Raṭṭhapālasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 82

With Raṭṭhapāla · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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tatiyampi kho raṭṭhapālassa kulaputtassa sahāyakā raṭṭhapālaṁ kulaputtaṁ etadavocuṁ:
“tvaṁ khosi, samma raṭṭhapāla, mātāpitūnaṁ ekaputtako piyo manāpo sukhedhito sukhaparibhato, na tvaṁ, samma raṭṭhapāla, kassaci dukkhassa jānāsi, maraṇenapi te mātāpitaro akāmakā vinā bhavissanti.
Kiṁ pana te taṁ jīvantaṁ anujānissanti agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya?
Uṭṭhehi, samma raṭṭhapāla, bhuñja ca piva ca paricārehi ca, bhuñjanto pivanto paricārento kāme paribhuñjanto puññāni karonto abhiramassu.
Na taṁ mātāpitaro anujānissanti agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya, maraṇenapi te mātāpitaro akāmakā vinā bhavissanti.
Kiṁ pana te taṁ jīvantaṁ anujānissanti agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāyā”ti?
Tatiyampi kho raṭṭhapālo kulaputto tuṇhī ahosi.

For a third time, Raṭṭhapāla’s friends made the same request. And for a third time, Raṭṭhapāla kept silent.

Atha kho raṭṭhapālassa kulaputtassa sahāyakā yena raṭṭhapālassa kulaputtassa mātāpitaro tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā raṭṭhapālassa kulaputtassa mātāpitaro etadavocuṁ:
“ammatātā, eso raṭṭhapālo kulaputto tattheva anantarahitāya bhūmiyā nipanno:
‘idheva me maraṇaṁ bhavissati pabbajjā vā’ti.
Sace tumhe raṭṭhapālaṁ kulaputtaṁ nānujānissatha agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya, tattheva maraṇaṁ āgamissati.
Sace pana tumhe raṭṭhapālaṁ kulaputtaṁ anujānissatha agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya, pabbajitampi naṁ dakkhissatha.
Sace raṭṭhapālo kulaputto nābhiramissati agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya, kā tassa aññā gati bhavissati? Idheva paccāgamissati.
Anujānātha raṭṭhapālaṁ kulaputtaṁ agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāyā”ti.
“Anujānāma, tātā, raṭṭhapālaṁ kulaputtaṁ agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya.
Pabbajitena ca pana mātāpitaro uddassetabbā”ti.
Atha kho raṭṭhapālassa kulaputtassa sahāyakā yena raṭṭhapālo kulaputto tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā raṭṭhapālaṁ kulaputtaṁ etadavocuṁ:

Then Raṭṭhapāla’s friends went to his parents and said, “Mum and dad, Raṭṭhapāla is lying there on the bare ground saying: ‘I’ll either die right here or go forth.’ If you don’t allow him to go forth, he’ll die there. But if you do allow him to go forth, you’ll see him again afterwards. And if he doesn’t enjoy the renunciate life, where else will he have to go? He’ll come right back here. Please give Raṭṭhapāla permission to go forth.” “Then, dears, we give Raṭṭhapāla permission to go forth. But once gone forth he must visit his parents.” Then Raṭṭhapāla’s friends went to him and said,

“uṭṭhehi, samma raṭṭhapāla, anuññātosi mātāpitūhi agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya.
Pabbajitena ca pana te mātāpitaro uddassetabbā”ti.

“Get up, Raṭṭhapāla! Your parents have given you permission to go forth from lay life to homelessness. But once gone forth you must visit your parents.”

Atha kho raṭṭhapālo kulaputto uṭṭhahitvā balaṁ gāhetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho raṭṭhapālo kulaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“anuññāto ahaṁ, bhante, mātāpitūhi agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajjāya.
Pabbājetu maṁ bhagavā”ti.

Raṭṭhapāla got up and regained his strength. He went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, “Sir, I have my parents’ permission to go forth from the lay life to homelessness. May the Buddha please give me the going forth.”

Alattha kho raṭṭhapālo kulaputto bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ.
Atha kho bhagavā acirūpasampanne āyasmante raṭṭhapāle aḍḍhamāsupasampanne thullakoṭṭhike yathābhirantaṁ viharitvā yena sāvatthi tena cārikaṁ pakkāmi.
Anupubbena cārikaṁ caramāno yena sāvatthi tadavasari.
Tatra sudaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

And Raṭṭhapāla received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence. Not long after Venerable Raṭṭhapāla’s ordination, a fortnight later, the Buddha—having stayed in Thullakoṭṭhika as long as he pleased—set out for Sāvatthī. Traveling stage by stage, he arrived at Sāvatthī, where he stayed in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Atha kho āyasmā raṭṭhapālo 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 raṭṭhapālo arahataṁ ahosi.

Then Venerable Raṭṭhapāla, 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 Raṭṭhapāla became one of the perfected.

Atha kho āyasmā raṭṭhapālo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā raṭṭhapālo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“icchāmahaṁ, bhante, mātāpitaro uddassetuṁ, sace maṁ bhagavā anujānātī”ti.
Atha kho bhagavā āyasmato raṭṭhapālassa cetasā ceto paricca manasākāsi.
Yathā bhagavā aññāsi:
“abhabbo kho raṭṭhapālo kulaputto sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattitun”ti, atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ raṭṭhapālaṁ etadavoca:
“yassadāni tvaṁ, raṭṭhapāla, kālaṁ maññasī”ti.

Then he went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, “Sir, I would like to visit my parents, if the Buddha allows it.” Then the Buddha focused on encompassing Raṭṭhapāla’s mind. When he knew that it was impossible for Raṭṭhapāla to resign the training and return to a lesser life, he said, “Please, Raṭṭhapāla, go at your convenience.”

Atha kho āyasmā raṭṭhapālo uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā senāsanaṁ saṁsāmetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena thullakoṭṭhikaṁ tena cārikaṁ pakkāmi.
Anupubbena cārikaṁ caramāno yena thullakoṭṭhiko tadavasari.
Tatra sudaṁ āyasmā raṭṭhapālo thullakoṭṭhike viharati rañño korabyassa migacīre.
Atha kho āyasmā raṭṭhapālo pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya thullakoṭṭhikaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.
Thullakoṭṭhike sapadānaṁ piṇḍāya caramāno yena sakapitu nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkami.

And then Raṭṭhapāla rose from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right. Then he set his lodgings in order and, taking his bowl and robe, set out for Thullakoṭṭhika. Traveling stage by stage, he arrived at Thullakoṭṭhika, where he stayed in King Koravya’s deer range. Then Raṭṭhapāla robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Thullakoṭṭhika for alms. Wandering indiscriminately for almsfood, he approached his own father’s house.

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