Sandakasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 76

With Sandaka · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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thusHevaṁ there is notnatthi allotteddoṇamite pleasure and painsukhadukkhe made finitepariyantakate in transmigrationsaṁsāre, there is notnatthi increase or decreasehāyanavaḍḍhane, there is notnatthi excellence or inferiorityukkaṁsāvakaṁse.
just asSeyyathāpi indeednāma a ball of stringsuttaguḷe thrownkhitte unraveling as it goesnibbeṭhiyamānameva it runs awaypaleti;
just soevameva the foolishbāle andca the astutepaṇḍite andca having transmigratedsandhāvitvā having journeyed onsaṁsaritvā the end of sufferingdukkhassantaṁ will makekarissantī’ti.

Pleasure and pain are allotted. Transmigration lasts only for a limited period, so there’s no increase or decrease, no getting better or worse. It’s like how, when you toss a ball of string, it rolls away unraveling. In the same way, after transmigrating the foolish and the astute will make an end of suffering.’

thereTatra, Sandakasandaka, a sensibleviññū personpuriso thusiti reflects onpaṭisañcikkhati:
this‘ayaṁ indeedkho honouredbhavaṁ teachersatthā of such doctrineevaṁvādī of such viewevaṁdiṭṭhi—
these sevensattime bodieskāyā not·makeakaṭā not·made·creationakaṭavidhā not·createanimmitā not·creatoranimmātā barrenvañjhā steadfast as a pillarkūṭaṭṭhā stable as a pillaresikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā.
theyTe notna moveiñjanti notna changevipariṇamanti notna one anotheraññamaññaṁ harmbyābādhenti.
not enoughNālaṁ for one anotheraññamaññassa for happinesssukhāya orvā for paindukkhāya orvā for pleasure and painsukhadukkhāya orvā.
whichKatame sevensatta?
earth·bodyPathavīkāyo water·bodyāpokāyo fire·bodytejokāyo wind·bodyvāyokāyo pleasuresukhe paindukkhe lifejīve as seventhsattame—
theseime sevensatta bodieskāyā not·makeakaṭā not·made·creationakaṭavidhā not·createanimmitā not·creatoranimmātā barrenvañjhā steadfast as a pillarkūṭaṭṭhā stable as a pillaresikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā.
theyTe notna moveiñjanti notna changevipariṇamanti notna one anotheraññamaññaṁ harmbyābādhenti.
not enoughNālaṁ for one anotheraññamaññassa for happinesssukhāya orvā for paindukkhāya orvā for pleasure and painsukhadukkhāya orvā.
thereTattha there is notnatthi a killerhantā orvā an executionerghātetā orvā a hearersotā orvā a speakersāvetā orvā a knowerviññātā orvā an informerviññāpetā orvā.
whoeverYopi with sharptiṇhena swordsatthena headsīsaṁ cleaveschindati, notna anyonekoci anyonekañci from lifejīvitā deprivesvoropeti.

A sensible person reflects on this matter in this way: ‘This teacher has such a doctrine and view.

of sevenSattannaṁ indeedtveva body + withoutkāyānamantarena the swordsatthaṁ gap + pursuevivaramanupatati.
fourteenCuddasa indeedkho now thesepanimāni birth·chief·hundred-thousandsyonipamukhasatasahassāni sixtysaṭṭhi andca hundredssatāni sixcha andca hundredssatāni fivepañca andca of actionkammuno hundredssatāni fivepañca andca actionskammāni threetīṇi andca actionskammāni, in actionkamme andca half·actionaḍḍhakamme andca, sixty-two·waysdvaṭṭhipaṭipadā, sixty-two·intermediate eonsdvaṭṭhantarakappā, six·classeschaḷābhijātiyo, eightaṭṭha person·stagespurisabhūmiyo, minus one·fiftyekūnapaññāsa Ājīvaka·hundredsājīvakasate, minus one·fiftyekūnapaññāsa wanderers·hundredsparibbājakasate, minus one·fiftyekūnapaññāsa nāga·abode·hundredsnāgāvāsasate, twentyvīse faculty·hundredsindriyasate, thirtytiṁse hell·hundredsnirayasate, thirty-sixchattiṁsa dust·elementsrajodhātuyo, sevensatta percipient·wombssaññīgabbhā, sevensatta not·percipient·wombsasaññīgabbhā, sevensatta knotted·wombsnigaṇṭhigabbhā, sevensatta devasdevā, sevensatta humansmānusā, sevensatta pisācaspesācā, sevensatta lakessarā, sevensatta chasmspavuṭā, sevensatta precipicespapātā, sevensatta precipice·hundredspapātasatāni, sevensatta dreamssupinā, sevensatta dream·hundredssupinasatāni, eighty-fourcullāsīti great·eonsmahākappino hundred-thousandssatasahassāni, whichyāni a foolbāle andca a wise personpaṇḍite andca having wanderedsandhāvitvā through·flowsaṁsaritvā end of sufferingdukkhassantaṁ they will makekarissanti.

Indeed, the sword pursues only through the gap between the seven bodies. Now these are the fourteen hundred-thousand kinds of generation, and the sixty hundred, and the six hundred, and the five hundred kammas, and the five kammas, and the three kammas, and kamma and half-kamma: the sixty-two ways, the sixty-two intermediate eons, the six classes, the eight stages of a person, the forty-nine hundred Ājīvakas, the forty-nine hundred wanderers, the forty-nine hundred nāga-abodes, the twenty hundred faculties, the thirty hundred hells, the thirty-six dust elements, the seven percipient wombs, the seven non-percipient wombs, the seven knotted wombs, the seven devas, the seven humans, the seven pisācas, the seven lakes, the seven chasms, the seven precipices, the seven hundred precipices, the seven dreams, the seven hundred dreams, the eighty-four hundred-thousand great eons, through which the fool and the wise person, having wandered and transmigrated, will make an end of suffering.

thereTattha not·benatthi by this Iimināhaṁ by virtuesīlena orvā by vowvatena orvā by austeritytapena orvā by holy lifebrahmacariyena orvā unripenedaparipakkaṁ orvā kammakammaṁ I will ripenparipācessāmi, ripenedparipakkaṁ orvā kammakammaṁ having touchedphussa having touchedphussa to destructionbyantiṁ I will makekarissāmīti, indeed thushevaṁ not·benatthi measured by doṇadoṇamite pleasure and painsukhadukkhe boundedpariyantakate in saṁsārasaṁsāre, not·benatthi decrease or increasehāyanavaḍḍhane, not·benatthi excellence or inferiorityukkaṁsāvakaṁse.
just asSeyyathāpi so to speaknāma a ball of threadsuttaguḷe thrownkhitte while unwindingnibbeṭhiyamānameva runspaleti;
just soevameva foolbāle andca wise personpaṇḍite andca having wanderedsandhāvitvā having transmigratedsaṁsaritvā end of sufferingdukkhassantaṁ they will makekarissantī’ti.
ifSace butpana of thisimassa of the venerablebhoto of the teachersatthuno truesaccaṁ speechvacanaṁ, by unaccomplishedakatena by meme hereettha accomplishedkataṁ, by unfulfilledavusitena by meme hereettha fulfilledvusitaṁ.
bothUbhopi wemayaṁ hereettha exactly equalsamasamā ascetic attainmentsāmaññaṁ attainedpattā, whoyo and Icāhaṁ notna I sayvadāmi both‘ubho having wanderedsandhāvitvā having transmigratedsaṁsaritvā end of sufferingdukkhassantaṁ we will makekarissāmā’ti.

If what that teacher says is true, both I who have not accomplished this and one who has accomplished it have attained exactly the same level. Yet I’m not one who says that after transmigrating both of us will make an end of suffering.

superfluousAtirekaṁ butkho for thispanimassa of the teacherbhoto of the teachersatthuno nakednessnaggiyaṁ baldnessmuṇḍiyaṁ squatting + practiceukkuṭikappadhānaṁ hair-and-beard·tearing outkesamassulocanaṁ, who + Iyohaṁ children·crowded·homeputtasambādhasayanaṁ living at homeajjhāvasanto from Kāsi·sandalwoodkāsikacandanaṁ usingpaccanubhonto garlands·fragrance·makeupmālāgandhavilepanaṁ wearingdhārento gold·currencyjātarūparajataṁ acceptingsādiyanto with thisiminā teacherbhotā teachersatthārā same·same·destinysamasamagatiko I will bebhavissāmi in the next lifeabhisamparāyaṁ.
so + ISohaṁ whatkiṁ knowingjānanto whatkiṁ seeingpassanto under thisimasmiṁ teachersatthari the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ I should leadcarissāmi?
this‘So non-·spiritual life + lifeabrahmacariyavāso this isayan’ti—
thusiti realizingviditvā from thattasmā the spiritual lifebrahmacariyā disappointednibbijja they leavepakkamati.

But it’s superfluous for this teacher to go nude, bald, persisting in squatting, tearing out their hair and beard. For I’m living at home with my children, using sandalwood imported from Kāsi, wearing garlands, fragrance, and makeup, and accepting gold and currency. Yet I’ll have exactly the same destiny in the next life as this teacher. What do I know or see that I should lead the spiritual life under this teacher? This negates the spiritual life.’ Realizing this, they leave disappointed.

this·thisAyaṁ indeedkho, Sandakasandaka, by thattena by the Blessed Onebhagavatā knowingjānatā seeingpassatā by the Arahantarahatā fully·self-awakenedsammāsambuddhena fourthcatuttho not-spiritual-life·way of lifeabrahmacariyavāso declaredakkhāto whereinyattha a wiseviññū personpuriso with·respectsasakkaṁ holy·lifebrahmacariyaṁ notna would livevaseyya, livingvasanto andca not·attainnārādheyya the trueñāyaṁ dhammadhammaṁ wholesomekusalaṁ.

This is the fourth way that negates the spiritual life.

theseIme indeedkho to youte, Sandakasandaka, by thattena by the Blessed Onebhagavatā by the one who knowsjānatā by the one who seespassatā by the perfected onearahatā by the fully awakened Buddhasammāsambuddhena fourcattāro non + practice·waysabrahmacariyavāsā have been explainedakkhātā whereyattha a sensibleviññū personpuriso own + abilitysasakkaṁ spiritual·lifebrahmacariyaṁ notna would practicevaseyya, practicingvasanto andca would not succeednārādheyya in the systemñāyaṁ of the teachingdhammaṁ skillfulkusalan”ti.

These are the four ways that negate the spiritual life that have been explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. A sensible person would, to the best of their ability, not practice such spiritual paths, and if they did practice them, they wouldn’t succeed in the system of the skillful teaching.”

wonderful“Acchariyaṁ, worthybho Ānandaānanda, amazingabbhutaṁ, worthybho Ānandaānanda.
insofar as thisYāvañcidaṁ by thattena by the Blessed Onebhagavatā by the one who knowsjānatā by the one who seespassatā by the worthy onearahatā by the fully awakened onesammāsambuddhena fourcattāro ways that negate the spiritual lifeabrahmacariyavāsāva beingsamānā 'ways that negate the spiritual life'‘abrahmacariyavāsā’ti explainedakkhātā whereinyattha wiseviññū a personpuriso confidentlysasakkaṁ the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ notna would livevaseyya, livingvasanto andca would not attainnārādheyya the right wayñāyaṁ the dhammadhammaṁ wholesomekusalanti.
whichKatamāni thenpana thosetāni, worthybho Ānandaānanda, by thattena by the Blessed Onebhagavatā by the one who knowsjānatā by the one who seespassatā by the worthy onearahatā by the fully awakened onesammāsambuddhena fourcattāri unreliableanassāsikāni spiritual livesbrahmacariyāni explainedakkhātāni whereinyattha wiseviññū a personpuriso confidentlysasakkaṁ the spiritual lifebrahmacariyaṁ notna would livevaseyya, livingvasanto andca would not attainnārādheyya the right wayñāyaṁ the dhammadhammaṁ wholesomekusalan”ti?

“It’s incredible, worthy Ānanda, it’s amazing, how these four ways that negate the spiritual life have been explained by the Buddha. But worthy Ānanda, what are the four kinds of unreliable spiritual life?”

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