Cūḷamālukyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 63

The Shorter Discourse With Māluṅkya · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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or no longer exists, or both still exists and no longer exists, or neither still exists nor no longer exists, please tell me. If you don’t know

is‘hoti andca notna andca ishoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā’ti orvā, is not‘neva ishoti notna notna ishoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā’ti orvā, for one not knowingajānato indeedkho furtherpana for one not seeingapassato this veryetadeva straightforwardujukaṁ ishoti that is to sayyadidaṁ:
not‘na I knowjānāmi, notna I seepassāmī’”ti.

any of these things, then it is straightforward to simply say: ‘I neither know nor see.’”

what“Kiṁ indeednu did I to youtāhaṁ, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, thusevaṁ I saidavacaṁ:
come‘ehi youtvaṁ, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, under memayi the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ leadcara, Iahaṁ to youte I will declarebyākarissāmi:
eternal“sassato the worldloko”ti orvā, not eternal“asassato the worldloko”ti orvā, finite“antavā the worldloko”ti orvā, infinite“anantavā the worldloko”ti orvā, that“taṁ lifejīvaṁ thattaṁ bodysarīran”ti orvā, different“aññaṁ lifejīvaṁ differentaññaṁ bodysarīran”ti orvā, exists“hoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā”ti orvā, not“na existshoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā”ti orvā, exists“hoti andca notna andca does not existhoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā”ti orvā, neither“neva existshoti notna notna does not existhoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā”ti orvā’”ti?
no“No indeed thishetaṁ, sirbhante”.
you“Tvaṁ orvā butpana memaṁ thusevaṁ you saidavaca:
I‘ahaṁ, sirbhante, under the Buddhabhagavati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ I will leadcarissāmi, the Buddhabhagavā to meme will declarebyākarissati:

“What, Māluṅkyaputta, did I ever say to you: ‘Come, Māluṅkyaputta, lead the spiritual life under me, and I will declare these things to you’?” “No, sir.” “Or did you ever say to me: ‘Sir, I will lead the spiritual life under the Buddha, and the Buddha will declare these things to me’?”

eternal“sassato the world, itloko”ti orvā, not eternal“asassato the world, itloko”ti orvā, finite“antavā the world, itloko”ti orvā, infinite“anantavā the world, itloko”ti orvā, that“taṁ life force, samejīvaṁ thattaṁ the body, itsarīran”ti orvā, one“aññaṁ life force, differentjīvaṁ oneaññaṁ the body, itsarīran”ti orvā, exists“hoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ death, itmaraṇā”ti orvā, not“na existshoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ death, itmaraṇā”ti orvā, exists“hoti andca notna andca existshoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ death, itmaraṇā”ti orvā, neither“neva existshoti notna notna existshoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ death, itmaraṇā”ti or, it?vā’”ti?
no“No certainly thathetaṁ, sirbhante”.
thus“Iti indeedkira, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, nor did Inevāhaṁ thattaṁ I sayvadāmi:
come‘ehi youtvaṁ, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, in memayi the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ leadcara, Iahaṁ to youte will declarebyākarissāmi:
eternal“sassato the world, itloko”ti orvā, not eternal“asassato the world, itloko”ti orvā ellipsis…pe…
neither“neva existshoti notna notna existshoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ death, itmaraṇāti or, itvā”’ti;
nor indeednapi indeedkira memaṁ youtvaṁ you sayvadesi:
I‘ahaṁ, sirbhante, in the Blessed Onebhagavati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ will leadcarissāmi, the Blessed Onebhagavā to meme will declarebyākarissati:

“No, sir.” “So it seems that I did not say to you: ‘Come, Māluṅkyaputta, lead the spiritual life under me, and I will declare these things to you.’ And you never said to me: ‘Sir, I will lead the spiritual life under the Buddha, and the Buddha will declare these things to me.’

"eternal"“sassato world" thusloko”ti orvā "not eternal"“asassato world" thusloko”ti orvā …pe……pe…
"neither“neva ishoti notna notna ishoti the Tathāgatatathāgato afterparaṁ death" thusmaraṇā”ti or" thus.vā’ti.
this being soEvaṁ being,sante, futile man,moghapurisa, whoko beingsanto whomkaṁ do you disavow?paccācikkhasi?

In that case, you futile man, who are you and what do you disavow?

whoYo indeedkho, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:
not‘na as long as Itāvāhaṁ under the Buddhabhagavati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ I will leadcarissāmi as long asyāva to meme the Buddhabhagavā notna will declarebyākarissati:
eternal“sassato the cosmosloko”ti orvā, not eternal“asassato the cosmosloko”ti orvā ……pe…
neither“neva existshoti notna notna existshoti a realized onetathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā”ti orvā’ti,
still remain undeclaredabyākatameva thattaṁ, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, by the Realized Onetathāgatena would beassa, andatha thatso individualpuggalo deathkālaṁ would diekareyya.
supposeSeyyathāpi, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, a manpuriso by an arrowsallena struckviddho would beassa with poisonsavisena thickly smearedgāḷhapalepanena.
hisTassa friends and colleaguesmittāmaccā relatives and kinñātisālohitā a surgeonbhisakkaṁ surgeonsallakattaṁ would get to treatupaṭṭhapeyyuṁ.
heSo thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:
not‘na as long as Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thetaṁ manpurisaṁ I knowjānāmi by whom I wasyenamhi woundedviddho, an aristocratkhattiyo orvā a brahminbrāhmaṇo orvā a peasantvesso orvā a menialsuddo orvā’ti;
heso thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:
not‘na as long as Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thetaṁ manpurisaṁ I knowjānāmi by whom I wasyenamhi woundedviddho, of such nameevaṁnāmo of such clanevaṅgotto thusiti orvā’ti;
heso thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:

Suppose someone were to say this: ‘I will not lead the spiritual life under the Buddha until the Buddha declares to me that the cosmos is eternal, or that the cosmos is not eternal … or that after death a realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists.’ That would still remain undeclared by the Realized One, and meanwhile that individual would die. Suppose a man was struck by an arrow thickly smeared with poison. His friends and colleagues, relatives and kin would get a surgeon to treat him. But the man would say: ‘I won’t extract this arrow as long as I don’t know whether the man who wounded me was an aristocrat, a brahmin, a peasant, or a menial.’ He’d say: ‘I won’t extract this arrow as long as I don’t know the following things about the man who wounded me: his name and clan;

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