Ghoṭamukhasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 94

With Ghoṭamukha · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Yo ca kho ayaṁ, bho udena, puggalo nevattantapo nāttaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto na parantapo na paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto so anattantapo aparantapo diṭṭheva dhamme nicchāto nibbuto sītībhūto sukhappaṭisaṁvedī brahmabhūtena attanā viharati, so attānañca parañca sukhakāmaṁ dukkhapaṭikkūlaṁ neva ātāpeti na paritāpeti;
iminā me ayaṁ puggalo cittaṁ ārādhetī”ti.

The individual who doesn’t mortify either themselves or others—living without wishes, quenched, cooled, experiencing bliss, with self become divine—does not torment themselves or others, both of whom want to be happy and recoil from pain. That’s why I like the sound of that individual.”

“Dvemā, brāhmaṇa, parisā.
Katamā dve?
Idha, brāhmaṇa, ekaccā parisā sārattarattā maṇikuṇḍalesu puttabhariyaṁ pariyesati, dāsidāsaṁ pariyesati, khettavatthuṁ pariyesati, jātarūparajataṁ pariyesati.
Idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekaccā parisā asārattarattā maṇikuṇḍalesu puttabhariyaṁ pahāya, dāsidāsaṁ pahāya, khettavatthuṁ pahāya, jātarūparajataṁ pahāya, agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitā.
Svāyaṁ, brāhmaṇa, puggalo nevattantapo nāttaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto na parantapo na paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto.
So anattantapo aparantapo diṭṭheva dhamme nicchāto nibbuto sītībhūto sukhappaṭisaṁvedī brahmabhūtena attanā viharati.
Idha katamaṁ tvaṁ, brāhmaṇa, puggalaṁ katamāya parisāya bahulaṁ samanupassasi—
yā cāyaṁ parisā sārattarattā maṇikuṇḍalesu puttabhariyaṁ pariyesati dāsidāsaṁ pariyesati khettavatthuṁ pariyesati jātarūparajataṁ pariyesati, yā cāyaṁ parisā asārattarattā maṇikuṇḍalesu puttabhariyaṁ pahāya dāsidāsaṁ pahāya khettavatthuṁ pahāya jātarūparajataṁ pahāya agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitā”ti?

“There are, brahmin, these two groups of people. What two? There’s one group of people who, being obsessed with jeweled earrings, seeks partners and children, male and female bondservants, fields and lands, and gold and currency. And there’s another group of people who, not being obsessed with jeweled earrings, has given up partner and children, male and female bondservants, fields and lands, and gold and currency, and goes forth from the lay life to homelessness. Now, brahmin, that individual who doesn’t mortify either themselves or others— in which of these two groups of people do you usually find such an individual?”

“Yvāyaṁ, bho udena, puggalo nevattantapo nāttaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto na parantapo na paraparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto so anattantapo aparantapo diṭṭheva dhamme nicchāto nibbuto sītībhūto sukhappaṭisaṁvedī brahmabhūtena attanā viharati;
imāhaṁ puggalaṁ yāyaṁ parisā asārattarattā maṇikuṇḍalesu puttabhariyaṁ pahāya dāsidāsaṁ pahāya khettavatthuṁ pahāya jātarūparajataṁ pahāya agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitā imissaṁ parisāyaṁ bahulaṁ samanupassāmī”ti.

“I usually find such an individual in the group that has gone forth from the lay life to homelessness.”

“Idāneva kho pana te, brāhmaṇa, bhāsitaṁ: ‘mayaṁ evaṁ ājānāma—
ambho samaṇa, natthi dhammiko paribbajo,
evaṁ me ettha hoti.
Tañca kho bhavantarūpānaṁ vā adassanā, yo vā panettha dhammo’”ti.
“Addhā mesā, bho udena, sānuggahā vācā bhāsitā.
‘Atthi dhammiko paribbajo’—
evaṁ me ettha hoti.
Evañca pana maṁ bhavaṁ udeno dhāretu.
Ye ca me bhotā udenena cattāro puggalā saṅkhittena vuttā vitthārena avibhattā, sādhu me bhavaṁ, udeno ime cattāro puggale vitthārena vibhajatu anukampaṁ upādāyā”ti.

“Just now I understood you to say: ‘My ascetic, there is no such thing as a principled renunciate life; that’s what I think. Yet I have not seen honorable ones such as yourself, or a relevant teaching.’” “Well, I obviously had my reasons for saying that, worthy Udena. But there is such a thing as a principled renunciate life. That’s what I think, and that’s how you should remember me. Now, these four individuals that you’ve spoken of in a brief summary: please explain them to me in detail, out of sympathy.”

“Tena hi, brāhmaṇa, suṇāhi, sādhukaṁ manasi karohi, bhāsissāmī”ti.
“Evaṁ, bho”ti kho ghoṭamukho brāhmaṇo āyasmato udenassa paccassosi.
Āyasmā udeno etadavoca:

“Well then, brahmin, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, worthy sir,” replied Ghoṭamukha. Udena said this:

“Katamo ca, brāhmaṇa, puggalo attantapo attaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto?
Idha, brāhmaṇa, ekacco puggalo acelako hoti muttācāro hatthāpalekhano naehibhaddantiko natiṭṭhabhaddantiko, nābhihaṭaṁ na uddissakataṁ na nimantanaṁ sādiyati.
So na kumbhimukhā paṭiggaṇhāti, na kaḷopimukhā paṭiggaṇhāti, na eḷakamantaraṁ, na daṇḍamantaraṁ, na musalamantaraṁ, na dvinnaṁ bhuñjamānānaṁ, na gabbhiniyā, na pāyamānāya, na purisantaragatāya, na saṅkittīsu, na yattha sā upaṭṭhito hoti, na yattha makkhikā saṇḍasaṇḍacārinī, na macchaṁ na maṁsaṁ, na suraṁ na merayaṁ na thusodakaṁ pivati.
So ekāgāriko vā hoti ekālopiko, dvāgāriko vā hoti dvālopiko …pe… sattāgāriko vā hoti sattālopiko;
ekissāpi dattiyā yāpeti, dvīhipi dattīhi yāpeti …pe… sattahipi dattīhi yāpeti;

“What individual mortifies themselves, committed to the practice of mortifying themselves? It’s when an individual goes naked, ignoring conventions. They lick their hands, and don’t come or wait when called. They don’t consent to food brought to them, or food prepared on their behalf, or an invitation for a meal. They don’t receive anything from a pot or bowl; or from someone who keeps sheep, or who has a weapon or a shovel in their home; or where a couple is eating; or where there is a woman who is pregnant, breastfeeding, or who lives with a man; or where there’s a hound waiting or flies buzzing. They accept no fish or meat or beer or wine, and drink no fermented gruel. They go to just one house for alms, taking just one mouthful, or two houses and two mouthfuls, up to seven houses and seven mouthfuls. They feed on one saucer a day, two saucers a day, up to seven saucers a day.

ekāhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti, dvīhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti …pe… sattāhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti—iti evarūpaṁ addhamāsikaṁ pariyāyabhattabhojanānuyogamanuyutto viharati.
So sākabhakkho vā hoti, sāmākabhakkho vā hoti, nīvārabhakkho vā hoti, daddulabhakkho vā hoti, haṭabhakkho vā hoti, kaṇabhakkho vā hoti, ācāmabhakkho vā hoti, piññākabhakkho vā hoti, tiṇabhakkho vā hoti, gomayabhakkho vā hoti, vanamūlaphalāhāro yāpeti pavattaphalabhojī.
So sāṇānipi dhāreti, masāṇānipi dhāreti, chavadussānipi dhāreti, paṁsukūlānipi dhāreti, tirīṭānipi dhāreti, ajinampi dhāreti, ajinakkhipampi dhāreti, kusacīrampi dhāreti, vākacīrampi dhāreti, phalakacīrampi dhāreti, kesakambalampi dhāreti, vāḷakambalampi dhāreti, ulūkapakkhampi dhāreti;
kesamassulocakopi hoti kesamassulocanānuyogamanuyutto,
ubbhaṭṭhakopi hoti āsanapaṭikkhitto,
ukkuṭikopi hoti ukkuṭikappadhānamanuyutto,
kaṇṭakāpassayikopi hoti kaṇṭakāpassaye seyyaṁ kappeti;
sāyatatiyakampi udakorohanānuyogamanuyutto viharati—
iti evarūpaṁ anekavihitaṁ kāyassa ātāpanaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto viharati.

They eat once a day, once every second day, up to once a week, and so on, even up to once a fortnight. They live committed to the practice of eating food at set intervals. They eat herbs, millet, wild rice, poor rice, water lettuce, rice bran, scum from boiling rice, sesame flour, grass, or cow dung. They survive on forest roots and fruits, or eating fallen fruit. They wear robes of sunn hemp, mixed hemp, corpse-wrapping cloth, rags, lodh tree bark, antelope hide (whole or in strips), kusa grass, bark, wood-chips, human hair, horse-tail hair, or owls’ wings. They tear out their hair and beard, committed to this practice. They constantly stand, turning down seats. They squat, committed to the endeavor of squatting. They lie on a mat of thorns, making a mat of thorns their bed. They’re devoted to ritual bathing three times a day, including at dusk. And so they live committed to practicing these various ways of mortifying and tormenting the body.

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