Kandarakasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 51

With Kandaraka · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Yopāyaṁ, bhante, puggalo attantapo ca attaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto parantapo ca paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto, ayampi me puggalo cittaṁ nārādheti.
Yo ca kho ayaṁ, bhante, puggalo nevattantapo nāttaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto na parantapo na paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto, so anattantapo aparantapo diṭṭheva dhamme nicchāto nibbuto sītībhūto sukhappaṭisaṁvedī brahmabhūtena attanā viharati—
ayameva me puggalo cittaṁ ārādhetī”ti.

I only like the sound of the last individual, who doesn’t mortify either themselves or others.”

“Kasmā pana te, pessa, ime tayo puggalā cittaṁ nārādhentī”ti?
“Yvāyaṁ, bhante, puggalo attantapo attaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto so attānaṁ sukhakāmaṁ dukkhapaṭikkūlaṁ ātāpeti paritāpeti—
iminā me ayaṁ puggalo cittaṁ nārādheti.
Yopāyaṁ, bhante, puggalo parantapo paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto so paraṁ sukhakāmaṁ dukkhapaṭikkūlaṁ ātāpeti paritāpeti—
iminā me ayaṁ puggalo cittaṁ nārādheti.
Yopāyaṁ, bhante, puggalo attantapo ca attaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto parantapo ca paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto so attānañca parañca sukhakāmaṁ dukkhapaṭikkūlaṁ ātāpeti paritāpeti—
iminā me ayaṁ puggalo cittaṁ nārādheti.
Yo ca kho ayaṁ, bhante, puggalo nevattantapo nāttaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto na parantapo na paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto so anattantapo aparantapo diṭṭheva dhamme nicchāto nibbuto sītībhūto sukhappaṭisaṁvedī brahmabhūtena attanā viharati;
so attānañca parañca sukhakāmaṁ dukkhapaṭikkūlaṁ neva ātāpeti na paritāpeti—

“But why don’t you like the sound of those three individuals?” “Sir, the individual who mortifies themselves does so even though they want to be happy and recoil from pain. That’s why I don’t like the sound of that individual. The individual who mortifies others does so even though others want to be happy and recoil from pain. That’s why I don’t like the sound of that individual. The individual who mortifies themselves and others does so even though both themselves and others want to be happy and recoil from pain. That’s why I don’t like the sound of that individual. The individual who doesn’t mortify either themselves or others—living without wishes, quenched, cooled, experiencing bliss, with self become divine—does not torment themselves or others, both of whom want to be happy and recoil from pain.

iminā me ayaṁ puggalo cittaṁ ārādheti.
Handa ca dāni mayaṁ, bhante, gacchāma;
bahukiccā mayaṁ bahukaraṇīyā”ti.
“Yassadāni tvaṁ, pessa, kālaṁ maññasī”ti.
Atha kho pesso hatthārohaputto bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi.

That’s why I like the sound of that individual. Well, now, sir, I must go. I have many duties, and much to do.” “Please, Pessa, go at your convenience.” And then Pessa the elephant marshal’s son approved and agreed with what the Buddha said. He got up from his seat, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving.

Atha kho bhagavā acirapakkante pesse hatthārohaputte bhikkhū āmantesi:
“paṇḍito, bhikkhave, pesso hatthārohaputto;
mahāpañño, bhikkhave, pesso hatthārohaputto.
Sace, bhikkhave, pesso hatthārohaputto muhuttaṁ nisīdeyya yāvassāhaṁ ime cattāro puggale vitthārena vibhajissāmi, mahatā atthena saṁyutto abhavissa.
Api ca, bhikkhave, ettāvatāpi pesso hatthārohaputto mahatā atthena saṁyutto”ti.
“Etassa, bhagavā, kālo, etassa, sugata, kālo,
yaṁ bhagavā ime cattāro puggale vitthārena vibhajeyya. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī”ti.
“Tena hi, bhikkhave, suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

Then, not long after he had left, the Buddha addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants, Pessa the elephant marshal’s son is astute. He has great wisdom. If he had sat here an hour so that I could have analyzed these four individuals in detail, he would have greatly benefited. Still, even with this much he has already greatly benefited.” “Now is the time, Blessed One! Now is the time, Holy One! May the Buddha analyze these four individuals in detail. The mendicants will listen and remember it.” “Well then, mendicants, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo attantapo attaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo acelako hoti muttācāro hatthāpalekhano naehibhaddantiko natiṭṭhabhaddantiko; nābhihaṭaṁ na uddissakataṁ na nimantanaṁ sādiyati;
so na kumbhimukhā paṭiggaṇhāti na kaḷopimukhā paṭiggaṇhāti na eḷakamantaraṁ na daṇḍamantaraṁ na musalamantaraṁ na dvinnaṁ bhuñjamānānaṁ na gabbhiniyā na pāyamānāya na purisantaragatāya na saṅkittīsu na yattha sā upaṭṭhito hoti na yattha makkhikā saṇḍasaṇḍacārinī; na macchaṁ na maṁsaṁ na suraṁ na merayaṁ na thusodakaṁ pivati.
So ekāgāriko vā hoti ekālopiko, dvāgāriko vā hoti dvālopiko …pe… sattāgāriko vā hoti sattālopiko;
ekissāpi dattiyā yāpeti, dvīhipi dattīhi yāpeti …pe… sattahipi dattīhi yāpeti;

“And what individual mortifies themselves, committed to the practice of mortifying themselves? It’s when an individual 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 for them, 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.

ekāhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti, dvīhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti …pe… sattāhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti—iti evarūpaṁ aḍḍhamāsikaṁ pariyāyabhattabhojanānuyogamanuyutto viharati.
So sākabhakkho vā hoti, sāmākabhakkho vā hoti, nīvārabhakkho vā hoti, daddulabhakkho vā hoti, haṭabhakkho vā hoti, kaṇabhakkho vā hoti, ācāmabhakkho vā hoti, piññākabhakkho vā hoti, tiṇabhakkho vā hoti, gomayabhakkho vā hoti; vanamūlaphalāhāro yāpeti pavattaphalabhojī.
So sāṇānipi dhāreti, masāṇānipi dhāreti, chavadussānipi dhāreti, paṁsukūlānipi dhāreti, tirīṭānipi dhāreti, ajinampi dhāreti, ajinakkhipampi dhāreti, kusacīrampi dhāreti, vākacīrampi dhāreti, phalakacīrampi dhāreti, kesakambalampi dhāreti, vāḷakambalampi dhāreti, ulūkapakkhampi dhāreti;
kesamassulocakopi hoti, kesamassulocanānuyogamanuyutto,
ubbhaṭṭhakopi hoti āsanapaṭikkhitto,
ukkuṭikopi hoti ukkuṭikappadhānamanuyutto,
kaṇṭakāpassayikopi hoti kaṇṭakāpassaye seyyaṁ kappeti;
sāyatatiyakampi udakorohanānuyogamanuyutto viharati—
iti evarūpaṁ anekavihitaṁ kāyassa ātāpanaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto viharati.

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.

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