Cūḷadhammasamādānasutta

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Majjhima Nikāya 45

Cūḷadhammasamādānasutta

The Shorter Discourse on Taking Up Practices · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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thusEvaṁ by meme heardsutaṁ—
oneekaṁ timesamayaṁ the Blessed Onebhagavā at Sāvatthīsāvatthiyaṁ was stayingviharati in Jeta's Grovejetavane of Anāthapiṇḍikaanāthapiṇḍikassa monasteryārāme.
thereTatra indeedkho the Blessed Onebhagavā mendicantsbhikkhū addressedāmantesi:
"mendicants"“bhikkhavo”ti.
"venerable sir"“Bhadante”ti thosete mendicantsbhikkhū to the Blessed Onebhagavato back·hearpaccassosuṁ.
the Blessed OneBhagavā said thisetadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

these four“cattārimāni, mendicantsbhikkhave, ways of taking up practicesdhammasamādānāni.
whichKatamāni fourcattāri?
there isAtthi, mendicantsbhikkhave, practice·taking updhammasamādānaṁ present·pleasantpaccuppannasukhaṁ in the futureāyatiṁ results in paindukkhavipākaṁ;
there isatthi, mendicantsbhikkhave, practice·taking updhammasamādānaṁ painful nowpaccuppannadukkhañceva future·andāyatiñca results in paindukkhavipākaṁ;
there isatthi, mendicantsbhikkhave, practice·taking updhammasamādānaṁ present·painfulpaccuppannadukkhaṁ in the futureāyatiṁ results in pleasuresukhavipākaṁ;
there isatthi, mendicantsbhikkhave, practice·taking updhammasamādānaṁ pleasant nowpaccuppannasukhañceva future·andāyatiñca results in pleasuresukhavipākaṁ.

“Mendicants, there are these four ways of taking up practices. What four? There is a way of taking up practices that is pleasant now but results in future pain. There is a way of taking up practices that is painful now and results in future pain. There is a way of taking up practices that is painful now but results in future pleasure. There is a way of taking up practices that is pleasant now and results in future pleasure.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now but results in future pain? There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘There’s nothing wrong with sensual pleasures.’ They throw themselves into sensual pleasures, cavorting with female wanderers with jeweled bands in their hair. They say, ‘What future danger do those ascetics and brahmins see in sensual pleasures that they speak of giving up sensual pleasures, and advocate the complete understanding of sensual pleasures? Pleasant is the touch of this female wanderer’s arm, tender, soft, and downy!’ And they throw themselves into sensual pleasures. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. And there they feel painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings. They say, ‘This is that future danger that those ascetics and brahmins saw. For it is because of sensual pleasures that I’m feeling painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings.’

just as ifSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, of the summergimhānaṁ in the lastpacchime monthmāse camel’s foot creeper·podmāluvāsipāṭikā were to burst openphaleyya.
thenAtha indeedkho thattaṁ, monksbhikkhave, camel’s foot creeper·seedmāluvābījaṁ at a certainaññatarasmiṁ sal tree·rootsālamūle were to fallnipateyya.
thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, whichyā in thattasmiṁ sal treesāle upon·dwelladhivatthā deitydevatā thatsā fearfulbhītā nervoussaṁviggā dreadsantāsaṁ would fall intoāpajjeyya.
thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, in thattasmiṁ sal treesāle upon·dwelladhivatthāya deitydevatāya friend·colleaguemittāmaccā relative·kinñātisālohitā park·deityārāmadevatā forest·deityvanadevatā tree·deityrukkhadevatā herb·grass·big treeosadhitiṇavanappatīsu upon·dwelladhivatthā deitiesdevatā having gatheredsaṅgamma having assembledsamāgamma thusevaṁ would reassuresamassāseyyuṁ:
do not‘mā sirbhavaṁ fearbhāyi, do notmā sirbhavaṁ fearbhāyi;
hopefullyappeva indeed thisnāmetaṁ camel’s foot creeper·seedmāluvābījaṁ a peacockmoro orvā would swallowgileyya, a deermago orvā would eatkhādeyya, forest·firedavaḍāho orvā would burnḍaheyya, forest·workervanakammikā orvā would pick upuddhareyyuṁ, termitesupacikā orvā would eatuṭṭhaheyyuṁ, not·seedabījaṁ orvā and it may not even bepanassā’ti.

Suppose that in the last month of summer a camel’s foot creeper pod were to burst open and a seed were to fall at the root of a sal tree. Then the deity haunting that sal tree would become apprehensive and nervous. But their friends and colleagues, relatives and kin—deities of the parks, forests, trees, and those who haunt the herbs, grass, and big trees—would come together to reassure them, ‘Do not fear, sir, do not fear! Hopefully that seed will be swallowed by a peacock, or eaten by a deer, or burnt by a forest fire, or picked up by a lumberjack, or eaten by termites, or it may not even be fertile.’

thenAtha indeedkho thattaṁ, monksbhikkhave, māluvā creeper·seedmāluvābījaṁ notneva a peacockmoro would swallowgileyya, notna a deermago would eatkhādeyya, notna forest·firedavaḍāho would burnḍaheyya, notna forest·workervanakammikā up·holduddhareyyuṁ, notna termitesupacikā would consumeuṭṭhaheyyuṁ, and the seedbījañca and for itpanassa thattaṁ by the monsoonpāvussakena by a rain-cloudmeghena upon·rained onabhippavuṭṭhaṁ right theresammadeva forth·growviruheyya.
itsSāssa māluvā·creepermāluvālatā tendertaruṇā softmudukā downylomasā hangingvilambinī, itsā thattaṁ sal treesālaṁ near·around·cling toupaniseveyya.
thenAtha indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, in thattasmiṁ sal treesāle upon·dwellingadhivatthāya of the deitydevatāya there would be thisevamassa:
what indeed‘kiṁsu trulynāma yourte sirsbhonto friend·colleaguemittāmaccā relative·kinñātisālohitā park·deityārāmadevatā forest·deityvanadevatā tree·deityrukkhadevatā herb·grass·treeosadhitiṇavanappatīsu upon·dwellingadhivatthā deitiesdevatā māluvā·seedmāluvābīje future·dangeranāgatabhayaṁ thoroughly·seeingsampassamānā having assembledsaṅgamma having gatheredsamāgamma thusevaṁ thoroughly·reassuredsamassāsesuṁ:
do not“mā sirbhavaṁ fearbhāyi do notmā sirbhavaṁ fearbhāyi,
hopefullyappeva truly thisnāmetaṁ māluvā·seedmāluvābījaṁ a peacockmoro orvā will swallowgileyya, a deermago orvā will eatkhādeyya, forest·firedavaḍāho orvā will burnḍaheyya, forest·workervanakammikā orvā up·holduddhareyyuṁ, termitesupacikā orvā will consumeuṭṭhaheyyuṁ, not·fertileabījaṁ orvā and itpanassā”ti;
pleasantsukho of thisimissā māluvā·creepermāluvālatāya tendertaruṇāya softmudukāya downylomasāya hangingvilambiniyā is the touchsamphasso’ti.

But none of these things happened. And the seed was fertile, so that when the monsoon clouds soaked it with rain, it sprouted. And the creeper wound its tender, soft, and downy tendrils around that sal tree. Then the deity thought, ‘What future danger did my friends see when they said: “Do not fear, sir, do not fear! Hopefully that seed will be swallowed by a peacock, or eaten by a deer, or burnt by a forest fire, or picked up by a lumberjack, or eaten by termites, or it may not even be fertile.” Pleasant is the touch of this creeper’s tender, soft, and downy tendrils.’

Sā taṁ sālaṁ anuparihareyya. Sā taṁ sālaṁ anupariharitvā upari viṭabhiṁ kareyya. Upari viṭabhiṁ karitvā oghanaṁ janeyya. Oghanaṁ janetvā ye tassa sālassa mahantā mahantā khandhā te padāleyya. Atha kho, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ sāle adhivatthāya devatāya evamassa: ‘idaṁ kho te bhonto mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā ārāmadevatā vanadevatā rukkhadevatā osadhitiṇavanappatīsu adhivatthā devatā māluvābīje anāgatabhayaṁ sampassamānā saṅgamma samāgamma evaṁ samassāsesuṁ: “mā bhavaṁ bhāyi mā bhavaṁ bhāyi, appeva nāmetaṁ māluvābījaṁ moro vā gileyya, mago vā khādeyya, davaḍāho vā ḍaheyya, vanakammikā vā uddhareyyuṁ, upacikā vā uṭṭhaheyyuṁ abījaṁ vā panassā”ti. Yañcāhaṁ māluvābījahetu dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedayāmī’ti. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, santi eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino ‘natthi kāmesu doso’ti.

Then the creeper enfolded the sal tree, made a canopy over it, draped a curtain around it, and split apart all the main branches. Then the deity thought, ‘This is the future danger that my friends saw! It’s because of that camel’s foot creeper seed that I’m feeling painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings.’ In the same way, there are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘There’s nothing wrong with sensual pleasures’ …

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