Cūḷataṇhāsaṅkhayasutta

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Majjhima Nikāya 37

Cūḷataṇhāsaṅkhayasutta

The Shorter Discourse on the Ending of Craving · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the stilt longhouse of Migāra’s mother in the Eastern Monastery.

Atha kho sakko devānamindo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho sakko devānamindo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhu saṅkhittena taṇhāsaṅkhayavimutto hoti accantaniṭṭho accantayogakkhemī accantabrahmacārī accantapariyosāno seṭṭho devamanussānan”ti?

And then Sakka, lord of gods, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him: “Sir, how do you briefly define a mendicant who is freed through the ending of craving, who has reached the ultimate end, the ultimate sanctuary from the yoke, the ultimate spiritual life, the ultimate goal, and is best among gods and humans?”

“Idha, devānaminda, bhikkhuno sutaṁ hoti:
‘sabbe dhammā nālaṁ abhinivesāyā’ti.
Evañcetaṁ, devānaminda, bhikkhuno sutaṁ hoti:
‘sabbe dhammā nālaṁ abhinivesāyā’ti.
So sabbaṁ dhammaṁ abhijānāti; sabbaṁ dhammaṁ abhiññāya sabbaṁ dhammaṁ parijānāti; sabbaṁ dhammaṁ pariññāya yaṁ kiñci vedanaṁ vedeti—
sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā, so tāsu vedanāsu aniccānupassī viharati, virāgānupassī viharati, nirodhānupassī viharati, paṭinissaggānupassī viharati.
So tāsu vedanāsu aniccānupassī viharanto, virāgānupassī viharanto, nirodhānupassī viharanto, paṭinissaggānupassī viharanto na kiñci loke upādiyati.
Anupādiyaṁ na paritassati, aparitassaṁ paccattaññeva parinibbāyati:
‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānāti.
Ettāvatā kho, devānaminda, bhikkhu saṅkhittena taṇhāsaṅkhayavimutto hoti accantaniṭṭho accantayogakkhemī accantabrahmacārī accantapariyosāno seṭṭho devamanussānan”ti.

“Lord of gods, take a mendicant who has heard: ‘Nothing is worth insisting on.’ When a mendicant has heard that nothing is worth insisting on, they directly know all things. Directly knowing all things, they completely understand all things. Completely understanding all things, when they experience any kind of feeling—pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral— they meditate observing impermanence, dispassion, cessation, and letting go in those feelings. Meditating in this way, they don’t grasp at anything in the world. Not grasping, they’re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’ That’s how I briefly define a mendicant who is freed through the ending of craving, who has reached the ultimate end, the ultimate sanctuary from the yoke, the ultimate spiritual life, the ultimate goal, and is best among gods and humans.”

Atha kho sakko devānamindo bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyi.

Then Sakka, lord of gods, having approved and agreed with what the Buddha said, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before vanishing right there.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhagavato avidūre nisinno hoti.
Atha kho āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa etadahosi:
“kiṁ nu kho so yakkho bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhisamecca anumodi udāhu no;
yannūnāhaṁ taṁ yakkhaṁ jāneyyaṁ—
yadi vā so yakkho bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhisamecca anumodi yadi vā no”ti?

Now at that time Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was sitting not far from the Buddha. He thought, “Did that spirit comprehend what the Buddha said when he agreed with him, or not? Why don’t I find out?”

Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evameva—pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde antarahito devesu tāvatiṁsesu pāturahosi.

And then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, vanished from the Eastern Monastery and reappeared among the gods of the thirty-three.

Tena kho pana samayena sakko devānamindo ekapuṇḍarīke uyyāne dibbehi pañcahi tūriyasatehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāreti.
Addasā kho sakko devānamindo āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.
Disvāna tāni dibbāni pañca tūriyasatāni paṭippaṇāmetvā yenāyasmā mahāmoggallāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca:
“ehi kho, mārisa moggallāna, svāgataṁ, mārisa moggallāna.
Cirassaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna, imaṁ pariyāyaṁ akāsi yadidaṁ idhāgamanāya.
Nisīda, mārisa moggallāna, idamāsanaṁ paññattan”ti.
Nisīdi kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno paññatte āsane.
Sakkopi kho devānamindo aññataraṁ nīcaṁ āsanaṁ gahetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:

Now at that time Sakka was amusing himself in the Single Lotus Park, supplied and provided with a heavenly orchestra. Seeing Mahāmoggallāna coming off in the distance, he waved off the orchestra, approached Mahāmoggallāna, and said, “Come, my good fellow Moggallāna! Welcome, my good fellow! It’s been a long time since you took the opportunity to come here. Sit, my good Moggallāna, here, a seat is ready.” Mahāmoggallāna sat down on the seat spread out, while Sakka took a low seat and sat to one side. Mahāmoggallāna said to him,

“yathā kathaṁ pana kho, kosiya, bhagavā saṅkhittena taṇhāsaṅkhayavimuttiṁ abhāsi?
Sādhu mayampi etissā kathāya bhāgino assāma savanāyā”ti.
“Mayaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna, bahukiccā bahukaraṇīyā—
appeva sakena karaṇīyena, api ca devānaṁyeva tāvatiṁsānaṁ karaṇīyena.
Api ca, mārisa moggallāna, sussutaṁyeva hoti suggahitaṁ sumanasikataṁ sūpadhāritaṁ, yaṁ no khippameva antaradhāyati.
Bhūtapubbaṁ, mārisa moggallāna, devāsurasaṅgāmo samupabyūḷho ahosi.
Tasmiṁ kho pana, mārisa moggallāna, saṅgāme devā jiniṁsu, asurā parājiniṁsu.
So kho ahaṁ, mārisa moggallāna, taṁ saṅgāmaṁ abhivijinitvā vijitasaṅgāmo tato paṭinivattitvā vejayantaṁ nāma pāsādaṁ māpesiṁ.
Vejayantassa kho, mārisa moggallāna, pāsādassa ekasataṁ niyyūhaṁ.
Ekekasmiṁ niyyūhe satta satta kūṭāgārasatāni.
Ekamekasmiṁ kūṭāgāre satta satta accharāyo.
Ekamekissā accharāya satta satta paricārikāyo.

“Kosiya, how did the Buddha briefly explain freedom through the ending of craving? Please share this talk with me so that I can also get to hear it.” “My good Moggallāna, I have many duties, and much to do, not only for myself, but also for the gods of the thirty-three. Still, what is properly heard, learned, attended, and memorized does not vanish all of a sudden. Once upon a time, a battle was fought between the gods and the titans. In that battle the gods won and the titans lost. When I returned from that battle as a conqueror, I created the Palace of Victory. The Palace of Victory has a hundred towers. Each tower has seven hundred chambers. Each chamber has seven nymphs. Each nymph has seven maids.

Iccheyyāsi no tvaṁ, mārisa moggallāna, vejayantassa pāsādassa rāmaṇeyyakaṁ daṭṭhun”ti?
Adhivāsesi kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno tuṇhībhāvena.

Would you like to see the lovely Palace of Victory?” Mahāmoggallāna consented with silence.

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