Chabbisodhanasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 112

The Sixfold Purification · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Tassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno ‘sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditabbaṁ, anumoditabbaṁ.
‘Sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uttariṁ pañho pucchitabbo.
‘Cha kho panimāni, āvuso, ajjhattikabāhirāni āyatanāni tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātāni.
Katamāni cha?
Cakkhu ceva rūpā ca, sotañca saddā ca, ghānañca gandhā ca, jivhā ca rasā ca, kāyo ca phoṭṭhabbā ca, mano ca dhammā ca—
imāni kho, āvuso, cha ajjhattikabāhirāni āyatanāni tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātāni.
Kathaṁ jānato panāyasmato, kathaṁ passato imesu chasu ajjhattikabāhiresu āyatanesu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti?

Saying ‘Good!’ you should applaud and cheer that mendicant’s statement, then ask a further question: ‘Reverend, these six interior and exterior sense fields have been rightly explained by the Buddha. What six? The eye and sights, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the body and touches, and the mind and ideas. These are the six interior and exterior sense fields that have been rightly explained by the Buddha. How does the venerable know and see regarding these six interior and exterior sense fields so that your mind is freed from defilements by not grasping?’

Khīṇāsavassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno vusitavato katakaraṇīyassa ohitabhārassa anuppattasadatthassa parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanassa sammadaññāvimuttassa ayamanudhammo hoti veyyākaraṇāya:
‘cakkhusmiṁ, āvuso, rūpe cakkhuviññāṇe cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu yo chando yo rāgo yā nandī yā taṇhā ye ca upāyūpādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā vimuttaṁ me cittanti pajānāmi.
Sotasmiṁ, āvuso, sadde sotaviññāṇe …pe…
ghānasmiṁ, āvuso, gandhe ghānaviññāṇe …
jivhāya, āvuso, rase jivhāviññāṇe …
kāyasmiṁ, āvuso, phoṭṭhabbe kāyaviññāṇe …
manasmiṁ, āvuso, dhamme manoviññāṇe manoviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu yo chando yo rāgo yā nandī yā taṇhā ye ca upāyūpādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā vimuttaṁ me cittanti pajānāmi.

For a mendicant with defilements ended it is in line with the teaching to answer: ‘I understand that my mind is freed through the ending, fading away, cessation, giving away, and letting go of desire and greed and relishing and craving; attraction, grasping, mental fixation, insistence, and underlying tendency for the eye, sights, eye consciousness, and things knowable by eye consciousness. I understand that my mind is freed through the ending of desire for the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, ideas, mind consciousness, and things knowable by mind consciousness.

Evaṁ kho me, āvuso, jānato evaṁ passato imesu chasu ajjhattikabāhiresu āyatanesu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti.

That is how I know and see regarding these six interior and exterior sense fields so that my mind is freed from defilements by not grasping.’

Tassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno ‘sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditabbaṁ anumoditabbaṁ.
‘Sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uttariṁ pañho pucchitabbo.
‘Kathaṁ jānato panāyasmato, kathaṁ passato imasmiñca saviññāṇake kāye bahiddhā ca sabbanimittesu ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā samūhatā’ti?

Saying ‘Good!’ you should applaud and cheer that mendicant’s statement, then ask a further question: ‘Sir, how does the venerable know and see so that he has eradicated I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body and externally for all signs?’

Khīṇāsavassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno vusitavato katakaraṇīyassa ohitabhārassa anuppattasadatthassa parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanassa sammadaññāvimuttassa ayamanudhammo hoti veyyākaraṇāya:
‘pubbe kho ahaṁ, āvuso, agāriyabhūto samāno aviddasu ahosiṁ.
Tassa me tathāgato vā tathāgatasāvako vā dhammaṁ desesi.
Tāhaṁ dhammaṁ sutvā tathāgate saddhaṁ paṭilabhiṁ.
So tena saddhāpaṭilābhena samannāgato iti paṭisañcikkhiṁ:
“sambādho gharāvāso rajāpatho, abbhokāso pabbajjā.
Nayidaṁ sukaraṁ agāraṁ ajjhāvasatā ekantaparipuṇṇaṁ ekantaparisuddhaṁ saṅkhalikhitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carituṁ.
Yannūnāhaṁ kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajeyyan”ti.

For a mendicant with defilements ended it is in line with the teaching to answer: ‘Formerly, reverends, when I was still a layperson, I was ignorant. Then the Realized One or one of his disciples taught me the Dhamma. I gained faith in the Realized One, and reflected: “Life at home is cramped and dirty, life gone forth is wide open. It’s not easy for someone living at home to lead the spiritual life utterly full and pure, like a polished shell. Why don’t I shave off my hair and beard, dress in ocher robes, and go forth from lay life to homelessness?”

So kho ahaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena appaṁ vā bhogakkhandhaṁ pahāya mahantaṁ vā bhogakkhandhaṁ pahāya, appaṁ vā ñātiparivaṭṭaṁ pahāya mahantaṁ vā ñātiparivaṭṭaṁ pahāya kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajiṁ.
So evaṁ pabbajito samāno bhikkhūnaṁ sikkhāsājīvasamāpanno pāṇātipātaṁ pahāya pāṇātipātā paṭivirato ahosiṁ nihitadaṇḍo nihitasattho, lajjī dayāpanno sabbapāṇabhūtahitānukampī vihāsiṁ.
Adinnādānaṁ pahāya adinnādānā paṭivirato ahosiṁ dinnādāyī dinnapāṭikaṅkhī, athenena sucibhūtena attanā vihāsiṁ.
Abrahmacariyaṁ pahāya brahmacārī ahosiṁ ārācārī virato methunā gāmadhammā.
Musāvādaṁ pahāya musāvādā paṭivirato ahosiṁ saccavādī saccasandho theto paccayiko avisaṁvādako lokassa.

After some time I gave up a large or small fortune, and a large or small family circle. I shaved off hair and beard, dressed in ocher robes, and went forth from the lay life to homelessness. Once I had gone forth, I took up the training and livelihood of the mendicants. I gave up killing living creatures, renouncing the rod and the sword. I was scrupulous and kind, living full of sympathy for all living beings. I gave up stealing. I took only what’s given, and expected only what’s given. I kept myself clean by not thieving. I gave up unchastity. I became chaste, set apart, refraining from the vulgar act of sex. I gave up lying. I spoke the truth and stuck to the truth. I was honest and dependable, not tricking the world with my words.

Pisuṇaṁ vācaṁ pahāya pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirato ahosiṁ, ito sutvā na amutra akkhātā imesaṁ bhedāya, amutra vā sutvā na imesaṁ akkhātā amūsaṁ bhedāya; iti bhinnānaṁ vā sandhātā sahitānaṁ vā anuppadātā samaggārāmo samaggarato samagganandī samaggakaraṇiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā ahosiṁ.
Pharusaṁ vācaṁ pahāya pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato ahosiṁ; yā sā vācā nelā kaṇṇasukhā pemanīyā hadayaṅgamā porī bahujanakantā bahujanamanāpā tathārūpiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā ahosiṁ.
Samphappalāpaṁ pahāya samphappalāpā paṭivirato ahosiṁ; kālavādī bhūtavādī atthavādī dhammavādī vinayavādī nidhānavatiṁ vācaṁ bhāsitā ahosiṁ kālena sāpadesaṁ pariyantavatiṁ atthasaṁhitaṁ.

I gave up backbiting. I didn’t repeat in one place what I heard in another so as to divide people against each other. Instead, I reconciled those who are divided and support those who are united, delighting in harmony, loving harmony, speaking words that promote harmony. I gave up harsh speech. I spoke in a way that’s mellow, pleasing to the ear, endearing, going to the heart, polite, and likable and agreeable to the people. I gave up talking nonsense. My words were timely, true, and meaningful, in line with the teaching and training. I said things at the right time which are valuable, reasonable, succinct, and beneficial.

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