Cūḷasakuludāyisutta

Majjhima Nikāya 79

Cūḷasakuludāyisutta

The Shorter Discourse With Sakuludāyī · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral

Glosses: Fluent · Literal · Off
Translation: Hide · Show

Tap any word for its dictionary entry.

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
Tena kho pana samayena sakuludāyī paribbājako moranivāpe paribbājakārāme paṭivasati mahatiyā paribbājakaparisāya saddhiṁ.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time the wanderer Sakuludāyī was residing together with a large assembly of wanderers in their monastery in the peacocks’ feeding ground.

Atha kho bhagavā pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.
Atha kho bhagavato etadahosi:
“atippago kho tāva rājagahe piṇḍāya carituṁ.
Yannūnāhaṁ yena moranivāpo paribbājakārāmo yena sakuludāyī paribbājako tenupasaṅkameyyan”ti.
Atha kho bhagavā yena moranivāpo paribbājakārāmo tenupasaṅkami.

Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Rājagaha for alms. Then it occurred to him, “It’s too early to wander for alms in Rājagaha. Why don’t I visit the wanderer Sakuludāyī at the monastery for the wanderers in the peacocks’ feeding ground?” Then the Buddha went to the monastery for the wanderers.

Tena kho pana samayena sakuludāyī paribbājako mahatiyā paribbājakaparisāya saddhiṁ nisinno hoti unnādiniyā uccāsaddamahāsaddāya anekavihitaṁ tiracchānakathaṁ kathentiyā, seyyathidaṁ—
rājakathaṁ corakathaṁ mahāmattakathaṁ senākathaṁ bhayakathaṁ yuddhakathaṁ annakathaṁ pānakathaṁ vatthakathaṁ sayanakathaṁ mālākathaṁ gandhakathaṁ ñātikathaṁ yānakathaṁ gāmakathaṁ nigamakathaṁ nagarakathaṁ janapadakathaṁ itthikathaṁ sūrakathaṁ visikhākathaṁ kumbhaṭṭhānakathaṁ pubbapetakathaṁ nānattakathaṁ lokakkhāyikaṁ samuddakkhāyikaṁ itibhavābhavakathaṁ iti vā.
Addasā kho sakuludāyī paribbājako bhagavantaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.
Disvāna sakaṁ parisaṁ saṇṭhāpesi:
“appasaddā bhonto hontu, mā bhonto saddamakattha.
Ayaṁ samaṇo gotamo āgacchati;
appasaddakāmo kho pana so āyasmā appasaddassa vaṇṇavādī.
Appeva nāma appasaddaṁ parisaṁ viditvā upasaṅkamitabbaṁ maññeyyā”ti.
Atha kho te paribbājakā tuṇhī ahesuṁ.

Now at that time, Sakuludāyī was sitting together with a large assembly of wanderers 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. Sakuludāyī saw the Buddha coming off in the distance, and hushed his own assembly, “Be quiet, good fellows, don’t make a sound. Here comes the ascetic Gotama. The venerable likes quiet and praises quiet. Hopefully if he sees that our assembly is quiet he’ll see fit to approach.” Then those wanderers fell silent.

Atha kho bhagavā yena sakuludāyī paribbājako tenupasaṅkami.
Atha kho sakuludāyī paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“etu kho, bhante, bhagavā.
Svāgataṁ, bhante, bhagavato.
Cirassaṁ kho, bhante, bhagavā imaṁ pariyāyamakāsi yadidaṁ idhāgamanāya.
Nisīdatu, bhante, bhagavā;
idamāsanaṁ paññattan”ti.
Nisīdi bhagavā paññatte āsane.
Sakuludāyīpi kho paribbājako aññataraṁ nīcaṁ āsanaṁ gahetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho sakuludāyiṁ paribbājakaṁ bhagavā etadavoca:
“kāya nuttha, udāyi, etarahi kathāya sannisinnā, kā ca pana vo antarākathā vippakatā”ti?

Then the Buddha approached Sakuludāyī, who said to him, “Let the Blessed One come, sir! Welcome to the Blessed One, sir! It’s been a long time since you took the opportunity to come here. Please, sir, sit down, this seat is ready.” The Buddha sat down on the seat spread out, while Sakuludāyī took a low seat and sat to one side. The Buddha said to him, “Udāyī, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was left unfinished?”

“Tiṭṭhatesā, bhante, kathā yāya mayaṁ etarahi kathāya sannisinnā.
Nesā, bhante, kathā bhagavato dullabhā bhavissati pacchāpi savanāya.
Yadāhaṁ, bhante, imaṁ parisaṁ anupasaṅkanto homi athāyaṁ parisā anekavihitaṁ tiracchānakathaṁ kathentī nisinnā hoti;
yadā ca kho ahaṁ, bhante, imaṁ parisaṁ upasaṅkanto homi athāyaṁ parisā mamaññeva mukhaṁ ullokentī nisinnā hoti:
‘yaṁ no samaṇo udāyī dhammaṁ bhāsissati taṁ sossāmā’ti;
yadā pana, bhante, bhagavā imaṁ parisaṁ upasaṅkanto hoti athāhañceva ayañca parisā bhagavato mukhaṁ ullokentā nisinnā homa:
‘yaṁ no bhagavā dhammaṁ bhāsissati taṁ sossāmā’”ti.

“Sir, leave aside what we were sitting talking about just now. It won’t be hard for you to hear about that later. When I don’t come to the assembly, they sit and engage in all kinds of low talk. But when I have come to the assembly, they sit gazing up at my face alone, thinking, ‘Whatever the ascetic Udāyī teaches, we shall listen to it.’ But when the Buddha has come to the assembly, both myself and the assembly sit gazing up at your face, thinking, ‘Whatever the Buddha teaches, we shall listen to it.’”

“Tenahudāyi, taṁyevettha paṭibhātu yathā maṁ paṭibhāseyyā”ti.
“Purimāni, bhante, divasāni purimatarāni sabbaññū sabbadassāvī aparisesaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ paṭijānamāno ‘carato ca me tiṭṭhato ca suttassa ca jāgarassa ca satataṁ samitaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ paccupaṭṭhitan’ti.
So mayā pubbantaṁ ārabbha pañhaṁ puṭṭho samāno aññenaññaṁ paṭicari, bahiddhā kathaṁ apanāmesi, kopañca dosañca appaccayañca pātvākāsi.
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁyeva ārabbha sati udapādi:
‘aho nūna bhagavā, aho nūna sugato. Yo imesaṁ dhammānaṁ sukusalo’”ti.
“Ko pana so, udāyi, sabbaññū sabbadassāvī aparisesaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ paṭijānamāno ‘carato ca me tiṭṭhato ca suttassa ca jāgarassa ca satataṁ samitaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ paccupaṭṭhitan’ti, yo tayā pubbantaṁ ārabbha pañhaṁ puṭṭho samāno aññenaññaṁ paṭicari, bahiddhā kathaṁ apanāmesi kopañca dosañca appaccayañca pātvākāsī”ti?

“Well then, Udāyī, suggest something for me to talk about.” “Sir, a few days ago someone was claiming to be all-knowing and all-seeing, to know and see everything without exception, thus: ‘Knowledge and vision are constantly and continually present to me, while walking, standing, sleeping, and waking.’ When I asked them a question about the first beginning, they dodged the issue, distracted the discussion with irrelevant points, and displayed annoyance, hate, and bitterness. That reminded me of the Buddha: ‘Surely it must be the Blessed One, the Holy One who is so skilled in such matters.’” “But Udāyī, who was it that made such a claim and behaved in such a way?”

“Nigaṇṭho, bhante, nāṭaputto”ti.

“It was the Jain ascetic of the Ñātika clan, sir.”

“Udāyī, someone who can recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details, might ask me a question about the first beginning, or I might ask them a question about the first beginning. And they might satisfy me with their answer, or I might satisfy them with my answer. Someone who, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, understands how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds might ask me a question about the final end, or I might ask them a question about the final end. And they might satisfy me with their answer, or I might satisfy them with my answer.

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version