Saṁyutta Nikāya 12.68

Translators: sujato

Linked Discourses 12.68

7. Mahāvagga
7. The Great Chapter

Kosambisutta

At Kosambī

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca musilo āyasmā ca paviṭṭho āyasmā ca nārado āyasmā ca ānando kosambiyaṁ viharanti ghositārāme.
At one time the venerables Musīla, Saviṭṭha, Nārada, and Ānanda were staying near Kosambī in Ghosita’s monastery.

Atha kho āyasmā paviṭṭho āyasmantaṁ musilaṁ etadavoca:
Then Venerable Saviṭṭha said to Venerable Musīla:

“aññatreva, āvuso musila, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā atthāyasmato musilassa paccattameva ñāṇaṁ:
“Reverend Musīla, apart from faith, endorsement, oral transmission, reasoned train of thought, or acceptance of a view after deliberation, do you know for yourself that

‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇan’”ti?
rebirth is a condition for old age and death?”

“Aññatreva, āvuso paviṭṭha, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā ahametaṁ jānāmi ahametaṁ passāmi:
“Reverend Saviṭṭha, apart from faith, endorsement, oral transmission, reasoned train of thought, or acceptance of a view after deliberation, I know and see that

‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇan’”ti.
rebirth is a condition for old age and death.”

“Aññatreva, āvuso musila, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā atthāyasmato musilassa paccattameva ñāṇaṁ:
“Reverend Musīla, apart from faith, endorsement, oral transmission, reasoned train of thought, or acceptance of a view after deliberateation, do you know for yourself that

‘bhavapaccayā jātīti …pe…
continued existence is a condition for rebirth …

upādānapaccayā bhavoti …
grasping is a condition for continued existence …

taṇhāpaccayā upādānanti …
craving is a condition for grasping …

vedanāpaccayā taṇhāti …
feeling is a condition for craving …

phassapaccayā vedanāti …
contact is a condition for feeling …

saḷāyatanapaccayā phassoti …
the six sense fields are conditions for contact …

nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatananti …
name and form are conditions for the six sense fields …

viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpanti …
consciousness is a condition for name and form …

saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇanti …
choices are a condition for consciousness …

avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā’”ti?
ignorance is a condition for choices?”

‘avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā’”ti.
ignorance is a condition for choices.”

‘jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇanirodho’”ti?
when rebirth ceases, old age and death cease?”

‘jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇanirodho’”ti.
when rebirth ceases, old age and death cease.”

‘bhavanirodhā jātinirodhoti …pe…
when continued existence ceases, rebirth ceases …

upādānanirodhā bhavanirodhoti …
when grasping ceases, continued existence ceases …

taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodhoti …
when craving ceases, grasping ceases …

vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodhoti …
when feeling ceases, craving ceases …

phassanirodhā vedanānirodhoti …
when contact ceases, feeling ceases …

saḷāyatananirodhā phassanirodhoti …
when the six sense fields cease, contact ceases …

nāmarūpanirodhā saḷāyatananirodhoti …
when name and form cease, the six sense fields cease …

viññāṇanirodhā nāmarūpanirodhoti …
when consciousness ceases name and form cease …

saṅkhāranirodhā viññāṇanirodhoti …
when choices cease consciousness ceases …

avijjānirodhā saṅkhāranirodho’”ti?
when ignorance ceases, choices cease?”

‘avijjānirodhā saṅkhāranirodho’”ti.
when ignorance ceases, choices cease.”

‘bhavanirodho nibbānan’”ti?
the cessation of continued existence is extinguishment?”

‘bhavanirodho nibbānan’”ti.
the cessation of continued existence is extinguishment.”

“Tenahāyasmā musilo arahaṁ khīṇāsavo”ti?
“Then Venerable Musīla is a perfected one, with defilements ended.”

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā musilo tuṇhī ahosi.
When he said this, Musīla kept silent.

Atha kho āyasmā nārado āyasmantaṁ paviṭṭhaṁ etadavoca:
Then Venerable Nārada said to Venerable Saviṭṭha,

“sādhāvuso paviṭṭha, ahaṁ etaṁ pañhaṁ labheyyaṁ.
“Reverend Saviṭṭha, please let me answer these questions.

Maṁ etaṁ pañhaṁ puccha.
Ask me

Ahaṁ te etaṁ pañhaṁ byākarissāmī”ti.
and I will answer them for you.”

“Labhatāyasmā nārado etaṁ pañhaṁ.
“By all means, Venerable Nārada, try these questions.

Pucchāmahaṁ āyasmantaṁ nāradaṁ etaṁ pañhaṁ.
I’ll ask you

Byākarotu ca me āyasmā nārado etaṁ pañhaṁ.
and you can answer them for me.”

Aññatreva, āvuso nārada, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā atthāyasmato nāradassa paccattameva ñāṇaṁ:
(Saviṭṭha repeats exactly the same series of questions, and Nārada answers just as Musīla did.)

‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇan’”ti?

“Aññatreva, āvuso paviṭṭha, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā ahametaṁ jānāmi ahametaṁ passāmi:

‘jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇan’”ti.

bhavapaccayā jāti …pe…

avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā”ti?

“Aññatreva, āvuso paviṭṭha, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā ahametaṁ jānāmi ahametaṁ passāmi:

‘avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā’”ti.

‘jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇanirodho’”ti?

“Aññatreva, āvuso paviṭṭha, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā ahametaṁ jānāmi ahametaṁ passāmi:

‘jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇanirodho’”ti.

‘bhavanirodhā jātinirodhoti …pe…

avijjānirodhā saṅkhāranirodho’”ti?

“Aññatreva, āvuso paviṭṭha, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā ahametaṁ jānāmi ahametaṁ passāmi:

‘avijjānirodhā saṅkhāranirodho’”ti.

“Aññatreva, āvuso nārada, saddhāya aññatra ruciyā aññatra anussavā aññatra ākāraparivitakkā aññatra diṭṭhinijjhānakkhantiyā atthāyasmato nāradassa paccattameva ñāṇaṁ:
“Reverend Nārada, apart from faith, endorsement, oral transmission, reasoned train of thought, or acceptance of a view after deliberation, do you know for yourself that

‘bhavanirodho nibbānan’”ti?
the cessation of continued existence is extinguishment?”

‘bhavanirodho nibbānan’”ti.
the cessation of continued existence is extinguishment.”

“Tenahāyasmā nārado arahaṁ khīṇāsavo”ti?
“Then Venerable Nārada is a perfected one, with defilements ended.”

“‘Bhavanirodho nibbānan’ti kho me, āvuso, yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhaṁ, na camhi arahaṁ khīṇāsavo.
“I have truly seen clearly with right wisdom that the cessation of continued existence is extinguishment. Yet I am not a perfected one.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, kantāramagge udapāno, tatra nevassa rajju na udakavārako.
Suppose there was a well on a desert road that had neither rope nor bucket.

Atha puriso āgaccheyya ghammābhitatto ghammapareto kilanto tasito pipāsito, so taṁ udapānaṁ olokeyya.
Then along comes a person struggling in the oppressive heat, weary, thirsty, and parched.

Tassa ‘udakan’ti hi kho ñāṇaṁ assa, na ca kāyena phusitvā vihareyya.
They’d know that there was water, but they couldn’t physically touch it.

Evameva kho, āvuso, ‘bhavanirodho nibbānan’ti yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhaṁ, na camhi arahaṁ khīṇāsavo”ti.
In the same way, I have truly seen clearly with right wisdom that the cessation of continued existence is extinguishment. Yet I am not a perfected one.”

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando āyasmantaṁ paviṭṭhaṁ etadavoca:
When he said this, Venerable Ānanda said to Venerable Saviṭṭha,

“evaṁvādī tvaṁ, āvuso paviṭṭha, āyasmantaṁ nāradaṁ kiṁ vadesī”ti?
“Reverend Saviṭṭha, what do you have to say to Venerable Nārada when he speaks like this?”

“Evaṁvādāhaṁ, āvuso ānanda, āyasmantaṁ nāradaṁ na kiñci vadāmi aññatra kalyāṇā aññatra kusalā”ti.
“Reverend Ānanda, I have nothing to say to Venerable Nārada when he speaks like this, except what is good and wholesome.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.