Upālisutta

Majjhima Nikāya 56

With Upāli · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral

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

Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

“Dasapi, bhante, purisā, vīsampi, bhante, purisā, tiṁsampi, bhante, purisā, cattārīsampi, bhante, purisā, paññāsampi, bhante, purisā nappahonti yāvatikā imissā nāḷandāya pāṇā te ekena khaṇena ekena muhuttena ekaṁ maṁsakhalaṁ ekaṁ maṁsapuñjaṁ kātuṁ.
Kiñhi sobhati eko chavo puriso”ti.
“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati,
idha āgaccheyya samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā iddhimā cetovasippatto.
So evaṁ vadeyya:
‘ahaṁ imaṁ nāḷandaṁ ekena manopadosena bhasmaṁ karissāmī’ti.
Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati,
pahoti nu kho so samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā iddhimā cetovasippatto imaṁ nāḷandaṁ ekena manopadosena bhasmaṁ kātun”ti?
“Dasapi, bhante, nāḷandā, vīsampi nāḷandā, tiṁsampi nāḷandā, cattārīsampi nāḷandā, paññāsampi nāḷandā pahoti so samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā iddhimā cetovasippatto ekena manopadosena bhasmaṁ kātuṁ.

“Sir, even ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty men couldn’t do that. How impressive is one measly man?” “What do you think, householder? Suppose an ascetic or brahmin with psychic power, who has achieved mastery of the mind, were to come along and say: ‘I will reduce Nāḷandā to ashes with a single malevolent act of will!’ What do you think, householder? Could he do that?” “Sir, an ascetic or brahmin with psychic power, who has achieved mastery of the mind, could reduce ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty Nāḷandās to ashes with a single malevolent act of will.

Kiñhi sobhati ekā chavā nāḷandā”ti.
“Manasi karohi, gahapati, manasi karitvā kho, gahapati, byākarohi.
Na kho te sandhiyati purimena vā pacchimaṁ, pacchimena vā purimaṁ.
Bhāsitā kho pana te, gahapati, esā vācā:
‘sacce ahaṁ, bhante, patiṭṭhāya mantessāmi;
hotu no ettha kathāsallāpo’”ti.
“Kiñcāpi, bhante, bhagavā evamāha, atha kho kāyadaṇḍova mahāsāvajjataro pāpassa kammassa kiriyāya pāpassa kammassa pavattiyā, no tathā vacīdaṇḍo, no tathā manodaṇḍo”ti.
“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati,
sutaṁ te daṇḍakīraññaṁ kāliṅgāraññaṁ majjhāraññaṁ mātaṅgāraññaṁ araññaṁ araññabhūtan”ti?
“Evaṁ, bhante, sutaṁ me daṇḍakīraññaṁ kāliṅgāraññaṁ majjhāraññaṁ mātaṅgāraññaṁ araññaṁ araññabhūtan”ti.

How significant is one measly Nāḷandā?” “Think about it, householder! You should think before answering. What you said before and what you said after don’t match up. But you said that you would debate on the basis of truth.” “Even though the Buddha says this, still the physical rod is the most blameworthy for performing bad deeds, not so much the verbal rod or the mental rod.” “What do you think, householder? Have you heard how the wildernesses of Daṇḍaka, Kaliṅga, Mejjha, and Mātaṅga came to be that way?” “I have, sir.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati, kinti te sutaṁ kena taṁ daṇḍakīraññaṁ kāliṅgāraññaṁ majjhāraññaṁ mātaṅgāraññaṁ araññaṁ araññabhūtan”ti?
“Sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, isīnaṁ manopadosena taṁ daṇḍakīraññaṁ kāliṅgāraññaṁ majjhāraññaṁ mātaṅgāraññaṁ araññaṁ araññabhūtan”ti.
“Manasi karohi, gahapati, manasi karitvā kho, gahapati, byākarohi.
Na kho te sandhiyati purimena vā pacchimaṁ, pacchimena vā purimaṁ.
Bhāsitā kho pana te, gahapati, esā vācā:
‘sacce ahaṁ, bhante, patiṭṭhāya mantessāmi;
hotu no ettha kathāsallāpo’”ti.

“What have you heard?” “I heard that it was because of a malevolent act of will by seers that the wildernesses of Daṇḍaka, Kaliṅga, Mejjha, and Mātaṅga came to be that way.” “Think about it, householder! You should think before answering. What you said before and what you said after don’t match up. But you said that you would debate on the basis of truth.”

“Purimenevāhaṁ, bhante, opammena bhagavato attamano abhiraddho.
Api cāhaṁ imāni bhagavato vicitrāni pañhapaṭibhānāni sotukāmo, evāhaṁ bhagavantaṁ paccanīkaṁ kātabbaṁ amaññissaṁ.
Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante.
Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito.
Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.
Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.

“Sir, I was already delighted and satisfied by the Buddha’s very first simile. Nevertheless, I wanted to hear the Buddha’s various solutions to the problem, so I thought I’d oppose you in this way. Excellent, sir! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, the Buddha has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

“Anuviccakāraṁ kho, gahapati, karohi, anuviccakāro tumhādisānaṁ ñātamanussānaṁ sādhu hotī”ti.
“Imināpāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavato bhiyyoso mattāya attamano abhiraddho yaṁ maṁ bhagavā evamāha: ‘anuviccakāraṁ kho, gahapati, karohi, anuviccakāro tumhādisānaṁ ñātamanussānaṁ sādhu hotī’ti.
Mañhi, bhante, aññatitthiyā sāvakaṁ labhitvā kevalakappaṁ nāḷandaṁ paṭākaṁ parihareyyuṁ:
‘upāli amhākaṁ gahapati sāvakattaṁ upagato’ti.
Atha ca pana maṁ bhagavā evamāha:
‘anuviccakāraṁ kho, gahapati, karohi, anuviccakāro tumhādisānaṁ ñātamanussānaṁ sādhu hotī’ti.
Esāhaṁ, bhante, dutiyampi bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.
Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.

“Householder, you should act after careful consideration. It’s good for well-known people such as yourself to act after careful consideration.” “Now I’m even more delighted and satisfied with the Buddha, since he tells me to act after careful consideration. For if the followers of other religions were to gain me as a disciple, they’d carry a banner all over Nāḷandā, saying: ‘The householder Upāli has become our disciple!’ And yet the Buddha says: ‘Householder, you should act after careful consideration. It’s good for well-known people such as yourself to act after careful consideration.’ For a second time, I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

“Dīgharattaṁ kho te, gahapati, nigaṇṭhānaṁ opānabhūtaṁ kulaṁ yena nesaṁ upagatānaṁ piṇḍakaṁ dātabbaṁ maññeyyāsī”ti.
“Imināpāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavato bhiyyoso mattāya attamano abhiraddho yaṁ maṁ bhagavā evamāha: ‘dīgharattaṁ kho te, gahapati, nigaṇṭhānaṁ opānabhūtaṁ kulaṁ yena nesaṁ upagatānaṁ piṇḍakaṁ dātabbaṁ maññeyyāsī’ti.
Sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, samaṇo gotamo evamāha:
‘mayhameva dānaṁ dātabbaṁ, nāññesaṁ dānaṁ dātabbaṁ;
mayhameva sāvakānaṁ dānaṁ dātabbaṁ, nāññesaṁ sāvakānaṁ dānaṁ dātabbaṁ;
mayhameva dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ, nāññesaṁ dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ;
mayhameva sāvakānaṁ dinnaṁ mahapphalaṁ, nāññesaṁ sāvakānaṁ dinnaṁ mahapphalan’ti.
Atha ca pana maṁ bhagavā nigaṇṭhesupi dāne samādapeti.
Api ca, bhante, mayamettha kālaṁ jānissāma.
Esāhaṁ, bhante, tatiyampi bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.

“For a long time now, householder, your family has been a well-spring of support for the Jain ascetics. You should consider giving to them when they come.” “Now I’m even more delighted and satisfied with the Buddha, since he tells me to consider giving to the Jain ascetics when they come. I have heard, sir, that the ascetic Gotama says this: ‘Gifts should only be given to me, not to others. Gifts should only be given to my disciples, not to the disciples of others. Only what is given to me is very fruitful, not what is given to others. Only what is given to my disciples is very fruitful, not what is given to the disciples of others.’ Yet the Buddha encourages me to give to the Jain ascetics. Well, sir, we’ll know the proper time for that. For a third time, I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha.

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