Pañcattayasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 102

The Five and Three · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Seyyathāpi nāma vāṇijassa vāṇijjāya gacchato evaṁ hoti:
‘ito me idaṁ bhavissati, iminā idaṁ lacchāmī’ti;
evamevime bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā vāṇijūpamā maññe paṭibhanti:
‘iti pecca bhavissāma, iti pecca bhavissāmā’ti.
Tayidaṁ, bhikkhave, tathāgato abhijānāti.
Ye kho te bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññapenti te sakkāyabhayā sakkāyaparijegucchā sakkāyaññeva anuparidhāvanti anuparivattanti.
Seyyathāpi nāma sā gaddulabaddho daḷhe thambhe vā khile vā upanibaddho, tameva thambhaṁ vā khilaṁ vā anuparidhāvati anuparivattati;
evamevime bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā sakkāyabhayā sakkāyaparijegucchā sakkāyaññeva anuparidhāvanti anuparivattanti.
‘Tayidaṁ saṅkhataṁ oḷārikaṁ atthi kho pana saṅkhārānaṁ nirodho atthetan’ti—
iti viditvā tassa nissaraṇadassāvī tathāgato tadupātivatto.

Suppose a trader was going to market, thinking: “With this, that shall be mine! This way, I shall get that!” In the same way, those ascetics and brahmins seem to be like traders when they say: “After death we shall be like this! After death we shall be like that!”’ The Realized One understands this as follows. The ascetics and brahmins who assert the annihilation, eradication, and nonexistence of an existing being; from fear and disgust with substantial reality, they just keep running and circling around substantial reality. Suppose a mutt on a leash was tethered to a strong post or pillar. It would just keeping running and circling around that post or pillar. In the same way, those ascetics and brahmins, from fear and disgust with substantial reality, just keep running and circling around substantial reality. ‘All that is conditioned and crude. But there is the cessation of conditions—that is real.’ Understanding this and seeing the escape from it, the Realized One has gone beyond all that.

Ye hi keci, bhikkhave, samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā aparantakappikā aparantānudiṭṭhino aparantaṁ ārabbha anekavihitāni adhivuttipadāni abhivadanti, sabbe te imāneva pañcāyatanāni abhivadanti etesaṁ vā aññataraṁ.

Whatever ascetics and brahmins speculate and theorize about the final end, and propose various hypotheses concerning the final end, all of them propose one or other of these five topics.

Santi, bhikkhave, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā pubbantakappikā pubbantānudiṭṭhino pubbantaṁ ārabbha anekavihitāni adhivuttipadāni abhivadanti.
‘Sassato attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—
ittheke abhivadanti, ‘asassato attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—
ittheke abhivadanti, ‘sassato ca asassato ca attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—
ittheke abhivadanti, ‘nevasassato nāsassato attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—
ittheke abhivadanti, ‘antavā attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—
ittheke abhivadanti, ‘anantavā attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—
ittheke abhivadanti, ‘antavā ca anantavā ca attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—
ittheke abhivadanti, ‘nevantavā nānantavā attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti—

There are some ascetics and brahmins who speculate and theorize about the first beginning, and propose various hypotheses concerning the first beginning. They propose the following, each insisting that theirs is the only truth and that everything else is wrong. ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are not eternal.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are both eternal and not eternal.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are neither eternal nor not eternal.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are finite.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are infinite.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are both finite and infinite.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are neither finite nor infinite.’

‘The self and the cosmos are unified in perception.’ ‘The self and the cosmos are diverse in perception.’ ‘The self and the cosmos have limited perception.’ ‘The self and the cosmos have limitless perception.’ ‘The self and the cosmos experience nothing but happiness.’ ‘The self and the cosmos experience absolute suffering.’ ‘The self and the cosmos experience both happiness and suffering.’ ‘The self and the cosmos experience neither happiness nor suffering.’

Tatra, bhikkhave, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino:
‘sassato attā ca loko ca, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti, tesaṁ vata aññatreva saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā paccattaṁyeva ñāṇaṁ bhavissati parisuddhaṁ pariyodātanti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.
Paccattaṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, ñāṇe asati parisuddhe pariyodāte yadapi te bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā tattha ñāṇabhāgamattameva pariyodapenti tadapi tesaṁ bhavataṁ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ upādānamakkhāyati.
‘Tayidaṁ saṅkhataṁ oḷārikaṁ atthi kho pana saṅkhārānaṁ nirodho atthetan’ti—
iti viditvā tassa nissaraṇadassāvī tathāgato tadupātivatto.

Now, consider the ascetics and brahmins whose view is as follows. ‘The self and the cosmos are eternal. This is the only truth, anything else is futile.’ It’s simply not possible for them to have personal knowledge of this that is pure and bright, apart from faith, endorsement, oral transmission, reasoned train of thought, or acceptance of a view after deliberation. But in the absence of personal knowledge that is pure and bright, even the portion of knowledge they illuminate is said to be grasping on their part. ‘All that is conditioned and crude. But there is the cessation of conditions—that is real.’ Understanding this and seeing the escape from it, the Realized One has gone beyond all that.

Now, consider the ascetics and brahmins whose view is as follows. The self and the cosmos are not eternal, or both eternal and not eternal, or neither eternal nor not-eternal, or finite, or infinite, or both finite and infinite, or neither finite nor infinite, or of unified perception, or of diverse perception, or of limited perception, or of limitless perception, or experience nothing but happiness, or experience absolute suffering,

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