sutta » sn » sn35 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.87

Channasutta

With Channa

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahācundo āyasmā ca channo gijjhakūṭe pabbate viharanti.
Now at that time the venerables Sāriputta, Mahācunda, and Channa were staying on the Vulture’s Peak Mountain.

Tena kho pana samayena yena āyasmā channo ābādhiko hoti dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.
Now at that time Venerable Channa was sick, suffering, gravely ill.

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā mahācundo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahācundaṁ etadavoca:
Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Sāriputta came out of retreat, went to Venerable Mahācunda and said to him,

“āyāmāvuso cunda, yenāyasmā channo tenupasaṅkamissāma gilānapucchakā”ti.
“Come, Reverend Cunda, let’s go to see Venerable Channa and ask about his illness.”

“Evamāvuso”ti kho āyasmā mahācundo āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosi.
“Yes, reverend,” replied Mahācunda.

Atha kho āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahācundo yenāyasmā channo tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdiṁsu. Nisajja kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ channaṁ etadavoca:
And then Sāriputta and Mahācunda went to see Channa and sat down on the seats spread out. Sāriputta said to Channa:

“kacci te, āvuso channa, khamanīyaṁ, kacci yāpanīyaṁ, kacci dukkhā vedanā paṭikkamanti no abhikkamanti, paṭikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no abhikkamo”ti?
“I hope you’re keeping well, Reverend Channa; I hope you’re all right. I hope that your pain is fading, not growing, that its fading is evident, not its growing.”

“Na me, āvuso sāriputta, khamanīyaṁ na yāpanīyaṁ, bāḷhā me dukkhā vedanā abhikkamanti no paṭikkamanti, abhikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no paṭikkamo.
“Reverend Sāriputta, I’m not keeping well, I’m not getting by. The pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, balavā puriso tiṇhena sikharena muddhani abhimattheyya; evameva kho, āvuso, adhimattā vātā muddhani ūhananti.
The winds piercing my head are so severe, it feels like a strong man drilling into my head with a sharp point.

Na me, āvuso, khamanīyaṁ, na yāpanīyaṁ …pe… no paṭikkamo.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, balavā puriso daḷhena varattakkhaṇḍena sīse sīsaveṭhaṁ dadeyya; evameva kho, āvuso, adhimattā sīse sīsavedanā.
The pain in my head is so severe, it feels like a strong man tightening a tough leather strap around my head.

Na me, āvuso, khamanīyaṁ, na yāpanīyaṁ …pe… no paṭikkamo.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, dakkho goghātako vā goghātakantevāsī vā tiṇhena govikantanena kucchiṁ parikanteyya; evameva kho adhimattā vātā kucchiṁ parikantanti.
The winds slicing my belly are so severe, like a deft butcher or their apprentice were slicing open a cows’s belly with a sharp meat cleaver.

Na me, āvuso, khamanīyaṁ, na yāpanīyaṁ …pe… no paṭikkamo.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, dve balavanto purisā dubbalataraṁ purisaṁ nānābāhāsu gahetvā aṅgārakāsuyā santāpeyyuṁ samparitāpeyyuṁ; evameva kho, āvuso, adhimatto kāyasmiṁ ḍāho.
The burning in my body is so severe, it feels like two strong men grabbing a weaker man by the arms to burn and scorch him on a pit of glowing coals.

Na me, āvuso, khamanīyaṁ, na yāpanīyaṁ, bāḷhā me dukkhā vedanā abhikkamanti no paṭikkamanti, abhikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no paṭikkamo.
I’m not keeping well, I’m not getting by. The pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.

Satthaṁ, āvuso sāriputta, āharissāmi, nāvakaṅkhāmi jīvitan”ti.
Reverend Sāriputta, I will take my life. I don’t wish to live.”

“Mā āyasmā channo satthaṁ āharesi.
“Please don’t take your life!

Yāpetāyasmā channo, yāpentaṁ mayaṁ āyasmantaṁ channaṁ icchāma.
Venerable Channa, keep going! We want you to keep going.

Sace āyasmato channassa natthi sappāyāni bhojanāni, ahaṁ āyasmato channassa sappāyāni bhojanāni pariyesissāmi.
If you don’t have any suitable food, we’ll find it for you.

Sace āyasmato channassa natthi sappāyāni bhesajjāni, ahaṁ āyasmato channassa sappāyāni bhesajjāni pariyesissāmi.
If you don’t have suitable medicine, we’ll find it for you.

Sace āyasmato channassa natthi patirūpā upaṭṭhākā, ahaṁ āyasmantaṁ channaṁ upaṭṭhahissāmi.
If you don’t have a capable carer, we’ll find one for you.

Mā āyasmā channo satthaṁ āharesi.
Please don’t take your life!

Yāpetāyasmā channo, yāpentaṁ mayaṁ āyasmantaṁ channaṁ icchāmā”ti.
Venerable Channa, keep going! We want you to keep going.”

“Na me, āvuso sāriputta, natthi sappāyāni bhojanāni;
“Reverend Sāriputta, it’s not that I don’t have suitable food;

atthi me sappāyāni bhojanāni.
I do have suitable food.

Napi me natthi sappāyāni bhesajjāni;
It’s not that I don’t have suitable medicine;

atthi me sappāyāni bhesajjāni.
I do have suitable medicine.

Napi me natthi patirūpā upaṭṭhākā;
It’s not that I don’t have a capable carer;

atthi me patirūpā upaṭṭhākā.
I do have a capable carer.

Api ca me, āvuso, satthā pariciṇṇo dīgharattaṁ manāpeneva, no amanāpena.
Moreover, for a long time now I have served the Teacher with love, not without love.

Etañhi, āvuso, sāvakassa patirūpaṁ yaṁ satthāraṁ paricareyya manāpeneva, no amanāpena.
For it is proper for a disciple to serve the Teacher with love, not without love.

‘Anupavajjaṁ channo bhikkhu satthaṁ āharissatī’ti—evametaṁ, āvuso sāriputta, dhārehī”ti.
You should remember this: ‘The mendicant Channa will take his life blamelessly.’”

“Puccheyyāma mayaṁ āyasmantaṁ channaṁ kañcideva desaṁ, sace āyasmā channo okāsaṁ karoti pañhassa veyyākaraṇāyā”ti.
“I’d like to ask Venerable Channa about a certain point, if you’d take the time to answer.”

“Pucchāvuso sāriputta, sutvā vedissāmā”ti.
“Ask, Reverend Sāriputta. When I’ve heard it I’ll know.”

“Cakkhuṁ, āvuso channa, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasi …pe…
“Reverend Channa, do you regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things knowable by eye consciousness in this way: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?

jivhaṁ, āvuso channa, jivhāviññāṇaṁ jivhāviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasi …pe…
Do you regard the ear … nose … tongue … body …

manaṁ, āvuso channa, manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasī”ti?
mind, mind consciousness, and things knowable by mind consciousness in this way: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

“Cakkhuṁ, āvuso sāriputta, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmi …pe…
“Reverend Sāriputta, I regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things knowable by eye consciousness in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’

jivhaṁ, āvuso sāriputta, jivhāviññāṇaṁ jivhāviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmi …pe…
I regard the ear … nose … tongue … body …

manaṁ, āvuso sāriputta, manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmī”ti.
mind, mind consciousness, and things knowable by mind consciousness in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’.”

“Cakkhusmiṁ, āvuso channa, cakkhuviññāṇe cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu kiṁ disvā kiṁ abhiññāya cakkhuṁ cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassasi …
“Reverend Channa, what have you seen, what have you directly known in these things that you regard them in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’?”

jivhāya, āvuso channa, jivhāviññāṇe jivhāviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu kiṁ disvā kiṁ abhiññāya jivhaṁ jivhāviññāṇaṁ jivhāviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassasi …

manasmiṁ, āvuso channa, manoviññāṇe manoviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu kiṁ disvā kiṁ abhiññāya manaṁ manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassasī”ti?

“Cakkhusmiṁ, āvuso sāriputta, cakkhuviññāṇe cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu nirodhaṁ disvā nirodhaṁ abhiññāya cakkhuṁ cakkhuviññāṇaṁ cakkhuviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmi …pe…
“Reverend Sāriputta, after seeing cessation, after directly knowing cessation in these things I regard them in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’.”

jivhāya, āvuso sāriputta, jivhāviññāṇe jivhāviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu nirodhaṁ disvā nirodhaṁ abhiññāya jivhaṁ jivhāviññāṇaṁ jivhāviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmi …pe…

manasmiṁ, āvuso sāriputta, manoviññāṇe manoviññāṇaviññātabbesu dhammesu nirodhaṁ disvā nirodhaṁ abhiññāya manaṁ manoviññāṇaṁ manoviññāṇaviññātabbe dhamme ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti samanupassāmī”ti.

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā mahācundo āyasmantaṁ channaṁ etadavoca:
When he said this, Venerable Mahācunda said to Venerable Channa,

“tasmātiha, āvuso channa, idampi tassa bhagavato sāsanaṁ niccakappaṁ sādhukaṁ manasi kātabbaṁ:
“So, Reverend Channa, you should regularly apply your mind well to this instruction of the Buddha:

‘nissitassa calitaṁ, anissitassa calitaṁ natthi.
‘For the dependent there is agitation. For the independent there’s no agitation.

Calite asati passaddhi hoti.
When there’s no agitation there is tranquility.

Passaddhiyā sati nati na hoti.
When there’s tranquility there’s no inclination.

Natiyā asati āgatigati na hoti.
When there’s no inclination, there’s no coming and going.

Āgatigatiyā asati cutūpapāto na hoti.
When there’s no coming and going, there’s no passing away and reappearing.

Cutūpapāte asati nevidha na huraṁ na ubhayamantarena.
When there’s no passing away and reappearing, there’s no this world or world beyond or between the two.

Esevanto dukkhassā’”ti.
Just this is the end of suffering.’”

Atha kho āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahācundo āyasmantaṁ channaṁ iminā ovādena ovaditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkamiṁsu.
And when the venerables Sāriputta and Mahācunda had given Venerable Channa this advice they got up from their seat and left.

Atha kho āyasmā channo acirapakkantesu tesu āyasmantesu satthaṁ āharesi.
Not long after those venerables had left, Venerable Channa took his life.

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then Sāriputta went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,

“āyasmatā, bhante, channena satthaṁ āharitaṁ.
“Sir, Venerable Channa has taken his life.

Tassa kā gati ko abhisamparāyo”ti?
Where has he been reborn in his next life?”

“Nanu te, sāriputta, channena bhikkhunā sammukhāyeva anupavajjatā byākatā”ti?
“Sāriputta, didn’t the mendicant Channa declare his blamelessness to you personally?”

“Atthi, bhante, pubbavijjanaṁ nāma vajjigāmo.
“Sir, there is a Vajjian village named Pubbajira.

Tatthāyasmato channassa mittakulāni suhajjakulāni upavajjakulānī”ti.
There Channa had families who were friendly, intimate, and hospitable.”

“Honti hete, sāriputta, channassa bhikkhuno mittakulāni suhajjakulāni upavajjakulāni.
“The mendicant Channa did indeed have such families, Sāriputta.

Na kho panāhaṁ, sāriputta, ettāvatā saupavajjoti vadāmi.
But this is not enough for me to call someone ‘blameworthy’.

Yo kho, sāriputta, tañca kāyaṁ nikkhipati, aññañca kāyaṁ upādiyati, tamahaṁ saupavajjoti vadāmi.
When someone lays down this body and takes up another body, I call them ‘blameworthy’.

Taṁ channassa bhikkhuno natthi.
But the mendicant Channa did no such thing.

‘Anupavajjaṁ channena bhikkhunā satthaṁ āharitan’ti—
You should remember this: ‘The mendicant Channa take his life blamelessly.’”

evametaṁ, sāriputta, dhārehī”ti.

Catutthaṁ.