Kandarakasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 51

With Kandaraka · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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of pleasuresukhassa andca forth·give uppahānā of paindukkhassa andca forth·give uppahānā even beforepubbeva happiness + sadnesssomanassadomanassānaṁ disappear·goatthaṅgamā without·pain + pleasure·without·pleasureadukkhamasukhaṁ equanimity + mindfulness·purityupekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ fourthcatutthaṁ absorptionjhānaṁ near·together·enterupasampajja they remain.viharati.

With the giving up of pleasure and pain and the disappearance of former happiness and sadness, they enter and remain in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness.

heSo thusevaṁ composedsamāhite mindcitte purifiedparisuddhe brightpariyodāte flawlessanaṅgaṇe rid of corruptionsvigatūpakkilese pliablemudubhūte workablekammaniye steadyṭhite imperturbableāneñjappatte recollection of past lives + knowledgepubbenivāsānussatiñāṇāya mindcittaṁ extends towardabhininnāmeti.
heSo many·kindsanekavihitaṁ before + dwellingpubbenivāsaṁ recollectsanussarati, that is—even oneseyyathidaṁ—ekampi birthjātiṁ two·evendvepi birthsjātiyo three·eventissopi birthsjātiyo four·evencatassopi birthsjātiyo five·evenpañcapi birthsjātiyo ten·evendasapi birthsjātiyo even twentyvīsampi birthsjātiyo even thirtytiṁsampi birthsjātiyo even fortycattālīsampi birthsjātiyo even fiftypaññāsampi birthsjātiyo hundred births·evenjātisatampi thousand births·evenjātisahassampi hundred thousand births·evenjātisatasahassampi many·evenanekepi contraction + eonsaṁvaṭṭakappe many·evenanekepi expansion + eonvivaṭṭakappe many·evenanekepi eons of contraction and expansionsaṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe: there I was‘amutrāsiṁ thus + nameevaṁnāmo clan was thatevaṅgotto thus + appearanceevaṁvaṇṇo thus + foodevamāhāro thus·pleasure·pain + experiencingevaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī this was my life spanevamāyupariyanto, heso from theretato passed awaycuto thereamutra I was rebornudapādiṁ; there too I wastatrāpāsiṁ thus + nameevaṁnāmo clan was thatevaṅgotto thus + appearanceevaṁvaṇṇo thus + foodevamāhāro thus·pleasure·pain + experiencingevaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī this was my life spanevamāyupariyanto, heso from theretato passed awaycuto reborn hereidhūpapanno’ti. thusIti with featuressākāraṁ with + detailssauddesaṁ many·kindsanekavihitaṁ before + dwellingpubbenivāsaṁ recollectsanussarati.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward recollection of past lives. They recollect many kinds of past lives, that is, one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

heSo thusevaṁ concentratedsamāhite mindcitte completely·pureparisuddhe completely·brightpariyodāte without·flawanaṅgaṇe gone·corruptionvigatūpakkilese soft·becomemudubhūte workablekammaniye steadyṭhite imperturbable·attainedāneñjappatte of sentient beingssattānaṁ pass away·rebirth·knowledgecutūpapātañāṇāya mindcittaṁ extends forthabhininnāmeti.
heSo divinedibbena with eyecakkhunā apart·purevisuddhena beyond·gone·not·humanatikkantamānusakena beingssatte seespassati passing awaycavamāne near·goupapajjamāne inferiorhīne superiorpaṇīte good·colorsuvaṇṇe bad·color·colordubbaṇṇe good·gonesugate bad·gone·goneduggate according to·deedsyathākammūpage beingssatte understandspajānāti: these‘ime indeedvata dearbhonto beingssattā by bad conduct of bodykāyaduccaritena endowed withsamannāgatā by bad conduct of speechvacīduccaritena endowed withsamannāgatā by bad conduct of mindmanoduccaritena endowed withsamannāgatā the noble onesariyānaṁ against·speakerupavādakā wrong·viewmicchādiṭṭhikā choosing to act out of wrong viewmicchādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, theyte of bodykāyassa at breakupbhedā afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā place of lossapāyaṁ bad·destinationduggatiṁ down·fallvinipātaṁ hellnirayaṁ rebornupapannā; theseime rathervā butpana dearbhonto beingssattā body·good·conductkāyasucaritena endowed withsamannāgatā speech·good·conductvacīsucaritena endowed withsamannāgatā mind·good·conductmanosucaritena endowed withsamannāgatā the noble onesariyānaṁ not·denounceranupavādakā right·viewsammādiṭṭhikā choosing to act out of right viewsammādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, theyte of bodykāyassa at breakupbhedā afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā good·destinationsugatiṁ heavensaggaṁ worldlokaṁ rebornupapannā’ti. thusIti divinedibbena with eyecakkhunā apart·purevisuddhena beyond·gone·not·humanatikkantamānusakena beingssatte seespassati passing awaycavamāne near·goupapajjamāne inferiorhīne superiorpaṇīte good·colorsuvaṇṇe bad·color·colordubbaṇṇe good·gonesugate bad·gone·goneduggate according to·deedsyathākammūpage beingssatte understandspajānāti.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds: ‘These dear beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They denounced the noble ones; they had wrong view; and they chose to act out of that wrong view. When their body broke up, after death, they were reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings, however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never denounced the noble ones; they had right view; and they chose to act out of that right view. When their body broke up, after death, they were reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds.

heSo thusevaṁ concentratedsamāhite mindcitte purifiedparisuddhe brightpariyodāte flawlessanaṅgaṇe rid of corruptionsvigatūpakkilese pliablemudubhūte workablekammaniye steadyṭhite imperturbableāneñjappatte of the defilementsāsavānaṁ for knowledge of destructionkhayañāṇāya mindcittaṁ extends towardabhininnāmeti.
heSo this‘idaṁ sufferingdukkhan’ti trulyyathābhūtaṁ understandspajānāti. this‘Ayaṁ the origin of sufferingdukkhasamudayo’ti trulyyathābhūtaṁ understandspajānāti. this‘Ayaṁ the cessation of sufferingdukkhanirodho’ti trulyyathābhūtaṁ understandspajānāti. this‘Ayaṁ leading to the cessation of sufferingdukkhanirodhagāminī practicepaṭipadā’ti trulyyathābhūtaṁ understandspajānāti.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. They truly understand: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’.

'these‘Ime are defilements'āsavā’ti as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti. 'this‘Ayaṁ defilement·origināsavasamudayo’ti as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti. 'this‘Ayaṁ defilement·cessationāsavanirodho’ti as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti. 'this‘Ayaṁ defilement·cessation·leading toāsavanirodhagāminī is the practice'paṭipadā’ti as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti.
for one who knowsTassa thusevaṁ knowingjānato thusevaṁ seeingpassato sensuality·defilementkāmāsavāpi mindcittaṁ is freedvimuccati, becoming·defilementbhavāsavāpi mindcittaṁ is freedvimuccati, from the defilements of ignoranceavijjāsavāpi mindcittaṁ is freedvimuccati.
when freedVimuttasmiṁ it is freed'vimuttamiti knowledgeñāṇaṁ there ishoti.
'ended‘Khīṇā is rebirth,jāti, completedvusitaṁ the spiritual journey,brahmacariyaṁ, donekataṁ is what had to be done,karaṇīyaṁ, there is nothing furthernāparaṁ for this place'itthattāyā’ti they understandpajānāti.

They truly understand: ‘These are defilements’ … ‘This is the origin of defilements’ … ‘This is the cessation of defilements’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements’. Knowing and seeing like this, their mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’

thisAyaṁ is calledvuccati, monksbhikkhave, an individualpuggalo neither self-mortifyingnevattantapo not committed to the practice of mortifying themselvesnāttaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto, notna other·mortifying·mortifyingparantapo notna not committed to the practice of mortifying othersparaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto.
heSo self·mortifying·mortifyingattantapo not·other·mortifying·mortifyingaparantapo seen·verydiṭṭheva in the dhammadhamme without wishesnicchāto quenchednibbuto cool·becomesītībhūto bliss·experiencingsukhappaṭisaṁvedī divine·becomebrahmabhūtena with selfattanā he dwellsviharatī”ti.
thisIdamavoca the Blessed Onebhagavā.
satisfiedAttamanā thosete mendicantsbhikkhū of the Blessed Onebhagavato the speechbhāsitaṁ they approvedabhinandunti.
Kandaraka·suttaKandarakasuttaṁ is finishedniṭṭhitaṁ firstpaṭhamaṁ.

This is called an individual who neither mortifies themselves or others, being committed to the practice of not mortifying themselves or others. They live without wishes in this very life, quenched, cooled, experiencing bliss, with self become divine.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

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