sutta » sn » sn7 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 7.2

Akkosasutta

Abuse The Abuser

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

Assosi kho akkosakabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo:
The brahmin Akkosaka Bhāradvāja, Bhāradvāja the Abusive, heard:
The brahmin Bhāradvāja the Rude heard a rumor that

“bhāradvājagotto kira brāhmaṇo samaṇassa gotamassa santike agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito”ti kupito anattamano yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ asabbhāhi pharusāhi vācāhi akkosati paribhāsati. Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā akkosakabhāradvājaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ etadavoca:
“It is said that the brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan has gone forth from the household life into homelessness under the ascetic Gotama. ” Angry and displeased, he approached the Blessed One and abused and reviled him with rude, harsh words.
a brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan had gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in the presence of the ascetic Gotama. Angry and displeased he went to the Buddha and abused and insulted him with rude, harsh words. When he had spoken, the Buddha said to him:

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, brāhmaṇa,
When he had finished speaking, the Blessed One said to him: “What do you think, brahmin?
“What do you think, brahmin?

api nu kho te āgacchanti mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā atithiyo”ti?
Do your friends and colleagues, kinsmen and relatives, as well as guests come to visit you?”
Do friends and colleagues, relatives and family members, and guests still come to visit you?”

“Appekadā me, bho gotama, āgacchanti mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā atithiyo”ti.
“Sometimes they come to visit, Master Gotama. ”
“Sometimes they do, Mister Gotama.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, brāhmaṇa, api nu tesaṁ anuppadesi khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā sāyanīyaṁ vā”ti?
“Do you then offer them some food or a meal or a snack?”
“Do you then serve them with fresh and cooked foods and savories?”

“Appekadā nesāhaṁ, bho gotama, anuppademi khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā sāyanīyaṁ vā”ti.
“Sometimes I do, Master Gotama. ”
“Sometimes I do.”

“Sace kho pana te, brāhmaṇa, nappaṭiggaṇhanti, kassa taṁ hotī”ti?
“But if they do not accept it from you, then to whom does the food belong?”
“But if they don’t accept it, brahmin, who does it belong to?”

“Sace te, bho gotama, nappaṭiggaṇhanti, amhākameva taṁ hotī”ti.
“If they do not accept it from me, then the food still belongs to us. ”
“In that case it still belongs to me.”

“Evameva kho, brāhmaṇa, yaṁ tvaṁ amhe anakkosante akkosasi, arosente rosesi, abhaṇḍante bhaṇḍasi, taṁ te mayaṁ nappaṭiggaṇhāma.
“So too, brahmin, we—who do not abuse anyone, who do not scold anyone, who do not rail against anyone—refuse to accept from you the abuse and scolding and tirade you let loose at us.
“In the same way, brahmin, when you abuse, harass, and attack us who do not abuse, harass, and attack, we don’t accept it.

Tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hoti;
It still belongs to you, brahmin!
It still belongs to you, brahmin,

tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hoti.
It still belongs to you, brahmin!
it still belongs to you!

Yo kho, brāhmaṇa, akkosantaṁ paccakkosati, rosentaṁ paṭiroseti, bhaṇḍantaṁ paṭibhaṇḍati, ayaṁ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, sambhuñjati vītiharatīti.
“Brahmin, one who abuses his own abuser, who scolds the one who scolds him, who rails against the one who rails at him—he is said to partake of the meal, to enter upon an exchange.
Someone who, when abused, harassed, and attacked, abuses, harasses, and attacks in return is said to eat the food and have a reaction to it.

Te mayaṁ tayā neva sambhuñjāma na vītiharāma.
But we do not partake of your meal; we do not enter upon an exchange.
But we neither eat your food nor do we have a reaction to it.

Tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hoti;
It still belongs to you, brahmin!
It still belongs to you, brahmin,

tavevetaṁ, brāhmaṇa, hotī”ti.
It still belongs to you, brahmin!”
it still belongs to you!”

“Bhavantaṁ kho gotamaṁ sarājikā parisā evaṁ jānāti:
“The king and his retinue understand the ascetic yet Master Gotama still gets angry.
“The king and his retinue believe that Mister Gotama is

‘arahaṁ samaṇo gotamo’ti.
Gotama to be an arahant,”
a perfected one.

Atha ca pana bhavaṁ gotamo kujjhatī”ti.
And yet he still gets angry.”

“Akkodhassa kuto kodho,
[The Blessed One: ] “How can anger arise in one who is angerless,
“For one free of anger, tamed, living in balance,

dantassa samajīvino;
In the tamed one of righteous living,
freed by right knowledge,

Sammadaññā vimuttassa,
In one liberated by perfect knowledge,
a poised one who is at peace:

upasantassa tādino.
In the Stable One who abides in peace?
where would anger come from?

Tasseva tena pāpiyo,
Thereby makes things worse for himself.
When you get angry at an angry person

yo kuddhaṁ paṭikujjhati;
“One who repays an angry man with anger
you just make things worse for yourself.

Kuddhaṁ appaṭikujjhanto,
Not repaying an angry man with anger,
When you don’t get angry at an angry person

saṅgāmaṁ jeti dujjayaṁ.
One wins a battle hard to win.
you win a battle hard to win.

Ubhinnamatthaṁ carati,
“He practises for the welfare of both:
When you know that the other is angry,

attano ca parassa ca;
His own and the other’s.
you act for the good of both

Paraṁ saṅkupitaṁ ñatvā,
When, knowing that his foe is angry,
yourself and the other

yo sato upasammati.
He mindfully maintains his peace.
if you’re mindful and stay calm.

Ubhinnaṁ tikicchantānaṁ,
“When he achieves the cure of both:
People unfamiliar with the teaching

attano ca parassa ca;
His own and the other’s.
consider one who heals both

Janā maññanti bāloti,
The people who consider him a fool
oneself and the other

ye dhammassa akovidā”ti.
Are unskilled in the Dhamma. ”
to be a fool.”

Evaṁ vutte, akkosakabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
When this was said, the brahmin Akkosaka Bhāradvāja said to the Blessed One:
When he had spoken, Bhāradvāja the Rude said to the Buddha,

“abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama …pe…
“Magnificent, Master Gotama!…
“Excellent, Mister Gotama! …

esāhaṁ bhavantaṁ gotamaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.
I go for refuge to Master Gotama, and to the Dhamma, and to the Bhikkhu Saṅgha.
I go for refuge to Mister Gotama, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha.

Labheyyāhaṁ, bhante, bhoto gotamassa santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan”ti.
May I receive the going forth under Master Gotama, may I receive the higher ordination?”
Sir, may I receive the going forth, the ordination in the ascetic Gotama’s presence?”

Alattha kho akkosakabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ.
Then the brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan received the going forth under the Blessed One, he received the higher ordination.
And the brahmin Bhāradvāja the Rude received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence.

Acirūpasampanno kho panāyasmā akkosakabhāradvājo eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto nacirasseva—yassatthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti tadanuttaraṁ—brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsi.
And soon, not long after his higher ordination, dwelling alone …
Not long after his ordination, Venerable Bhāradvāja the Rude, living alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, soon realized the supreme end of the spiritual path in this very life. He lived having achieved with his own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.

“Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ nāparaṁ itthattāyā”ti abbhaññāsi.
He understood: “Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is no return to any state of existence.”

Aññataro ca panāyasmā bhāradvājo arahataṁ ahosīti.
the Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the arahants.
And Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the perfected.