sutta » sn » sn1 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 1.35

Ujjhānasaññisutta

Disdain Faultfinders

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapiṇḍika’s Park.

Atha kho sambahulā ujjhānasaññikā devatāyo abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇā kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā vehāsaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu.
Then, late at night, several glorious deities of the Disdainful Group, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, and stood in the air.
Then, when the night had advanced, a number of “faultfinding” devatās, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One and stood in the air.

Vehāsaṁ ṭhitā kho ekā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:
Standing in the air, one deity recited this verse in the Buddha’s presence:
Then one devatā, standing in the air, recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

“Aññathā santamattānaṁ,
“Someone who pretends
“If one shows oneself in one way

aññathā yo pavedaye;
to be other than they really are,
While actually being otherwise,

Nikacca kitavasseva,
is like a cheating gambler
What one enjoys is obtained by theft

bhuttaṁ theyyena tassa taṁ.
who enjoys what was gained by theft.
Like the gains of a cheating gambler.

Yañhi kayirā tañhi vade,
You should only say what you would do;
“One should speak as one would act;

yaṁ na kayirā na taṁ vade;
you shouldn’t say what you wouldn’t do.
Don’t speak as one wouldn’t act.

Akarontaṁ bhāsamānaṁ,
The wise will recognize
Who does not practise what he preaches.

parijānanti paṇḍitā”ti.
one who talks without doing.”
The wise clearly discern the person ”

“Na yidaṁ bhāsitamattena,
“Not just by speaking,
“Not by mere speech

ekantasavanena vā;
nor solely by listening,
nor solely by listening

Anukkamitave sakkā,
are you able to progress
Can one advance

yāyaṁ paṭipadā daḷhā;
on this hard path,
on this firm path of practice

Yāya dhīrā pamuccanti,
by which the attentive practicing absorption
By which the wise ones are released

jhāyino mārabandhanā.
are released from Māra’s bonds.
the meditators from the bondage of Mara

Na ve dhīrā pakubbanti,
The attentive certainly don’t act like that,
Not [by this] are the wise ones released

viditvā lokapariyāyaṁ;
for they understand the way of the world.
For they have understood the way of the world.

Aññāya nibbutā dhīrā,
The attentive are quenched by understanding,
By final knowledge the wise are quenched:

tiṇṇā loke visattikan”ti.
they’ve crossed over clinging to the world.”
They have crossed over attachment to the world. ”

Atha kho tā devatāyo pathaviyaṁ patiṭṭhahitvā bhagavato pādesu sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:
Then those deities landed on the ground, bowed with their heads at the Buddha’s feet and said,
Then those devatās, having alighted on the earth, prostrated themselves with their heads at the Blessed One’s feet and said to the Blessed One:

“accayo no, bhante, accagamā yathābālaṁ yathāmūḷhaṁ yathāakusalaṁ, yā mayaṁ bhagavantaṁ āsādetabbaṁ amaññimhā.
“We have made a mistake, sir. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of us to imagine we could attack the Buddha!
“A transgression overcame us, venerable sir, being so foolish, so stupid, so unskilful that we imagined we could assail the Blessed One.

Tāsaṁ no, bhante, bhagavā accayaṁ accayato paṭiggaṇhātu āyatiṁ saṁvarāyā”ti.
Please, sir, accept our mistake for what it is, so we will restrain ourselves in future.”
Let the Blessed One pardon us for our transgression seen as such for the sake of restraint in the future. ”

Atha kho bhagavā sitaṁ pātvākāsi.
At that, the Buddha smiled.
Then the Blessed One displayed a smile.

Atha kho tā devatāyo bhiyyoso mattāya ujjhāyantiyo vehāsaṁ abbhuggañchuṁ.
Then those deities, becoming even more disdainful, flew up in the air.
Those devatās, finding fault to an even greater extent, then rose up into the air.

Ekā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:
One deity recited this verse in the Buddha’s presence:
One devatā recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

“Accayaṁ desayantīnaṁ,
“If you don’t give your pardon
“To those who confess transgression,

yo ce na paṭigaṇhati;
when a mistake is confessed,
If one does not grant pardon,

Kopantaro dosagaru,
with hidden anger and heavy hate,
Angry at heart, intent on hate,

sa veraṁ paṭimuñcatī”ti.
you’re stuck in your enmity.”
One strongly harbours enmity.

“Accayo ce na vijjetha,
“If no mistake is found,
“If there was no transgression,

nocidhāpagataṁ siyā;
if no-one’s gone astray,
If here there was no going astray,

Verāni na ca sammeyyuṁ,
and enmities are settled,
And if enmities were appeased,

kenīdha kusalo siyā”ti.
then who could have been unskillful?”
Then one would be faultless here. ”

“Kassaccayā na vijjanti,
“Who makes no mistakes?
“For whom are there no transgressions?

kassa natthi apāgataṁ;
Who doesn’t go astray?
For whom is there no going astray?

Ko na sammohamāpādi,
Who doesn’t fall into confusion?
Who has not fallen into confusion?

ko ca dhīro sadā sato”ti.
Who is attentive, ever mindful?”
And who is the wise one, ever mindful?”

“Tathāgatassa buddhassa,
“The Realized One, the Buddha,
“The Tathagata, the Enlightened One,

sabbabhūtānukampino;
sympathetic for all beings:
Full of compassion for all beings:

Tassaccayā na vijjanti,
that’s who makes no mistakes,
For him there are no transgressions,

tassa natthi apāgataṁ;
and that’s who doesn’t go astray.
For him there is no going astray;

So na sammohamāpādi,
He doesn’t fall into confusion,
He has not fallen into confusion,

sova dhīro sadā satoti.
for he’s attentive, ever mindful.
And he is the wise one, ever mindful.

Accayaṁ desayantīnaṁ,
If you don’t give your pardon
“If one does not grant pardon

yo ce na paṭigaṇhati;
when a mistake is confessed,
To those who confess transgression,

Kopantaro dosagaru,
with hidden anger and heavy hate,
Angry at heart, intent on hate,

sa veraṁ paṭimuñcati;
you’re stuck in your enmity.
One strongly harbours enmity.

Taṁ veraṁ nābhinandāmi,
I don’t approve of such enmity,
In that enmity I do not delight,

paṭiggaṇhāmi voccayan”ti.
and so I pardon your mistake.”
Thus I pardon your transgression. ”