Cūḷamālukyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 63

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

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not‘na so long Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ personpurisaṁ I knowjānāmi by which I wasyenamhi piercedviddho, talldīgho orvā shortrasso orvā mediummajjhimo orvā’ti;
heso soevaṁ might sayvadeyya:
not‘na so long Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ personpurisaṁ I knowjānāmi by which I wasyenamhi piercedviddho, blackkāḷo orvā brownsāmo orvā dingy-skinnedmaṅguracchavī orvā’ti;
heso soevaṁ might sayvadeyya:
not‘na so long Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ personpurisaṁ I knowjānāmi by which I wasyenamhi piercedviddho, in such-and-suchamukasmiṁ villagegāme orvā townnigame orvā citynagare orvā’ti;
heso soevaṁ might sayvadeyya:
not‘na so long Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ bowdhanuṁ I knowjānāmi by which I wasyenamhi piercedviddho, ifyadi orvā straightcāpo ifyadi orvā recurvedkodaṇḍo’ti;
heso soevaṁ might sayvadeyya:

whether he’s tall, short, or medium; whether his skin is black, brown, or dingy; and whether he comes from such-and-such village, town, or city. I won’t extract this arrow as long as I don’t know whether the bow that wounded me was straight or recurved;

not‘na so long Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ bow-stringjiyaṁ I knowjānāmi by which I amyāyamhi piercedviddho, whetheryadi orvā swallow-wort fibreakkassa whetheryadi orvā sunn hemp fibresaṇhassa whetheryadi orvā sinewnhārussa whetheryadi orvā sansevieria fibremaruvāya whetheryadi orvā spurge fibrekhīrapaṇṇino’ti;
heso thusevaṁ might sayvadeyya:
not‘na so long Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ shaftkaṇḍaṁ I knowjānāmi by which I amyenamhi piercedviddho, whetheryadi orvā bushgacchaṁ whetheryadi orvā plantation treeropiman’ti;
heso thusevaṁ might sayvadeyya:
not‘na so long Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ I will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ shaftkaṇḍaṁ I knowjānāmi by which I amyenamhi piercedviddho, of whichyassa with featherspattehi fittedvājitaṁ whetheryadi orvā vulturegijjhassa whetheryadi orvā heronkaṅkassa whetheryadi orvā hawkkulalassa whetheryadi orvā peacockmorassa whetheryadi orvā storksithilahanuno’ti;
heso thusevaṁ might sayvadeyya:

whether the bow-string is made of swallow-wort fibre, sunn hemp fibre, sinew, sanseveria fibre, or spurge fibre; whether the shaft is made from a bush or a plantation tree; whether the shaft was fitted with feathers from a vulture, a heron, a hawk, a peacock, or a stork;

not‘na yet Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ shaftkaṇḍaṁ I knowjānāmi by whichyenamhi piercedviddho, of whichyassa with sinewnhārunā boundparikkhittaṁ ifyadi orvā of a cowgavassa ifyadi orvā of a buffalomahiṁsassa ifyadi orvā of a black lionbheravassa ifyadi orvā of an ape'semhārassā’ti;
heso thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:
not‘na yet Itāvāhaṁ thisimaṁ arrowsallaṁ will extractāharissāmi as long asyāva notna thattaṁ arrowsallaṁ I knowjānāmi by whichyenamhi piercedviddho, ifyadi orvā spikedsallaṁ ifyadi orvā razor-tippedkhurappaṁ ifyadi orvā barbedvekaṇḍaṁ ifyadi orvā of ironnārācaṁ ifyadi orvā of calf's toothvacchadantaṁ ifyadi orvā lancet-shaped'karavīrapattan’ti—
unlearned indeedaññātameva thattaṁ, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, by thattena by that manpurisena would beassa, thenatha thatso manpuriso timekālaṁ would dokareyya.
in the same wayEvameva indeedkho, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, whoyo thusevaṁ would sayvadeyya:
not‘na yet Itāvāhaṁ under the Blessed Onebhagavati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ will leadcarissāmi as long asyāva to meme the Blessed Onebhagavā notna will declarebyākarissati:
eternal“sassato the cosmosloko”ti orvā not eternal“asassato the cosmosloko”ti orvā …pe……pe…

whether the shaft was bound with sinews of a cow, a buffalo, a black lion, or an ape; and whether the arrowhead was spiked, razor-tipped, barbed, made of iron or a calf’s tooth, or lancet-shaped.’ That man would still not have learned these things, and meanwhile they’d die. In the same way, suppose someone was to say: ‘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 …

neither“neva still existshoti norna notna still existshoti the realized onetathāgato afterparaṁ deathmaraṇā”ti orvā’ti—
just undeclaredabyākatameva thattaṁ, Māluṅkyaputtamālukyaputta, by the realized onetathāgatena it would beassa, and meanwhileatha thatso individualpuggalo timekālaṁ would diekareyya.

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.

It’s not true that if there were the view ‘the cosmos is eternal’ there would be the living of the spiritual life. It’s not true that if there were the view ‘the cosmos is not eternal’ there would be the living of the spiritual life. When there is the view that the cosmos is eternal or that the cosmos is not eternal, there is rebirth, there is old age, there is death, and there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. And it is the defeat of these things in this very life that I advocate. It’s not true that if there were the view ‘the cosmos is finite’ … ‘the cosmos is infinite’ … ‘the soul and the body are one and the same’ …

one thing‘Aññaṁ the souljīvaṁ anotheraññaṁ the body.'sarīran’ti, Mālukyaputta,mālukyaputta, with viewdiṭṭhiyā beingsati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyavāso would have beenabhavissāti, even soevampi no.no.
the‘Taṁ souljīvaṁ thetaṁ body.'sarīran’ti or,vā, Mālukyaputta,mālukyaputta, with viewdiṭṭhiyā being,sati, 'the soul is one thing‘aññaṁ the souljīvaṁ one thingaññaṁ the body.'sarīran’ti orvā with viewdiṭṭhiyā beingsati there is justattheva birthjāti ……pe…
destructionnighātaṁ I declare.paññapemi.
'Exists‘Hoti the realized onetathāgato afterparaṁ death.'maraṇā’ti, Mālukyaputta,mālukyaputta, with viewdiṭṭhiyā beingsati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyavāso would have beenabhavissāti, even soevaṁ no.no.
'Does not‘Na existhoti the realized onetathāgato afterparaṁ death.'maraṇā’ti, Mālukyaputta,mālukyaputta, with viewdiṭṭhiyā beingsati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyavāso would have beenabhavissāti, even soevampi no.no.
'Exists‘Hoti the realized onetathāgato afterparaṁ death,'maraṇā’ti or,vā, Mālukyaputta,mālukyaputta, with viewdiṭṭhiyā being,sati, 'does not‘na existhoti the realized onetathāgato afterparaṁ death,'maraṇā’ti orvā with viewdiṭṭhiyā beingsati there is justattheva birthjāti ……pe…
which Iyesāhaṁ in this very lifediṭṭheva in the teachingdhamme destructionnighātaṁ I declare.paññapemi.
'Exists‘Hoti bothca notna andca existshoti the realized onetathāgato afterparaṁ death,'maraṇā’ti, Mālukyaputta,mālukyaputta, with viewdiṭṭhiyā beingsati the spiritual lifebrahmacariyavāso would have beenabhavissāti, even soevaṁ no.no.

‘the soul is one thing, the body another’ … ‘a realized one still exists after death’ … ‘a realized one no longer exists after death’ … ‘a realized one both still exists and no longer exists after death’ …

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