Aṅguttara Nikāya 6.61
Translators: sujato
Numbered Discourses 6.61
6. Mahāvagga
6. The Great Chapter
Majjhesutta
In the Middle
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
So I have heard.
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā bārāṇasiyaṁ viharati isipatane migadāye.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana.
Tena kho pana samayena sambahulānaṁ therānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:
Now at that time, after the meal, on return from almsround, several senior mendicants sat together in the pavilion and this discussion came up among them,
“vuttamidaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā pārāyane metteyyapañhe:
“Reverends, this was said by the Buddha in ‘The Way to the Far Shore’, in ‘The Questions of Metteyya’:
‘Yo ubhonte viditvāna,
‘The thoughtful one who has known both ends,
majjhe mantā na lippati;
and is not stuck in the middle:
Taṁ brūmi mahāpurisoti,
he is a great man, I declare,
sodha sibbinimaccagā’”ti.
he has escaped the seamstress here.’
“Katamo nu kho, āvuso, eko anto, katamo dutiyo anto, kiṁ majjhe, kā sibbinī”ti?
But what is one end? What’s the second end? What’s the middle? And who is the seamstress?”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:
“phasso kho, āvuso, eko anto, phassasamudayo dutiyo anto, phassanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;
“Contact, reverends, is one end. The origin of contact is the second end. The cessation of contact is the middle. And craving is the seamstress,
taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.
for craving weaves one to being reborn in one state of existence or another.
Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
That’s how a mendicant directly knows what should be directly known and completely understands what should be completely understood. Knowing and understanding thus they make an end of suffering in this very life.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:
“atītaṁ kho, āvuso, eko anto, anāgataṁ dutiyo anto, paccuppannaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;
“The past, reverends, is one end. The future is the second end. The present is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …
taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.
Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto, pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
That’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:
“sukhā, āvuso, vedanā eko anto, dukkhā vedanā dutiyo anto, adukkhamasukhā vedanā majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;
“Pleasant feeling, reverends, is one end. Painful feeling is the second end. Neutral feeling is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …
taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.
Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto, pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
That’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:
“nāmaṁ kho, āvuso, eko anto, rūpaṁ dutiyo anto, viññāṇaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;
“Name, reverends, is one end. Form is the second end. Consciousness is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …
taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.
Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
That’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”
Evaṁ vutte aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:
“cha kho, āvuso, ajjhattikāni āyatanāni eko anto, cha bāhirāni āyatanāni dutiyo anto, viññāṇaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;
“The six interior sense fields, reverends, are one end. The six exterior sense fields are the second end. Consciousness is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …
taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.
Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
That’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”
Evaṁ vutte aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:
“sakkāyo kho, āvuso, eko anto, sakkāyasamudayo dutiyo anto, sakkāyanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;
“Substantial reality, reverends, is one end. The origin of substantial reality is the second end. The cessation of substantial reality is the middle. And craving is the seamstress,
taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.
for craving weaves one to being reborn in one state of existence or another.
Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
That’s how a mendicant directly knows what should be directly known and completely understands what should be completely understood. Knowing and understanding thus they make an end of suffering in this very life.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:
“byākataṁ kho, āvuso, amhehi sabbeheva yathāsakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ.
“Each of us has spoken from the heart.
Āyāmāvuso, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocessāma.
Come, reverends, let’s go to the Buddha, and inform him about this.
Yathā no bhagavā byākarissati tathā naṁ dhāressāmā”ti.
As he answers, so we’ll remember it.”
“Evamāvuso”ti kho therā bhikkhū tassa bhikkhuno paccassosuṁ.
“Yes, reverend,” those senior mendicants replied.
Atha kho therā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu.
Then those senior mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side,
Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho therā bhikkhū yāvatako ahosi sabbeheva saddhiṁ kathāsallāpo, taṁ sabbaṁ bhagavato ārocesuṁ.
and informed the Buddha of all they had discussed. They asked,
“Kassa nu kho, bhante, subhāsitan”ti?
“Sir, who has spoken well?”
“Sabbesaṁ vo, bhikkhave, subhāsitaṁ pariyāyena, api ca yaṁ mayā sandhāya bhāsitaṁ pārāyane metteyyapañhe:
“Mendicants, you’ve all spoken well in a way. However, this is what I was referring to in ‘The Way to the Far Shore’, in ‘The Questions of Metteyya’ when I said:
‘Yo ubhonte viditvāna,
‘The sage has known both ends,
majjhe mantā na lippati;
and is not stuck in the middle.
Taṁ brūmi mahāpurisoti,
He is a great man, I declare,
sodha sibbinimaccagā’ti.
he has escaped the seamstress here.’
Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho therā bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.
“Yes, sir,” they replied.
Bhagavā etadavoca:
The Buddha said this:
“phasso kho, bhikkhave, eko anto, phassasamudayo dutiyo anto, phassanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;
“Contact, mendicants, is one end. The origin of contact is the second end. The cessation of contact is the middle. And craving is the seamstress,
taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.
for craving weaves one to being reborn in one state of existence or another.
Ettāvatā kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
That’s how a mendicant directly knows what should be directly known and completely understands what should be completely understood. Knowing and understanding thus they make an end of suffering in this very life.”
Sattamaṁ.