Mahākaccānabhaddekarattasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 133

Mahākaccānabhaddekarattasutta

Mahākaccāna and One Fine Night · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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pahoti cāyasmā mahākaccāno imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajituṁ.
Yannūna mayaṁ yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkameyyāma; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyāmā”ti.
Atha kho te bhikkhū yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā mahākaccānena saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu.
Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etadavocuṁ:
“idaṁ kho no, āvuso kaccāna, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:
‘Atītaṁ nānvāgameyya,
…pe…
Taṁ ve bhaddekarattoti,
santo ācikkhate munī’ti.
Tesaṁ no, āvuso kaccāna, amhākaṁ, acirapakkantassa bhagavato, etadahosi—
idaṁ kho no, āvuso, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:
‘Atītaṁ nānvāgameyya,
…pe…

He is capable of explaining in detail the meaning of this brief summary recital given by the Buddha. Let’s go to him, and ask him about this matter.” Then those mendicants went to Mahākaccāna, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side. They told him what had happened, and said:

Taṁ ve bhaddekarattoti,
santo ācikkhate munī’ti.

That indeed the peaceful one calls one fine night, the sage.

Ko nu kho imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajeyyāti?
Tesaṁ no, āvuso kaccāna, amhākaṁ etadahosi:
‘ayaṁ kho āyasmā mahākaccāno satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ.
Pahoti cāyasmā mahākaccāno imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajituṁ.
Yannūna mayaṁ yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkameyyāma; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyāmā’ti.
Vibhajatāyasmā mahākaccāno”ti.

“May Venerable Mahākaccāna please explain this.”

“Seyyathāpi, āvuso, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva mūlaṁ atikkamma khandhaṁ sākhāpalāse sāraṁ pariyesitabbaṁ maññeyya;
evaṁsampadamidaṁ āyasmantānaṁ satthari sammukhībhūte taṁ bhagavantaṁ atisitvā amhe etamatthaṁ paṭipucchitabbaṁ maññatha.
So hāvuso, bhagavā jānaṁ jānāti, passaṁ passati, cakkhubhūto ñāṇabhūto dhammabhūto brahmabhūto vattā pavattā atthassa ninnetā amatassa dātā dhammassāmī tathāgato.
So ceva panetassa kālo ahosi yaṁ bhagavantaṁyeva etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyātha, yathā vo bhagavā byākareyya tathā naṁ dhāreyyāthā”ti.

“Reverends, suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he’d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But he’d pass over the roots and trunk, imagining that the heartwood should be sought in the branches and leaves. Such is the consequence for the venerables. Though you were face to face with the Buddha, you bypassed him, imagining that you should ask me about this matter. For he is the Buddha, the one who knows and sees. He is vision, he is knowledge, he is the manifestation of principle, he is the manifestation of divinity. He is the preacher, the proclaimer, the elucidator of meaning, the bestower of freedom from death, the lord of truth, the Realized One. That was the time to approach the Buddha and ask about this matter. You should have remembered it in line with the Buddha’s answer.”

“Addhāvuso kaccāna, bhagavā jānaṁ jānāti, passaṁ passati, cakkhubhūto ñāṇabhūto dhammabhūto brahmabhūto vattā pavattā atthassa ninnetā amatassa dātā dhammassāmī tathāgato.
So ceva panetassa kālo ahosi yaṁ bhagavantaṁyeva etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyāma;
yathā no bhagavā byākareyya tathā naṁ dhāreyyāma.
Api cāyasmā mahākaccāno satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ;
pahoti cāyasmā mahākaccāno imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajituṁ.
Vibhajatāyasmā mahākaccāno agaruṁ karitvā”ti.

“Certainly he is the Buddha, the one who knows and sees. He is vision, he is knowledge, he is the manifestation of principle, he is the manifestation of divinity. He is the preacher, the proclaimer, the elucidator of meaning, the bestower of freedom from death, the lord of truth, the Realized One. That was the time to approach the Buddha and ask about this matter. We should have remembered it in line with the Buddha’s answer. Still, Venerable Mahākaccāna is praised by the Buddha and esteemed by his sensible spiritual companions. He is capable of explaining in detail the meaning of this brief summary recital given by the Buddha. Please explain this, if it’s no trouble.”

“Tena hāvuso, suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Evamāvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahākaccānassa paccassosuṁ.
Āyasmā mahākaccāno etadavoca:

“Well then, reverends, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, reverend,” they replied. Venerable Mahākaccāna said this:

“Yaṁ kho no, āvuso, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:
‘Atītaṁ nānvāgameyya,
…pe…
Taṁ ve bhaddekarattoti,
santo ācikkhate munī’ti.
Imassa kho ahaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa evaṁ vitthārena atthaṁ ājānāmi—

“Reverends, the Buddha gave this brief summary recital, then entered his dwelling without explaining the meaning in detail: ‘Don’t run back to the past … that’s who has one fine night— so declares the peaceful sage.’ And this is how I understand the detailed meaning of this summary recital.

Kathañca, āvuso, atītaṁ anvāgameti?
Iti me cakkhu ahosi atītamaddhānaṁ iti rūpāti—
tattha chandarāgappaṭibaddhaṁ hoti viññāṇaṁ, chandarāgappaṭibaddhattā viññāṇassa tadabhinandati, tadabhinandanto atītaṁ anvāgameti.
Iti me sotaṁ ahosi atītamaddhānaṁ iti saddāti …pe…
iti me ghānaṁ ahosi atītamaddhānaṁ iti gandhāti …
iti me jivhā ahosi atītamaddhānaṁ iti rasāti …
iti me kāyo ahosi atītamaddhānaṁ iti phoṭṭhabbāti …
iti me mano ahosi atītamaddhānaṁ iti dhammāti—
tattha chandarāgappaṭibaddhaṁ hoti viññāṇaṁ, chandarāgappaṭibaddhattā viññāṇassa tadabhinandati, tadabhinandanto atītaṁ anvāgameti—
evaṁ kho, āvuso, atītaṁ anvāgameti.

And how do you run back to the past? Consciousness gets tied up there with desire and lust, thinking: ‘In the past I had such eyes and such sights.’ So you take pleasure in that, and that’s when you run back to the past. Consciousness gets tied up there with desire and lust, thinking: ‘In the past I had such ears and such sounds … such a nose and such smells … such a tongue and such tastes … such a body and such touches … such a mind and such ideas.’ So you take pleasure in that, and that’s when you run back to the past. That’s how you run back to the past.

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