English
Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. The Long Discourses The Pāthika Section 1. The Pāthika Discourse The Story of Sunakkhatta 1. Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling among the Mallas, at a Malla town named Anupiya. Then the Blessed One, having dressed in the morning and taken his bowl and robe, entered Anupiya for alms. Then it occurred to the Blessed One: "It is still too early to wander for alms in Anupiya. What if I were to go to the hermitage of the wanderer Bhaggavagotta, to the wanderer Bhaggavagotta?" 2. Then the Blessed One went to the hermitage of the wanderer Bhaggavagotta, to the wanderer Bhaggavagotta. Then the wanderer Bhaggavagotta said to the Blessed One: "Please come, Venerable Sir, Blessed One. Welcome, Venerable Sir, Blessed One. It has been a long time, Venerable Sir, since the Blessed One made this journey, that is, to come here. Please sit down, Venerable Sir, Blessed One, this seat is prepared." The Blessed One sat on the prepared seat. And the wanderer Bhaggavagotta, taking a certain low seat, sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the wanderer Bhaggavagotta said to the Blessed One: "Some days ago, Venerable Sir, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi's son, came to me; and having come, he said to me: 'The Blessed One, Bhaggava, has now been rejected by me. I no longer live under the Blessed One.' Is that so, Venerable Sir, just as Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi's son, said?" "It is indeed so, Bhaggava, just as Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi's son, said." 3. Some days ago, Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi's son, came to me; and having come, he saluted me and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi's son... The son said this to me: ‘Now I renounce, venerable sir, the Blessed One. Now I will not live, venerable sir, for the Blessed One.’ When this was said, I, Bhaggava, said this to Sunakkhatta the Licchavi son: ‘Did I ever say to you, Sunakkhatta, "Come, Sunakkhatta, live for me"?’ ‘No, venerable sir.’ ‘Or did you say to me, "Venerable sir, I will live for the Blessed One"?’ ‘No, venerable sir.’ ‘So then, Sunakkhatta, I did not say to you, "Come, Sunakkhatta, live for me." Nor did you say to me, "Venerable sir, I will live for the Blessed One." This being so, foolish man, who are you, renouncing whom? See, foolish man, how greatly you have erred!’ 4. ‘But, venerable sir, the Blessed One does not perform for me any superhuman feats of psychic power.’ ‘Did I ever say to you, Sunakkhatta, "Come, Sunakkhatta, live for me, and I will perform for you superhuman feats of psychic power"?’ ‘No, venerable sir.’ ‘Or did you say to me, "Venerable sir, I will live for the Blessed One, and the Blessed One will perform for me superhuman feats of psychic power"?’ ‘No, venerable sir.’ ‘So then, Sunakkhatta, I did not say to you, "Come, Sunakkhatta, live for me, and I will perform for you superhuman feats of psychic power"; nor did you say to me, "Venerable sir, I will live for the Blessed One, and the Blessed One will perform for me superhuman feats of psychic power." This being so, foolish man, who are you, renouncing whom? What do you think, Sunakkhatta, whether superhuman feats of psychic power are performed or not performed, for the sake of which I taught the Dhamma, that… does it lead for one who practices it to the complete end of suffering? ‘Whether, venerable sir, the superhuman feat of psychic power is performed or not performed, the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One leads for one who practices it to the complete end of suffering.’ ‘So then, Sunakkhatta, whether the superhuman feat of psychic power is performed or not performed, the Dhamma taught by me leads for one who practices it to the complete end of suffering. In that case, Sunakkhatta, what will the performance of the superhuman feat of psychic power accomplish? See, foolish man, how far you have erred!’ 5. ‘But the Blessed One, venerable sir, does not declare to me the primordial beginning.’ ‘Now, Sunakkhatta, did I ever say to you: “Come, Sunakkhatta, live for my sake, and I will declare to you the primordial beginning”?’ ‘No, venerable sir.’ ‘Or did you ever say to me: “Venerable sir, I will live for the Blessed One’s sake, and the Blessed One will declare to me the primordial beginning”?’ ‘No, venerable sir.’ ‘So then, Sunakkhatta, neither do I say to you: “Come, Sunakkhatta, live for my sake, and I will declare to you the primordial beginning.” Nor do you say to me: “Venerable sir, I will live for the Blessed One’s sake, and the Blessed One will declare to me the primordial beginning.” Such being the case, foolish man, who are you, and whom are you rejecting? What do you think, Sunakkhatta? Whether the primordial beginning is declared or not declared, does the Dhamma taught by me lead for one who practices it to the complete end of suffering? ‘Whether, venerable sir, the primordial beginning is declared or not declared, the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One leads for one who practices it to the complete end of suffering.’ ‘So then, Sunakkhatta, whether the primordial beginning is declared or not declared, the Dhamma taught by me leads for one who practices it to the complete end of suffering.’ for the complete cessation of suffering. There, Sunakkhatta, what supreme thing will it declare? See, foolish man, how much you have erred in this. 6. "In many ways, Sunakkhatta, my praise was spoken in Vajjigāma – 'Thus: That Blessed One is an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, a Knower of the worlds, an unsurpassed Trainer of persons to be tamed, a Teacher of gods and humans, the Awakened One, the Blessed One.' Thus, Sunakkhatta, my praise was spoken in many ways in Vajjigāma. "In many ways, Sunakkhatta, the Dhamma's praise was spoken in Vajjigāma – 'Well-proclaimed by the Blessed One is the Dhamma, visible here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards, to be personally experienced by the wise.' Thus, Sunakkhatta, the Dhamma's praise was spoken in many ways in Vajjigāma. "In many ways, Sunakkhatta, the Saṅgha's praise was spoken in Vajjigāma – 'The Blessed One's Saṅgha of disciples is practicing well, the Blessed One's Saṅgha of disciples is practicing uprightly, the Blessed One's Saṅgha of disciples is practicing insightfully, the Blessed One's Saṅgha of disciples is practicing dutifully, that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight individual persons – this is the Blessed One's Saṅgha of disciples, worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.' Thus, Sunakkhatta, the Saṅgha's praise was spoken in many ways in Vajjigāma. "I declare to you, Sunakkhatta, I make known to you, Sunakkhatta. There will be, Sunakkhatta, those who say, 'Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi's son, could not endure to lead the holy life under the ascetic Gotama, and not enduring, he renounced the training and returned to the lower state.' Thus, Sunakkhatta, there will be those who say." Even so, Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi's son, though spoken to by me, departed from this Dhamma and Discipline, just as one destined for a state of woe, for hell. The Story of Korakkhattiya 7. "On one occasion, Bhaggava, I was at Thūlūs I was dwelling in the town of Thullas, called Uttaraka. Then, Bhaggava, in the morning, having dressed, and taking my bowl and robe, with Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi prince, as my attendant, I entered Uttaraka for alms. Now at that time, the naked Korakkhattiya, a dog-ascetic, a four-legged one, was eating food scattered on the ground with his mouth, and consuming it with his mouth. Then, Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi prince, saw the naked Korakkhattiya, the dog-ascetic, the four-legged one, eating food scattered on the ground with his mouth, and consuming it with his mouth. Having seen him, this thought occurred to him: ‘Indeed, good sir, this ascetic, the four-legged one, eats food scattered on the ground with his mouth, and consumes it with his mouth.’ Then, Bhaggava, knowing the thought in the mind of Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi prince, with my mind, I said to Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi prince: ‘You, too, foolish man, will claim to be an ascetic, a Sakyan son!’ ‘Why, venerable sir, does the Blessed One say to me: ‘You, too, foolish man, will claim to be an ascetic, a Sakyan son!’?’ ‘Did you not, Sunakkhatta, seeing this naked Korakkhattiya, the dog-ascetic, the four-legged one, eating food scattered on the ground with his mouth, and consuming it with his mouth, think this: ‘Indeed, good sir, this ascetic, the four-legged one, eats food scattered on the ground with his mouth, and consumes it with his mouth.’?’ ‘Yes, venerable sir. But why, venerable sir, is the Blessed One jealous of arahantship?’ ‘I am not, foolish man, jealous of arahantship. But rather, this evil view has arisen in you; abandon it. Let it not be for your harm and suffering for a long time. That Now, Sunakkhatta, you think of the naked Korakkhattiya – 'This ascetic is a good person.' He will die on the seventh day from a stomach ailment. And having died, he will be reborn among the Kālakañcikā asuras, the lowest class of asuras. And having died, they will cast him away in the Bīraṇatthambaka charnel ground. And if you wish, Sunakkhatta, you may go to the naked Korakkhattiya and ask him – 'Do you know, friend Korakkhattiya, your destination?' It is possible, Sunakkhatta, that the naked Korakkhattiya will declare to you – 'I know, friend Sunakkhatta, my destination; I have been reborn among the Kālakañcikā asuras, the lowest class of asuras.' Then, Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta the Licchavi prince went to the naked Korakkhattiya; having gone, he said to the naked Korakkhattiya – 'You have been declared, friend Korakkhattiya, by the ascetic Gotama – "The naked Korakkhattiya will die on the seventh day