Māgaṇḍiyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 75

With Māgaṇḍiya · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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“Evaṁ pasanno ahaṁ bhoto gotamassa.
Pahoti me bhavaṁ gotamo tathā dhammaṁ desetuṁ yathāhaṁ ārogyaṁ jāneyyaṁ, nibbānaṁ passeyyan”ti.
“Seyyathāpi, māgaṇḍiya, jaccandho puriso;
so na passeyya kaṇhasukkāni rūpāni, na passeyya nīlakāni rūpāni, na passeyya pītakāni rūpāni, na passeyya lohitakāni rūpāni, na passeyya mañjiṭṭhakāni rūpāni, na passeyya samavisamaṁ, na passeyya tārakarūpāni, na passeyya candimasūriye.
Tassa mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā bhisakkaṁ sallakattaṁ upaṭṭhāpeyyuṁ.
Tassa so bhisakko sallakatto bhesajjaṁ kareyya.
So taṁ bhesajjaṁ āgamma na cakkhūni uppādeyya, na cakkhūni visodheyya.
Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, māgaṇḍiya,
nanu so vejjo yāvadeva kilamathassa vighātassa bhāgī assā”ti?
“Evaṁ, bho gotama”.
“Evameva kho, māgaṇḍiya, ahañce te dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ:

“I am quite confident that the worthy Gotama is capable of teaching me so that I can know health and see extinguishment.” “Māgaṇḍiya, suppose a person was blind from birth. They couldn’t see sights that are dark or bright, or blue, yellow, red, or magenta. They couldn’t see even and uneven ground, or the stars, or the moon and sun. Their friends and colleagues, relatives and kin would get a surgeon to treat them. The surgeon would make medicine for them, but when they used it their eyes were not cured and they still could not see clearly. What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Wouldn’t that doctor just get weary and frustrated?” “Yes, worthy Gotama.” “In the same way, suppose I were to teach you the Dhamma, saying:

‘idantaṁ ārogyaṁ, idantaṁ nibbānan’ti, so tvaṁ ārogyaṁ na jāneyyāsi, nibbānaṁ na passeyyāsi.
So mamassa kilamatho, sā mamassa vihesā”ti.

‘This is that health, this is that extinguishment.’ But you might not know health or see extinguishment, which would be wearying and troublesome for me.”

“Evaṁ pasanno ahaṁ bhoto gotamassa.
Pahoti me bhavaṁ gotamo tathā dhammaṁ desetuṁ yathāhaṁ ārogyaṁ jāneyyaṁ, nibbānaṁ passeyyan”ti.
“Seyyathāpi, māgaṇḍiya, jaccandho puriso;
so na passeyya kaṇhasukkāni rūpāni, na passeyya nīlakāni rūpāni, na passeyya pītakāni rūpāni, na passeyya lohitakāni rūpāni, na passeyya mañjiṭṭhakāni rūpāni, na passeyya samavisamaṁ, na passeyya tārakarūpāni, na passeyya candimasūriye.
So suṇeyya cakkhumato bhāsamānassa:
‘chekaṁ vata, bho, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti.
So odātapariyesanaṁ careyya.
Tamenaṁ aññataro puriso telamalikatena sāhuḷicīrena vañceyya:
‘idaṁ te, ambho purisa, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti.
So taṁ paṭiggaṇheyya, paṭiggahetvā pārupeyya.
Tassa mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā bhisakkaṁ sallakattaṁ upaṭṭhāpeyyuṁ.
Tassa so bhisakko sallakatto bhesajjaṁ kareyya—

“I am quite confident that the worthy Gotama is capable of teaching me so that I can know health and see extinguishment.” “Māgaṇḍiya, suppose a person was blind from birth. They couldn’t see sights that are dark or bright, or blue, yellow, red, or magenta. They couldn’t see even and uneven ground, or the stars, or the moon and sun. They might hear a sighted person saying: ‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’ They’d go in search of white cloth. But someone would cheat them with a dirty, soiled garment, saying: ‘My man, here is a white cloth for you, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’ They’d take it and put it on. Their friends and colleagues, relatives and kin would get a surgeon to treat them. The surgeon would make medicine for them:

uddhaṁvirecanaṁ adhovirecanaṁ añjanaṁ paccañjanaṁ natthukammaṁ.
So taṁ bhesajjaṁ āgamma cakkhūni uppādeyya, cakkhūni visodheyya.
Tassa saha cakkhuppādā yo amusmiṁ telamalikate sāhuḷicīre chandarāgo so pahīyetha.
Tañca naṁ purisaṁ amittatopi daheyya, paccatthikatopi daheyya, api ca jīvitā voropetabbaṁ maññeyya:
‘dīgharattaṁ vata, bho, ahaṁ iminā purisena telamalikatena sāhuḷicīrena nikato vañcito paluddho—
idaṁ te, ambho purisa, odātaṁ vatthaṁ abhirūpaṁ nimmalaṁ sucī’ti.

emetics, purgatives, ointment, counter-ointment, or nasal treatment. And when they used it their eyes would be cured so that they could see clearly. As soon as their eyes were cured they’d lose all desire for that dirty, soiled garment. Then they would consider that person to be no friend, but an enemy, and might even think of murdering them: ‘For such a long time I’ve been cheated, tricked, and deceived by that person with this dirty, soiled garment when he said, “My man, here is a white cloth for you, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.”’

Evameva kho, māgaṇḍiya, ahañce te dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ:
‘idantaṁ ārogyaṁ, idantaṁ nibbānan’ti.
So tvaṁ ārogyaṁ jāneyyāsi, nibbānaṁ passeyyāsi.
Tassa te saha cakkhuppādā yo pañcasupādānakkhandhesu chandarāgo so pahīyetha;
api ca te evamassa:
‘dīgharattaṁ vata bho ahaṁ iminā cittena nikato vañcito paluddho.
Ahañhi rūpaṁyeva upādiyamāno upādiyiṁ, vedanaṁyeva upādiyamāno upādiyiṁ, saññaṁyeva upādiyamāno upādiyiṁ, saṅkhāreyeva upādiyamāno upādiyiṁ, viññāṇaṁyeva upādiyamāno upādiyiṁ.
Tassa me upādānapaccayā bhavo, bhavapaccayā jāti, jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti;
evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hotī’”ti.

In the same way, Māgaṇḍiya, suppose I were to teach you the Dhamma, saying: ‘This is that health, this is that extinguishment.’ You might know health and see extinguishment. And as soon as your vision arises you might give up desire for the five grasping aggregates. And you might even think: ‘For such a long time I’ve been cheated, tricked, and deceived by this mind. For what I have been grasping is only form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. My grasping is a requirement for continued existence. Continued existence is a requirement for rebirth. Rebirth is a requirement for old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress to come to be. That is how this entire mass of suffering originates.’”

“Evaṁ pasanno ahaṁ bhoto gotamassa.
Pahoti me bhavaṁ gotamo tathā dhammaṁ desetuṁ yathāhaṁ imamhā āsanā anandho vuṭṭhaheyyan”ti.
“Tena hi tvaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, sappurise bhajeyyāsi.
Yato kho tvaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, sappurise bhajissasi tato tvaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, saddhammaṁ sossasi;
yato kho tvaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, saddhammaṁ sossasi tato tvaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, dhammānudhammaṁ paṭipajjissasi;
yato kho tvaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, dhammānudhammaṁ paṭipajjissasi tato tvaṁ, māgaṇḍiya, sāmaṁyeva ñassasi, sāmaṁ dakkhissasi—
ime rogā gaṇḍā sallā;
idha rogā gaṇḍā sallā aparisesā nirujjhanti.
Tassa me upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho, bhavanirodhā jātinirodho, jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti;
evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hotī”ti.

“I am quite confident that the worthy Gotama is capable of teaching me so that I can rise from this seat cured of blindness.” “Well then, Māgaṇḍiya, you should associate with true persons. When you associate with true persons, you will hear the true teaching. When you hear the true teaching, you’ll practice in line with the teaching. When you practice in line with the teaching, you’ll know and see for yourself: ‘These are diseases, boils, and darts. And here is where diseases, boils, and darts cease without remainder.’ When my grasping ceases, continued existence ceases. When continued existence ceases, rebirth ceases. When rebirth ceases, old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress cease. That is how this entire mass of suffering ceases.”

Evaṁ vutte, māgaṇḍiyo paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama.
Seyyathāpi, bho gotama, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhotā gotamena anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito.
Esāhaṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.
Labheyyāhaṁ bhoto gotamassa santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan”ti.

When he said this, Māgaṇḍiya said to him, “Excellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, worthy Gotama has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the worthy Gotama, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. May I receive the going forth, the ordination in the worthy Gotama’s presence?”

“Yo kho, māgaṇḍiya, aññatitthiyapubbo imasmiṁ dhammavinaye ākaṅkhati pabbajjaṁ, ākaṅkhati upasampadaṁ, so cattāro māse parivasati; catunnaṁ māsānaṁ accayena āraddhacittā bhikkhū pabbājenti, upasampādenti bhikkhubhāvāya.
Api ca mettha puggalavemattatā viditā”ti.
“Sace, bhante, aññatitthiyapubbā imasmiṁ dhammavinaye ākaṅkhantā pabbajjaṁ, ākaṅkhantā upasampadaṁ cattāro māse parivasanti, catunnaṁ māsānaṁ accayena āraddhacittā bhikkhū pabbājenti upasampādenti bhikkhubhāvāya; ahaṁ cattāri vassāni parivasissāmi, catunnaṁ vassānaṁ accayena āraddhacittā bhikkhū pabbājentu, upasampādentu bhikkhubhāvāyā”ti.

“Māgaṇḍiya, if someone formerly ordained in another sect wishes to take the going forth, the ordination in this teaching and training, they must spend four months on probation. When four months have passed, if the mendicants are satisfied, they’ll give the going forth, the ordination into monkhood. However, I recognize individual differences in this matter.” “Sir, if four months probation are required in such a case, I’ll spend four years on probation. When four years have passed, if the mendicants are satisfied, let them give me the going forth, the ordination into monkhood.”

Alattha kho māgaṇḍiyo paribbājako bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ.
Acirūpasampanno kho panāyasmā māgaṇḍiyo eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto nacirasseva—yassatthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti, tadanuttaraṁ—brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsi.
“Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā”ti abbhaññāsi.
Aññataro kho panāyasmā māgaṇḍiyo arahataṁ ahosīti.
Māgaṇḍiyasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ pañcamaṁ.

And the wanderer Māgaṇḍiya received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence. Not long after his ordination, Venerable Māgaṇḍiya, living alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, soon realized the supreme culmination of the spiritual path in this very life. He lived having achieved with his own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness. He understood: “Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is nothing further for this place.” And Venerable Māgaṇḍiya became one of the perfected.

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