Māgaṇḍiyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 75

With Māgaṇḍiya · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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“Kāyo kho, māgaṇḍiya, phoṭṭhabbārāmo phoṭṭhabbarato …pe…
mano kho, māgaṇḍiya, dhammārāmo dhammarato dhammasammudito.
So tathāgatassa danto gutto rakkhito saṁvuto, tassa ca saṁvarāya dhammaṁ deseti.
Idaṁ nu te etaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, sandhāya bhāsitaṁ:
‘bhūnahu samaṇo gotamo’”ti?
“Etadeva kho pana me, bho gotama, sandhāya bhāsitaṁ:
‘bhūnahu samaṇo gotamo’ti.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Evañhi no sutte ocaratī”ti.

The body likes touches … The mind likes ideas, it loves them and enjoys them. That’s been tamed, guarded, protected and restrained by the Realized One, and he teaches Dhamma for its restraint. Is that what you were referring to when you called me a baby-killer?” “That’s exactly what I was referring to. Why is that? For so it came to me while sleeping.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, māgaṇḍiya:
‘idhekacco cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi paricāritapubbo assa iṭṭhehi kantehi manāpehi piyarūpehi kāmūpasaṁhitehi rajanīyehi, so aparena samayena rūpānaṁyeva samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ viditvā rūpataṇhaṁ pahāya rūpapariḷāhaṁ paṭivinodetvā vigatapipāso ajjhattaṁ vūpasantacitto vihareyya.
Imassa pana te, māgaṇḍiya, kimassa vacanīyan’”ti?
“Na kiñci, bho gotama”.
“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, māgaṇḍiya:
‘idhekacco sotaviññeyyehi saddehi …pe…
ghānaviññeyyehi gandhehi …
jivhāviññeyyehi rasehi …
kāyaviññeyyehi phoṭṭhabbehi paricāritapubbo assa iṭṭhehi kantehi manāpehi piyarūpehi kāmūpasaṁhitehi rajanīyehi,
so aparena samayena phoṭṭhabbānaṁyeva samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ viditvā phoṭṭhabbataṇhaṁ pahāya phoṭṭhabbapariḷāhaṁ paṭivinodetvā vigatapipāso ajjhattaṁ vūpasantacitto vihareyya.
Imassa pana te, māgaṇḍiya, kimassa vacanīyan’”ti?
“Na kiñci, bho gotama”.

“What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Take someone who used to amuse themselves with sights known by the eye, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing. Some time later—having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape of sights, and having given up craving and dispelled passion for sights—they would live rid of thirst, their mind settled internally. What would you have to say to them, Māgaṇḍiya?” “Nothing, worthy Gotama.” “What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Take someone who used to amuse themselves with sounds known by the ear … smells known by the nose … tastes known by the tongue … touches known by the body, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing. Some time later—having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape of touches, and having given up craving and dispelled passion for touches—they would live rid of thirst, their mind settled internally. What would you have to say to them, Māgaṇḍiya?” “Nothing, worthy Gotama.”

“Ahaṁ kho pana, māgaṇḍiya, pubbe agāriyabhūto samāno pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāresiṁ cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi iṭṭhehi kantehi manāpehi piyarūpehi kāmūpasaṁhitehi rajanīyehi, sotaviññeyyehi saddehi …pe…
ghānaviññeyyehi gandhehi …
jivhāviññeyyehi rasehi …
kāyaviññeyyehi phoṭṭhabbehi iṭṭhehi kantehi manāpehi piyarūpehi kāmūpasaṁhitehi rajanīyehi.
Tassa mayhaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, tayo pāsādā ahesuṁ—
eko vassiko, eko hemantiko, eko gimhiko.
So kho ahaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, vassike pāsāde vassike cattāro māse nippurisehi tūriyehi paricārayamāno na heṭṭhāpāsādaṁ orohāmi.
So aparena samayena kāmānaṁyeva samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ viditvā kāmataṇhaṁ pahāya kāmapariḷāhaṁ paṭivinodetvā vigatapipāso ajjhattaṁ vūpasantacitto viharāmi.
So aññe satte passāmi kāmesu avītarāge kāmataṇhāhi khajjamāne kāmapariḷāhena pariḍayhamāne kāme paṭisevante.

“Well, when I was still a layperson I used to amuse myself, supplied and provided with sights known by the eye … sounds known by the ear … smells known by the nose … tastes known by the tongue … touches known by the body, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing. I had three stilt longhouses— one for the rainy season, one for the winter, and one for the summer. I stayed in a stilt longhouse without coming downstairs for the four months of the rainy season, where I was entertained by musicians—none of them men. Some time later—having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape of sensual pleasures, and having given up craving and dispelled passion for sensual pleasures—I live rid of thirst, my mind settled internally. I see other sentient beings who are not free from sensual pleasures being consumed by craving for sensual pleasures, burning with passion for sensual pleasures, indulging in sensual pleasures.

So tesaṁ na pihemi, na tattha abhiramāmi.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Yāhayaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, rati, aññatreva kāmehi aññatra akusalehi dhammehi—
api dibbaṁ sukhaṁ samadhigayha tiṭṭhati—
tāya ratiyā ramamāno hīnassa na pihemi, na tattha abhiramāmi.

I don’t envy them, nor do I hope to enjoy that. Why is that? Because there is a satisfaction that is apart from sensual pleasures and unskillful qualities, which even equals heavenly pleasure. Enjoying that satisfaction, I don’t envy what is inferior, nor do I hope to enjoy it.

Seyyathāpi, māgaṇḍiya, gahapati vā gahapatiputto vā aḍḍho mahaddhano mahābhogo pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāreyya cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi …
pe…
phoṭṭhabbehi iṭṭhehi kantehi manāpehi piyarūpehi kāmūpasaṁhitehi rajanīyehi.
So kāyena sucaritaṁ caritvā vācāya sucaritaṁ caritvā manasā sucaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjeyya devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ sahabyataṁ.
So tattha nandane vane accharāsaṅghaparivuto dibbehi pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāreyya.
So passeyya gahapatiṁ vā gahapatiputtaṁ vā pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappitaṁ samaṅgībhūtaṁ paricārayamānaṁ.
Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, māgaṇḍiya, api nu so devaputto nandane vane accharāsaṅghaparivuto dibbehi pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricārayamāno amussa gahapatissa vā gahapatiputtassa vā piheyya, mānusakānaṁ vā pañcannaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ mānusakehi vā kāmehi āvaṭṭeyyā”ti?

Suppose there was a householder or a householder’s child who was rich, affluent, and wealthy. And they would amuse themselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation. That is, sights known by the eye … sounds … smells … tastes … touches known by the body, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing. Having practiced good conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, when their body breaks up, after death, they’d be reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm, in the company of the gods of the thirty-three. There they’d amuse themselves in the Garden of Delight, escorted by a band of nymphs, supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. Then they’d see a householder or a householder’s child amusing themselves, supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation. What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Would that god—amusing themselves in the Garden of Delight, escorted by a band of nymphs, supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation—envy that householder or householder’s child their five kinds of human sensual stimulation, or return to human sensual pleasures?”

“No hidaṁ, bho gotama.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Mānusakehi, bho gotama, kāmehi dibbakāmā abhikkantatarā ca paṇītatarā cā”ti.

“No, worthy Gotama. Why is that? Because heavenly sensual pleasures are better than human sensual pleasures.”

“Evameva kho ahaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, pubbe agāriyabhūto samāno pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgībhūto paricāresiṁ cakkhuviññeyyehi rūpehi iṭṭhehi kantehi manāpehi piyarūpehi kāmūpasaṁhitehi rajanīyehi, sotaviññeyyehi saddehi …pe…
ghānaviññeyyehi gandhehi …
jivhāviññeyyehi rasehi …
kāyaviññeyyehi phoṭṭhabbehi iṭṭhehi kantehi manāpehi piyarūpehi kāmūpasaṁhitehi rajanīyehi.
So aparena samayena kāmānaṁyeva samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ viditvā kāmataṇhaṁ pahāya kāmapariḷāhaṁ paṭivinodetvā vigatapipāso ajjhattaṁ vūpasantacitto viharāmi.
So aññe satte passāmi kāmesu avītarāge kāmataṇhāhi khajjamāne kāmapariḷāhena pariḍayhamāne kāme paṭisevante, so tesaṁ na pihemi, na tattha abhiramāmi.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Yāhayaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, rati aññatreva kāmehi aññatra akusalehi dhammehi—
api dibbaṁ sukhaṁ samadhigayha tiṭṭhati—
tāya ratiyā ramamāno hīnassa na pihemi, na tattha abhiramāmi.

“In the same way, Māgaṇḍiya, when I was still a layperson I used to amuse myself with sights … sounds … smells … tastes … touches known by the body, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing. Some time later—having truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape of sensual pleasures, and having given up craving and dispelled passion for sensual pleasures—I live rid of thirst, my mind settled internally. I see other sentient beings who are not free from sensual pleasures being consumed by craving for sensual pleasures, burning with passion for sensual pleasures, indulging in sensual pleasures. I don’t envy them, nor do I hope to enjoy that. Why is that? Because there is a satisfaction that is apart from sensual pleasures and unskillful qualities, which even equals heavenly pleasure. Enjoying that satisfaction, I don’t envy what is inferior, nor do I hope to enjoy it.

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