Mahāmālukyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 64

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

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thusEvaṁ by meme heardsutaṁ—
oneekaṁ timesamayaṁ the Blessed Onebhagavā in Sāvatthīsāvatthiyaṁ was stayingviharati in Jeta's Grovejetavane of Anāthapiṇḍikaanāthapiṇḍikassa in the monasteryārāme.
thereTatra indeedkho the Blessed Onebhagavā the mendicantsbhikkhū addressedāmantesi:
"Mendicants!"“bhikkhavo”ti.
"Venerable sir,"“Bhadante”ti theyte mendicantsbhikkhū to the Blessed Onebhagavato repliedpaccassosuṁ.
the Blessed OneBhagavā said thisetadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Mendicants, do you remember the five lower fetters taught by me?” When he said this, Venerable Māluṅkyaputta said to him, “Sir, I remember them.” “But how do you remember them?” “I remember the lower fetters taught by the Buddha as follows: substantialist view, doubt, misapprehension of precepts and observances, sensual desire, and ill will. That’s how I remember the five lower fetters taught by the Buddha.”

of whom“Kassa indeedkho on earthnāma youtvaṁ, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, theseimāni thusevaṁ five lower fetterspañcorambhāgiyāni fetterssaṁyojanāni taughtdesitāni do you rememberdhāresi?
surelyNanu, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, other·religionaññatitthiyā wanderersparibbājakā with thisiminā of the infant similetaruṇūpamena with fault-findingupārambhena will faultupārambhissanti?
for a littleDaharassa forhi, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, babykumārassa unconsciousmandassa on back·lyinguttānaseyyakassa substantial reality·quotation marker + evensakkāyotipi notna there ishoti, howkuto for itpanassa will ariseuppajjissati substantial reality·viewsakkāyadiṭṭhi?
yet it lies withinAnusetvevassa substantialist view·underlying tendencysakkāyadiṭṭhānusayo.
for a littleDaharassa forhi, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, babykumārassa unconsciousmandassa on back·lyinguttānaseyyakassa teaching·quotation marker + evendhammātipi notna there ishoti, howkuto for itpanassa will ariseuppajjissati in teachingsdhammesu doubtvicikicchā?
yet it lies withinAnusetvevassa doubt·underlying tendencyvicikicchānusayo.
for a littleDaharassa forhi, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, babykumārassa unconsciousmandassa on back·lyinguttānaseyyakassa precept·quotation marker + evensīlātipi notna there ishoti, howkuto for itpanassa will ariseuppajjissati in preceptssīlesu precept·observance·misapprehensionsīlabbataparāmāso?
yet it lies withinAnusetvevassa misapprehension of precepts and observances·underlying tendencysīlabbataparāmāsānusayo.
for a littleDaharassa forhi, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, babykumārassa unconsciousmandassa on back·lyinguttānaseyyakassa sensual pleasure·quotation marker + evenkāmātipi notna there ishoti, howkuto for itpanassa will ariseuppajjissati in sensual pleasureskāmesu sensual pleasure·desirekāmacchando?
yet it lies withinAnusetvevassa sensual desire·underlying tendencykāmarāgānusayo.
for a littleDaharassa forhi, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, babykumārassa unconsciousmandassa on back·lyinguttānaseyyakassa sentient being·quotation marker + evensattātipi notna there ishoti, howkuto for itpanassa will ariseuppajjissati for sentient beingssattesu ill willbyāpādo?
yet it lies withinAnusetvevassa ill will·underlying tendencybyāpādānusayo.

“Who on earth do you remember being taught the five lower fetters in that way? Wouldn’t the wanderers of other religions fault you using the simile of the infant? For a little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘substantial reality’, so how could substantialist view possibly arise in them? Yet the underlying tendency to substantialist view still lies within them. A little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘teachings’, so how could doubt about the teachings possibly arise in them? Yet the underlying tendency to doubt still lies within them. A little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘precepts’, so how could misapprehension of precepts and observances possibly arise in them? Yet the underlying tendency to misapprehension of precepts and observances still lies within them. A little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘sensual pleasures’, so how could desire for sensual pleasures possibly arise in them? Yet the underlying tendency to sensual desire still lies within them. A little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘sentient beings’, so how could ill will for sentient beings possibly arise in them? Yet the underlying tendency to ill will still lies within them.

is it notNanu, Mālukyaputtamālukyaputta, of other religionsaññatitthiyā wanderersparibbājakā with thisiminā with the simile of the infanttaruṇūpamena with the fault-findingupārambhena would faultupārambhissantī”ti?

Wouldn’t the wanderers of other religions fault you using the simile of the infant?”

thusEvaṁ when saidvutte, venerableāyasmā Ānandaānando to the Buddhabhagavantaṁ said thisetadavoca:
for this“etassa, Blessed Onebhagavā, the timekālo, for thisetassa, Holy Onesugata, the timekālo
thatyaṁ the Blessed Onebhagavā five lowerpañcorambhāgiyāni fetterssaṁyojanāni would teachdeseyya. of the BuddhaBhagavato having heardsutvā the mendicantsbhikkhū will rememberdhāressantī”ti.
well then“Tena Ānandahānanda, listensuṇāhi, wellsādhukaṁ in the mindmanasi applykarohi; I will speakbhāsissāmī”ti.
yes“Evaṁ, sirbhante”ti indeedkho venerableāyasmā Ānandaānando to the Buddhabhagavato repliedpaccassosi.
the BuddhaBhagavā said thisetadavoca:

When he said this, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha, “Now is the time, Blessed One! Now is the time, Holy One! May the Buddha teach the five lower fetters. The mendicants will listen and remember it.” “Well then, Ānanda, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” Ānanda replied. The Buddha said this:

here, Ānanda,“Idhānanda, not·heardassutavā ordinary·personputhujjano of the noble onesariyānaṁ not·seeadassāvī noble·teachingariyadhammassa not·skilledakovido noble·teachingariyadhamme not·trainedavinīto, of true personssappurisānaṁ not·seeadassāvī true person·teachingsappurisadhammassa not·skilledakovido true person·teachingsappurisadhamme not·trainedavinīto
substantialist view·overcomesakkāyadiṭṭhipariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati substantialist view·miredsakkāyadiṭṭhiparetena;
arisenuppannāya andca from substantialist viewsakkāyadiṭṭhiyā escapenissaraṇaṁ as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ not·understandnappajānāti.
for himTassa thatsā substantialist viewsakkāyadiṭṭhi entrenchedthāmagatā not·eliminatedappaṭivinītā lowerorambhāgiyaṁ fetter.saṁyojanaṁ.
doubt·overcomeVicikicchāpariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati doubt·miredvicikicchāparetena;
arisenuppannāya andca from doubtvicikicchāya escapenissaraṇaṁ as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ not·understandnappajānāti.
for himTassa thatsā doubtvicikicchā entrenchedthāmagatā not·eliminatedappaṭivinītā lowerorambhāgiyaṁ fetter.saṁyojanaṁ.
misapprehension of precepts and observances·overcomeSīlabbataparāmāsapariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati misapprehension of precepts and observances·miredsīlabbataparāmāsaparetena;
arisenuppannassa andca from misapprehension of precepts and observancessīlabbataparāmāsassa escapenissaraṇaṁ as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ not·understandnappajānāti.
for himTassa thatso misapprehension of precepts and observancessīlabbataparāmāso entrenchedthāmagato not·eliminatedappaṭivinīto lowerorambhāgiyaṁ fetter.saṁyojanaṁ.
sensual desire·overcomeKāmarāgapariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati sensual desire·miredkāmarāgaparetena;
arisenuppannassa andca from sensual desirekāmarāgassa escapenissaraṇaṁ as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ not·understandnappajānāti.
for himTassa thatso sensual desirekāmarāgo entrenchedthāmagato not·eliminatedappaṭivinīto lowerorambhāgiyaṁ fetter.saṁyojanaṁ.
ill will·overcomeByāpādapariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati ill will·miredbyāpādaparetena;
arisenuppannassa andca from ill willbyāpādassa escapenissaraṇaṁ as·becomeyathābhūtaṁ not·understandnappajānāti.
for himTassa thatso ill willbyāpādo entrenchedthāmagato not·eliminatedappaṭivinīto lowerorambhāgiyaṁ fetter.saṁyojanaṁ.

“Ānanda, take an unlearned ordinary person who has not seen the noble ones, and is neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve not seen true persons, and are neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the true persons. Their heart is overcome and mired in substantialist view, and they don’t truly understand the escape from substantialist view that has arisen. That substantialist view is entrenched in them, not eliminated: it is a lower fetter. Their heart is overcome and mired in doubt, and they don’t truly understand the escape from doubt that has arisen. That doubt is entrenched in them, not eliminated: it is a lower fetter. Their heart is overcome and mired in misapprehension of precepts and observances, and they don’t truly understand the escape from misapprehension of precepts and observances that has arisen. That misapprehension of precepts and observances is entrenched in them, not eliminated: it is a lower fetter. Their heart is overcome and mired in sensual desire, and they don’t truly understand the escape from sensual desire that has arisen. That sensual desire is entrenched in them, not eliminated: it is a lower fetter. Their heart is overcome and mired in ill will, and they don’t truly understand the escape from ill will that has arisen. That ill will is entrenched in them, not eliminated: it is a lower fetter.

learnedSutavā andca indeedkho, Ānandaānanda, noble discipleariyasāvako of the noble onesariyānaṁ has seendassāvī noble·teachingariyadhammassa skilledkovido noble·teachingariyadhamme well trainedsuvinīto, of true personssappurisānaṁ has seendassāvī true person·teachingsappurisadhammassa skilledkovido true person·teachingsappurisadhamme well trainedsuvinīto notna substantialist·view·overcomesakkāyadiṭṭhipariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati notna mired in substantialist viewsakkāyadiṭṭhiparetena;
arisenuppannāya andca substantialist·viewsakkāyadiṭṭhiyā escapenissaraṇaṁ as it really isyathābhūtaṁ truly understandspajānāti.
in themTassa thatsā substantialist·viewsakkāyadiṭṭhi along with underlying tendencysānusayā is given uppahīyati.
notNa doubt·overcomevicikicchāpariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati notna mired in doubtvicikicchāparetena;
arisenuppannāya andca from doubtvicikicchāya escapenissaraṇaṁ as it really isyathābhūtaṁ truly understandspajānāti.
in themTassa thatsā doubtvicikicchā along with underlying tendencysānusayā is given uppahīyati.
notNa precepts and observances·misapprehension·overcomesīlabbataparāmāsapariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati notna mired in misapprehension of precepts and observancessīlabbataparāmāsaparetena;
arisenuppannassa andca precepts and observances·misapprehensionsīlabbataparāmāsassa escapenissaraṇaṁ as it really isyathābhūtaṁ truly understandspajānāti.
in themTassa thatso precepts and observances·misapprehensionsīlabbataparāmāso along with underlying tendencysānusayo is given uppahīyati.
notNa sensual·desire·overcomekāmarāgapariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati notna mired in sensual desirekāmarāgaparetena;
arisenuppannassa andca sensual·desirekāmarāgassa escapenissaraṇaṁ as it really isyathābhūtaṁ truly understandspajānāti.
in themTassa thatso sensual·desirekāmarāgo along with underlying tendencysānusayo is given uppahīyati.
notNa ill will·overcomebyāpādapariyuṭṭhitena with heartcetasā dwellsviharati notna mired in ill willbyāpādaparetena;
arisenuppannassa andca from ill willbyāpādassa escapenissaraṇaṁ as it really isyathābhūtaṁ truly understandspajānāti.

But a learned noble disciple has seen the noble ones, and is skilled and trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve seen true persons, and are skilled and trained in the teaching of the true persons. Their heart is not overcome and mired in substantialist view, and they truly understand the escape from substantialist view that has arisen. That substantialist view, along with any underlying tendency to it, is given up in them. Their heart is not overcome and mired in doubt, and they truly understand the escape from doubt that has arisen. That doubt, along with any underlying tendency to it, is given up in them. Their heart is not overcome and mired in misapprehension of precepts and observances, and they truly understand the escape from misapprehension of precepts and observances that has arisen. That misapprehension of precepts and observances, along with any underlying tendency to it, is given up in them. Their heart is not overcome and mired in sensual desire, and they truly understand the escape from sensual desire that has arisen. That sensual desire, along with any underlying tendency to it, is given up in them. Their heart is not overcome and mired in ill will, and they truly understand the escape from ill will that has arisen.

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