Sandakasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 76

With Sandaka · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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thusEvaṁ by meme heardsutaṁ—
oneekaṁ timesamayaṁ the Blessed Onebhagavā near Kosambīkosambiyaṁ was stayingviharati Ghosita·monasteryghositārāme.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Kosambī in Ghosita’s monastery.

at that timeTena indeedkho nowpana at the timesamayena Sandakasandako wandererparibbājako at the cave of the wavy leaf fig treepilakkhaguhāyaṁ against·dwellpaṭivasati largemahatiyā with an assembly of wanderersparibbājakaparisāya together withsaddhiṁ five·measurepañcamattehi wanderers.paribbājakasatehi.

Now at that time the wanderer Sandaka was residing at the cave of the wavy leaf fig tree together with a large assembly of around five hundred wanderers.

thenAtha indeedkho venerableāyasmā Ānandaānando evening·timesāyanhasamayaṁ from retreatpaṭisallānā came outvuṭṭhito the mendicantsbhikkhū addressedāmantesi:
come, reverends“āyāmāvuso, whereyena Devakata Pooldevakatasobbho let us go theretenupasaṅkamissāma to see the caveguhādassanāyā”ti.
"yes, reverend"“Evamāvuso”ti indeedkho thosete mendicantsbhikkhū venerableāyasmato Ānanda'sānandassa repliedpaccassosuṁ.
thenAtha indeedkho venerableāyasmā Ānandaānando severalsambahulehi mendicantsbhikkhūhi together withsaddhiṁ whereyena Devakata Pooldevakatasobbho went theretenupasaṅkami.

Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Ānanda came out of retreat and addressed the mendicants: “Come, reverends, let’s go to the Devakata Pool to see the cave.” “Yes, reverend,” they replied. Then Ānanda together with several mendicants went to the Devakata Pool.

by thatTena indeedkho thenpana at the timesamayena Sandakasandako the wandererparibbājako with a largemahatiyā wanderer·assemblyparibbājakaparisāya together withsaddhiṁ down·sitnisinno he ishoti up·roarunnādiniyā loud·noise·greatuccāsaddamahāsaddāya many·kindanekavihitaṁ animal·talktiracchānakathaṁ talkingkathentiyā, that is to sayseyyathidaṁ—
king·talkrājakathaṁ bandit·talkcorakathaṁ great·minister·talkmahāmattakathaṁ army·talksenākathaṁ fear·talkbhayakathaṁ war·talkyuddhakathaṁ food·talkannakathaṁ drink·talkpānakathaṁ cloth·talkvatthakathaṁ bed·talksayanakathaṁ garland·talkmālākathaṁ fragrance·talkgandhakathaṁ relative·talkñātikathaṁ vehicle·talkyānakathaṁ village·talkgāmakathaṁ town·talknigamakathaṁ city·talknagarakathaṁ country·talkjanapadakathaṁ woman·talkitthikathaṁ hero·talksūrakathaṁ street·talkvisikhākathaṁ pot·place·talkkumbhaṭṭhānakathaṁ former·departed·talkpubbapetakathaṁ diversity·talknānattakathaṁ world·talelokakkhāyikaṁ sea·talesamuddakkhāyikaṁ talk about being reborn in this or that placeitibhavābhavakathaṁ thusiti orvā.
to·seeAddasā indeedkho Sandakasandako the wandererparibbājako the venerableāyasmantaṁ Ānandaānandaṁ from afardūratova comingāgacchantaṁ.
having seenDisvāna his ownsakaṁ assemblyparisaṁ he hushedsaṇṭhāpesi:
quiet“appasaddā good fellowsbhonto let behontu, do notmā good fellowsbhonto make a soundsaddamakattha;
thisayaṁ of the asceticsamaṇassa Gotamagotamassa disciplesāvako to·goāgacchati the asceticsamaṇo Ānandaānando.
as many asYāvatā indeedkho thenpana of the asceticsamaṇassa Gotamagotamassa disciplessāvakā near Kosambīkosambiyaṁ they residepaṭivasanti, thisayaṁ of themtesaṁ oneaññataro the asceticsamaṇo Ānandaānando.
liking quietAppasaddakāmā indeedkho thenpana thosete venerablesāyasmanto quiet·trainedappasaddavinītā of quietappasaddassa praisersvaṇṇavādino;
hopefullyappeva indeednāma quietappasaddaṁ assemblyparisaṁ having knownviditvā to be approachedupasaṅkamitabbaṁ he might thinkmaññeyyā”ti.

Now at that time, Sandaka and the large assembly of wanderers were sitting together making an uproar, a colossal racket. They engaged in all kinds of low talk, such as talk about kings, bandits, and chief ministers; talk about armies, threats, and wars; talk about food, drink, clothes, and beds; talk about garlands and fragrances; talk about family, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women and heroes; talk at the street market and the place for water pots; talk about the departed; motley talk; tales of land and sea; and talk about being reborn in this or that place. Sandaka saw Ānanda coming off in the distance, and hushed his own assembly, “Be quiet, good fellows, don’t make a sound. The ascetic Ānanda, a disciple of the ascetic Gotama, is coming. He is included among the disciples of the ascetic Gotama, who is residing near Kosambī. Such venerables like the quiet, are educated to be quiet, and praise the quiet. Hopefully if he sees that our assembly is quiet he’ll see fit to approach.”

thenAtha indeedkho thosete wanderersparibbājakā silenttuṇhī they becameahesuṁ.

Then those wanderers fell silent.

thenAtha indeedkho venerableāyasmā Ānandaānando whereyena Sandakasandako wandererparibbājako there he approachedtenupasaṅkami.
thenAtha indeedkho Sandakasandako wandererparibbājako Venerableāyasmantaṁ Ānandaānandaṁ this·speaketadavoca:
let come“etu indeedkho worthybhavaṁ Ānandaānando, welcomesvāgataṁ of the worthy onebhoto of Ānandaānandassa.
for a long timeCirassaṁ indeedkho worthybhavaṁ Ānandaānando thisimaṁ opportunity·makepariyāyamakāsi that isyadidaṁ for coming hereidhāgamanāya.
let sitNisīdatu worthybhavaṁ Ānandaānando, this·seatidamāsanaṁ is preparedpaññattan”ti.
satNisīdi indeedkho venerableāyasmā Ānandaānando on the preparedpaññatte seatāsane.
Sandaka tooSandakopi indeedkho wandererparibbājako a certainaññataraṁ lownīcaṁ seatāsanaṁ having takengahetvā to one sideekamantaṁ satnisīdi.
to one sideEkamantaṁ seatednisinnaṁ indeedkho Sandakasandakaṁ wandererparibbājakaṁ venerableāyasmā Ānandaānando this·speaketadavoca:
what“kāya nownuttha, Sandakasandaka, nowetarahi talkkathāya sitting togethersannisinnā, whatkā andca thenpana yourvo unfinished·conversationantarākathā was left unfinishedvippakatā”ti?
leave this“Tiṭṭhatesā, worthybho Ānandaānanda, talkkathā whichyāya wemayaṁ nowetarahi talkkathāya sitting togethersannisinnā.
not thisNesā of the worthy onebhoto of Ānandaānandassa talkkathā hard to getdullabhā will bebhavissati after·evenpacchāpi for hearingsavanāya.
goodSādhu surelyvata Mister·himselfbhavantaṁyeva Ānandaānandaṁ let him explainpaṭibhātu one's ownsake denominationācariyake Dhamma talkdhammīkathā”ti.

Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the wanderer Sandaka, who said to him, “Come, worthy Ānanda! Welcome, worthy Ānanda! It’s been a long time since you took the opportunity to come here. Please sit down, here, a seat is ready.” Ānanda sat down on the seat spread out, while Sandaka took a low seat and sat to one side. Ānanda said to Sandaka, “Sandaka, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was left unfinished?” “Worthy Ānanda, leave aside what we were sitting talking about just now. It won’t be hard for you to hear about that later. It’d be great if Mister Ānanda himself would give a Dhamma talk explaining his own denomination.”

well then“Tena indeedhi, Sandakasandaka, listensuṇāhi, wellsādhukaṁ mindmanasi applykarohi, bhās·quotation markerbhāsissāmī”ti.
yes“Evaṁ, bho·quotation markerbho”ti indeedkho Sandakasandako wandererparibbājako venerableāyasmato Ānandaānandassa repliedpaccassosi.
VenerableĀyasmā Ānandaānando said thisetadavoca:

“Well then, Sandaka, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, worthy sir,” replied Sandaka. Venerable Ānanda said this:

four, Sandaka“cattārome, Sandakasandaka, by thattena Blessed Onebhagavatā who knowsjānatā who seespassatā perfected onearahatā fully awakened Buddhasammāsambuddhena not·holy·conduct·dwellingabrahmacariyavāsā explainedakkhātā fourcattāri andca unreliableanassāsikāni spiritual livesbrahmacariyāni explainedakkhātāni, whereyattha sensibleviññū a personpuriso own·ablesasakkaṁ holy·conductbrahmacariyaṁ notna would practicevaseyya, practicingvasanto andca would not succeednārādheyya the systemñāyaṁ teachingdhammaṁ the skillful”kusalan”ti.
But which“Katame thenpana thesete, worthybho Ānandaānanda, by thattena Blessed Onebhagavatā who knowsjānatā who seespassatā perfected onearahatā fully awakened Buddhasammāsambuddhena fourcattāro not·holy·conduct·dwellingabrahmacariyavāsā explainedakkhātā, whereyattha sensibleviññū a personpuriso own·ablesasakkaṁ holy·conductbrahmacariyaṁ notna would practicevaseyya, practicingvasanto andca would not succeednārādheyya the systemñāyaṁ teachingdhammaṁ the skillful”kusalan”ti?

“Sandaka, these things have been explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha: four ways that negate the spiritual life, and four kinds of unreliable spiritual life. 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.” “But worthy Ānanda, what are the four ways that negate the spiritual life, and the four kinds of unreliable spiritual life?”

“Here,“Idha, Sandaka,sandaka, someekacco teachersatthā holding such a doctrineevaṁvādī ishoti holding such a view:evaṁdiṭṭhi:
“there is not‘natthi giving,dinnaṁ, there is notnatthi sacrifice,yiṭṭhaṁ, there is notnatthi offerings,hutaṁ, there is notnatthi of good and bad deedssukatadukkaṭānaṁ of actionskammānaṁ fruitphalaṁ result,vipāko, there is notnatthi thisayaṁ world,loko, there is notnatthi the next world,paroloko, there is notnatthi mother,mātā, there is notnatthi father,pitā, there are notnatthi beingssattā spontaneously reborn,opapātikā, there are notnatthi in the worldloke ascetics and brahminssamaṇabrāhmaṇā rightly comportedsammaggatā rightly practicedsammāpaṭipannā whoye both thisimañca worldlokaṁ and the nextparañca worldlokaṁ themselvessayaṁ with direct knowledgeabhiññā having realizedsacchikatvā they describe.pavedenti.
made up of the four great elementsCātumahābhūtiko thisayaṁ personpuriso whenyadā timekālaṁ makes,karoti, earthpathavī to the substance of earthpathavīkāyaṁ progressesanupeti proceeds,anupagacchati, waterāpo to the substance of waterāpokāyaṁ progressesanupeti proceeds,anupagacchati, firetejo to the substance of firetejokāyaṁ progressesanupeti proceeds,anupagacchati, airvāyo to the substance of airvāyokāyaṁ progressesanupeti proceeds,anupagacchati, to spaceākāsaṁ the facultiesindriyāni are transferred.saṅkamanti.
with a bier as fifthĀsandipañcamā menpurisā the corpsemataṁ having takenādāya they carry away,gacchanti,
as far as the charnel groundyāvāḷāhanā footprintspadāni are discerned.paññāyanti.
dove-coloredKāpotakāni bonesaṭṭhīni become.bhavanti.
ending in ashesBhassantā offerings;āhutiyo;
a doctrine of moronsdattupaññattaṁ that is,yadidaṁ giving.dānaṁ.
of thoseTesaṁ hollowtucchā falsemusā nonsensevilāpo when anyye whoeverkeci a positive teachingatthikavādaṁ they affirm.vadanti.

“Sandaka, take a certain teacher who has this doctrine and view: ‘There’s no meaning in giving, sacrifice, or offerings. There’s no fruit or result of good and bad deeds. There’s no afterlife. There’s no such thing as mother and father, or beings that are reborn spontaneously. And there’s no ascetic or brahmin who is rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describes the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight. This person is made up of the four principal states. When they die, the earth in their body progresses and proceeds to the substance of earth. The water in their body progresses and proceeds to the substance of water. The fire in their body progresses and proceeds to the substance of fire. The air in their body progresses and proceeds to the substance of air. The faculties are transferred to space. Four men with a bier carry away the corpse. Their footprints show the way to the cremation ground. The bones become bleached. Offerings dedicated to the gods end in ashes. Giving is a doctrine of morons. When anyone affirms a positive teaching it’s just hollow, false nonsense.

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