Vīmaṁsakasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 47

The Inquirer · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Tatra, bhikkhave, tathāgatova uttariṁ paṭipucchitabbo:
‘ye saṅkiliṭṭhā cakkhusotaviññeyyā dhammā, saṁvijjanti vā te tathāgatassa no vā’ti?
Byākaramāno, bhikkhave, tathāgato evaṁ byākareyya:
‘ye saṅkiliṭṭhā cakkhusotaviññeyyā dhammā, na te tathāgatassa saṁvijjantī’ti.

Next, they should ask the Realized One himself about this, ‘Can anything corrupt be seen or heard in the Realized One or not?’ The Realized One would answer, ‘Nothing corrupt can be seen or heard in the Realized One.’

‘Ye vītimissā cakkhusotaviññeyyā dhammā, saṁvijjanti vā te tathāgatassa no vā’ti?
Byākaramāno, bhikkhave, tathāgato evaṁ byākareyya:
‘ye vītimissā cakkhusotaviññeyyā dhammā, na te tathāgatassa saṁvijjantī’ti.

‘Can anything mixed be seen or heard in the Realized One or not?’ The Realized One would answer, ‘Nothing mixed can be seen or heard in the Realized One.’

‘Ye vodātā cakkhusotaviññeyyā dhammā, saṁvijjanti vā te tathāgatassa no vā’ti?
Byākaramāno, bhikkhave, tathāgato evaṁ byākareyya:
‘ye vodātā cakkhusotaviññeyyā dhammā, saṁvijjanti te tathāgatassa;
etaṁ pathohamasmi, etaṁ gocaro, no ca tena tammayo’ti.

‘Can anything clean be seen or heard in the Realized One or not?’ The Realized One would answer, ‘Clean things can be seen and heard in the Realized One. I am the scope and the range of that, but I am not determined by that.’

Evaṁvādiṁ kho, bhikkhave, satthāraṁ arahati sāvako upasaṅkamituṁ dhammassavanāya.
Tassa satthā dhammaṁ deseti uttaruttariṁ paṇītapaṇītaṁ kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgaṁ.
Yathā yathā kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno satthā dhammaṁ deseti uttaruttariṁ paṇītapaṇītaṁ kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgaṁ tathā tathā so tasmiṁ dhamme abhiññāya idhekaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhammesu niṭṭhaṁ gacchati, satthari pasīdati:
‘sammāsambuddho bhagavā, svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo, suppaṭipanno saṅgho’ti.

A disciple ought to approach a teacher who has such a doctrine in order to listen to the teaching. The teacher explains Dhamma with its higher and higher stages, with its better and better stages, with its dark and bright sides. When they directly know a certain principle of those teachings, in accordance with how they were taught, the mendicant comes to a conclusion about the teachings. They have confidence in the Teacher: ‘The Blessed One is a fully awakened Buddha! The teaching is well explained! The Saṅgha is practicing well!’

Tañce, bhikkhave, bhikkhuṁ pare evaṁ puccheyyuṁ:
‘ke panāyasmato ākārā, ke anvayā, yenāyasmā evaṁ vadesi—
sammāsambuddho bhagavā, svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo, suppaṭipanno saṅgho’ti?
Sammā byākaramāno, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ byākareyya:
‘idhāhaṁ, āvuso, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁ dhammassavanāya.
Tassa me bhagavā dhammaṁ deseti uttaruttariṁ paṇītapaṇītaṁ kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgaṁ.
Yathā yathā me, āvuso, bhagavā dhammaṁ deseti uttaruttariṁ paṇītapaṇītaṁ kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgaṁ tathā tathāhaṁ tasmiṁ dhamme abhiññāya idhekaccaṁ dhammaṁ dhammesu niṭṭhamagamaṁ, satthari pasīdiṁ—
sammāsambuddho bhagavā, svākkhāto bhagavatā, dhammo, suppaṭipanno saṅgho’ti.

If others should ask that mendicant, ‘But what reason and evidence does the venerable have for saying this?’ Answering rightly, the mendicant should say, ‘Reverends, I approached the Buddha to listen to the teaching. He explained Dhamma with its higher and higher stages, with its better and better stages, with its dark and bright sides. When I directly knew a certain principle of those teachings, in accordance with how I was taught, I came to a conclusion about the teachings. I had confidence in the Teacher: “The Blessed One is a fully awakened Buddha! The teaching is well explained! The Saṅgha is practicing well!”’

Yassa kassaci, bhikkhave, imehi ākārehi imehi padehi imehi byañjanehi tathāgate saddhā niviṭṭhā hoti mūlajātā patiṭṭhitā, ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ākāravatī saddhā dassanamūlikā;
daḷhā asaṁhāriyā samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā devena vā mārena vā brahmunā vā kenaci vā lokasmiṁ.
Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, tathāgate dhammasamannesanā hoti.
Evañca pana tathāgato dhammatāsusamanniṭṭho hotī”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā.
Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.
Vīmaṁsakasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ sattamaṁ.

When someone’s faith is settled, rooted, and planted in the Realized One in this manner, with these words and phrases, it’s said to be grounded faith that’s based on evidence. It is strong, and cannot be shifted by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world. That is how there is legitimate scrutiny of the Realized One, and that is how the Realized One is legitimately well-scrutinized.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

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