Mahāvacchasutta

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Majjhima Nikāya 73

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

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

Atha kho vacchagotto paribbājako yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi.
Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho vacchagotto paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Then the wanderer Vacchagotta went up to the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha,

“dīgharattāhaṁ bhotā gotamena sahakathī.
Sādhu me bhavaṁ gotamo saṅkhittena kusalākusalaṁ desetū”ti.
“Saṅkhittenapi kho te ahaṁ, vaccha, kusalākusalaṁ deseyyaṁ, vitthārenapi kho te ahaṁ, vaccha, kusalākusalaṁ deseyyaṁ;
api ca te ahaṁ, vaccha, saṅkhittena kusalākusalaṁ desessāmi.
Taṁ suṇāhi, sādhukaṁ manasi karohi, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Evaṁ, bho”ti kho vacchagotto paribbājako bhagavato paccassosi.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

“For a long time I have had discussions with the worthy Gotama. Please teach me in brief what is skillful and what is unskillful.” “Vaccha, I can teach you what is skillful and what is unskillful in brief or in detail. Still, let me do so in brief. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, worthy sir,” Vaccha replied. The Buddha said this:

“Lobho kho, vaccha, akusalaṁ, alobho kusalaṁ;
doso kho, vaccha, akusalaṁ, adoso kusalaṁ;
moho kho, vaccha, akusalaṁ, amoho kusalaṁ.
Iti kho, vaccha, ime tayo dhammā akusalā, tayo dhammā kusalā.

“Greed is unskillful, contentment is skillful. Hate is unskillful, love is skillful. Delusion is unskillful, understanding is skillful. So there are these three unskillful things and three that are skillful.

Killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct; speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; covetousness, ill will, and wrong view: these things are unskillful. Refraining from killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct; refraining from speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical; contentment, good will, and right view: these things are skillful. So there are these ten unskillful things and ten that are skillful.

Yato kho, vaccha, bhikkhuno taṇhā pahīnā hoti ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā, so hoti bhikkhu arahaṁ khīṇāsavo vusitavā katakaraṇīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojano sammadaññāvimutto”ti.

When a mendicant has given up craving so it is cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future, that mendicant is perfected. They’ve ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment.”

“Tiṭṭhatu bhavaṁ gotamo.
Atthi pana te bhoto gotamassa ekabhikkhupi sāvako yo āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī”ti?
“Na kho, vaccha, ekaṁyeva sataṁ na dve satāni na tīṇi satāni na cattāri satāni na pañca satāni, atha kho bhiyyova ye bhikkhū mama sāvakā āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharantī”ti.

“Leaving aside the worthy Gotama, is there even a single monk disciple of Worthy Gotama who has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom, and lives having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements?” “There are not just one hundred such monks who are my disciples, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but many more than that.”

“Tiṭṭhatu bhavaṁ gotamo, tiṭṭhantu bhikkhū.
Atthi pana bhoto gotamassa ekā bhikkhunīpi sāvikā yā āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī”ti?
“Na kho, vaccha, ekaṁyeva sataṁ na dve satāni na tīṇi satāni na cattāri satāni na pañca satāni, atha kho bhiyyova yā bhikkhuniyo mama sāvikā āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharantī”ti.

“Leaving aside the worthy Gotama and the monks, is there even a single nun disciple of Worthy Gotama who has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom, and lives having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements?” “There are not just one hundred such nuns who are my disciples, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but many more than that.”

“Tiṭṭhatu bhavaṁ gotamo, tiṭṭhantu bhikkhū, tiṭṭhantu bhikkhuniyo.
Atthi pana bhoto gotamassa ekupāsakopi sāvako gihī odātavasano brahmacārī yo pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā opapātiko tattha parinibbāyī anāvattidhammo tasmā lokā”ti?
“Na kho, vaccha, ekaṁyeva sataṁ na dve satāni na tīṇi satāni na cattāri satāni na pañca satāni, atha kho bhiyyova ye upāsakā mama sāvakā gihī odātavasanā brahmacārino pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā opapātikā tattha parinibbāyino anāvattidhammā tasmā lokā”ti.

“Leaving aside the worthy Gotama, the monks, and the nuns, is there even a single layman disciple of Worthy Gotama—white-clothed and chaste—who, with the ending of the five lower fetters, is reborn spontaneously, to be extinguished there, not liable to return from that world?” “There are not just one hundred such chaste laymen who are my disciples, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but many more than that.”

“Tiṭṭhatu bhavaṁ gotamo, tiṭṭhantu bhikkhū, tiṭṭhantu bhikkhuniyo, tiṭṭhantu upāsakā gihī odātavasanā brahmacārino.
Atthi pana bhoto gotamassa ekupāsakopi sāvako gihī odātavasano kāmabhogī sāsanakaro ovādappaṭikaro yo tiṇṇavicikiccho vigatakathaṅkatho vesārajjappatto aparappaccayo satthusāsane viharatī”ti?
“Na kho, vaccha, ekaṁyeva sataṁ na dve satāni na tīṇi satāni na cattāri satāni na pañca satāni, atha kho bhiyyova ye upāsakā mama sāvakā gihī odātavasanā kāmabhogino sāsanakarā ovādappaṭikarā tiṇṇavicikicchā vigatakathaṅkathā vesārajjappattā aparappaccayā satthusāsane viharantī”ti.

“Leaving aside Worthy Gotama, the monks, the nuns, and the chaste laymen, is there even a single layman disciple of the worthy Gotama—white-clothed, enjoying sensual pleasures, following instructions, and responding to advice—who has gone beyond doubt, got rid of indecision, and lives self-assured and independent of others regarding the Teacher’s instruction?” “There are not just one hundred such laymen enjoying sensual pleasures who are my disciples, Vaccha, or two or three or four or five hundred, but many more than that.”

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