Bodhirājakumārasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 85

With Prince Bodhi · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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“Mayhampi kho, rājakumāra, pubbeva sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi:
‘na kho sukhena sukhaṁ adhigantabbaṁ, dukkhena kho sukhaṁ adhigantabban’ti.

“Prince, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I too thought, ‘Pleasure is not gained through pleasure; pleasure is gained through pain.’

So kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra, aparena samayena daharova samāno susukāḷakeso bhadrena yobbanena samannāgato paṭhamena vayasā akāmakānaṁ mātāpitūnaṁ assumukhānaṁ rudantānaṁ kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajiṁ.
So evaṁ pabbajito samāno kiṅkusalagavesī anuttaraṁ santivarapadaṁ pariyesamāno yena āḷāro kālāmo tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā āḷāraṁ kālāmaṁ etadavocaṁ:
‘icchāmahaṁ, āvuso kālāma, imasmiṁ dhammavinaye brahmacariyaṁ caritun’ti.
Evaṁ vutte, rājakumāra, āḷāro kālāmo maṁ etadavoca:
‘viharatāyasmā,
tādiso ayaṁ dhammo yattha viññū puriso nacirasseva sakaṁ ācariyakaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihareyyā’ti.
So kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra, nacirasseva khippameva taṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇiṁ.
So kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra, tāvatakeneva oṭṭhapahatamattena lapitalāpanamattena ñāṇavādañca vadāmi, theravādañca jānāmi passāmīti ca paṭijānāmi, ahañceva aññe ca.

Some time later, while still with pristine black hair, blessed with youth, in the prime of life—though my mother and father wished otherwise, weeping with tearful faces—I shaved off my hair and beard, dressed in ocher robes, and went forth from the lay life to homelessness. Once I had gone forth I set out to discover what is skillful, seeking the supreme state of sublime peace. I approached Āḷāra Kālāma and said to him, ‘Reverend Kālāma, I wish to lead the spiritual life in this teaching and training.’ Āḷāra Kālāma replied, ‘Stay, venerable. This teaching is such that a sensible person can soon realize their own denomination with their own insight and live having achieved it.’ I quickly memorized that teaching. As far as lip-recital and verbal repetition went, I spoke the doctrine of knowledge, the elder doctrine. I claimed to know and see, and so did others.

Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘na kho āḷāro kālāmo imaṁ dhammaṁ kevalaṁ saddhāmattakena sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharāmīti pavedeti;
addhā āḷāro kālāmo imaṁ dhammaṁ jānaṁ passaṁ viharatī’ti.

Then it occurred to me, ‘It is not solely by mere faith that Āḷāra Kālāma declares: “I realize this teaching with my own insight, and live having achieved it.” Surely he meditates knowing and seeing this teaching.’

Atha khvāhaṁ, rājakumāra, yena āḷāro kālāmo tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā āḷāraṁ kālāmaṁ etadavocaṁ:
‘kittāvatā no, āvuso kālāma, imaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharāmīti pavedesī’ti?
Evaṁ vutte, rājakumāra, āḷāro kālāmo ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ pavedesi.
Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘na kho āḷārasseva kālāmassa atthi saddhā, mayhampatthi saddhā;
na kho āḷārasseva kālāmassa atthi vīriyaṁ …pe…
sati …
samādhi …
paññā, mayhampatthi paññā.
Yannūnāhaṁ yaṁ dhammaṁ āḷāro kālāmo sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharāmīti pavedeti tassa dhammassa sacchikiriyāya padaheyyan’ti.
So kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra, nacirasseva khippameva taṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsiṁ.
Atha khvāhaṁ, rājakumāra, yena āḷāro kālāmo tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā āḷāraṁ kālāmaṁ etadavocaṁ:

So I approached Āḷāra Kālāma and said to him, ‘Reverend Kālāma, to what extent do you say you’ve realized this teaching with your own insight?’ When I said this, he declared the dimension of nothingness. Then it occurred to me, ‘It’s not just Āḷāra Kālāma who has faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom; I too have these things. Why don’t I make an effort to realize the same teaching that Āḷāra Kālāma says he has realized with his own insight?’ I quickly realized that teaching with my own insight, and lived having achieved it. So I approached Āḷāra Kālāma and said to him,

‘ettāvatā no, āvuso kālāma, imaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja pavedesī’ti?
‘Ettāvatā kho ahaṁ, āvuso, imaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja pavedemī’ti.
‘Ahampi kho, āvuso, ettāvatā imaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharāmī’ti.
‘Lābhā no, āvuso, suladdhaṁ no, āvuso,
ye mayaṁ āyasmantaṁ tādisaṁ sabrahmacāriṁ passāma.
Iti yāhaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja pavedemi, taṁ tvaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharasi.
Yaṁ tvaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharasi, tamahaṁ dhammaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja pavedemi.
Iti yāhaṁ dhammaṁ jānāmi taṁ tvaṁ dhammaṁ jānāsi; yaṁ tvaṁ dhammaṁ jānāsi tamahaṁ dhammaṁ jānāmi.
Iti yādiso ahaṁ, tādiso tuvaṁ; yādiso tuvaṁ tādiso ahaṁ.

‘Reverend Kālāma, is it up to this point that you realized this teaching with your own insight, and declare having achieved it?’ ‘I have, reverend.’ ‘I too have realized this teaching with my own insight up to this point, and live having achieved it.’ ‘We are fortunate, reverend, so very fortunate to see a venerable such as yourself as one of our spiritual companions! So the teaching that I’ve realized with my own insight, and declare having achieved it, you’ve realized with your own insight, and dwell having achieved it. The teaching that you’ve realized with your own insight, and dwell having achieved it, I’ve realized with my own insight, and declare having achieved it. So the teaching that I know, you know, and the teaching you know, I know. I am like you and you are like me.

Ehi dāni, āvuso, ubhova santā imaṁ gaṇaṁ pariharāmā’ti.
Iti kho, rājakumāra, āḷāro kālāmo ācariyo me samāno attano antevāsiṁ maṁ samānaṁ attanā samasamaṁ ṭhapesi, uḷārāya ca maṁ pūjāya pūjesi.
Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘nāyaṁ dhammo nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati, yāvadeva ākiñcaññāyatanūpapattiyā’ti.
So kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra, taṁ dhammaṁ analaṅkaritvā tasmā dhammā nibbijja apakkamiṁ.
So kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra, kiṅkusalagavesī anuttaraṁ santivarapadaṁ pariyesamāno yena udako rāmaputto tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā udakaṁ rāmaputtaṁ etadavocaṁ:
‘icchāmahaṁ, āvuso, imasmiṁ dhammavinaye brahmacariyaṁ caritun’ti.
Evaṁ vutte, rājakumāra, udako rāmaputto maṁ etadavoca:
‘viharatāyasmā,

Come now, reverend! We should both lead this community together.’ And that is how my tutor Āḷāra Kālāma placed me, his pupil, on the same position as him, and honored me with high praise. Then it occurred to me, ‘This teaching doesn’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment. It only leads as far as rebirth in the dimension of nothingness.’ Realizing that this teaching was inadequate, I left disappointed. I set out to discover what is skillful, seeking the supreme state of sublime peace. I approached Uddaka son of Rāma and said to him, ‘Reverend, I wish to lead the spiritual life in this teaching and training.’ Uddaka replied, ‘Stay, venerable.

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