Saṅgāravasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 100

With Saṅgārava · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Tassa mayhaṁ, bhāradvāja, etadahosi:
‘abhijānāmi kho panāhaṁ pitu sakkassa kammante sītāya jambucchāyāya nisinno vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharitā.
Siyā nu kho eso maggo bodhāyā’ti?
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhāradvāja, satānusāri viññāṇaṁ ahosi:
‘eseva maggo bodhāyā’ti.

Then it occurred to me, ‘I recall sitting in the cool shade of a black plum tree while my father the Sakyan was off working. Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, I entered and remained in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. Could that be the path to awakening?’ Stemming from that memory came the understanding: ‘That is the path to awakening!’

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhāradvāja, etadahosi:
‘kiṁ nu kho ahaṁ tassa sukhassa bhāyāmi yaṁ taṁ sukhaṁ aññatreva kāmehi aññatra akusalehi dhammehī’ti?
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhāradvāja, etadahosi:
‘na kho ahaṁ tassa sukhassa bhāyāmi yaṁ taṁ sukhaṁ aññatreva kāmehi aññatra akusalehi dhammehī’ti.

Then it occurred to me, ‘Why am I afraid of that pleasure, for it has nothing to do with sensual pleasures or unskillful qualities?’ Then it occurred to me, ‘I’m not afraid of that pleasure, for it has nothing to do with sensual pleasures or unskillful qualities.’

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhāradvāja, etadahosi:
‘na kho taṁ sukaraṁ sukhaṁ adhigantuṁ evaṁ adhimattakasimānaṁ pattakāyena.
Yannūnāhaṁ oḷārikaṁ āhāraṁ āhāreyyaṁ odanakummāsan’ti.
So kho ahaṁ, bhāradvāja, oḷārikaṁ āhāraṁ āhāresiṁ odanakummāsaṁ.
Tena kho pana maṁ, bhāradvāja, samayena pañcavaggiyā bhikkhū paccupaṭṭhitā honti:
‘yaṁ kho samaṇo gotamo dhammaṁ adhigamissati taṁ no ārocessatī’ti.
Yato kho ahaṁ, bhāradvāja, oḷārikaṁ āhāraṁ āhāresiṁ odanakummāsaṁ, atha me te pañcavaggiyā bhikkhū nibbijja pakkamiṁsu:
‘bāhulliko samaṇo gotamo padhānavibbhanto āvatto bāhullāyā’ti.

Then it occurred to me, ‘I can’t achieve that pleasure with a body so severely emaciated. Why don’t I eat some solid food, some rice and porridge?’ So I ate some solid food. Now at that time the group of five mendicants were attending on me, thinking, ‘The ascetic Gotama will tell us of any truth that he realizes.’ But when I ate some solid food, they left disappointed in me, saying, ‘The ascetic Gotama has become indulgent; he has strayed from the struggle and returned to indulgence.’

So kho ahaṁ, bhāradvāja, oḷārikaṁ āhāraṁ āhāretvā balaṁ gahetvā vivicceva kāmehi …pe… paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ.
Vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ …
tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ …
catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ.

After eating solid food and gathering my strength, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, I entered and remained in the first absorption … As the placing of the mind and keeping it connected were stilled, I entered and remained in the second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.

So evaṁ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte anaṅgaṇe vigatūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñjappatte pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmesiṁ.
So anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarāmi, seyyathidaṁ—ekampi jātiṁ dvepi jātiyo …pe… iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarāmi.

When my mind had immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—I extended it toward recollection of past lives. I recollected many past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. And so I recollected my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Ayaṁ kho me, bhāradvāja, rattiyā paṭhame yāme paṭhamā vijjā adhigatā,
avijjā vihatā, vijjā uppannā; tamo vihato, āloko uppanno; yathā taṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.

This was the first knowledge, which I achieved in the first watch of the night. Ignorance was banished and knowledge arose; darkness was banished and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.

So evaṁ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte anaṅgaṇe vigatūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñjappatte sattānaṁ cutūpapātañāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmesiṁ.
So dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passāmi cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāmi …pe…
ayaṁ kho me, bhāradvāja, rattiyā majjhime yāme dutiyā
vijjā adhigatā, avijjā vihatā, vijjā uppannā; tamo vihato, āloko uppanno; yathā taṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato.

When my mind had immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—I extended it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, I saw sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. I understood how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds. This was the second knowledge, which I achieved in the middle watch of the night. Ignorance was banished and knowledge arose; darkness was banished and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.

When my mind had immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—I extended it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. I truly understood: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.’ I truly understood: ‘These are defilements’ … ‘This is the origin of defilements’ … ‘This is the cessation of defilements’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements.’

Tassa me evaṁ jānato evaṁ passato kāmāsavāpi cittaṁ vimuccittha, bhavāsavāpi cittaṁ vimuccittha, avijjāsavāpi cittaṁ vimuccittha.
Vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ ahosi.
‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti abbhaññāsiṁ.

Knowing and seeing like this, my mind was freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When it was freed, I knew it was freed. I understood: ‘Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is nothing further for this place.’

Ayaṁ kho me, bhāradvāja, rattiyā pacchime yāme tatiyā
vijjā adhigatā, avijjā vihatā, vijjā uppannā; tamo vihato, āloko uppanno; yathā taṁ appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa viharato”ti.

This was the third knowledge, which I achieved in the last watch of the night. Ignorance was banished and knowledge arose; darkness was banished and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute.”

Evaṁ vutte, saṅgāravo māṇavo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“aṭṭhitavataṁ bhoto gotamassa padhānaṁ ahosi, sappurisavataṁ bhoto gotamassa padhānaṁ ahosi;
yathā taṁ arahato sammāsambuddhassa.
Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, atthi devā”ti?
“Ṭhānaso metaṁ, bhāradvāja, viditaṁ yadidaṁ—
adhidevā”ti.
“Kiṁ nu kho, bho gotama, ‘atthi devā’ti puṭṭho samāno ‘ṭhānaso metaṁ, bhāradvāja, viditaṁ yadidaṁ adhidevā’ti vadesi.
Nanu, bho gotama, evaṁ sante tucchā musā hotī”ti?
“‘Atthi devā’ti, bhāradvāja, puṭṭho samāno ‘atthi devā’ti yo vadeyya, ‘ṭhānaso me viditā’ti yo vadeyya;
atha khvettha viññunā purisena ekaṁsena niṭṭhaṁ gantabbaṁ yadidaṁ:
‘atthi devā’”ti.
“Kissa pana me bhavaṁ gotamo ādikeneva na byākāsī”ti?
“Uccena sammataṁ kho etaṁ, bhāradvāja, lokasmiṁ yadidaṁ:
‘atthi devā’”ti.

When he had spoken, Saṅgārava said to the Buddha, “The striving of the worthy Gotama was indeed assiduous and that of a true person, since he is a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha. But worthy Gotama, do gods survive?” “I’ve understood about gods in terms of causes.” “But worthy Gotama, when asked ‘Do gods survive?’ why did you say that you have understood about gods in terms of causes? That being so, is it not hollow and false?” “When asked ‘Do gods survive’, whether you reply ‘Gods survive’ or ‘I’ve understood in terms of causes’ a sensible person would come to the categorical conclusion in this matter that gods survive.” “But why didn’t you say that in the first place?” “It is agreed by the eminent in the world that gods survive.”

Evaṁ vutte, saṅgāravo māṇavo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama.
Seyyathāpi, bho gotama, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhotā gotamena anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito.
Esāhaṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.
Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ gotamo dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.
Saṅgāravasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ dasamaṁ.
Brāhmaṇavaggo niṭṭhito pañcamo.

When he had spoken, Saṅgārava said to the Buddha, “Excellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, worthy Gotama has made the Teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the worthy Gotama, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

Tassuddānaṁ
Brahmāyu selassalāyano,
ghoṭamukho ca brāhmaṇo;
Caṅkī esu dhanañjāni,
vāseṭṭho subhagāravoti.

Its summary: Brahmāyu, Sela and Assalāyana, Ghoṭamukha the brahmin; Caṅkī, among these Dhanañjāni, Vāseṭṭha, and Subhagārava.

Idaṁ vaggānamuddānaṁ
Vaggo gahapati bhikkhu,
paribbājakanāmako;
Rājavaggo brāhmaṇoti,
pañca majjhimaāgame.
Majjhimapaṇṇāsakaṁ samattaṁ.

This is the summary of the chapters: the Householder Chapter, the Monk Chapter, the one named Wanderer; the King Chapter, called the Brahmin Chapter — five in the Middle Collection. The Middle Fifty is completed.

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