Mahāmālukyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 64

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

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
“bhikkhavo”ti.
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

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:

“dhāretha no tumhe, bhikkhave, mayā desitāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanānī”ti?
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā mālukyaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“ahaṁ kho, bhante, dhāremi bhagavatā desitāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanānī”ti.
“Yathā kathaṁ pana tvaṁ, mālukyaputta, dhāresi mayā desitāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanānī”ti?
“Sakkāyadiṭṭhiṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ desitaṁ dhāremi;
vicikicchaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ desitaṁ dhāremi;
sīlabbataparāmāsaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ desitaṁ dhāremi;
kāmacchandaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ desitaṁ dhāremi;
byāpādaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ desitaṁ dhāremi.
Evaṁ kho ahaṁ, bhante, dhāremi bhagavatā desitāni pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanānī”ti.

“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.”

“Kassa kho nāma tvaṁ, mālukyaputta, imāni evaṁ pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni desitāni dhāresi?
Nanu, mālukyaputta, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā iminā taruṇūpamena upārambhena upārambhissanti?
Daharassa hi, mālukyaputta, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa sakkāyotipi na hoti, kuto panassa uppajjissati sakkāyadiṭṭhi?
Anusetvevassa sakkāyadiṭṭhānusayo.
Daharassa hi, mālukyaputta, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa dhammātipi na hoti, kuto panassa uppajjissati dhammesu vicikicchā?
Anusetvevassa vicikicchānusayo.
Daharassa hi, mālukyaputta, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa sīlātipi na hoti, kuto panassa uppajjissati sīlesu sīlabbataparāmāso?
Anusetvevassa sīlabbataparāmāsānusayo.
Daharassa hi, mālukyaputta, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa kāmātipi na hoti, kuto panassa uppajjissati kāmesu kāmacchando?
Anusetvevassa kāmarāgānusayo.
Daharassa hi, mālukyaputta, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa sattātipi na hoti, kuto panassa uppajjissati sattesu byāpādo?
Anusetvevassa byāpādānusayo.

“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.

Nanu, mālukyaputta, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā iminā taruṇūpamena upārambhena upārambhissantī”ti?

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

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“etassa, bhagavā, kālo, etassa, sugata, kālo
yaṁ bhagavā pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni deseyya. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī”ti.
“Tena hānanda, suṇāhi, sādhukaṁ manasi karohi; bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paccassosi.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

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:

“Idhānanda, assutavā puthujjano ariyānaṁ adassāvī ariyadhammassa akovido ariyadhamme avinīto, sappurisānaṁ adassāvī sappurisadhammassa akovido sappurisadhamme avinīto
sakkāyadiṭṭhipariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati sakkāyadiṭṭhiparetena;
uppannāya ca sakkāyadiṭṭhiyā nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.
Tassa sā sakkāyadiṭṭhi thāmagatā appaṭivinītā orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ.
Vicikicchāpariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati vicikicchāparetena;
uppannāya ca vicikicchāya nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.
Tassa sā vicikicchā thāmagatā appaṭivinītā orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ.
Sīlabbataparāmāsapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati sīlabbataparāmāsaparetena;
uppannassa ca sīlabbataparāmāsassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.
Tassa so sīlabbataparāmāso thāmagato appaṭivinīto orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ.
Kāmarāgapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati kāmarāgaparetena;
uppannassa ca kāmarāgassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.
Tassa so kāmarāgo thāmagato appaṭivinīto orambhāgiyaṁ saṁyojanaṁ.
Byāpādapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati byāpādaparetena;
uppannassa ca byāpādassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.
Tassa so byāpādo thāmagato appaṭivinīto orambhāgiyaṁ 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.

Sutavā ca kho, ānanda, ariyasāvako ariyānaṁ dassāvī ariyadhammassa kovido ariyadhamme suvinīto, sappurisānaṁ dassāvī sappurisadhammassa kovido sappurisadhamme suvinīto na sakkāyadiṭṭhipariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati na sakkāyadiṭṭhiparetena;
uppannāya ca sakkāyadiṭṭhiyā nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Tassa sā sakkāyadiṭṭhi sānusayā pahīyati.
Na vicikicchāpariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati na vicikicchāparetena;
uppannāya ca vicikicchāya nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Tassa sā vicikicchā sānusayā pahīyati.
Na sīlabbataparāmāsapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati na sīlabbataparāmāsaparetena;
uppannassa ca sīlabbataparāmāsassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Tassa so sīlabbataparāmāso sānusayo pahīyati.
Na kāmarāgapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati na kāmarāgaparetena;
uppannassa ca kāmarāgassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.
Tassa so kāmarāgo sānusayo pahīyati.
Na byāpādapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati na byāpādaparetena;
uppannassa ca byāpādassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.

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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