Gopakamoggallānasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 108

With Moggallāna the Guardian · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Bahussuto hoti sutadharo sutasannicayo.
Ye te dhammā ādikalyāṇā, majjhekalyāṇā, pariyosānakalyāṇā, sātthaṁ, sabyañjanaṁ, kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ abhivadanti tathārūpāssa dhammā bahussutā honti dhātā vacasā paricitā manasānupekkhitā diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā.

They’re very learned, remembering and keeping what they’ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically.

Santuṭṭho hoti cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhārehi.

They’re content with robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.

Catunnaṁ jhānānaṁ ābhicetasikānaṁ diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṁ nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī.

They get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.

Anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhoti—ekopi hutvā bahudhā hoti, bahudhāpi hutvā eko hoti; āvibhāvaṁ tirobhāvaṁ; tirokuṭṭaṁ tiropākāraṁ tiropabbataṁ asajjamāno gacchati, seyyathāpi ākāse; pathaviyāpi ummujjanimujjaṁ karoti, seyyathāpi udake; udakepi abhijjamāne gacchati, seyyathāpi pathaviyaṁ; ākāsepi pallaṅkena kamati, seyyathāpi pakkhī sakuṇo; imepi candimasūriye evaṁmahiddhike evaṁmahānubhāve pāṇinā parimasati parimajjati, yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vatteti.

They wield the many kinds of psychic power: multiplying themselves and becoming one again; materializing and dematerializing; going unobstructed through a wall, a rampart, or a mountain as if through space; diving in and out of the earth as if it were water; walking on water as if it were earth; flying cross-legged through the sky like a bird; touching and stroking with the hand the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful. They control the body as far as the realm of divinity.

Dibbāya sotadhātuyā visuddhāya atikkantamānusikāya ubho sadde suṇāti—dibbe ca mānuse ca, ye dūre santike ca.

With clairaudience that is purified and superhuman, they hear both kinds of sounds, human and heavenly, whether near or far.

They understand the minds of other beings and individuals, having encompassed them with their own mind. They understand mind with greed as ‘mind with greed’, and mind without greed as ‘mind without greed’. They understand mind with hate … mind without hate … mind with delusion … mind without delusion … constricted mind … scattered mind … expansive mind … unexpansive mind … mind that is not supreme … mind that is supreme … mind immersed in samādhi … mind not immersed in samādhi … freed mind …

avimuttaṁ vā cittaṁ ‘avimuttaṁ cittan’ti pajānāti.

They understand unfreed mind as ‘unfreed mind’.

Anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, seyyathidaṁ—ekampi jātiṁ dvepi jātiyo tissopi jātiyo catassopi jātiyo pañcapi jātiyo dasapi jātiyo vīsampi jātiyo tiṁsampi jātiyo cattārīsampi jātiyo paññāsampi jātiyo jātisatampi jātisahassampi jātisatasahassampi anekepi saṁvaṭṭakappe anekepi vivaṭṭakappe anekepi saṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe: ‘amutrāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto amutra udapādiṁ; tatrāpāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto idhūpapanno’ti. Iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati.

They recollect many kinds of 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. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajānāti.

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.

Āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.
Ime kho, brāhmaṇa, tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena dasa pasādanīyā dhammā akkhātā.
Yasmiṁ no ime dhammā saṁvijjanti taṁ mayaṁ etarahi sakkaroma garuṁ karoma mānema pūjema; sakkatvā garuṁ katvā upanissāya viharāmā”ti.

They realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements. These are the ten inspiring things explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. We honor anyone in whom these things are found, and rely on them.”

Evaṁ vutte, vassakāro brāhmaṇo magadhamahāmatto upanandaṁ senāpatiṁ āmantesi:
“Taṁ kiṁ maññati bhavaṁ senāpati yadime bhonto sakkātabbaṁ sakkaronti, garuṁ kātabbaṁ garuṁ karonti,
mānetabbaṁ mānenti, pūjetabbaṁ pūjenti”?
“Tagghime bhonto sakkātabbaṁ sakkaronti, garuṁ kātabbaṁ garuṁ karonti, mānetabbaṁ mānenti, pūjetabbaṁ pūjenti.
Imañca hi te bhonto na sakkareyyuṁ na garuṁ kareyyuṁ na māneyyuṁ na pūjeyyuṁ;
atha kiñcarahi te bhonto sakkareyyuṁ garuṁ kareyyuṁ māneyyuṁ pūjeyyuṁ, sakkatvā garuṁ katvā mānetvā pūjetvā upanissāya vihareyyun”ti?

When he had spoken, Vassakāra addressed General Upananda, “What do you think, general? Do these venerables honor, respect, revere, and venerate those who are worthy?” “Indeed they do. For if these venerables were not to honor, respect, revere, and venerate them, who then would they honor?”

Atha kho vassakāro brāhmaṇo magadhamahāmatto āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:
“kahaṁ pana bhavaṁ ānando etarahi viharatī”ti?
“Veḷuvane khohaṁ, brāhmaṇa, etarahi viharāmī”ti.
“Kacci pana, bho ānanda, veḷuvanaṁ ramaṇīyañceva appasaddañca appanigghosañca vijanavātaṁ manussarāhasseyyakaṁ paṭisallānasāruppan”ti?
“Taggha, brāhmaṇa, veḷuvanaṁ ramaṇīyañceva appasaddañca appanigghosañca vijanavātaṁ manussarāhasseyyakaṁ paṭisallānasāruppaṁ, yathā taṁ tumhādisehi rakkhakehi gopakehī”ti.
“Taggha, bho ānanda, veḷuvanaṁ ramaṇīyañceva appasaddañca appanigghosañca vijanavātaṁ manussarāhasseyyakaṁ paṭisallānasāruppaṁ, yathā taṁ bhavantehi jhāyīhi jhānasīlīhi.
Jhāyino ceva bhavanto jhānasīlino ca.
Ekamidāhaṁ, bho ānanda, samayaṁ so bhavaṁ gotamo vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ.
Atha khvāhaṁ, bho ānanda, yena mahāvanaṁ kūṭāgārasālā yena so bhavaṁ gotamo tenupasaṅkamiṁ.
Tatra ca pana so bhavaṁ gotamo anekapariyāyena jhānakathaṁ kathesi.

Then Vassakāra said to Ānanda, “Where are you staying at present?” “In the Bamboo Grove, brahmin.” “I hope the Bamboo Grove is delightful, quiet and still, far from the madding crowd, remote from human settlements, and fit for retreat?” “Indeed it is, brahmin. And it is like that owing to such protectors and guardians as yourself.” “Surely, worthy Ānanda, it is owing to the good fellows who meditate, making a habit of meditating. For the good fellows do in fact meditate and make a habit of meditating. This one time, worthy Ānanda, worthy Gotama was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. So I went there to see him. And there he spoke about meditation in many ways.

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