed lay-
people!'
2. For a second time Kevaddha said: 'Lord, I would not be
importunate, but I still say: "This Nalanda is rich, prosperous
. . . [212] and would come to have even more faith in the Lord."'
And the Lord replied as before.
3. When Kevaddha repeated his request for a third time,
the Lord said: 'Kevaddha, there are three kinds of miracle that
I have declared, having realised them by my own insight.
Which three? The miracle of psychic power, 231 the miracle of
telepathy, 232 the miracle of instruction. 233
4. 'What is the miracle of psychic power? Here, Kevaddha,
a monk displays various psychic powers in different ways.
Being one he becomes many, being many he becomes one . . .
(as Sutta 2 , verse 8 f) [213] and he travels in the body as far as
the Brahma world. Then someone who has faith and trust sees
him doing these things.
5. 'He tells this to someone else who is sceptical and un-
1 75
176 Kevaddha Sutta: Sutta 11 i 215
believing, saying: "It is wonderful, sir, it is marvellous, the
great power and skill of that ascetic ..." And that man might
say: "Sir, there is something called the Gandhara charm. 234 It
is by means of this that that monk becomes many. . ." What
do you think, Kevaddha, would not a sceptic say that to a
believer?' 'He would, Lord.' 'And that is why, Kevaddha, see-
ing the danger of such miracles, I dislike, reject and despise
them.
6. 'And what is the miracle of telepathy? Here, a monk
reads the minds of other beings, of other people, reads their
mental states, their thoughts and ponderings, and says: "That
is how your mind is, that is how it inclines, that is in your
heart." Then someone who has faith and trust sees him doing
these things.
7. 'He tells this to someone else who is sceptical and unbe-
lieving, saying: "It is [214] wonderful, sir, it is marvellous, the
great power and skill of that ascetic ..." And that man might
say: "Sir, there is something called the Manika charm. 235 It is
by means of this that that monk can read the minds of others
..." And that is why, seeing the danger of such miracles, I . . .
despise them.
8. 'And what is the miracle of instruction? Here, Kevaddha,
a monk gives instruction as follows: "Consider in this way,
don't consider in that, direct your mind this way, not that
way, give up that, gain this and persevere in it." That, Kevad-
dha, is called the miracle of instruction.
9—66. 'Again, Kevaddha, a Tathagata arises in the world, an
Arahant, fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom
and conduct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable
Trainer of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, en-
lightened and blessed. He, having realised it by his own
super-knowledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras
and Brahmas, its princes and people. He preaches the Dham-
ma which is lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle,
lovely in its ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and dis-
plays the fully-perfected and purified holy life. A disciple goes
forth and practises the moralities ( Sutta 2, verses 41—63). He guards
the sense-doors and attains the four jhanas ( Sutta 2, verses 64—82);
i 219 What Brahma Didn't Know 177
he attains various insights ( Sutta 2, verses 83—84); he realises the
Four Noble Truths, the path and the cessation of the corruptions
(Sutta 2, verses 85— 97), 236 and he knows: ". . .There is nothing
further here." That, Kevaddha, is called the miracle of instruc-
tion.
67. 'And I, Kevaddha, have experienced these three miracles
by my own super-knowledge. Once, Kevaddha, in this order of
monks the thought occurred to a certain monk: "I wonder
where the four great elements — the earth element, the water
element, the fire element, the air element — cease without re-
mainder." And that monk attained to such a state of mental
concentration that the way to the deva-realms appeared before
him.
68. "Then, coming to the Realm of the devas of the Four
Great Kings, 237 he asked those devas: "Friends, where do the
four great elements — earth, water, fire and air — cease with-
out remainder?" At this question the devas of the Four Great
Kings [216] said to him: "Monk, we don't know where the four
great elements cease without remainder. But the Four Great
Kings are loftier and wiser than we are. They may know
where the four great elements cease. . ."
69. 'So that monk went to the Four Great Kings and asked
the same question, but they replied: "We don't know, but the
Thirty-Three Gods may know. . ."
70. 'So that monk went to the Thirty-Three Gods, who said:
"We don't know, but Sakka, lord of the gods, may know ..."
[217]
71. 'Sakka, lord of the gods, said: "The Yama devas may
know. .
72. 'The Yama devas said: "Suyama, son of the devas, 238
may know..."
73. 'Suyama said: "The Tusita [218] devas may know. . ."
74. 'The Tusita devas said: "Santusita, son of the devas, may
know. . . "
75. 'Santusita said: "The Nimmanarati devas may know. . ."
76. [219] 'The Nimmanarati devas said: "Sunimmita, son of
the devas, may know ..."
77. 'Sunimitta said: "The Paranimmita-Vasavatti devas may
know..."
178 Kevaddha Sutta: Sutta 11 i 222
78. 'The Paranimmita-Vasavatti devas said: "Vasavatti, son
of the devas, may know ..."
79. [220] 'Vasavatti said: "The devas of Brahma's retinue may
know ..."
80. 'Then that monk, by the appropriate concentration, made
the way to the Brahma world appear before him. He went to
the devas of Brahma's retinue and asked them. They said:
"We don't know. But there is Brahma, Great Brahma, the
Conqueror, the Unconquered, the All-Seeing, All-Powerful,
the Lord, the Maker and Creator, the Ruler, Appointer and
Orderer, Father of All That Have Been and Shall Be. He is
loftier and wiser than we are. He would know where the four
great elements cease without remainder." "And where, friends,
is this Great Brahma now?" "Monk, we do not know when,
how and where Brahma will appear. But when the signs are
seen — when a light appears and a radiance shines forth —
then Brahma will appear. Such signs are an indication that he
will appear."
81. 'Then it was not long before the Great Brahma [221] ap-
peared. And that monk went up to him and said: "Friend,
where do the four great elements — earth, water, fire, air —
cease without remainder?" to which the Great Brahma replied:
"Monk, I am Brahma, Great Brahma, the Conqueror, the Un-
conquered, the All-Seeing, All-Powerful, the Lord, the Maker
and Creator, the Ruler, Appointer and Orderer, Father of All
That Have Been an 4 Shall Be."
82. 'A second time the monk said: "Friend, I did not ask if
you are Brahma, Great Brahma. . .1 asked you where the four
great elements cease without remainder." And a second time
the Great Brahma replied as before.
83. 'And a third time the monk said: "Friend, I did not ask
you that, I asked where the four great elements — earth, water,
fire, air — cease without remainder." Then, Kevaddha, the
Great Brahma took that monk by the arm, led him aside and
[222] said: "Monk, these devas believe there is nothing Brahma
does not see, there is nothing he does not know, there is
nothing he is unaware of. That is why I did not speak in front
of them. But, monk, I don't know where the four great ele-
i 223 What Brahma Didn't Know 179
ments cease without remainder. And therefore, monk, you
have acted wrongly, you have acted incorrectly by going be-
yond the Blessed Lord and going in search of an answer to
this question elsewhere. Now, monk, you just go to the Bless-
ed Lord and put this question to him, and whatever answer
he gives, accept it."
84. 'So that monk, as swiftly as a strong man might flex or
unflex his arm, vanished from the Brahma world and appear-
ed in my presence. He prostrated himself before me, then sat
down to one side and said: "Lord, where do the four great
elements — the earth element, the water element, the fire
element and the air element — cease without remainder?"
85. 'I replied: "Monk, once upon a time seafaring merchants,
when they set sail on the ocean, took in their ship a land-
sighting bird. When they could not see the land themselves,
they released this bird. The bird flew to the east, to the south,
to the west, to the north, it flew to the zenith and to the inter-
mediate points of the compass. If it saw land anywhere, it
flew there. But if it saw no land, it returned to the ship. In the
same way, monk, you have been [223] as far as the Brahma
world searching for an answer to your question and not find-
ing it, and now you come back to me. But, monk, you should
not ask your question in this way: 'Where do the four great
elements — the earth element, the water element, the fire ele-
ment, the air element — cease without remainder?' Instead,
this is how the question should have been put:
'Where do earth, water, fire and air no footing find?
Where are long and short, small and great, fair and
foul —
Where are "name-and-form" wholly destroyed?' 239
And the answer is:
'Where consciousness is signless, 240 boundless, all-
luminous, 241
That's where earth, water, fire and air find no footing.
There both long and short, small and great, fair and
foul —
180 Kevaddha Sutta: Sutta 11
1 223
There "name-and-form" are wholly destroyed.
With the cessation of consciousness this is all des-
troyed."” 242
Thus the Lord spoke, and the householder Kevaddha, delight-
ed, rejoiced at his words.
12 Lohicca Sutta: About Lohicca
Good and Bad Teachers
[224] 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was touring Kosala
with a large company of some five hundred monks, and, com-
ing to Salavatika, he stayed there. And at that time the Brah-
min Lohicca was living at Salavatika, a populous place, full of
grass, timber, water and com, which had been given to him
by King Pasenadi of Kosala as a royal gift and with royal
powers.
2. Just then this evil line of reasoning occurred to Lohicca:
'Suppose an ascetic or Brahmin were to discover some good
doctrine, 243 having done so, he ought not to declare it to
anyone else; for what can one man do for another? It is just as
if a man, having cut through an old fetter, were to make a new
one. I declare that such a thing is an evil deed rooted in at-
tachment, for what can one man do for another?'
3. Then Lohicca heard it said that the ascetic Gotama had
arrived at Salavatika, and that concerning the Blessed Lord
Gotama a good report had been spread about ... (as Sutta 4 ,
verse 2). [225] 'And indeed it is good to see such Arahants.'
4. And Lohicca said to Bhesika the barber: 'Friend Bhesika,
go to the ascetic Gotama, ask in my name after his health and
then say: "May the Reverend Gotama consent to take to-
morrow's meal, with his order of monks, from the Brahmin
Lohicca!"'
5. 'Very good, sir', said Bhesika, and carried out the errand.
The Lord signified his acceptance by silence.
6. Then Bhesika, understanding the Lord's acceptance, rose
from his seat and passed by with his right side to the Lord.
He returned to Lohicca and told him [226] of the Lord's accep-
tance.
181
i 228
182 Lohicca Sutta: Sutta 12
7. And Lohicca, as the night was ending, had choice hard
and soft foods prepared at his own home. Then he sent
Bhesika to tell the Lord that the meal was ready. And the
Lord, having risen early and taken his robe and bowl, went
with his order of monks to Salavatika.
8. And Bhesika the barber followed the Lord close at hand.
And he said: 'Lord, this evil thought has occurred to the Brah-
min Lohicca. . .Truly, Lord, this is what the Brahmin Lohicca
has been thinking.' 'It may well be so, Bhesika, it may well be
so.'
9. So the Lord came to Lohicca's dwelling, and sat down on
[227] the prepared seat. Lohicca personally served the Buddha
and his order of monks with choice hard and soft food till
they were contented and satisfied. When the Lord had taken
his hand from the bowl, Lohicca took a low stool and sat
down to one side. Then the Lord said to him: 'Lohicca, is it
true that an evil line of reasoning has occurred to you . . . (as
verse 2 )?' 'Yes, Reverend Gotama.'
10. 'What do you think, Lohicca? Don't you reside at Salava-
tika?' 'Yes, Reverend Gotama.' 'Well now, if anyone should
say: "The Brahmin Lohicca resides at Salavatika, and he should
enjoy the entire fruits and revenues of Salavatika, not giving
anything away to others" - would not anyone who spoke like
that be a source of danger to your tenants?' 'He would be a
source of danger. Reverend Gotama.'
'And as such, would he be solicitous for their welfare or
not?' 'He would not. Reverend Gotama.'
'And, by not being solicitous for their welfare, would he
have a heart full of love for them, or of hatred?' 'Of hatred.
Reverend Gotama.'
'And in a heart full of hatred, is there wrong view or right
view?' 'Wrong view, Reverend Gotama/ [228]
'But Lohicca, I declare that wrong view leads to one of two
destinies — hell or an animal rebirth. 244
11. 'What do you think, Lohicca? Does King Pasenadi of
Kosala reside at Kasi-Kosala?' 'He does. Reverend Gotama.'
'Well, if anyone should say: "King Pasenadi of Kosala resides
at Kasi-Kosala, and he should enjoy the entire fruits and reve-
nues of Kosala, not giving anything away to others" - would
i 230 Good and Bad Teachers 183
not anyone who spoke like that be a source of danger to his
tenants?. . .Would he not have a heart full of hatred. . .and
would that not be wrong view?' 'It would. Reverend Gotama.'
12. 'Then surely, if anyone were to say the same of the Brah-
min Lohicca . . . that would be wrong view.
13. 'In the same way, Lohicca, if anyone should say: "Sup-
pose an ascetic or Brahmin were to discover some good doc-
trine and thought he ought not to declare it to anyone else,
[229] for what can one man do for another?" he would be a
source of danger to those young men of good family who, fol-
lowing the Dhamma and discipline taught by the Tathagata,
attain to such excellent distinction as to realise the fruit of
Stream-Entry, of Once-Returning, of Non-Returning, of Ara-
hantship — and to all who ripen the seeds of a rebirth in the
deva- world. 245 Being a source of danger to them, he is uncom-
passionate, and his heart is grounded in hostility, and that
constitutes wrong view, which leads to. . .hell or an animal
rebirth.
14. 'And if anyone were to speak thus of King Pasenadi, he
would be a source of danger to the Fang's tenants, yourself
and others. . .
15. (as verse 13) [230]
16. 'Lohicca, these three kinds of teachers in the world are
blameworthy, and if anyone blames such teachers, his blame
is proper, true, in accordance with reality and faultless. Which
three? Here, Lohicca, is a teacher who has gone forth from the
household life into homelessness, but who has not gained the
goal of asceticism. And without having gained this goal, he
teaches his disciples a doctrine, 246 saying: "This is for your
good, this is for your happiness." But his pupils don't wish to
hear, they don't listen, the don't arouse the thought of en-
lightenment, and the teacher's instructions are flouted. He
should be blamed, saying: "This venerable one has gone forth
. . ., his instructions are flouted. It is just as if a man were to
persist in making advances to a woman who rejected him,
and to embrace her though she turned away." This I declare
to be an evil doctrine based on attachment, for what can one
man do for another? 247 This is the first teacher who is blame-
worthy. . .
184 Lohicca Sutta: Sutta 12 i 233
17. 'Again, there is a teacher who has gone forth. . .but who
has not gained the goal of asceticism. Without having gained
this goal, he teaches his disciples a doctrine, saying: "This is
for your good, this is for your happiness." His pupils wish to
hear, they listen, [231] they rouse the thought of enlighten-
ment, and the teacher's instructions are not flouted. He should
be blamed, saying: "This venerable one has gone forth ..." It
is as if, leaving his own field, he should think another's field
in need of weeding. I declare this to be an evil doctrine rooted
in attachment. . .This is the second teacher who is blame-
worthy. . .
18. 'Again, there is a teacher who has gone forth. . .and who
has gained the goal of asceticism. Having gone forth, he
teaches. . .But his pupils don't wish to hear him,. . .his in-
structions are flouted. He too should be blamed. . Just as if,
having cut through an old fetter, one were to make a new one,
I declare that this is an evil doctrine rooted in attachment, for
what can one man do for another? This is the third teacher
who is blameworthy . . . [232] And these are the three kinds of
teacher that I spoke of as blameworthy.'
19. Then Lohicca said: 'Reverend Gotama, are there any
teachers in the world who are not blameworthy?'
20— 55. 'Here, Lohicca, a Tathagata arises in the world, an
Arahant, fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom
and conduct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable
Trainer of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, en-
lightened and blessed. He, having realised it by his own super-
knowledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras and
Brahmas, its princes and people. He preaches the Dhamma
which is lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in
its ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the
fully-perfected and purified holy life. A disciple goes forth and
practises the moralities, guards the sense-doors, attains the first
jhana ( Sutta 2, verses 41—76). [233] And whenever the pupil of a
teacher attains to such excellent distinction, that is a teacher
who is not to be blamed in the world. And if anyone blames
that teacher, his blame is improper, untrue, not in accordance
with reality, and faulty.
56—62. 'He attains the other three jhanas (as Sutta 2, verses 77—
i 234 Good and Bad Teachers 185
82) and various insights (Sutta 2, verses 83—84). Whenever the
pupil of a teacher attains to such excellent distinction, that is a
teacher who is not to be blamed in the world. . .
63—77. 'He realises the Four Noble Truths, the path, and the
cessation of the corruptions . . .(as Sutta 2, verses 85—97).
'Whenever the pupil of a teacher attains to such excellent
distinction, that is a teacher who [234] is not to be blamed in
the world. And if anyone blames that teacher, his blame is
improper, untrue, not in accordance with reality, and faulty.'
78. At this the Brahmin Lohicca said to the Lord: 'Reverend
Gotama, it is as if a man were to seize someone by the hair
who had stumbled and was falling into a pit, 248 and to set him
on firm ground — just so, I, who was falling into the pit, have
been saved by the Reverend Gotama! Excellent, Reverend
Gotama, excellent! It is as if someone were to set up what had
been knocked down, or to point out the way to one who had
got lost, or to bring an oil-lamp into a dark place, so that those
with eyes could see what was there. Just so the Reverend
Gotama has expounded the Dhamma in various ways.'
'I go for refuge to the Lord Gotama, the Dhamma and the
Sangha. May the Reverend Gotama accept me as a lay-follower
who has taken refuge from this day forth for as long as life
shall last!'
13 Tevijja Sutta: The Threefold
Knowledge
The Way to Brahma
[235] 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Lord was touring Kosala
with a large company of some five hundred monks. He came
to a Kosalan Brahmin village called Manasakata, and stayed to
the north of the village in a mango-grove on the bank of the
River Aciravatl.
2. And at that time many very well-known and prosperous
Brahmins were staying at Manasakata, including Canki, Ta-
rukkha, Pokkharasati, Janussoni, and Todeyya.
3. And Vasettha and Bharadvaja went strolling along the
road, and as they did so, an argument broke out between
them on the subject of right and wrong paths.
4. The young Brahmin Vasettha said: 'This is the only straight
path, this is the direct path, the path of salvation that leads
one who follows it to union with Brahma, as is taught by the
Brahmin Pokkharasati!' 249
5. And the young Brahmin Bharadvaja said: ' This is the
only straight path. . . [236] as taught by the Brahmin Tarukkha!'
6. And Vasettha could not convince Bharadvaja, nor could
Bharadvaja convince Vasettha.
7. Then Vasettha said to Bharadvaja: 'This ascetic Gotama is
staying to the north of the village, and concerning this Blessed
Lord a good report has been spread about ... (as Sutta 4, verse
2). Let us go to the ascetic Gotama and ask him, and whatever
he tells us, we shall accept.' And Bharadvaja agreed.
8. So the two of them went to see the Lord. Having ex-
changed courtesies with him, they sat down to one side, and
Vasettha said: 'Reverend Gotama, as we were strolling along
the road, we got to discussing right and wrong paths. I said:
"This is the only straight path ... as is taught by the Brahmin
187
188 Tevijja Sutta: Sutta 13 i 238
Pokkharasati", and Bharadvaja said: "This is the only straight
path. . .as is taught by the Brahmin Tarukkha." This is our
dispute, our quarrel, our difference.' [237]
9. 'So, Vasettha, you say that the way to union with Brahma
is that taught by the Brahmin Pokkharasati, and Bharadvaja
says it is that taught by the Brahmin Tarukha. What is the
dispute, the quarrel, the difference all about?'
10. 'Right and wrong paths. Reverend Gotama. There are so
many kinds of Brahmins who teach different paths: the Ad-
dhariya, the Tittiriya, the Chandoka, the Chandava, the Brah-
macariya 250 Brahmins — do all these ways lead to union with
Brahma? Just as if there were near a town or village many
different paths - do all these come together at that place? And
likewise, do the ways of the various Brahmins. . .lead the one
who follows them to union with Brahma?'
11. 'You say: "They lead", Vasettha?' 'I say: "They lead".
Reverend Gotama.'
'You say: "They lead", Vasettha?' 'I say: "They lead". Reve-
rend Gotama/
'You say: "They lead", Vasettha?' T say: "They lead". Reve-
rend Gotama.' [238]
12. 'But, Vasettha, is there then a single one of these Brah-
mins learned in the Three Vedas who has seen Brahma face to
face?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
'Then has the teacher's teacher of any one of them seen
Brahma face to^face?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
'Then has the ancestor seven generations back of the teacher
of one of them seen Brahma face to face?' 'No, Reverend
Gotama.'
13. 'Well then, Vasettha, what about the early sages of those
Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas, the makers of the man-
tras, the expounders of the mantras, whose ancient verses are
chanted, pronounced and collected by the Brahmins of today,
and sung and spoken about — such as Atthaka, Vamaka,
Vamadeva, Vessamitta, Yamataggi, Angirasa, Bharadvaja, Va-
settha, Kassapa, Bhagu 251 - did they ever say: "We know and
see when, how and where Brahma appears"?' 252 'No, Reve-
rend Gotama.'
14. 'So, Vasettha, not one of these Brahmins learned in the
i 241 The Way to Brahma 189
Three Vedas has seen Brahma face to face, nor has one of their
teachers, or teacher's teachers, [239] nor even the ancestor
seven generations back of one of their teachers. Nor could any
of the early sages say: "We know and see when, how and
where Brahma appears." So what these Brahmins learned in
the Three Vedas are saying is: "We teach this path to union
with Brahma that we do not know or see, this is the only
straight path. . .leading to union with Brahma." What do you
think, Vasettha? Such being the case, does not what these
Brahmins declare turn out to be ill-founded?' 'Yes indeed.
Reverend Gotama.'
15. 'Well, Vasettha, when these Brahmins learned in the
Three Vedas teach a path that they do not know or see,
saying: "This is the only straight path . . . ",this cannot possi-
bly be right. Just as a file of blind men go on, clinging to each
other, and the first one sees nothing, the middle one sees
nothing, and the last one sees nothing 253 — so it is with the
talk of these Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas: the first
one [240] sees nothing, the middle one sees nothing, the last
one sees nothing. The talk of these Brahmins learned in the
Three Vedas turns out to be laughable, mere words, empty
and vain.
16. 'What do you think, Vasettha? Do these Brahmins learn-
ed in the Three Vedas see the sun and moon just as other
people do, and when the sun and moon rise and set do they
pray, sing praises and worship with clasped hands?' 'They do.
Reverend Gotama.'
17. 'What do you think, Vasettha? These Brahmins learned
in the Three Vedas, who can see the sun and moon just as
other people do,. . .can they point out a way to union with
the sun and moon, saying: "This is the only straight path . . .
that leads to union with the sun and moon"?' 'No, Reverend
Gotama.'
18. 'So, Vasettha, these Brahmins learned in the Three Ve-
das cannot point out a way to union with the sun and moon,
which they have seen. And, too, none of them has seen
Brahma face to face, . . . [241] nor has even the ancestor seven
generations back of one of their teachers. Nor could any of the
early sages say: "We know and see when, how and where
190 Tevijja Sutta: Sutta 13 i 244
Brahma appears.'" Does not what these Brahmins declare turn
out to be ill-founded?' 'Yes indeed. Reverend Gotama.'
19. 'Vasettha, it is just as if a man were to say: "I am going
to seek out and love the most beautiful girl in the country/'
They might say to him: "... Do you know what caste she
belongs to?" "No." "Well, do you know her [242] name, her
clan, whether she is tall or short.. ., dark or light-complex-
ioned. . ., or where she comes from?" "No." And they might
say: "Well then, you don't know or see the one you seek for
and desire?" and he would say: "No." Does not the talk of
that man turn out to be stupid?' 'Certainly, Reverend Go-
tama.'
20. 'Then, Vasettha, it is like this: not one of these Brahmins
. . has seen Brahma face to face, nor has one of their teachers
. . .' 'Yes indeed. Reverend Gotama.'
'That is right, Vasettha. When these Brahmins learned in
the Three Vedas [243] teach a path that they do not know and
see, this cannot possibly be right.
21. 'Vasettha, it is just as if a man were to build a staircase
for a palace at a crossroads. People might say: "This staircase
for a palace — do you know whether the palace will face east
or west, north or south, or whether it will be high, low or of
medium height?" and he would say: "No." And they might
say: "Well then, you don't know or see what kind of a palace
you are building the staircase for?" and he would say: "No.
Does not the talk of that man turn out to be stupid?' 'Certain-
ly, Reverend Gotama.'
22—23. (as verse 20) [244]
24. 'Vasettha, it is just as if this River Aciravati were brimful
of water so that a crow could drink out of it, and a man should
come along wishing to cross over, to get to the other side, to
get across, and, standing on this bank, were to call out: "Come
here, other bank, come here!" What do you think, Vasettha?
Would the other bank of the River Aciravati come over to this
side on account of that man's calling, begging, requesting or
wheedling?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
23. 'Well now, Vasettha, those Brahmins learned in the Three
Vedas who persistently neglect what a Brahmin should do,
and persistently do what a Brahmin, should not do, declare:
i 246 The Way to Brahma 191
"We call on Indra, Soma, Varuna, Isana, Pajapati, Brahma,
Mahiddhi, Yama." But that such Brahmins who persistently
[245] neglect what a Brahmin should do,. . .will, as a conse-
quence of their calling, begging, requesting or wheedling,
attain after death, at the breaking-up of the body, to union
with Brahma — that is just not possible.
26. 'Vasettha, it is just as if this River Aciravati were brimful
of water so that a crow could drink out of it, and a man should
come wishing to cross over, . . . but he was bound and pinion-
ed on this side by a strong chain, with his hands behind his
back. What do you think, Vasettha? Would that man be able
to get to the other side?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
27. 'In just the same way, Vasettha, in the Ariyan discipline
these five strands of sense-desire are called bonds and fetters.
Which five? Forms seen by the eye which are agreeable,
loved, charming, attractive, pleasurable, arousing desire;
sounds heard by the ear...; smells smelt by the nose...;
tastes savoured by the tongue . . . ; contacts felt by the body
which are agreeable,. . .arousing desire. These five in the
Ariyan discipline are called bonds and fetters. And, Vasettha,
those Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas are enslaved, in-
fatuated by these five strands of sense-desire, which they
enjoy guiltily, unaware of danger, knowing no way out.
28. 'But that such Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas,
who persistently neglect what a Brahmin should do,.-. .[246]
who are enslaved by these five strands of sense-desire, . . .
knowing no way out, should attain after death, at the break-
ing-up of the body, to union with Brahma — that is just not
possible.
29. 'It is just as if this River Aciravati were brimful of water
so that a crow could drink out of it, and a man should come
along wishing to cross over . . . and were to lie down on this
bank, covering his head with a shawl. What do you think,
Vasettha? Would that man be able to get to the other side?'
'No, Reverend Gotama.'
30. 'In the same way, Vasettha, in the Ariyan discipline
these five hindrances are called obstacles, hindrances, cover-
ings-up, envelopings. Which five? The hindrance of sensual-
ity, of ill-will, of sloth-and-torpor, of worry-and-flurry, of doubt.
192 Tevijja Sutta: Sutta 13 i 248
These five are called obstacles, hindrances, coverings-up, en-
velopings. And these Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas
are caught up, hemmed in, obstructed, entangled in these five
hindrances. But that such Brahmins learned in the Three Ve-
das, who persistently neglect what a Brahmin should do . . .
and who are caught up,. . .entangled in these five hindrances,
should attain after death, at the breaking-up of the body, [247]
to union with Brahma — that is just not possible.
31. 'What do you think, Vasettha? What have you heard
said by Brahmins who are venerable, aged, the teachers of
teachers? Is Brahma encumbered with wives and wealth, 254 or
unencumbered?' 'Unencumbered, Reverend Gotama.'
'Is he full of hate or without hate?' 'Without hate. Reverend
Gotama.'
'Is he full of ill-will or without ill-wiU?' 'Without ill-will.
Reverend Gotama.'
'Is he impure or pure?' 'Pure, Reverend Gotama.'
'Is he disciplined 255 or undisciplined?' 'Disciplined, Reve-
rend Gotama.'
32. 'And what do you think, Vasettha? Are the Brahmins
learned in the Three Vedas encumbered with wives and
wealth, or unencumbered?' 'Encumbered, Reverend Gotama.'
'Are they full of hate or without hate?' 'Full of hate. Reve-
rend Gotama.'
'Are they full of ill-will or without ill-will?' 'Full of ill-will.
Reverend Gotama.'
'Are they impure or pure?' 'Impure, Reverend Gotama.'
'Are they disciplined or undisciplined?' 'Undisciplined, Re-
verend Gotama.'
33. 'So, Vasettha, the Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas
are encumbered with wives and wealth, and Brahma is unen-
cumbered. Is there any communion, anything in common be-
tween these encumbered Brahmins and the unencumbered
Brahma?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
34. "That is right, Vasettha. That these encumbered Brah-
mins, learned in the Three Vedas, should after death, at the
breaking-up of the body, [248] be united with the unencum-
bered Brahma — that is just not possible.
35. 'Likewise, do these Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas
i 249 The Way to Brahma 193
and full of hate . . . , full of ill-will . . . , impure . . . , undisciplined,
have any communion, anything in common with the disci-
plined Brahma?' 'No, Reverend Gotama.'
36. 'That is right, Vasettha. That these undisciplined Brah-
mins should after death be united with Brahma is just not
possible. But these Brahmins learned in the Three Vedas,
having sat down on the bank, sink down despairingly, think-
ing maybe to find a dry way across. Therefore their threefold
knowledge is called the threefold desert, the threefold wilder-
ness, the threefold destruction.'
37. At these words Vasettha said: 'Reverend Gotama, I have
heard them say: "The ascetic Gotama knows the way to union
with Brahma."'
'What do you think, Vasettha? Suppose there were a man
here bom and brought up in Manasakata, and somebody who
had come from Manasakata and [249] and had missed the road
should ask him the way. Would that man, bom and bred in
Manasakata, be in a state of confusion or perplexity?' 'No,
Reverend Gotama. And why not? Because such a man would
know all the paths.'
38. 'Vasettha, it might be said that such a man on being
asked the way might be confused or perplexed — but the
Tathagata, on being asked about the Brahma world and the
way to get there, would certainly not be confused or perplexed.
For, Vasettha, I know Brahma and the world of Brahma, and
the way to the world of Brahma, and the path of practice
whereby the world of Brahma may be gained.'
39. At this Vasettha said: 'Reverend Gotama, I have heard
them say: "The ascetic Gotama teaches the way to union with
Brahma." It would be good if the Reverend Gotama were to
teach us the way to union with Brahma, may the Reverend
Gotama help the people of Brahma!'
'Then, Vasettha, listen, pay proper attention, and I will tell
you.' 'Very good, Reverend Sir', said Vasettha. The Lord said:
40— 75. 'Vasettha, a Tathagata arises in the world, an Arahant,
fully-enlightened Buddha, endowed with wisdom and con-
duct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds, incomparable Trainer
of men to be tamed. Teacher of gods and humans, enlightened
and blessed. He, having realised it by his own super-know-
194 Tevijja Sutta: Sutta rj j i 252
ledge, proclaims this world with its devas, maras and Brahmas,
its princes and people. He preaches the Dhamma which is
lovely in its beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in its
ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully-
perfected and purified holy life. [250] A disciple goes forth ,
practises the moralities, attains the first jhdna (as Sutta 2, verses
43-75)-
76. 'Then, with his heart filled with loving-kindness, he
dwells suffusing one quarter, [251] the second, the third, the
fourth. Thus he dwells suffusing the whole world, upwards,
downwards, across, everywhere, always with a heart filled
with loving-kindness, abundant, unbounded, 256 without hate
or ill-will.
77. 'Just as if a mighty trumpeter were with little difficulty
to make a proclamation to the four quarters, so by this medi-
tation, Vasettha, by this liberation of the heart through loving-
kindness he leaves nothing untouched, nothing unaffected in
the sensuous sphere. 257 This, Vasettha, is the way to union
with Brahma.
78. 'Then with his heart filled with compassion,. . .with
sympathetic joy, with equanimity he dwells suffusing one
quarter, the second, the third, the fourth. Thus he dwells
suffusing the whole world, upwards, downwards, across, every-
where, always with a heart filled with equanimity, abundant,
unbounded, without hate or ill-will,
79. 'Just as if a mighty trumpeter were with little difficulty
to make a proclamation to the four quarters, so by this medi-
tation, Vasettha, by this liberation of the heart through com-
passion, . . . through sympathetic joy, . . . through equanimity,
he leaves nothing untouched, nothing unaffected in the sen-
suous sphere. This, Vasettha, is the way to union with Brah-
ma.
80. 'What do you think, Vasettha? Is a monk dwelling thus
encumbered with wives and wealth or unencumbered?' 'Un-
encumbered, Reverend Gotama. He is without hate . . . , with-
out ill-will. . pure and disciplined. Reverend Gotama.' [252]
81. 'Then, Vasettha, the monk is unencumbered, and Brah-
ma is unencumbered. Has that unencumbered monk anything
in common with the unencumbered Brahma?' 'Yes indeed.
Reverend Gotama.'
■ i 2 5 2 The Way to Brahma 195
| 'That is right, Vasettha. Then that an unencumbered monk,
j after death, at the breaking-up of the body, should attain to
union with the unencumbered Brahma - that is possible.
I Likewise a monk without hate . . . , without ill-will . . . , pure
disciplined. . .Then that a disciplined monk, after death, at the
i breaking-up of the body, should attain to union with Brahma
s — that is possible.'
82. At this the young Brahmins Vasettha and Bharadvaja
said to the Lord: 'Excellent, Reverend Gotama, excellent! It is
I as if someone were to set up what had been knocked down,
or to point out the way to one who had got lost, or to bring an
oil-lamp into a dark place, so that those with eyes could see
what was there. Just so the Reverend Gotama has expounded
the Dhamma in various ways.'
'We take refuge in the Reverend Gotama, in the Dhamma,
and in the Sangha. May the Reverend Gotama accept us as
lay-followers having taken refuge from this day forth as long
as life shall last!' 258
Division Two
The Great Division
14 Mahdpadana Sutta : The Great
Discourse on the Lineage
[1] 1.1. Thus have I heard . 259 Once the Lord was staying at Sa-
vatthi, in Anathapindika's park in the Jeta grove, in the Kareri
hutment. And among a number of monks who had gathered
together after their meal, after the alms-round, sitting in the
Kareri pavilion, there arose a serious discussion on former
lives, as they said: This is how it was in a former life', or
'That was how it was.'
1.2. And the Lord, with the purified divine-ear faculty sur-
passing the powers of humans, heard what they were talking
about. Getting up from his seat, he went to the Kareri pavi-
lion, sat down on the prepared seat, and said: 'Monks, what
was your conversation as you sat together? What discussion
did I interrupt?' And they told him. [2]
1.3. 'Well, monks, would you like to hear a proper discourse
on past lives?' 'Lord, it is time for that! Well-Farer, it is time
for that! If the Lord were to give a proper discourse on past
lives, the monks would listen and remember it!' 'Well then,
monks, listen, pay close attention, and I will speak.'
'Yes, Lord', the monks replied, and the Lord said:
1.4. 'Monks, ninety-one aeons ago the Lord, the Arahant,
the fully-enlightened Buddha Vipassi arose in the world. Thirty-
one aeons ago the Lord Buddha SikhT arose; in the same
thirty-first aeon before this Lord Buddha Vessabhu arose.
And in this present fortunate aeon 260 the Lords Buddhas Ka-
kusandha, Konagamana and Kassapa arose in the world. And,
monks, in this present fortunate aeon I too have now arisen in
the world as a fully-enlightened Buddha.
1.5. "The Lord Buddha Vipassi was bom of Khattiya race,
and arose in a Khattiya family; the Lord Buddha Sikhi like-
199
\
j
200 Mahapaddna Sutta: Sutta 14 ii 5
wise; [3] the Lord Buddha Vessabhu likewise; the Lord Bud-
dha Kakusandha was bom of Brahmin race, and arose in a
Brahmin family; the Lord Buddha Konagamana likewise; the
Lord Buddha Kassapa likewise; and I, monks, who am now
the Arahant and fully-enlightened Buddha, was bom of Khat-
tiya race, and arose in a Khattiya family.
1.6. 'The Lord Buddha VipassT was of the Kondanna clan;
the Lord Buddah Sikhi likewise; the Lord Buddah Vessabhu
likewise; the Lord Buddha Kakusandha was of the Kassapa
clan; the Lord Buddha Konagamana likewise; the Lord Bud-
dha Kassapa likwise; I who am now the Arahant and fully-
enlightened Buddha, am of the Gotama clan.
1.7. 'In the time of the Lord Buddha Vipassi the life-span
was eighty thousand years; in the time of the Lord Buddha
Sikhi seventy thousand; in the time of the Lord Buddha Ves-
sabhu sixty thousand; in the time of the Lord Buddha Kaku-
sandhu forty thousand; in the time of the Lord Buddha Kona-
gamana thirty thousand; [4] in the time of the Lord Buddha
Kassapa it was twenty thousand years. In my time the life-
span is short, limited and quick to pass: it is seldom that
anybody lives to be a hundred.
1.8. 'The Lord Buddha Vipassi gained his full enlightenment
at the foot of a trumpet-flower tree; the Lord Buddha Sikhi
under a white-mango tree; the Lord Buddha Vessabhu under
a sflZ-tree; the Lord Buddha Kakusandha under an acacia- tree;
the Lord Buddha Konagamana under a fig-tree; the Lord
Buddha Kassapa under a banyan-tree; and I became fully en-
lightened at the foot of an assattha-tree . 261
1.9. 'The Lord Buddha Vipassi had the pair of noble disciples
Khanda and Tissa; the Lord Buddha Sikhi had Abhibhu and
Sambhava; the Lord Buddha Vessabhu had Sona and Uttara;
the Lord Buddha Kakusandha had Vidhura and Sanjiva; the
Lord Buddha Konagamana had Bhiyyosa and Uttara; [5] the
Lord Buddha Kassapa had Tissa and Bharadvaja; I myself now
have the pair of noble disciples Sariputta and Moggallana.
1.10. "The Lord Buddha Vipassi had three assemblies of dis-
ciples: one of six million eight hundred thousand, one of a
hundred thousand, and one of eighty thousand monks, and of
these three assemblies all were Arahants; the Lord Buddha
ii 8 The Great Discourse on the Lineage 201
Sikhi had three assemblies of disciples: one of a hundred
thousand, one of eighty thousand, and one of seventy thousand
monks - all Arahants; the Lord Buddha Vessabhu had three
assemblies: one of eighty thousand, one of seventy thousand,
and one of sixty thousand monks — all Arahants; the Lord
Buddha Kakusandha had one assembly: forty thousand monks
- all Arahants; the Lord Buddha Konagamana [6] had one
assembly: thirty thousand monks - all Arahants; the Lord
Buddha Kassapa had one assembly: twenty thousand monks
— all Arahants; I, monks, have one assembly of disciples, one
thousand two hundred and fifty monks, and this one assem-
bly consists only of Arahants.
1.11. "The Lord Buddha Vipassi -s personal attendant was the
monk Asoka; the Lord Buddha Sikhi's was Khemankara; the
Lord Buddha Vessabhu's was Upasannaka; the Lord Buddha
Kakusandhu's was Vuddhija; the Lord Buddha Konagamana's
was Sotthija; the Lord Buddha Kassapa's was Sabbamitta; my
chief personal attendant now is Ananda.
1.12. 'The Lord Buddha Vipassi's father was King Bandhu-
ma, [7] his mother was Queen Bandhumati, and King Ban-
dhuma's royal capital was Bandhumati. The Lord Buddha
Sikhi's father was King Aruna, his mother was Queen Pabhavati;
King Aruna's capital was Arunavati. The Lord Buddha Ves-
sabhu's father was King Suppatita, his mother was Queen
Yasavati; King Suppatita's capital was Anopama. The Lord
Buddha Kakusandha's father was the Brahmin Aggidatta, his
mother was the Brahmin lady Visakha. The king at that time
was called Khema; his capital was Khemavati. The Lord
Buddha Konagamana's father was the Brahmin Yarmadatta,
his mother was the Brahmin lady Uttara. The king at that time
was Sobha; his capital was Sobhavati. The Lord Buddha Kas-
sapa's father was the Brahmin Brahmadatta, his mother was
the Brahmin lady Dhanavati. The king at that time was Kiki;
his capital was Varanasi. And now, monks, my father was King
Suddhodana, my mother was Queen Maya, and the royal
capital was Kapilavatthu.'
Thus the Lord spoke, and the Well-Farer then rose from his
seat and went to his lodging. [8]
1.13. Soon after the Lord had gone, another discussion arose
(
4
202 Mahdpadana Sutta: Sutta 14 ii 12
among the monks: 262 'It is marvellous, friends, it is wonderful,
the Tathagata' s great power and ability — the way he recalls
past Buddhas who have gained Parinibbana, having cut away
the hindrances, cut off the road [of craving], put an end to the
round of becoming, overcome all suffering. He recalls their
birth, their name, their clan, their life-span, the disciples and
assemblies connected with him: "Being bom thus, these Blessed
Lords were such-and-such, such were their names, their clans,
their discipline, their Dhamma, their wisdom, their libera-
tion." Well now, friends, how did the Tathagata come by the
penetrative knowledge through which he remembers all this
. . . ? Did some deva reveal this knowledge to [9] him?' This
was the conversation of those monks which came to be inter-
rupted.
1.14. Then the Lord, rising from the seclusion of the rest-
period, went to the Kareri pavilion and sat down on the pre-
pared seat. He said: 'Monks, what was your conversation as
you sat together? What discussion did I interrupt?' And the
monks [10] told him.
1.15. 'The Tathagata understands these things. . .by his own
penetration of the principles of Dhamma; and devas, too, have
told him. Well, monks, do you wish to hear still more [11]
about past lives?' 'Lord, it is time for that! Well-Farer, it is
time for that! If the Lord were to give a proper discourse on
past lives, the monks would listen and remember it.' 'Well
then, monks, listen, pay close attention, and I will speak.' 'Yes,
Lord', the monks replied, and the Lord said:
1.16. 'Monks, ninety-one aeons ago the Lord, the Arahant,
the fully-enlightened Buddha Vipassi arose in the world. He
was bom of Khattiya race, and arose in a Khattiya family. He
was of the Kondanna clan. The span of his life was eighty
thousand years. He gained his full enlightenment at the foot
of a trumpet-flower tree. He had the pair of noble disciples
Khanda and Tissa as^his chief followers. He had three assem-
blies of disciples: one of six million eight hundred thousand,
one of a hundred thousand, and one of eighty thousand
monks, all Arahants. His chief personal attendant was the
monk Asoka. His father was King Bandhuma, [12] his mother
was Queen Bandhumati. The king's capital was Bandhumati.
ii 13 The Great Discourse on the Lineage 203
1.17. 263 'And so, monks, the Bodhisatta Vipassi descended
from the Tusita heaven, mindful and clearly aware, into his
mother's womb. This, monks, is the rule. 264
'It is the rule, monks, that when a Bodhisatta descends
from the Tusita heaven into his mother's womb, there appears
in this world with its devas, maras and Brahmas, its ascetics
and Brahmins, princes and people an immeasurable, splendid
light surpassing the glory of the most powerful devas. And
whatever dark spaces lie beyond the world's end, chaotic,
blind and black, such that they are not even reached by the
mighty rays of sun and moon, are yet illumined by this im-
measurable splendid light surpassing the glory of the most
powerful devas. And those beings that have been reborn
there 265 recognise each other by this light and know: "Other
beings, too, have been bom here!" And this ten-thousandfold
world-system trembles and quakes and is convulsed. And this
immeasurable light shines forth. That is the rule.
'It is the rule that when a Bodhisatta has entered his mother's
womb, four devas 266 come to protect him from Jhe four quar-
ters, saying: "Let no man, no non-human beir^, no thing
whatever harm this Bodhisatta or this Bodhisatta's mother!"
That is the rule.
1.18. Tt is the rule that when a Bodhisatta has entered his
mother's womb, his mother becomes by nature virtuous, re-
fraining from taking life, from taking what is not given, from
sexual [13] misconduct, from lying speech, or from strong
drink and sloth-producing drugs. That is the rule. -
1.19. Tt is the rule that when a Bodhisatta has entered his
mother's womb, she has no sensual thoughts connected with
a man, and she cannot be overcome by any man with lustful
thoughts. That is the rule.
1.20. Tt is the rule that when a Bodhisatta has entered his
mother' s womb, she enjoys the fivefold pleasures of the senses
and takes delight, being endowed and possessed of them.
That, is the rule.
i.2x. Tt is the rule that when a Bodhisatta has entered his
mother's womb, she has no sickness of any kind, she is at
ease and without fatigue of body, and she can see the Bod-
hisatta inside her womb, complete with all his members and
204 Mahdpadana Sutta: Sutta 14 ii
faculties. Monks, it is as if a gem, a beryl, pure, excellent, well
cut into eight facets, clear, bright, flawless and perfect in every
respect, were strung on a blue, yellow, red, white or orange
cord. And a man with good eyesight, taking it in his hand,
would describe it as such. Thus does the Bodhisatta's mother,
with no sickness, [14] see him, complete with all his members
and faculties. That is the rule.
1.22. 'It is the rule that the Bodhisatta's mother dies seven
days after his birth and is reborn in the Tusita heaven. That is
the rule.
1.23. 'It is the rule that whereas other women carry the child
in their womb for nine or ten months before giving birth, it is
not so with the Bodhisatta's mother, who carries him for
exactly ten months before giving birth. That is the rule.
1.24. 'It is the rule that whereas other women give birth
sitting or lying down, it is not so with the Bodhisatta's mother,
who gives birth standing up. That is the rule.
1.25. 'It is the rule that when the Bodhisatta issues from his
mother's womb, devas welcome him first, and then humans.
That is the rule.
1.26. 'It is the rule that when the Bodhisatta issues from his
mother's womb, he does not touch the earth. Four devas 267 re-
ceive him and place him before his mother, saying: "Rejoice,
Your Majesty, a mighty son has been bom to you!" That is the
mle.
1.27. 'It is the rule that when the Bodhisatta issues from his
*r
mother's womb he issues forth stainless, not defiled by water,
mucus, blood or any impurity, pure and spotless. Just as
when a jewel is laid on muslin from KasI, 268 the jewel does
not stain the muslin, or the muslin the jewel. Why not? Be-
cause of the purity of both. In the same way the Bodhisatta
issues forth stainless . . . [15] That is the mle.
1.28. 'It is the mle that when the Bodhisatta issues forth
from his mother's womb, two streams of water appear from
the sky, one cold, the other warm, with which they ritually
wash the Bodhisatta and his mother. That is the rule.
1.29. 'It is the rule that as soon as he is bom the Bodhisatta
takes a firm stance on both feet facing north, then takes seven
strides and, under a white sunshade, 269 he scans the four
ii 17 The Great Discourse on the Lineage 205
quarters and then declares with a bull-like voice: "I am chief
in the world, supreme in the world, eldest in the world. This
is my last birth, there will be no more re-becoming." 270 That
is the mle.
1.30. 'It is the rule that when the Bodhisatta issues from his
mother's womb there appears in this world ... an immeasur-
able, splendid light. . .(as verse 17). This is the mle. 271 [16]
1.31. 'Monks, when Prince Vipassi was bom, they showed
him to King Bandhuma and said: "Your Majesty, a son has
been bom to you. Deign, Sire, to look at him." The king look-
ed at the prince and then said to the Brahmins skilled in signs:
"You gentlemen are skilled in signs, examine the prince." The
Brahmins examined the prince, and said to King Bandhuma:
"Sire, rejoice, for a mighty son has been bom to you. It is a
gain for you. Sire, it is a great profit for you. Sire, that such a
son has been bom into your family. Sire, this prince is en-
dowed with the thirty-two marks of a Great Man. To such,
only two courses are open. If he lives the household life he
will become a ruler, a wheel-turning righteous monarch of the
law, conqueror of the four quarters, who has established the
security of his realm and is possessed of the^seven treasures.
These are: the Wheel Treasure, the Elephant Treasure, the
Horse Treasure, the Jewel Treasure, the Woman Treasure, the
Householder Treasure, and, as seventh, the Counsellor Trea-
sure. He has more than a thousand sons who are heroes, of
heroic stature, conquerors of the hostile army. He dwells hav-
ing conquered this sea-girt land without stick or sword, by
the law. But if he goes forth from the household life into
homelessness, then he will become an Arahant, a fully-en-
lightened Buddha, one who draws back the veil from the
world."
1.32. "'And what. Sire, are these thirty- two marks. . .? 272 [17]
(1) He has feet with level tread. (2) On the soles of his feet are
wheels with a thousand spokes. (3) He has projecting heels. (4)
He has long fingers and toes. (5) He has soft and tender hands
and feet. (6) His hands and feet are net-like. (7) He has high-
raised ankles. (8) His legs are like an antelope's. (9) Standing
and without bending, he can touch and mb his knees with
either hand. (10) His male organs are enclosed in a sheath. (11)
2o6 Mahapadana Sutta: Sutta 14 ii 20
His complexion is bright, the colour of gold. (12) His skin is
delicate and so smooth that no [18] dust adheres to it. (13) His
body-hairs are separate, one to each pore. (14) They grow
upwards, bluish-black like collyrium, growing in rings to the
right. (13) His body is divinely straight. (16) He has the seven
convex surfaces. (17) The front part of his body is like a lion's.
(18) There is no hollow between his shoulders. (19) He is pro-
portioned like a banyan- tree: his height is as the span of his
arms. (20) His bust is evenly rounded. (21) He has a perfect
sense of taste. (22) He has jaws like a lion's. (23) He has forty
teeth. (24) His teeth are even. (25) There are no spaces between
his teeth. (26) His canine teeth are very bright. {27) His tongue
is very long. (28) He has a Brahma-like voice, like that of the
karavika- bird. (29) His eyes are deep blue. (30) He has eye-
lashes like a cow's. (31) The hair between his eyebrows is
white, and soft like [19] cotton-down. (32) His head is like a
royal turban."
1.33. ' "Sire, this prince is endowed with the thirty-two marks
of a Great Man. To such, only two courses are open. If he lives
the household life he will become a ruler, a wheel-turning
righteous monarch of the law . . . But if he goes forth from the
household life into homelessness, then he will become an
Arahant, a fully-enlightened Buddha, one who draws back the
veil from the world."
'Then King Bandhuma, having clothed those Brahmins in
fresh clothes, satisfied all their wishes.
1.34. 'And King Bandhuma appointed nurses for Prince Vi-
passi. Some suckled him, some bathed him, some carried him,
some dandled him. A white umbrella was held over him
night and day, that he might not be harmed by cold or heat or
grass or dust. And Prince Vipassi was much beloved of the
people. Just as everybody loves a blue, [20] yellow or white
lotus, so they all loved Prince Vipassi. Thus he was borne
from lap to lap.
1.35. 'And Prince Vipassi had a sweet voice, a beautiful
voice, charming and delightful. Just as in the Himalaya moun-
tains the karavika- bird has a voice sweeter, more beautiful,
charming and delightful than all other birds, so too was Prince
Vipassi's voice the finest of all.
ii 22 The Great Discourse on the Lineage zaj
1.36. 'And owing to the results of past kamma, the divine
eye was present to Prince Vipassi, with which he could see for
a league day and night alike.
1.37. 'And Prince Vipassi was unblinkingly watchful, like
the Thirty-Three Gods. And because it was said that he was
unblinkingly watchful, the prince came to be called "Vipas-
si". 273 When King Bandhuma was trying a case, he took Prince
Vipassi on his knee and instructed him [21] in the case. Then,
putting him down from his knee, his father would carefully
explain the issues to him. And for this reason he was all the
more called Vipassi.
1.38. 'Then King Bandhuma caused three palaces to be built
for Prince Vipassi, one for the rainy season, one for the cold
season, and one for the hot season, to cater for all the
fivefold sense-pleasures. There Prince Vipassi stayed in the
rainy-season palace for the four months of the rainy season,
with no male attendants, surrounded by female musicians,
and he never left that palace.'
[End of first recitation-section ( the birth-section )]
2.1. 'Then, monks, after many years, many hundreds and thou-
sands of years had passed, 274 Prince Vipassi said to his chario-
teer: "Harness some fine carriages, charioteeil We will go to
the pleasure-park to inspect it." The charioteer did so, then
reported to the prince: "Your Royal Highness, the fine carri-
ages are harnessed, it is time to do as you wish." And Prince
Vipassi mounted a carriage and drove in procession to the
pleasure-park.
2.2 'And as he was being driven to the pleasure-park. Prince
Vipassi saw [22] an aged man, bent like a roof-beam, broken,
leaning on a stick, tottering, sick, his youth all vanished. At
the sight he said to the charioteer: "Charioteer, what is the
matter with this man? His hair is not like other men's, his
body is not like other men's."
'"Prince, that is what is called an old man." "But why is he
called an old man?"
'"He is called old. Prince, because he has not long to live."
208 Mahdpadana Sutta: Sutta 14 ii 24
' "But am I liable to become old, and not exempt from old
age?" "Both you and I, Prince, are liable to become old, and
are not exempt from old age."
' "Well then, charioteer, that will do for today with the plea-
sure-park. Return now to the palace." "Very good. Prince",
said the charioteer, and brought Prince Vipassi back to the
palace. 275 Arrived there. Prince Vipassi was overcome with
grief and dejection, crying: "Shame on this thing birth, since
to him who is bom old age must manifest itself!"
2.3. "Then King Bandhuma sent for the charioteer and said:
"Well, did not the prince enjoy himself at the pleasure-park?
Wasn't he happy there?" "Your Majesty, the prince did not
enjoy himself, he was not happy there." "What did he see on
the way there?" [23] So the charioteer told the King all that had
happened.
2.4. 'Then King Bandhuma thought: "Prince Vipassi must
not renounce the throne, he must not go forth from the house-
hold life into homelessness — the words of the Brahmins
learned in signs must not come true!" So the King provided
for Prince Vipassi to have even more enjoyment of the fivefold
sense-pleasures, in order that he should rule the kingdom and
not go forth from the household life into homelessness . . .
Thus the prince continued to live indulging in, and addicted
to the fivefold sense-pleasures.
2.5 ' After many hundreds of thousands of years Prince Vipassi
ordered his charioteer to drive to the pleasure-park (as verse 2.1).
N]
2.6. 'And as he was being driven to the pleasure-park, Prince
Vipassi saw a sick man, suffering, very ill, fallen in his own
urine and excrement, and some people were picking him up,
and others putting him to bed. At the sight he said to the
charioteer: "What is the matter with this man? His eyes are
not like other men's, his head 276 is not like other men's."
'"Prince, that is what is called a sick man." "But why is he
called a sick man?"
'"Prince, he is so called because he can hardly recover from
his illness."
"'But am I liable to become sick, and not exempt from sick-
ness?" "Both you and I, Prince, are liable to become sick, and
not exempt from sickness."
ii 28 The Great Discourse on the Lineage 209
"'Well then, charioteer, return now to the palace." Arrived
there. Prince Vipassi was overcome with grief and dejection,
crying: "Shame on this thing birth, since he who is bom must
experience sickness!"
2.7. 'Then King Bandhuma sent for the charioteer, who told
him what had happened. [25]
2.8. "The king provided Prince Vipassi with even more sense-
pleasures, in order that he should rule the kingdom and not
go forth from the household life into homelessness . . .
2.9 'After many hundreds of thousands of years Prince Vipassi
ordered his charioteer to drive to the pleasure-park.
2.10. 'And as he was being driven to the pleasure-park.
Prince Vipassi saw a large crowd collecting, clad in many
colours, and carrying a bier. At the sight he said to the chario-
teer: "Why are those people doing that?" [26] "Prince, that is
what they call a dead man." "Drive me over to where the
dead man is." "Very good. Prince, said the charioteer, and did
so. And Prince Vipassi gazed at the corpse of the dead man.
Then he said to the charioteer: "Why is he called a dead
man?"
'"Prince, he is called a dead man because now his parents
and other relatives will not see him again, nor he them."
'"But am I subject to dying, not exempt from dying?" "Both
you and I, Prince, are subj&t to dying, not exempt from it."
'"Well then, charioteer, that will do for today with the plea-
sure-park. Return now to the palace. . .Arrived there, Prince
Vipassi was overcome with grief and dejection, crying: "Shame
on this thing birth, since to him who is bom death must mani-
fest itself!"
2.11. "Then King Bandhuma sent for the charioteer, who told
him what had happened. [27]
2.12. 'The king provided Prince Vipassi with even more
sense-pleasures . . . [28]
2.13 'After many hundreds of thousands of years Prince Vipassi
ordered his charioteer to drive to the pleasure-park.
2.14. 'And as he was being driven to the pleasure-park.
Prince Vipassi saw a shaven-headed man, one who had gone
forth, 277 wearing a yellow robe. And he said to the charioteer:
"What is the matter with that man? His head is not like other
men's, and his clothes are not like other men's."
210 Mahapadana Sutta: Sutta 14 ii
"'Prince, he is called one who has gone forth.” "Why is he
called one who has gone forth?”
"'Prince, by one who has gone forth we mean one who
truly follows Dhamma, 278 who truly lives in serenity, does
good actions, performs meritorious deeds, is harmless and
truly has compassion for living beings.”
"'Charioteer, he is well called one who has gone forth . . . [29]
Drive the carriage over to where he is.” "Very good, Prince”,
said the charioteer, and did so. And Prince Vipassi question-
ed the man who had gone forth.
' "Prince, as one who has gone forth I truly follow Dhamma,
...and have compassion for living beings.” "You are well
called one who has gone forth ...”
2.15. 'Then Prince Vipassi said to the charioteer: "You take
the carriage and drive back to the palace. But I shall stay here
and shave off my hair and beard, put on yellow robes, and go
forth from the household life into homelessness.” "Very good.
Prince", said the charioteer, and returned to the palace. And
Prince Vipassi, shaving off his hair and beard and putting on
yellow robes, went forth from the household life into home-
lessness.
2.16. 'And a great crowd from the royal capital city, Ban-
dhumati, eighty-four thousand people, 279 heard that [30]
Prince Vipassi had gone forth into homelessness. And they
thought: "This is certainly no common teaching and dis-
cipline, no common going-forth, for which Prince Vipassi has
shaved off hair and beard, donned yellow robes and gone
forth into homelessness. If the Prince has done so, why should
not we?” And so, monks, a great crowd of eighty-four thousand,
having shaved off their hair and beards and donned yellow
robes, followed the Bodhisatta Vipassi 280 into homelessness.
And with this following the Bodhisatta went on his rounds
through villages, towns and royal cities.
2.17. 'Then the Bodhisatta Vipassi, having retired to a seclud-
ed spot, had this thought: "It is not proper for me to live with
a crowd like this. I must live alone, withdrawn from this
crowd." So after a while he left the crowd and dwelt alone.
The eighty-four thousand went one way, the Bodhisatta an-
other. .
2.18. 'Then, when the Bodhisatta had entered his dwelling
j ii 33 The Great Discourse on the Lineage 211
alone, in a secluded spot, he thought: "This world, alas, is in a
sorry state: there is birth and decay, 281 there is death and
falling into other states and being reborn. And no one knows
| [31] any way of escape from this suffering, this ageing and
death. When will deliverance be found from this suffering,
l this ageing and death?"
. 'And then, monks, the Bodhisatta thought: "With what
1 being present, does ageing-and-death occur? What conditions
ageing-and-death?” And then, monks, as a result of the wis-
dom bom of profound consideration 282 the realisation dawned
1 on him: ” Birth being present, ageing-and-death occurs, birth
conditions ageing-and-death.” 283
: 'Then he thought: "What conditions birth?” And the realisa-
tion dawned on him: "Becoming 284 conditions birth” . . . "What
conditions becoming?”. . ."Clinging conditions becoming”. . .
"Craving conditions clinging” . . . "Feeling conditions craving"
j ... [32] "Contact 285 conditions feeling” . . . "The six sense-bases
condition contact" ... "Mind-and-body conditions the six sense-
1 bases” ... "Consciousness conditions mind-and-body." And
then the Bodhisatta Vipassi thought: "With what being pre-
’! sent, does consciousness occur. What conditions conscious-
ness?” And then, as a result of the wisdom bom of profound
1 consideration, the realisation dawned on him: "Mind-and-
7
body conditions consciousness.”
; 2.19. 'Then, monks, the Bodhisatta Vipassi thought: "This
consciousness turns back at mind-and-body, it does not go
any further. 286 To this extent there is birth and decay, there is
death and falling into other states and being reborn, namely:
j’i Mind-and-body conditions consciousness and consciousness
conditions mind-and-body, mind-and-body 0 conditions thelsix
sense-bases, the six sense-bases-condition contact, contact con-
ditions feeling, feeling conditions [33] craving, craving condi-
tions clinging, clinging conditions becoming, becoming con-
ditions birth, birth conditions ageing and death, sorrow,
lamentation, pain, grief and distress. And thus this wljole
mass of suffering takes its origin." And at the thought; "Ori-
gin, origin”, there arose in the Bodhisatta Vipassi, with in-
I sight into things never realised before, knowledge, wisdom,
awareness, and light.
2.20. 'Then he thought: "What now being absent, does age-
212 Mahdpadana Sutta: Sutta 14 ii 35
ing-and-death not occur? With the cessation of what comes
the cessation of ageing-and-death?" And then, as a result of
the wisdom bom of profound consideration, the realisation
dawned on him: "Birth being absent, ageing-and-death does
not occur. With the cessation of birth comes the cessation of
ageing-and-death" . . . "With the cessation of what comes the
cessation of birth?" . . . "With the cessation of becoming comes
the cessation of birth" . . . "With the cessation of clinging comes
the cessation of becoming" . . . "With the cessation of craving
comes the cessation of clinging" . . . [34] "With the cessation of
feeling comes the cessation of craving" . . . "With the cessation
of contact comes the cessation of feeling" . . . "With the cessa-
tion of the six sense-bases comes the cessation of contact" . . .
"With the cessation of mind-and-body comes the cessation of
the six sense- bases" . . . "With the cessation of consciousness
comes the cessation of mind-and-body" . . . "With the cessa-
tion of mind-and-body comes the cessation of consciousness."
2.21. "Then the Bodhisatta Vipassi thought: "I have found
the insight ( vipassana ) way 287 to enlightenment, [35] namely:
'"By the cessation of mind-and-body consciousness ceases,
by the cessation of consciousness, mind-and-body ceases; by
the cessation of mind-and-body the six sense-bases cease; by
the cessation of the six sense-bases contact ceases; by the
cessation of contact feeling ceases; by the cessation of feeling
craving ceases; by the cessation of craving dinging ceases; by
the cessation of clingijig becoming ceases; by the cessation of
becoming birth ceases; by the cessation of birth ageing and
death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and distress cease. And
thus this whole mass of suffering ceases." And at the thought:
"Cessation, cessation", there arose in the Bodhisatta Vipassi,
with insight into things never realised before, knowledge,
vision, awareness, and light. ?
2.22. "Then, mo
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