Māgaṇḍiyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 75

With Māgaṇḍiya · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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thatTaṁ whatkiṁ do you thinkmaññasi, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiya,
haveapi indeednu by youte seendiṭṭho orvā heardsuto orvā a kingrājā orvā a royal ministerrājamahāmatto orvā with fivepañcahi kinds of sensual stimulationkāmaguṇehi suppliedsamappito providedsamaṅgībhūto amusing themselvesparicārayamāno craving for sensual pleasureskāmataṇhaṁ without giving upappahāya passion for sensual pleasureskāmapariḷāhaṁ without dispellingappaṭivinodetvā rid of thirstvigatapipāso internallyajjhattaṁ mind settledvūpasantacitto livedvihāsi orvā livesviharati orvā will liveviharissati or?”vā”ti?
No“No indeedhidaṁ, worthybho Gotama.gotama”.
Good,“Sādhu, Māgaṇḍiya.māgaṇḍiya.
by me tooMayāpi indeedkho this,etaṁ, Māgaṇḍiya,māgaṇḍiya, neverneva seendiṭṭhaṁ notna heardsutaṁ a kingrājā orvā a royal ministerrājamahāmatto orvā with fivepañcahi kinds of sensual stimulationkāmaguṇehi suppliedsamappito providedsamaṅgībhūto amusing themselvesparicārayamāno craving for sensual pleasureskāmataṇhaṁ without giving upappahāya passion for sensual pleasureskāmapariḷāhaṁ without dispellingappaṭivinodetvā rid of thirstvigatapipāso internallyajjhattaṁ mind settledvūpasantacitto livedvihāsi orvā livesviharati orvā will liveviharissati or.vā.

What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Have you seen or heard of a king or a royal minister of the past, future, or present, amusing themselves supplied and provided with the five kinds of sensual stimulation, who—without giving up craving for sensual pleasures and dispelling passion for sensual pleasures—lives rid of thirst, their mind settled internally?” “No, worthy Gotama.” “Good, Māgaṇḍiya. Neither have I.

thenAtha indeedkho, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiya, whoye forhi anykeci asceticssamaṇā orvā brahminsbrāhmaṇā orvā rid of thirstvigatapipāsā internallyajjhattaṁ with minds settledvūpasantacittā they livedvihāsuṁ orvā they liveviharanti orvā they will liveviharissanti orvā allsabbe thosete of sensual pleasures indeedkāmānaṁyeva the origin andsamudayañca the ending andatthaṅgamañca the gratification andassādañca the drawback andādīnavañca the escape andnissaraṇañca as it truly isyathābhūtaṁ having understoodviditvā craving for sensual pleasureskāmataṇhaṁ having given uppahāya passion for sensual pleasureskāmapariḷāhaṁ having dispelledpaṭivinodetvā rid of thirstvigatapipāsā internallyajjhattaṁ with minds settledvūpasantacittā they livedvihāsuṁ orvā they liveviharanti orvā they will liveviharissanti or" quotation markervā”ti.

On the contrary, all the ascetics or brahmins of the past, future, or present who live rid of thirst, their minds settled internally, do so after truly understanding the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape of sensual pleasures, and after giving up craving and dispelling passion for sensual pleasures.”

thenAtha indeedkho the Blessed Onebhagavā at thattāyaṁ timevelāyaṁ thisimaṁ heartfelt sentimentudānaṁ expressedudānesi:
health is the ultimate blessing“Ārogyaparamā blessinglābhā,
extinguishmentnibbānaṁ ultimateparamaṁ happinesssukhaṁ;
eightfoldAṭṭhaṅgiko andca of pathsmaggānaṁ,
safekhemaṁ leads to freedom from deathamatagāminan”ti.
thusEvaṁ when saidvutte, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiyo wandererparibbājako to the Blessed Onebhagavantaṁ said thisetadavoca:
incredible“acchariyaṁ, worthybho Gotamagotama, amazingabbhutaṁ, worthybho Gotamagotama.
howYāva well said was thissubhāsitañcidaṁ by the worthybhotā Gotamagotamena:
health is the ultimate blessing‘ārogyaparamā blessinglābhā, extinguishmentnibbānaṁ ultimateparamaṁ happinesssukhan’ti.
by me tooMayāpi indeedkho thisetaṁ, worthybho Gotamagotama, heardsutaṁ of the pastpubbakānaṁ of wanderersparibbājakānaṁ of tutors of tutorsācariyapācariyānaṁ speakingbhāsamānānaṁ:
health is the ultimate blessing‘ārogyaparamā blessinglābhā, extinguishmentnibbānaṁ ultimateparamaṁ happinesssukhan’ti;
and thattayidaṁ, worthybho Gotamagotama, agreessametī”ti.
which“Yaṁ butpana by youte thisetaṁ, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiya, heardsutaṁ of the pastpubbakānaṁ of wanderersparibbājakānaṁ of tutors of tutorsācariyapācariyānaṁ speakingbhāsamānānaṁ:
health is the ultimate blessing‘ārogyaparamā blessinglābhā, extinguishmentnibbānaṁ ultimateparamaṁ happinesssukhan’ti, whatkatamaṁ thattaṁ healthārogyaṁ, whatkatamaṁ thattaṁ extinguishmentnibbānan”ti?
thusEvaṁ when saidvutte, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiyo wandererparibbājako his ownsakāneva justsudaṁ limbsgattāni with his handspāṇinā strokedanomajjati:
this is that“idantaṁ, worthybho Gotamagotama, healthārogyaṁ, this is thatidantaṁ extinguishmentnibbānaṁ.

Then on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment: “Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness. Of paths, the ultimate is eightfold— it’s safe, and leads to freedom from death.” When he said this, Māgaṇḍiya said to him, “It’s incredible, worthy Gotama, it’s amazing! How well said this was by the worthy Gotama! ‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.’ I’ve also heard that wanderers of the past, the tutors of tutors, said: ‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.’ And it agrees, worthy Gotama.” “But Māgaṇḍiya, when you heard that wanderers of the past said this, what is that health? And what is that extinguishment?” When he said this, Māgaṇḍiya stroked his own limbs with his hands, saying: “This is that health, worthy Gotama, this is that extinguishment!

for IAhañhi, sirbho Gotamagotama, nowetarahi healthyarogo happysukhī, notna memaṁ anythingkiñci afflictsābādhatī”ti.

For I am now healthy and happy, and have no afflictions.”

“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, expressing their gladness: ‘White cloth is really nice, it’s attractive, stainless, and clean.’ What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya?

surelyapi nownu thatso born blindjaccandho personpuriso knowingjānanto seeingpassanto thatamuṁ smeared with oiltelamalikataṁ hempen ragsāhuḷicīraṁ would acceptpaṭiggaṇheyya, having acceptedpaṭiggahetvā would wearpārupeyya, having wornpārupetvā delightedattamano delighted utteranceattamanavācaṁ would utternicchāreyya:
beautiful‘chekaṁ indeedvata, sirbho, whiteodātaṁ clothvatthaṁ lovelyabhirūpaṁ spotlessnimmalaṁ cleansucī’ti orudāhu sighted one'scakkhumato faithsaddhāyā”ti?
not knowing“Ajānanto indeedhi, sirbho Gotamagotama, not seeingapassanto thatso born blindjaccandho personpuriso thatamuṁ smeared with oiltelamalikataṁ hempen ragsāhuḷicīraṁ would acceptpaṭiggaṇheyya, having acceptedpaṭiggahetvā would wearpārupeyya, having wornpārupetvā delightedattamano delighted utteranceattamanavācaṁ would utternicchāreyya:
beautiful‘chekaṁ indeedvata, sirbho, whiteodātaṁ clothvatthaṁ lovelyabhirūpaṁ spotlessnimmalaṁ cleansucī’ti, sighted one'scakkhumato faithsaddhāyā”ti.

Did that person blind from birth do this knowing and seeing, or out of faith in the sighted person?” “They did so not knowing or seeing, but out of faith in the sighted person.”

just so“Evameva indeedkho, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiya, of other sectsaññatitthiyā wanderersparibbājakā blindandhā sightlessacakkhukā not knowingajānantā healthārogyaṁ, not seeingapassantā extinguishmentnibbānaṁ, thenatha andca but thispanimaṁ versegāthaṁ they recitebhāsanti:
health-ultimate‘ārogyaparamā blessingslābhā, extinguishmentnibbānaṁ ultimateparamaṁ happinesssukhan’ti.
by pastPubbakehesā, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiya, by perfected onesarahantehi by fully awakened Buddhassammāsambuddhehi versegāthā recitedbhāsitā:
health-ultimate‘Ārogyaparamā blessingslābhā,
extinguishmentnibbānaṁ ultimateparamaṁ happinesssukhaṁ;
eightfoldAṭṭhaṅgiko andca of pathsmaggānaṁ,
safekhemaṁ leading to freedom from deathamatagāminan’ti.
thisSā nowetarahi graduallyanupubbena a verse of ordinary peopleputhujjanagāthā.
thisAyaṁ indeedkho butpana, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiya, bodykāyo become a diseaserogabhūto become a boilgaṇḍabhūto become a dartsallabhūto become a gloomaghabhūto become an afflictionābādhabhūto, thisso youtvaṁ thisimaṁ bodykāyaṁ become a diseaserogabhūtaṁ become a boilgaṇḍabhūtaṁ become a dartsallabhūtaṁ become a gloomaghabhūtaṁ become an afflictionābādhabhūtaṁ:
this indeed‘idantaṁ, sirbho Gotamagotama, healthārogyaṁ, this indeedidantaṁ extinguishmentnibbānan’ti you sayvadesi.
thatTañhi yourte, Māgaṇḍiyamāgaṇḍiya, nobleariyaṁ visioncakkhuṁ there is notnatthi by whichyena youtvaṁ nobleariyena with visioncakkhunā healthārogyaṁ you might knowjāneyyāsi, extinguishmentnibbānaṁ you might seepasseyyāsī”ti.

“In the same way, the wanderers of other religions are blind and sightless. Not knowing health and not seeing extinguishment, they still recite this verse: ‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness.’ For this verse was recited by the perfected ones, fully awakened Buddhas of the past: ‘Health is the ultimate blessing; extinguishment, the ultimate happiness. Of paths, the ultimate is eightfold— it’s safe, and leads to freedom from death.’ These days it has gradually become a verse used by ordinary people. But Māgaṇḍiya, this body is a disease, a boil, a dart, a gloom, an affliction. Yet you say of this body: ‘This is that health, this is that extinguishment!’ Māgaṇḍiya, you don’t have the noble vision by which you might know health and see extinguishment.”

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