Kandarakasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 51

With Kandaraka · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral

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

Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

of pleasuresukhassa andca with the giving uppahānā of paindukkhassa andca with the giving uppahānā even beforepubbeva of happiness and sadnesssomanassadomanassānaṁ with the disappearanceatthaṅgamā without pleasure or painadukkhamasukhaṁ with pure equanimity and mindfulnessupekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ fourthcatutthaṁ absorptionjhānaṁ having enteredupasampajja 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.

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 purifiedparisuddhe brightpariyodāte flawlessanaṅgaṇe rid of corruptionsvigatūpakkilese pliablemudubhūte workablekammaniye steadyṭhite imperturbableāneñjappatte of sentient beingssattānaṁ to knowledge of death and rebirthcutūpapātañāṇāya mindcittaṁ extends forthabhininnāmeti.
heSo divinedibbena with eyecakkhunā purifiedvisuddhena superhumanatikkantamānusakena beingssatte seespassati passing awaycavamāne being rebornupapajjamāne inferiorhīne superiorpaṇīte beautifulsuvaṇṇe uglydubbaṇṇe in a good placesugate in a bad placeduggate according to their 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 denouncersupavādakā wrong viewmicchādiṭṭhikā choosing to act out of wrong viewmicchādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, theyte of bodykāyassa at breakupbhedā afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā place of lossapāyaṁ bad destinationduggatiṁ underworldvinipātaṁ hellnirayaṁ rebornupapannā; theseime rathervā butpana dearbhonto beingssattā by good conduct of bodykāyasucaritena endowed withsamannāgatā by good conduct of speechvacīsucaritena endowed withsamannāgatā by good conduct of mindmanosucaritena endowed withsamannāgatā the noble onesariyānaṁ not denouncinganupavādakā 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 purifiedvisuddhena superhumanatikkantamānusakena beingssatte seespassati passing awaycavamāne being rebornupapajjamāne inferiorhīne superiorpaṇīte beautifulsuvaṇṇe uglydubbaṇṇe in a good placesugate in a bad placeduggate according to their 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.

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 trulyyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti. 'this‘Ayaṁ is the origin of defilements'āsavasamudayo’ti trulyyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti. 'this‘Ayaṁ is the cessation of defilements'āsavanirodho’ti trulyyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti. 'this‘Ayaṁ is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilementsāsavanirodhagāminī is the practice'paṭipadā’ti trulyyathābhūtaṁ they understandpajānāti.
for one who knowsTassa thusevaṁ knowingjānato thusevaṁ seeingpassato from the defilements of sensualitykāmāsavāpi mindcittaṁ is freedvimuccati, from the defilements of desire to be rebornbhavāsavāpi 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-mortifyingparantapo notna not committed to the practice of mortifying othersparaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto.
heSo self-mortifyingattantapo not other-mortifyingaparantapo in this very lifediṭṭheva in the dhammadhamme without wishesnicchāto quenchednibbuto cooledsītībhūto experiencing blisssukhappaṭisaṁvedī with self become divinebrahmabhūtena with selfattanā he dwellsviharatī”ti.
thisIdamavoca the Blessed Onebhagavā.
satisfiedAttamanā thosete mendicantsbhikkhū of the Blessed Onebhagavato the speechbhāsitaṁ they approvedabhinandunti.
the 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.

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