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Majjhima Nikāya 67

Cātumasutta

At Cātumā · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Seyyathāpi, bhante, bhagavatā pubbe bhikkhusaṅgho anuggahito; evameva bhagavā etarahi anuggaṇhātu bhikkhusaṅghan”ti.

May the Buddha support the mendicant Saṅgha now as he did in the past!”

Asakkhiṁsu kho cātumeyyakā ca sakyā brahmā ca sahampati bhagavantaṁ pasādetuṁ bījūpamena ca taruṇūpamena ca.

The Sakyans of Cātumā and the divinity Sahampati were able to restore the Buddha’s confidence with the similes of the seedlings and the calf.

Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi:
“uṭṭhethāvuso, gaṇhatha pattacīvaraṁ.
Pasādito bhagavā cātumeyyakehi ca sakyehi brahmunā ca sahampatinā bījūpamena ca taruṇūpamena cā”ti.

Then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the mendicants, “Get up, reverends, and pick up your bowls and robes. The Buddha’s confidence has been restored by the Sakyans of Cātumā and the divinity Sahampati with the similes of the seedlings and the calf.”

“Evamāvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paṭissutvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pattacīvaramādāya yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ bhagavā etadavoca:
“kinti te, sāriputta, ahosi mayā bhikkhusaṅghe paṇāmite”ti?
“Evaṁ kho me, bhante, ahosi:
‘bhagavatā bhikkhusaṅgho paṇāmito.
Appossukko dāni bhagavā diṭṭhadhammasukhavihāraṁ anuyutto viharissati, mayampi dāni appossukkā diṭṭhadhammasukhavihāramanuyuttā viharissāmā’”ti.
“Āgamehi tvaṁ, sāriputta, āgamehi tvaṁ, sāriputta, diṭṭhadhammasukhavihāran”ti.

“Yes, reverend,” replied those mendicants. Then they rose from their seats and, taking their bowls and robes, went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to Venerable Sāriputta, “Sāriputta, what did you think when the mendicant Saṅgha was dismissed by me?” “Sir, I thought this: ‘The Buddha has dismissed the mendicant Saṅgha. Now he will remain passive, dwelling in blissful meditation in this life, and so will we.’” “Hold on, Sāriputta, hold on! Don’t you ever think such a thing again!”

Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ āmantesi:
“kinti te, moggallāna, ahosi mayā bhikkhusaṅghe paṇāmite”ti?
“Evaṁ kho me, bhante, ahosi:
‘bhagavatā bhikkhusaṅgho paṇāmito.
Appossukko dāni bhagavā diṭṭhadhammasukhavihāraṁ anuyutto viharissati, ahañca dāni āyasmā ca sāriputto bhikkhusaṅghaṁ pariharissāmā’”ti.
“Sādhu sādhu, moggallāna.
Ahaṁ vā hi, moggallāna, bhikkhusaṅghaṁ parihareyyaṁ sāriputtamoggallānā vā”ti.

Then the Buddha addressed Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, “Moggallāna, what did you think when the mendicant Saṅgha was dismissed by me?” “Sir, I thought this: ‘The Buddha has dismissed the mendicant Saṅgha. Now he will remain passive, dwelling in blissful meditation in this life. Meanwhile, Venerable Sāriputta and I shall lead the mendicant Saṅgha.’” “Good, good, Moggallāna! For either I should lead the mendicant Saṅgha, or else Sāriputta and Moggallāna.”

Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
“cattārimāni, bhikkhave, bhayāni udakorohante pāṭikaṅkhitabbāni.
Katamāni cattāri?
Ūmibhayaṁ, kumbhīlabhayaṁ, āvaṭṭabhayaṁ, susukābhayaṁ—
imāni, bhikkhave, cattāri bhayāni udakorohante pāṭikaṅkhitabbāni.

Then the Buddha said to the mendicants: “Mendicants, when you go into the water you should anticipate four dangers. What four? The dangers of waves, gharials, whirlpools, and sharks. These are the four dangers that you should anticipate when you go into the water.

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, cattārimāni bhayāni idhekacce puggale imasmiṁ dhammavinaye agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajite pāṭikaṅkhitabbāni.
Katamāni cattāri?
Ūmibhayaṁ, kumbhīlabhayaṁ, āvaṭṭabhayaṁ, susukābhayaṁ.

In the same way, an individual gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in this teaching and training should anticipate four dangers. What four? The dangers of waves, gharials, whirlpools, and sharks.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, ūmibhayaṁ?
Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco kulaputto saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito hoti:
‘otiṇṇomhi jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi dukkhotiṇṇo dukkhapareto;
appeva nāma imassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa antakiriyā paññāyethā’ti.
Tamenaṁ tathā pabbajitaṁ samānaṁ sabrahmacārī ovadanti, anusāsanti:
‘evaṁ te abhikkamitabbaṁ, evaṁ te paṭikkamitabbaṁ, evaṁ te ālokitabbaṁ, evaṁ te vilokitabbaṁ, evaṁ te samiñjitabbaṁ, evaṁ te pasāritabbaṁ, evaṁ te saṅghāṭipattacīvaraṁ dhāretabban’ti.
Tassa evaṁ hoti:
‘mayaṁ kho pubbe agāriyabhūtā samānā aññe ovadāma, anusāsāma.
Ime panamhākaṁ puttamattā maññe, nattamattā maññe, amhe ovaditabbaṁ anusāsitabbaṁ maññantī’ti.
So sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ūmibhayassa bhīto sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvatto.
‘Ūmibhayan’ti kho, bhikkhave, kodhupāyāsassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

And what, mendicants, is the danger of waves? It’s when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking: ‘I’m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I’m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.’ When they’ve gone forth, their spiritual companions advise and instruct them: ‘You should go out like this, and come back like that. You should look to the front like this, and to the side like that. You should contract your limbs like this, and extend them like that. This is how you should bear your outer robe, bowl, and robes.’ They think: ‘Formerly, as laypeople, we advised and instructed others. And now these mendicants—who you’d think were our children or grandchildren—imagine they can advise and instruct us!’ They resign the training and return to a lesser life. This is called a mendicant who resigns the training and returns to a lesser life for fear of the danger of waves. ‘Danger of waves’ is a term for anger and distress.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, kumbhīlabhayaṁ?
Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco kulaputto saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito hoti:
‘otiṇṇomhi jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi dukkhotiṇṇo dukkhapareto;
appeva nāma imassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa antakiriyā paññāyethā’ti.
Tamenaṁ tathā pabbajitaṁ samānaṁ sabrahmacārī ovadanti anusāsanti:

And what, mendicants, is the danger of gharials? It’s when a gentleman has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, thinking: ‘I’m swamped by rebirth, old age, and death; by sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. I’m swamped by suffering, mired in suffering. Hopefully I can make an end to this entire mass of suffering.’ When they’ve gone forth, their spiritual companions advise and instruct them:

‘idaṁ te khāditabbaṁ, idaṁ te na khāditabbaṁ; idaṁ te bhuñjitabbaṁ, idaṁ te na bhuñjitabbaṁ; idaṁ te sāyitabbaṁ, idaṁ te na sāyitabbaṁ; idaṁ te pātabbaṁ, idaṁ te na pātabbaṁ; kappiyaṁ te khāditabbaṁ, akappiyaṁ te na khāditabbaṁ; kappiyaṁ te bhuñjitabbaṁ, akappiyaṁ te na bhuñjitabbaṁ; kappiyaṁ te sāyitabbaṁ, akappiyaṁ te na sāyitabbaṁ; kappiyaṁ te pātabbaṁ, akappiyaṁ te na pātabbaṁ; kāle te khāditabbaṁ, vikāle te na khāditabbaṁ; kāle te bhuñjitabbaṁ, vikāle te na bhuñjitabbaṁ; kāle te sāyitabbaṁ, vikāle te na sāyitabbaṁ; kāle te pātabbaṁ, vikāle te na pātabban’ti.

‘You may eat, consume, taste, and drink these things, but not those. You may eat what’s allowable, but not what’s unallowable. You may eat at the right time, but not at the wrong time.’

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