Māratajjanīyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 50

The Rebuke of Māra · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Atha kho, pāpima, dūsissa mārassa etadahosi:
‘imesaṁ kho ahaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ sīlavantānaṁ kalyāṇadhammānaṁ neva jānāmi āgatiṁ vā gatiṁ vā.
Yannūnāhaṁ brāhmaṇagahapatike anvāviseyyaṁ—
etha, tumhe bhikkhū sīlavante kalyāṇadhamme akkosatha paribhāsatha rosetha vihesetha.
Appeva nāma tumhehi akkosiyamānānaṁ paribhāsiyamānānaṁ rosiyamānānaṁ vihesiyamānānaṁ siyā cittassa aññathattaṁ, yathā taṁ dūsī māro labhetha otāran’ti.
Atha kho te, pāpima, dūsī māro brāhmaṇagahapatike anvāvisi:
‘etha, tumhe bhikkhū sīlavante kalyāṇadhamme akkosatha paribhāsatha rosetha vihesetha.
Appeva nāma tumhehi akkosiyamānānaṁ paribhāsiyamānānaṁ rosiyamānānaṁ vihesiyamānānaṁ siyā cittassa aññathattaṁ, yathā taṁ dūsī māro labhetha otāran’ti.

Then it occurred to Māra Dūsī, ‘I don’t know the course of rebirth of these ethical mendicants of good character. Why don’t I take possession of these brahmins and householders and say, “Come, all of you, abuse, attack, harass, and trouble the ethical mendicants of good character. Hopefully by doing this we can upset their minds so that Māra Dūsī can find a vulnerability.”’ And that’s exactly what he did.

Atha kho te, pāpima, brāhmaṇagahapatikā anvāvisiṭṭhā dūsinā mārena bhikkhū sīlavante kalyāṇadhamme akkosanti paribhāsanti rosenti vihesenti:
‘ime pana muṇḍakā samaṇakā ibbhā kiṇhā bandhupādāpaccā “jhāyinosmā jhāyinosmā”ti pattakkhandhā adhomukhā madhurakajātā jhāyanti pajjhāyanti nijjhāyanti apajjhāyanti.
Seyyathāpi nāma ulūko rukkhasākhāyaṁ mūsikaṁ maggayamāno jhāyati pajjhāyati nijjhāyati apajjhāyati;
evamevime muṇḍakā samaṇakā ibbhā kiṇhā bandhupādāpaccā “jhāyinosmā jhāyinosmā”ti pattakkhandhā adhomukhā madhurakajātā jhāyanti pajjhāyanti nijjhāyanti apajjhāyanti.
Seyyathāpi nāma kotthu nadītīre macche maggayamāno jhāyati pajjhāyati nijjhāyati apajjhāyati;
evamevime muṇḍakā samaṇakā ibbhā kiṇhā bandhupādāpaccā “jhāyinosmā jhāyinosmā”ti pattakkhandhā adhomukhā madhurakajātā jhāyanti pajjhāyanti nijjhāyanti apajjhāyanti.
Seyyathāpi nāma biḷāro sandhisamalasaṅkaṭīre mūsikaṁ maggayamāno jhāyati pajjhāyati nijjhāyati apajjhāyati;

Then those brahmins and householders abused, attacked, harassed, and troubled the ethical mendicants of good character: ‘These shavelings, fake ascetics, primitives, black spawn from the feet of our kinsman, say, “We practice absorption meditation! We practice absorption meditation!” Shoulders drooping, downcast, and dopey, they meditate and concentrate and contemplate and ruminate. They’re just like an owl on a branch, which meditates and concentrates and contemplates and ruminates as it hunts a mouse. They’re just like a jackal on a river-bank, which meditates and concentrates and contemplates and ruminates as it hunts a fish. They’re just like a cat by an alley or a drain or a dustbin, which meditates and concentrates and contemplates and ruminates as it hunts a mouse.

evamevime muṇḍakā samaṇakā ibbhā kiṇhā bandhupādāpaccā “jhāyinosmā jhāyinosmā”ti pattakkhandhā adhomukhā madhurakajātā jhāyanti pajjhāyanti nijjhāyanti apajjhāyanti.
Seyyathāpi nāma gadrabho vahacchinno sandhisamalasaṅkaṭīre jhāyati pajjhāyati nijjhāyati apajjhāyati;
evamevime muṇḍakā samaṇakā ibbhā kiṇhā bandhupādāpaccā “jhāyinosmā jhāyinosmā”ti pattakkhandhā adhomukhā madhurakajātā jhāyanti pajjhāyanti nijjhāyanti apajjhāyantī’ti.
Ye kho pana, pāpima, tena samayena manussā kālaṁ karonti yebhuyyena kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti.

They’re just like an unladen donkey by an alley or a drain or a dustbin, which meditates and concentrates and contemplates and ruminates. In the same way, these shavelings, fake ascetics, primitives, black spawn from the feet of our kinsman, say, “We practice absorption meditation! We practice absorption meditation!” Shoulders drooping, downcast, and dopey, they meditate and concentrate and contemplate and ruminate.’ Most of the people who died at that time—when their body broke up, after death—were reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

Atha kho, pāpima, kakusandho bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho bhikkhū āmantesi:
‘anvāviṭṭhā kho, bhikkhave, brāhmaṇagahapatikā dūsinā mārena—
etha, tumhe bhikkhū sīlavante kalyāṇadhamme akkosatha paribhāsatha rosetha vihesetha, appeva nāma tumhehi akkosiyamānānaṁ paribhāsiyamānānaṁ rosiyamānānaṁ vihesiyamānānaṁ siyā cittassa aññathattaṁ, yathā taṁ dūsī māro labhetha otāran’ti.
Etha, tumhe, bhikkhave, mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharatha, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyābajjhena pharitvā viharatha.
Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …pe…
muditāsahagatena cetasā …pe…

Then Kakusandha the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, addressed the mendicants: ‘Mendicants, the brahmins and householders have been possessed by Māra Dūsī. He told them to abuse you in the hope of upsetting your minds so that he can find a vulnerability. Come, all of you mendicants, meditate spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. Meditate spreading a heart full of compassion … Meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing …

upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharatha, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyābajjhena pharitvā viharathā’ti.

Meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.’

Atha kho te, pāpima, bhikkhū kakusandhena bhagavatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena evaṁ ovadiyamānā evaṁ anusāsiyamānā araññagatāpi rukkhamūlagatāpi suññāgāragatāpi mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā vihariṁsu, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyābajjhena pharitvā vihariṁsu.
Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …pe…
muditāsahagatena cetasā …pe…
upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā vihariṁsu, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyābajjhena pharitvā vihariṁsu.

When those mendicants were instructed and advised by the Buddha Kakusandha in this way, they went to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, where they meditated spreading a heart full of love … compassion … rejoicing … equanimity.

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