Cūḷadhammasamādānasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 45

Cūḷadhammasamādānasutta

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

Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral

Glosses: Fluent · Literal · Off
Translation: Hide · Show

Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

This is called the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now but results in future pain.

and whatKatamañca, monksbhikkhave, way of taking up practicesdhammasamādānaṁ and painful nowpaccuppannadukkhañceva and in the futureāyatiñca resulting in pain?dukkhavipākaṁ?
hereIdha, monksbhikkhave, someoneekacco naked asceticacelako ishoti of loose habitsmuttācāro licking his handshatthāpalekhano, does not come when callednaehibhaddantiko, does not wait when callednatiṭṭhabhaddantiko, food brought to themnābhihaṭaṁ, notna food prepared for themuddissakataṁ, notna an invitationnimantanaṁ they acceptsādiyati,
heso notna from the mouth of a potkumbhimukhā receivespaṭiggaṇhāti, notna from the mouth of a bowlkaḷopimukhā receivespaṭiggaṇhāti, notna from one keeping sheepeḷakamantaraṁ, notna from one with a weapondaṇḍamantaraṁ, notna from one with a shovelmusalamantaraṁ, notna of twodvinnaṁ who are eatingbhuñjamānānaṁ, notna from a pregnant womangabbhiniyā, notna from one breastfeedingpāyamānāya, notna from one living with a manpurisantaragatāya, notna where there are scattered almssaṅkittīsu, notna whereyattha a houndsā is waitingupaṭṭhito ishoti, notna whereyattha fliesmakkhikā buzzing aboutsaṇḍasaṇḍacārinī, notna fishmacchaṁ, notna meatmaṁsaṁ, notna beersuraṁ, notna winemerayaṁ, notna fermented gruelthusodakaṁ they drinkpivati.
heSo of one houseekāgāriko orvā ishoti one-mouthful eaterekālopiko, of two housesdvāgāriko orvā ishoti two-mouthful eaterdvālopiko …pe……pe… of seven housessattāgāriko orvā ishoti seven-mouthful eatersattālopiko.
even oneEkissāpi by a saucerdattiyā they feedyāpeti, even twodvīhipi by saucersdattīhi they feedyāpeti …… even sevensattahipi by saucersdattīhi they feedyāpeti.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is painful now and results in future pain? It’s when someone goes naked, ignoring conventions. They lick their hands, and don’t come or wait when called. They don’t consent to food brought to them, or food prepared on their behalf, or an invitation for a meal. They don’t receive anything from a pot or bowl; or from someone who keeps sheep, or who has a weapon or a shovel in their home; or where a couple is eating; or where there is a woman who is pregnant, breastfeeding, or who lives with a man; or where there’s a hound waiting or flies buzzing. They accept no fish or meat or beer or wine, and drink no fermented gruel. They go to just one house for alms, taking just one mouthful, or two houses and two mouthfuls, up to seven houses and seven mouthfuls. They feed on one saucer a day, two saucers a day, up to seven saucers a day.

They eat once a day, once every second day, up to once a week, and so on, even up to once a fortnight. They live committed to the practice of eating food at set intervals. They eat herbs, millet, wild rice, poor rice, water lettuce, rice bran, scum from boiling rice, sesame flour, grass, or cow dung. They survive on forest roots and fruits, or eating fallen fruit. They wear robes of sunn hemp, mixed hemp, corpse-wrapping cloth, rags, lodh tree bark, antelope hide (whole or in strips), kusa grass, bark, wood-chips, human hair, horse-tail hair, or owls’ wings. They tear out their hair and beard, committed to this practice. They constantly stand, turning down seats. They squat, committed to the endeavor of squatting. They lie on a mat of thorns, making a mat of thorns their bed. They’re devoted to ritual bathing three times a day, including at dusk. And so they live committed to practicing these various ways of mortifying and tormenting the body.

heSo of the bodykāyassa at the breaking upbhedā afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā a place of lossapāyaṁ a bad placeduggatiṁ the underworldvinipātaṁ hellnirayaṁ they are rebornupapajjati.
thisIdaṁ is calledvuccati, monksbhikkhave, the way of taking up practicesdhammasamādānaṁ that is painful now andpaccuppannadukkhañceva and in the futureāyatiñca results in paindukkhavipākaṁ.

When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. This is called the way of taking up practices that is painful now and results in future pain.

and whichKatamañca, monksbhikkhave, taking up of practicesdhammasamādānaṁ painful nowpaccuppannadukkhaṁ in the futureāyatiṁ resulting in pleasuresukhavipākaṁ?
hereIdha, monksbhikkhave, someoneekacco by naturepakatiyā of acute greedy charactertibbarāgajātiko ishoti, heso oftenabhikkhaṇaṁ born of greedrāgajaṁ paindukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ feelspaṭisaṁvedeti;
by naturepakatiyā of acute hateful charactertibbadosajātiko ishoti, heso oftenabhikkhaṇaṁ born of hatedosajaṁ paindukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ feelspaṭisaṁvedeti;
by naturepakatiyā of acute deluded charactertibbamohajātiko ishoti, heso oftenabhikkhaṇaṁ born of delusionmohajaṁ paindukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ feelspaṭisaṁvedeti.
heSo even withsahāpi paindukkhena, even withsahāpi sadnessdomanassena, with tearful faceassumukhopi weepingrudamāno fullparipuṇṇaṁ pureparisuddhaṁ spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ leadscarati.
heSo of the bodykāyassa breakupbhedā afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā good placesugatiṁ heavenly realmsaggaṁ worldlokaṁ is rebornupapajjati.
thisIdaṁ is calledvuccati, monksbhikkhave, taking up of practicesdhammasamādānaṁ painful nowpaccuppannadukkhaṁ in the futureāyatiṁ resulting in pleasuresukhavipākaṁ.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is painful now but results in future pleasure? It’s when someone is ordinarily full of acute greed, hate, and delusion. They often feel the pain and sadness that greed, hate, and delusion bring. They lead the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful faces. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. This is called the way of taking up practices that is painful now but results in future pleasure.

and whatKatamañca, monksbhikkhave, way of taking up practicesdhammasamādānaṁ pleasant now andpaccuppannasukhañceva and in the futureāyatiñca results in pleasuresukhavipākaṁ?
hereIdha, monksbhikkhave, someoneekacco by naturepakatiyā notna full of acute greedtibbarāgajātiko ishoti, heso notna oftenabhikkhaṇaṁ born of greedrāgajaṁ paindukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ feelspaṭisaṁvedeti;
by naturepakatiyā notna full of acute hatetibbadosajātiko ishoti, heso notna oftenabhikkhaṇaṁ born of hatedosajaṁ paindukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ feelspaṭisaṁvedeti;
by naturepakatiyā notna full of acute delusiontibbamohajātiko ishoti, heso notna oftenabhikkhaṇaṁ born of delusionmohajaṁ paindukkhaṁ sadnessdomanassaṁ feelspaṭisaṁvedeti.
heSo quite secludedvivicceva from sensual pleasureskāmehi secludedvivicca from unskillful qualitiesakusalehi from qualitiesdhammehi with thoughtsavitakkaṁ with examinationsavicāraṁ born of seclusionvivekajaṁ rapture and pleasurepītisukhaṁ firstpaṭhamaṁ absorptionjhānaṁ enterupasampajja remainviharati.
of thought and examinationVitakkavicārānaṁ from the stillingvūpasamā internalajjhattaṁ confidencesampasādanaṁ of mindcetaso unificationekodibhāvaṁ without thoughtavitakkaṁ without examinationavicāraṁ born of concentrationsamādhijaṁ rapture and pleasurepītisukhaṁ seconddutiyaṁ absorptionjhānaṁ …pe……pe…
thirdtatiyaṁ absorptionjhānaṁ ……
fourthcatutthaṁ absorptionjhānaṁ enterupasampajja remainviharati.
heSo of the bodykāyassa at the breaking upbhedā afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā to a good placesugatiṁ a heavenlysaggaṁ realmlokaṁ is rebornupapajjati.
thisIdaṁ is calledvuccati, monksbhikkhave, way of taking up practicesdhammasamādānaṁ pleasant now andpaccuppannasukhañceva and in the futureāyatiñca results in pleasuresukhavipākaṁ.
theseImāni indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, fourcattāri ways of taking up practicesdhammasamādānānī”ti.
this saidIdamavoca the Buddhabhagavā.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now and results in future pleasure? It’s when someone is not ordinarily full of acute greed, hate, and delusion. They rarely feel the pain and sadness that greed, hate, and delusion bring. Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, they enter and remain in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. This is called the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now and results in future pleasure. These are the four ways of taking up practices.” That is what the Buddha said.

satisfiedAttamanā thosete mendicantsbhikkhū of the Blessed Onebhagavato what was saidbhāsitaṁ approvedabhinandunti.
the Shorter Discourse on Taking Up PracticesCūḷadhammasamādānasuttaṁ is finishedniṭṭhitaṁ the fifthpañcamaṁ.

Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version