Channovādasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 144

Advice to Channa · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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“Cakkhuṁ, āvuso channa, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasi?
Sotaṁ, āvuso channa, sotaviññāṇaṁ …pe…
ghānaṁ, āvuso channa, ghānaviññāṇaṁ …
jivhaṁ, āvuso channa, jivhāviññāṇaṁ …
kāyaṁ, āvuso channa, kāyaviññāṇaṁ …
manaṁ, āvuso channa, manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasī”ti?
“Cakkhuṁ, āvuso sāriputta, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmi.
Sotaṁ, āvuso sāriputta …pe…
ghānaṁ, āvuso sāriputta …
jivhaṁ, āvuso sāriputta …
kāyaṁ, āvuso sāriputta …
manaṁ, āvuso sāriputta, manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmī”ti.

“Reverend Channa, do you regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things knowable by eye consciousness in this way: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’? Do you regard the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, mind consciousness, and things knowable by mind consciousness in this way: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?” “Reverend Sāriputta, I regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things knowable by eye consciousness in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’ I regard the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, mind consciousness, and things knowable by mind consciousness in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’.”

“Cakkhusmiṁ, āvuso channa, cakkhuviññāṇe cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu kiṁ disvā kiṁ abhiññāya cakkhuṁ cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassasi?
Sotasmiṁ, āvuso channa, sotaviññāṇe …
ghānasmiṁ, āvuso channa, ghānaviññāṇe …
jivhāya, āvuso channa, jivhāviññāṇe …
kāyasmiṁ, āvuso channa, kāyaviññāṇe …
manasmiṁ, āvuso channa, manoviññāṇe manoviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu kiṁ disvā kiṁ abhiññāya manaṁ manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassasī”ti?
“Cakkhusmiṁ, āvuso sāriputta, cakkhuviññāṇe cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu nirodhaṁ disvā nirodhaṁ abhiññāya cakkhuṁ cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmi.
Sotasmiṁ, āvuso sāriputta, sotaviññāṇe …
ghānasmiṁ, āvuso sāriputta, ghānaviññāṇe …
jivhāya, āvuso sāriputta, jivhāviññāṇe …

“Reverend Channa, what have you seen, what have you directly known in these things that you regard them in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’?” “Reverend Sāriputta, after seeing cessation, after directly knowing cessation in these things I regard them in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’.”

kāyasmiṁ, āvuso sāriputta, kāyaviññāṇe …
manasmiṁ, āvuso sāriputta, manoviññāṇe manoviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu nirodhaṁ disvā nirodhaṁ abhiññāya manaṁ manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmī”ti.

In the body, friend Sāriputta, in body-consciousness … in the mind, friend Sāriputta, in mind-consciousness, in things cognizable by mind-consciousness, in phenomena, having seen cessation, having fully understood cessation, I regard the mind, mind-consciousness, and things cognizable by mind-consciousness, and phenomena thus: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā mahācundo āyasmantaṁ channaṁ etadavoca:
“tasmātiha, āvuso channa, idampi tassa bhagavato sāsanaṁ, niccakappaṁ manasi kātabbaṁ:
‘nissitassa calitaṁ, anissitassa calitaṁ natthi.
Calite asati passaddhi,
passaddhiyā sati nati na hoti.
Natiyā asati āgatigati na hoti.
Āgatigatiyā asati cutūpapāto na hoti.
Cutūpapāte asati nevidha na huraṁ na ubhayamantarena.
Esevanto dukkhassā’”ti.
Atha kho āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahācundo āyasmantaṁ channaṁ iminā ovādena ovaditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkamiṁsu.

When he said this, Venerable Mahācunda said to Venerable Channa: “So, Reverend Channa, you should regularly apply your mind to this instruction of the Buddha: ‘For the dependent there is quivering. For the independent there’s no quivering. When there’s no quivering, there is tranquility. When there is tranquility, there’s no inclination. When there’s no inclination, there’s no coming and going. When there’s no coming and going, there’s no passing away and reappearing. When there’s no passing away and reappearing, there’s no this life or the next or between the two. Just this is the end of suffering.’” And when the venerables Sāriputta and Mahācunda had given Venerable Channa this advice they rose from their seats and left.

Atha kho āyasmā channo acirapakkante āyasmante ca sāriputte āyasmante ca mahācunde satthaṁ āharesi.

Not long after those venerables had left, Venerable Channa committed suicide.

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“āyasmatā, bhante, channena satthaṁ āharitaṁ.
Tassa kā gati, ko abhisamparāyo”ti?
“Nanu te, sāriputta, channena bhikkhunā sammukhāyeva anupavajjatā byākatā”ti?
“Atthi, bhante, pubbajiraṁ nāma vajjigāmo.
Tatthāyasmato channassa mittakulāni suhajjakulāni upavajjakulānī”ti.
“Honti hete, sāriputta, channassa bhikkhuno mittakulāni suhajjakulāni upavajjakulāni.
Nāhaṁ, sāriputta, ettāvatā ‘saupavajjo’ti vadāmi.
Yo kho, sāriputta, imañca kāyaṁ nikkhipati aññañca kāyaṁ upādiyati tamahaṁ ‘saupavajjo’ti vadāmi.
Taṁ channassa bhikkhuno natthi.
‘Anupavajjo channo bhikkhu satthaṁ āharesī’ti evametaṁ, sāriputta, dhārehī”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā.
Attamano āyasmā sāriputto bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandīti.
Channovādasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ dutiyaṁ.

Then Sāriputta went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, “Sir, Venerable Channa has committed suicide. Where has he been reborn in his next life?” “Sāriputta, didn’t the mendicant Channa declare his blamelessness to you personally?” “Sir, there is a Vajjian village named Pubbajira. There Channa had families who were friendly, intimate, and hospitable.” “The mendicant Channa did indeed have such families. But, Sāriputta, this is not enough for me to call someone ‘blameworthy’. When someone lays down this body and takes up another body, I call them ‘blameworthy’. But the mendicant Channa did no such thing. You should remember this: ‘The mendicant Channa committed suicide blamelessly.’” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, Venerable Sāriputta approved what the Buddha said.

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