The Shorter Discourse With Māluṅkya · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
Atha kho āyasmato mālukyaputtassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: “yānimāni diṭṭhigatāni bhagavatā abyākatāni ṭhapitāni paṭikkhittāni: ‘sassato loko’tipi, ‘asassato loko’tipi, ‘antavā loko’tipi, ‘anantavā loko’tipi, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’tipi, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’tipi, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi, ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi, ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi— tāni me bhagavā na byākaroti. Yāni me bhagavā na byākaroti taṁ me na ruccati, taṁ me nakkhamati. Sohaṁ bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamitvā etamatthaṁ pucchissāmi. Sace me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā—
Then as Venerable Māluṅkyaputta was in private retreat this thought came to his mind: “There are several convictions that the Buddha has left undeclared; he has set them aside and turned them down. For example: the cosmos is eternal, or not eternal, or finite, or infinite; the soul and the body are one and the same, or the soul is one thing, the body another; after death, a realized one still exists, or no longer exists, or both still exists and no longer exists, or neither still exists nor no longer exists. The Buddha does not explain these points to me. I don’t endorse that, and do not accept it. I’ll go to him and ask him about this. If he gives me a straight answer on any of these points,
evāhaṁ bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi; no ce me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā— evāhaṁ sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattissāmī”ti.
I will lead the spiritual life under him. If he does not explain these points to me, I shall resign the training and return to a lesser life.”
Atha kho āyasmā mālukyaputto sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mālukyaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Idha mayhaṁ, bhante, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi— yānimāni diṭṭhigatāni bhagavatā abyākatāni ṭhapitāni paṭikkhittāni: ‘sassato loko’tipi, ‘asassato loko’tipi …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi— tāni me bhagavā na byākaroti. Yāni me bhagavā na byākaroti taṁ me na ruccati, taṁ me nakkhamati. Sohaṁ bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamitvā etamatthaṁ pucchissāmi. Sace me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā, ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā— evāhaṁ bhagavati, brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi.
Then in the late afternoon, Māluṅkyaputta came out of retreat and went to the Buddha. He bowed, sat down to one side, and told the Buddha of his thoughts. He then continued:
No ce me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā, ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā— evāhaṁ sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattissāmīti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘sassato loko’ti, ‘sassato loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘asassato loko’ti, ‘asassato loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti: ‘sassato loko’ti vā, ‘asassato loko’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi, na passāmī’ti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘antavā loko’ti, ‘anantavā loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘anantavā loko’ti, ‘anantavā loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti:
“If the Buddha knows that the cosmos is eternal, please tell me. If you know that the cosmos is not eternal, tell me. If you don’t know whether the cosmos is eternal or not, then it is straightforward to simply say: ‘I neither know nor see.’ If you know that the cosmos is finite, or infinite;
‘antavā loko’ti vā, ‘anantavā loko’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi, na passāmī’ti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti: ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti vā, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi, na passāmī’ti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti:
that the soul and the body are one and the same, or is the soul one thing, the body another; that after death, a realized one still exists,
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