Majjhima Nikāya 78

Translators: sujato

Middle Discourses 78

Samaṇamuṇḍikasutta

With Uggāhamāna Samaṇamaṇḍikāputta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
So I have heard.

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Tena kho pana samayena uggāhamāno paribbājako samaṇamuṇḍikāputto samayappavādake tindukācīre ekasālake mallikāya ārāme paṭivasati mahatiyā paribbājakaparisāya saddhiṁ pañcamattehi paribbājakasatehi.
Now at that time the wanderer Uggāhamāna Samaṇamaṇḍikāputta was residing together with around five hundred wanderers in Mallikā’s single-halled monastery for philosophical debates, hedged by pale-moon ebony trees.

Atha kho pañcakaṅgo thapati sāvatthiyā nikkhami divā divassa bhagavantaṁ dassanāya.
Then the chamberlain Pañcakaṅga left Sāvatthī in the middle of the day to see the Buddha.

Atha kho pañcakaṅgassa thapatissa etadahosi:
It occurred to him,

“akālo kho tāva bhagavantaṁ dassanāya;
“It’s the wrong time to see the Buddha,

paṭisallīno bhagavā.
as he’s in retreat.

Manobhāvaniyānampi bhikkhūnaṁ asamayo dassanāya;
And it’s the wrong time to see the esteemed mendicants,

paṭisallīnā manobhāvaniyā bhikkhū.
as they’re in retreat.

Yannūnāhaṁ yena samayappavādako tindukācīro ekasālako mallikāya ārāmo yena uggāhamāno paribbājako samaṇamuṇḍikāputto tenupasaṅkameyyan”ti.
Why don’t I go to Mallikā’s monastery to visit the wanderer Uggāhamāna?”

Atha kho pañcakaṅgo thapati yena samayappavādako tindukācīro ekasālako mallikāya ārāmo yena uggāhamāno paribbājako samaṇamuṇḍikāputto tenupasaṅkami.
So that’s what he did.

Tena kho pana samayena uggāhamāno paribbājako samaṇamuṇḍikāputto mahatiyā paribbājakaparisāya saddhiṁ nisinno hoti unnādiniyā uccāsaddamahāsaddāya anekavihitaṁ tiracchānakathaṁ kathentiyā, seyyathidaṁ—
Now at that time, Uggāhamāna was sitting together with a large assembly of wanderers making an uproar, a dreadful racket. They engaged in all kinds of low talk, such as

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.
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; street talk and well talk; talk about the departed; motley talk; tales of land and sea; and talk about being reborn in this or that state of existence.

Addasā kho uggāhamāno paribbājako samaṇamuṇḍikāputto pañcakaṅgaṁ thapatiṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.
Uggāhamāna saw Pañcakaṅga coming off in the distance,

Disvāna sakaṁ parisaṁ saṇṭhāpesi:
and hushed his own assembly,

“appasaddā bhonto hontu, mā bhonto saddamakattha;
“Be quiet, good sirs, don’t make a sound.

ayaṁ samaṇassa gotamassa sāvako āgacchati pañcakaṅgo thapati.
Here comes Pañcakaṅga, a disciple of the ascetic Gotama.

Yāvatā kho pana samaṇassa gotamassa sāvakā gihī odātavasanā sāvatthiyaṁ paṭivasanti ayaṁ tesaṁ aññataro pañcakaṅgo thapati.
He is included among the white-clothed lay disciples of the ascetic Gotama, who is residing in Sāvatthī.

Appasaddakāmā kho pana te āyasmanto appasaddavinītā appasaddassa vaṇṇavādino;
Such venerables like the quiet, are educated to be quiet, and praise the quiet.

appeva nāma appasaddaṁ parisaṁ viditvā upasaṅkamitabbaṁ maññeyyā”ti.
Hopefully if he sees that our assembly is quiet he’ll see fit to approach.”

Atha kho te paribbājakā tuṇhī ahesuṁ.
Then those wanderers fell silent.

Atha kho pañcakaṅgo thapati yena uggāhamāno paribbājako samaṇamuṇḍikāputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā uggāhamānena paribbājakena samaṇamuṇḍikāputtena saddhiṁ sammodi.
Then Pañcakaṅga approached Uggāhamāna, and exchanged greetings with him.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho pañcakaṅgaṁ thapatiṁ uggāhamāno paribbājako samaṇamuṇḍikāputto etadavoca:
When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side. Uggāhamāna said to him:

“catūhi kho ahaṁ, gahapati, dhammehi samannāgataṁ purisapuggalaṁ paññapemi sampannakusalaṁ paramakusalaṁ uttamapattipattaṁ samaṇaṁ ayojjhaṁ.
“Householder, when an individual has four qualities I describe them as an invincible ascetic—accomplished in the skillful, excelling in the skillful, attained to the highest attainment.

Katamehi catūhi?
What four?

Idha, gahapati, na kāyena pāpakammaṁ karoti, na pāpakaṁ vācaṁ bhāsati, na pāpakaṁ saṅkappaṁ saṅkappeti, na pāpakaṁ ājīvaṁ ājīvati—
It’s when they do no bad deeds with their body; speak no bad words; think no bad thoughts; and don’t earn a living by bad livelihood.

imehi kho ahaṁ, gahapati, catūhi dhammehi samannāgataṁ purisapuggalaṁ paññapemi sampannakusalaṁ paramakusalaṁ uttamapattipattaṁ samaṇaṁ ayojjhan”ti.
When an individual has these four qualities I describe them as an invincible ascetic.”

Atha kho pañcakaṅgo thapati uggāhamānassa paribbājakassa samaṇamuṇḍikāputtassa bhāsitaṁ neva abhinandi nappaṭikkosi.
Then Pañcakaṅga neither approved nor dismissed the wanderer Uggāhamāna’s statement.

Anabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmi:
He got up from his seat, thinking,

“bhagavato santike etassa bhāsitassa atthaṁ ājānissāmī”ti.
“I will learn the meaning of this statement from the Buddha himself.”

Atha kho pañcakaṅgo thapati yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
Then he went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side,

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho pañcakaṅgo thapati yāvatako ahosi uggāhamānena paribbājakena samaṇamuṇḍikāputtena saddhiṁ kathāsallāpo taṁ sabbaṁ bhagavato ārocesi.
and informed the Buddha of all that had been discussed.

Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā pañcakaṅgaṁ thapatiṁ etadavoca:
When he had spoken, the Buddha said to him,

“evaṁ sante kho, thapati, daharo kumāro mando uttānaseyyako sampannakusalo bhavissati paramakusalo uttamapattipatto samaṇo ayojjho, yathā uggāhamānassa paribbājakassa samaṇamuṇḍikāputtassa vacanaṁ.
“Chamberlain, if what Uggāhamāna says is true, a little baby boy is an invincible ascetic—accomplished in the skillful, excelling in the skillful, attained to the highest attainment.

Daharassa hi, thapati, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa kāyotipi na hoti, kuto pana kāyena pāpakammaṁ karissati, aññatra phanditamattā.
For a little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘a body’, so how could they possibly do a bad deed with their body, aside from just wriggling?

Daharassa hi, thapati, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa vācātipi na hoti, kuto pana pāpakaṁ vācaṁ bhāsissati, aññatra roditamattā.
And a little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘speech’, so how could they possibly speak bad words, aside from just crying?

Daharassa hi, thapati, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa saṅkappotipi na hoti, kuto pana pāpakaṁ saṅkappaṁ saṅkappissati, aññatra vikūjitamattā.
And a little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘thought’, so how could they possibly think bad thoughts, aside from just whimpering?

Daharassa hi, thapati, kumārassa mandassa uttānaseyyakassa ājīvotipi na hoti, kuto pana pāpakaṁ ājīvaṁ ājīvissati, aññatra mātuthaññā.
And a little baby doesn’t even have a concept of ‘livelihood’, so how could they possibly earn a living by bad livelihood, aside from their mother’s breast?

Evaṁ sante kho, thapati, daharo kumāro mando uttānaseyyako sampannakusalo bhavissati paramakusalo uttamapattipatto samaṇo ayojjho, yathā uggāhamānassa paribbājakassa samaṇamuṇḍikāputtassa vacanaṁ.
If what Uggāhamāna says is true, a little baby boy is an invincible ascetic—accomplished in the skillful, excelling in the skillful, attained to the highest attainment.

Catūhi kho ahaṁ, thapati, dhammehi samannāgataṁ purisapuggalaṁ paññapemi na ceva sampannakusalaṁ na paramakusalaṁ na uttamapattipattaṁ samaṇaṁ ayojjhaṁ, api cimaṁ daharaṁ kumāraṁ mandaṁ uttānaseyyakaṁ samadhigayha tiṭṭhati.
When an individual has four qualities I describe them, not as an invincible ascetic—accomplished in the skillful, excelling in the skillful, attained to the highest attainment—but as having achieved the same level as a little baby.

Katamehi catūhi?
What four?

Idha, thapati, na kāyena pāpakammaṁ karoti, na pāpakaṁ vācaṁ bhāsati, na pāpakaṁ saṅkappaṁ saṅkappeti, na pāpakaṁ ājīvaṁ ājīvati—
It’s when they do no bad deeds with their body; speak no bad words; think no bad thoughts; and don’t earn a living by bad livelihood.

imehi kho ahaṁ, thapati, catūhi dhammehi samannāgataṁ purisapuggalaṁ paññapemi na ceva sampannakusalaṁ na paramakusalaṁ na uttamapattipattaṁ samaṇaṁ ayojjhaṁ, api cimaṁ daharaṁ kumāraṁ mandaṁ uttānaseyyakaṁ samadhigayha tiṭṭhati.
When an individual has these four qualities I describe them, not as an invincible ascetic, but as having achieved the same level as a little baby.

Dasahi kho ahaṁ, thapati, dhammehi samannāgataṁ purisapuggalaṁ paññapemi sampannakusalaṁ paramakusalaṁ uttamapattipattaṁ samaṇaṁ ayojjhaṁ.
When an individual has ten qualities, chamberlain, I describe them as an invincible ascetic—accomplished in the skillful, excelling in the skillful, attained to the highest attainment.

Ime akusalā sīlā;
The following things must be understood, I say. ‘These are unskillful behaviors.’