Devadahasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 101

At Devadaha · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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So evaṁ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte anaṅgaṇe vigatūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñjappatte sattānaṁ cutūpapātañāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmeti.
So dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāti: ‘ime vata bhonto sattā kāyaduccaritena samannāgatā vacīduccaritena samannāgatā manoduccaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ upavādakā micchādiṭṭhikā micchādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannā. Ime vā pana bhonto sattā kāyasucaritena samannāgatā vacīsucaritena samannāgatā manosucaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ anupavādakā sammādiṭṭhikā sammādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannā’ti. Iti dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāti.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understood how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds: ‘These dear beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They denounced the noble ones; they had wrong view; and they chose to act out of that wrong view. When their body broke up, after death, they were reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings, however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never denounced the noble ones; they had right view; and they chose to act out of that right view. When their body broke up, after death, they were reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds.

Evampi, bhikkhave, saphalo upakkamo hoti, saphalaṁ padhānaṁ.

That too is how exertion and striving is fruitful.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. They truly understand: ‘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.’ They truly understand: ‘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 evaṁ jānato evaṁ passato kāmāsavāpi cittaṁ vimuccati, bhavāsavāpi cittaṁ vimuccati, avijjāsavāpi cittaṁ vimuccati.
Vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ hoti.
‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānāti.
Evampi kho, bhikkhave, saphalo upakkamo hoti, saphalaṁ padhānaṁ.

Knowing and seeing like this, their mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’ That too is how exertion and striving is fruitful.

Evaṁvādī, bhikkhave, tathāgatā.
Evaṁvādīnaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgatānaṁ dasa sahadhammikā pāsaṁsaṭṭhānā āgacchanti.
Sace, bhikkhave, sattā pubbekatahetu sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedenti;
addhā, bhikkhave, tathāgato pubbe sukatakammakārī yaṁ etarahi evarūpā anāsavā sukhā vedanā vedeti.
Sace, bhikkhave, sattā issaranimmānahetu sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedenti;
addhā, bhikkhave, tathāgato bhaddakena issarena nimmito yaṁ etarahi evarūpā anāsavā sukhā vedanā vedeti.
Sace, bhikkhave, sattā saṅgatibhāvahetu sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedenti;
addhā, bhikkhave, tathāgato kalyāṇasaṅgatiko yaṁ etarahi evarūpā anāsavā sukhā vedanā vedeti.
Sace, bhikkhave, sattā abhijātihetu sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedenti;
addhā, bhikkhave, tathāgato kalyāṇābhijātiko yaṁ etarahi evarūpā anāsavā sukhā vedanā vedeti.
Sace, bhikkhave, sattā diṭṭhadhammūpakkamahetu sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedenti;
addhā, bhikkhave, tathāgato kalyāṇadiṭṭhadhammūpakkamo yaṁ etarahi evarūpā anāsavā sukhā vedanā vedeti.

Such is the doctrine of the Realized One. Saying this, the Realized One deserves praise on ten legitimate grounds. If sentient beings experience pleasure and pain because of past deeds, clearly the Realized One has done good deeds in the past, since he now experiences such undefiled pleasure. If sentient beings experience pleasure and pain because of God Almighty’s creation, clearly the Realized One was created by a good God, since he now experiences such undefiled pleasure. If sentient beings experience pleasure and pain because of circumstance and nature, clearly the Realized One arises from good circumstances, since he now experiences such undefiled pleasure. If sentient beings experience pleasure and pain because of the class of rebirth, clearly the Realized One was reborn in a good class, since he now experiences such undefiled pleasure. If sentient beings experience pleasure and pain because of exertion in this life, clearly the Realized One exerts himself well in this life, since he now experiences such undefiled pleasure.

The Realized One deserves praise whether or not sentient beings experience pleasure and pain because of past deeds, or God Almighty’s creation, or circumstance and nature, or class of rebirth, or exertion in this life. Such is the doctrine of the Realized One. Saying this, the Realized One deserves praise on these ten legitimate grounds.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

Devadahasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ paṭhamaṁ.

The Devadaha Discourse is finished — the first.

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