sutta » sn » sn12 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 12.16

Translators: sujato and bodhi

Linked Discourses 12.16

2. Āhāravagga
2. Fuel

Dhammakathikasutta

A Dhamma Speaker A Speaker on the Dhamma

Sāvatthiyaṁ …
At Sāvatthī.
At Sāvatthı̄.

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:
Then a certain bhikkhu approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“‘dhammakathiko dhammakathiko’ti, bhante, vuccati.
“Sir, they speak of a ‘Dhamma speaker’.
“Venerable sir, it is said, ‘a speaker on the Dhamma, a speaker on the Dhamma.’

Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, dhammakathiko hotī”ti?
How is a Dhamma speaker defined?”
In what way, venerable sir, is one a speaker on the Dhamma?”

“Jarāmaraṇassa ce bhikkhu nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya dhammaṁ deseti, ‘dhammakathiko bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāya.
“If a mendicant teaches Dhamma for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding old age and death, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who speaks on Dhamma’.
“Bhikkhu, if one teaches the Dhamma for the purpose of revulsion towards aging-and-death, for its fading away and cessation, one is fit to be called a bhikkhu who is a speaker on the Dhamma.

Jarāmaraṇassa ce bhikkhu nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya paṭipanno hoti, ‘dhammānudhammappaṭipanno bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāya.
If they practice for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding old age and death, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who practices in line with the teaching’.
If one is practising for the purpose of revulsion towards aging-and-death, for its fading away and cessation, one is fit to be called a bhikkhu who is practising in accordance with the Dhamma.

Jarāmaraṇassa ce bhikkhu nibbidā virāgā nirodhā anupādāvimutto hoti, ‘diṭṭhadhammanibbānappatto bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāya.
If they’re freed by not grasping, by disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding old age and death, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who has attained extinguishment in this very life’.
If, through revulsion towards aging-and-death, through its fading away and cessation, one is liberated by nonclinging, one is fit to be called a bhikkhu who has attained Nibbāna in this very life.

Jātiyā ce bhikkhu …pe…
If a mendicant teaches Dhamma for disillusionment regarding rebirth …
Bhikkhu, if one teaches the Dhamma for the purpose of revulsion towards birth …

bhavassa ce bhikkhu …
continued existence …
existence …

upādānassa ce bhikkhu …
grasping …
clinging …

taṇhāya ce bhikkhu …
craving …
craving …

vedanāya ce bhikkhu …
feeling …
feeling …

phassassa ce bhikkhu …
contact …
contact …

saḷāyatanassa ce bhikkhu …
the six sense fields …
the six sense bases …

nāmarūpassa ce bhikkhu …
name and form …
name-and-form …

viññāṇassa ce bhikkhu …
consciousness …
consciousness …

saṅkhārānañce bhikkhu …
choices …
volitional formations…

avijjāya ce bhikkhu nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya dhammaṁ deseti, ‘dhammakathiko bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāya.
If a mendicant teaches Dhamma for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding ignorance, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who speaks on Dhamma’.
If one is practising for the purpose of revulsion towards ignorance, for its fading away and cessation, one is fit to be called a bhikkhu who is a speaker on the Dhamma.

Avijjāya ce bhikkhu nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya paṭipanno hoti, ‘dhammānudhammappaṭipanno bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāya.
If they practice for disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding ignorance, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who practices in line with the teaching’.
If one is practising for the purpose of revulsion towards ignorance, for its fading away and cessation, one is fit to be called a bhikkhu who is practising in accordance with the Dhamma.

Avijjāya ce bhikkhu nibbidā virāgā nirodhā anupādāvimutto hoti, ‘diṭṭhadhammanibbānappatto bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
If they’re freed by not grasping, by disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding ignorance, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who has attained extinguishment in this very life’.”
If, through revulsion towards ignorance, through its fading away and cessation, one is liberated by nonclinging, one is fit to be called a bhikkhu who has attained Nibbāna in this very life.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.