Cūḷaassapurasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 40

The Shorter Discourse at Assapura · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā aṅgesu viharati assapuraṁ nāma aṅgānaṁ nigamo.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
“bhikkhavo”ti.
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Aṅgas, near the Aṅgan town named Assapura. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Samaṇā samaṇāti vo, bhikkhave, jano sañjānāti.
Tumhe ca pana ‘ke tumhe’ti puṭṭhā samānā ‘samaṇāmhā’ti paṭijānātha.
Tesaṁ vo, bhikkhave, evaṁsamaññānaṁ sataṁ evaṁpaṭiññānaṁ sataṁ:
‘yā samaṇasāmīcippaṭipadā taṁ paṭipajjissāma;
evaṁ no ayaṁ amhākaṁ samaññā ca saccā bhavissati paṭiññā ca bhūtā;
yesañca mayaṁ cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānappaccayabhesajjaparikkhāraṁ paribhuñjāma, tesaṁ te kārā amhesu mahapphalā bhavissanti mahānisaṁsā, amhākañcevāyaṁ pabbajjā avañjhā bhavissati saphalā saudrayā’ti.
Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabbaṁ.

“Mendicants, people label you as ascetics. And when they ask you what you are, you claim to be ascetics. Given this label and this claim, you should train like this: ‘We will practice in the way that is proper for an ascetic. That way our label will be accurate and our claim correct. The services of those whose robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick we enjoy shall be very fruitful and beneficial for them. And our going forth will not be barren, but will be fruitful and fertile.’

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu na samaṇasāmīcippaṭipadaṁ paṭipanno hoti?
Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno abhijjhālussa abhijjhā appahīnā hoti, byāpannacittassa byāpādo appahīno hoti, kodhanassa kodho appahīno hoti, upanāhissa upanāho appahīno hoti, makkhissa makkho appahīno hoti, paḷāsissa paḷāso appahīno hoti, issukissa issā appahīnā hoti, maccharissa macchariyaṁ appahīnaṁ hoti, saṭhassa sāṭheyyaṁ appahīnaṁ hoti, māyāvissa māyā appahīnā hoti, pāpicchassa pāpikā icchā appahīnā hoti, micchādiṭṭhikassa micchādiṭṭhi appahīnā hoti—
imesaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, samaṇamalānaṁ samaṇadosānaṁ samaṇakasaṭānaṁ āpāyikānaṁ ṭhānānaṁ duggativedaniyānaṁ appahānā ‘na samaṇasāmīcippaṭipadaṁ paṭipanno’ti vadāmi.

And how does a mendicant not practice in the way that is proper for an ascetic? Any mendicant who has not given up covetousness, ill will, irritability, acrimony, disdain, contempt, jealousy, stinginess, deviousness, deceit, corrupt wishes, and wrong view is not practicing in the way that is proper for an ascetic, I say. And that is due to not giving up these stains, defects, and dregs of an ascetic, these grounds for rebirth in places of loss, to be experienced in bad places.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, matajaṁ nāma āvudhajātaṁ ubhatodhāraṁ pītanisitaṁ.
Tadassa saṅghāṭiyā sampārutaṁ sampaliveṭhitaṁ.
Tathūpamāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imassa bhikkhuno pabbajjaṁ vadāmi.

I say that such a mendicant’s going forth may be compared to the kind of weapon called ‘deadborn’—double-edged, whetted with yellow arsenic—that has been covered and wrapped in an outer robe.

I say that you don’t deserve the label ‘outer robe wearer’ just because you wear an outer robe. You don’t deserve the label ‘naked ascetic’ just because you go naked. You don’t deserve the label ‘dust and dirt wearer’ just because you’re caked in dust and dirt. You don’t deserve the label ‘water immerser’ just because you immerse yourself in water. You don’t deserve the label ‘tree root dweller’ just because you stay at the root of a tree. You don’t deserve the label ‘open air dweller’ just because you stay in the open air. You don’t deserve the label ‘stander’ just because you continually stand. You don’t deserve the label ‘interval eater’ just because you eat food at set intervals. You don’t deserve the label ‘reciter’ just because you recite hymns. You don’t deserve the label ‘matted-hair ascetic’ just because you have matted hair.

Saṅghāṭikassa ce, bhikkhave, saṅghāṭidhāraṇamattena abhijjhālussa abhijjhā pahīyetha, byāpannacittassa byāpādo pahīyetha, kodhanassa kodho pahīyetha, upanāhissa upanāho pahīyetha, makkhissa makkho pahīyetha, paḷāsissa paḷāso pahīyetha, issukissa issā pahīyetha, maccharissa macchariyaṁ pahīyetha, saṭhassa sāṭheyyaṁ pahīyetha, māyāvissa māyā pahīyetha, pāpicchassa pāpikā icchā pahīyetha, micchādiṭṭhikassa micchādiṭṭhi pahīyetha, tamenaṁ mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā jātameva naṁ saṅghāṭikaṁ kareyyuṁ, saṅghāṭikattameva samādapeyyuṁ:
‘ehi tvaṁ, bhadramukha, saṅghāṭiko hohi, saṅghāṭikassa te sato saṅghāṭidhāraṇamattena abhijjhālussa abhijjhā pahīyissati, byāpannacittassa byāpādo pahīyissati, kodhanassa kodho pahīyissati, upanāhissa upanāho pahīyissati, makkhissa makkho pahīyissati, paḷāsissa paḷāso pahīyissati, issukissa issā pahīyissati, maccharissa macchariyaṁ pahīyissati, saṭhassa sāṭheyyaṁ pahīyissati, māyāvissa māyā pahīyissati, pāpicchassa pāpikā icchā pahīyissati, micchādiṭṭhikassa micchādiṭṭhi pahīyissatī’ti.

Imagine that just by wearing an outer robe someone with covetousness, ill will, irritability, acrimony, disdain, contempt, jealousy, stinginess, deviousness, deceit, corrupt wishes, and wrong view could give up these things. If that were the case, your friends and colleagues, relatives and kin would make you an outer robe wearer as soon as you were born. They’d encourage you: ‘Please, dearest, wear an outer robe! By doing so you will give up covetousness, ill will, irritability, acrimony, disdain, contempt, jealousy, stinginess, deviousness, deceit, corrupt wishes, and wrong view.’

But sometimes I see someone with these bad qualities who is an outer robe wearer. That’s why I say that you don’t deserve the label ‘outer robe wearer’ just because you wear an outer robe. Imagine that just by going naked … wearing dust and dirt … immersing in water … staying at the root of a tree … staying in the open air … standing continually … eating at set intervals … reciting hymns …

jaṭilakassa ce, bhikkhave, jaṭādhāraṇamattena abhijjhālussa abhijjhā pahīyetha, byāpannacittassa byāpādo pahīyetha, kodhanassa kodho pahīyetha, upanāhissa upanāho pahīyetha, makkhissa makkho pahīyetha, paḷāsissa paḷāso pahīyetha, issukissa issā pahīyetha, maccharissa macchariyaṁ pahīyetha, saṭhassa sāṭheyyaṁ pahīyetha, māyāvissa māyā pahīyetha, pāpicchassa pāpikā icchā pahīyetha, micchādiṭṭhikassa micchādiṭṭhi pahīyetha, tamenaṁ mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā jātameva naṁ jaṭilakaṁ kareyyuṁ, jaṭilakattameva samādapeyyuṁ:
‘ehi tvaṁ, bhadramukha, jaṭilako hohi, jaṭilakassa te sato jaṭādhāraṇamattena abhijjhālussa abhijjhā pahīyissati byāpannacittassa byāpādo pahīyissati, kodhanassa kodho pahīyissati …pe… pāpicchassa pāpikā icchā pahīyissati micchādiṭṭhikassa micchādiṭṭhi pahīyissatī’ti.

having matted hair someone with covetousness, ill will, irritability, acrimony, disdain, contempt, jealousy, stinginess, deviousness, deceit, corrupt wishes, and wrong view could give up these things. If that were the case, your friends and colleagues, relatives and kin would make you a matted-hair ascetic as soon as you were born. They’d encourage you: ‘Please, dearest, become a matted-hair ascetic! By doing so you will give up covetousness, ill will, irritability, hostility, disdain, contempt, jealousy, stinginess, deviousness, deceit, corrupt wishes, and wrong view.’

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