Other Translations: Deutsch , Français , 日本語 , Lietuvių kalba , ру́сский язы́к
From: , ,
Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.39 Numbered Discourses 3.39Numbered Discourses 3.39
4. Devadūtavagga 4. Messengers of the Gods 4. Messengers of the Gods
Sukhumālasutta Refinement A Delicate Lifestyle
“Sukhumālo ahaṁ, bhikkhave, paramasukhumālo accantasukhumālo. “Monks, I lived in refinement, utmost refinement, total refinement. “My lifestyle was delicate, mendicants, most delicate, extremely delicate.
Mama sudaṁ, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane pokkharaṇiyo kāritā honti. My father even had lotus ponds made in our palace: In my father’s home, lotus ponds were made just for me.
Ekattha sudaṁ, bhikkhave, uppalaṁ vappati, ekattha padumaṁ, ekattha puṇḍarīkaṁ, yāvadeva mamatthāya. one where red lotuses bloomed, one where white lotuses bloomed, one where blue lotuses bloomed, all for my sake. In some, blue water lilies blossomed, while in others, there were pink or white lotuses, just for my benefit.
Na kho panassāhaṁ, bhikkhave, akāsikaṁ candanaṁ dhāremi. Kāsikaṁ, bhikkhave, su me taṁ veṭhanaṁ hoti, kāsikā kañcukā, kāsikaṁ nivāsanaṁ, kāsiko uttarāsaṅgo. I used no sandalwood that was not from Vārāṇasī. My turban was from Vārāṇasī, as were my tunic, my lower garments, & my outer cloak. I only used sandalwood from Kāsi, and my turbans, jackets, sarongs, and upper robes also came from Kāsi.
Rattindivaṁ kho pana me su taṁ, bhikkhave, setacchattaṁ dhārīyati: A white sunshade was held over me day & night And a white parasol was held over me night and day, with the thought:
‘mā naṁ phusi sītaṁ vā uṇhaṁ vā tiṇaṁ vā rajo vā ussāvo vā’ti. to protect me from cold, heat, dust, dirt, & dew. ‘Don’t let cold, heat, grass, dust, or damp bother him.’
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, tayo pāsādā ahesuṁ—eko hemantiko, eko gimhiko, eko vassiko. “I had three palaces: one for the cold season, one for the hot season, one for the rainy season. I had three stilt longhouses—one for the winter, one for the summer, and one for the rainy season.
So kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, vassike pāsāde vassike cattāro māse nippurisehi tūriyehi paricārayamāno na heṭṭhāpāsādaṁ orohāmi. During the four months of the rainy season I was entertained in the rainy-season palace by minstrels without a single man among them, and I did not once come down from the palace. I stayed in a stilt longhouse without coming downstairs for the four months of the rainy season, where I was entertained by musicians—none of them men.
Yathā kho pana, bhikkhave, aññesaṁ nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa kaṇājakaṁ bhojanaṁ dīyati bilaṅgadutiyaṁ, evamevassu me, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa sālimaṁsodano dīyati. Whereas the servants, workers, & retainers in other people’s homes are fed meals of lentil soup & broken rice, in my father’s home the servants, workers, & retainers were fed wheat, rice, & meat. While the bondservants, workers, and staff in other houses are given sour gruel with false black pepper to eat, in my father’s home they are given fine rice with meat.
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, evarūpāya iddhiyā samannāgatassa evarūpena ca sukhumālena etadahosi: “Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: Amid such prosperity and such a delicate lifestyle, I thought:
‘assutavā kho puthujjano attanā jarādhammo samāno jaraṁ anatīto paraṁ jiṇṇaṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā, ahampi khomhi jarādhammo jaraṁ anatīto. ‘When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to aging, not beyond aging, sees another who is aged, he is repelled, ashamed, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to aging, not beyond aging. ‘When an unlearned ordinary person—who is liable to grow old, not being exempt from old age—sees someone else who is old, they’re horrified, repelled, and disgusted, overlooking the fact that they themselves are in the same situation.
Ahañceva kho pana jarādhammo samāno jaraṁ anatīto paraṁ jiṇṇaṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. If I—who am subject to aging, not beyond aging—were to be repelled, ashamed, & disgusted on seeing another person who is aged, that would not be fitting for me.’ But since I, too, am liable to grow old, it would not be appropriate for me to be horrified, embarrassed, and disgusted, when I see someone else who is old.’
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo yobbane yobbanamado so sabbaso pahīyi. As I noticed this, the (typical) young person’s intoxication with youth entirely dropped away. Reflecting like this, I entirely gave up the vanity of youth.
Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṁ anatīto paraṁ byādhitaṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā: “Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: ‘When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to illness, not beyond illness, sees another who is ill, he is repelled, ashamed, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to illness, not beyond illness. ‘When an unlearned ordinary person—who is liable to get sick, not being exempt from sickness—sees someone else who is sick, they’re horrified, repelled, and disgusted, overlooking the fact that they themselves are in the same situation.
‘ahampi khomhi byādhidhammo byādhiṁ anatīto, ahañceva kho pana byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṁ anatīto paraṁ byādhikaṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. And if I—who am subject to illness, not beyond illness—were to be repelled, ashamed, & disgusted on seeing another person who is ill, that would not be fitting for me.’ But since I, too, am liable to get sick, it would not be appropriate for me to be horrified, embarrassed, and disgusted, when I see someone else who is sick.’
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo ārogye ārogyamado so sabbaso pahīyi. As I noticed this, the healthy person’s intoxication with health entirely dropped away. Reflecting like this, I entirely gave up the vanity of health.
Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṁ anatīto paraṁ mataṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā: “Even though I was endowed with such fortune, such total refinement, the thought occurred to me: ‘When an untaught, run-of-the-mill person, himself subject to death, not beyond death, sees another who is dead, he is repelled, ashamed, & disgusted, oblivious to himself that he too is subject to death, not beyond death. ‘When an unlearned ordinary person—who is liable to die, not being exempt from death—sees someone else who is dead, they’re horrified, repelled, and disgusted, overlooking the fact that they themselves are in the same situation.
‘ahampi khomhi maraṇadhammo, maraṇaṁ anatīto, ahaṁ ceva kho pana maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṁ anatīto paraṁ mataṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. And if I—who am subject to death, not beyond death—were to be repelled, ashamed, & disgusted on seeing another person who is dead, that would not be fitting for me.’ But since I, too, am liable to die, it would not be appropriate for me to be horrified, embarrassed, and disgusted, when I see someone else who is dead.’
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo jīvite jīvitamado so sabbaso pahīyīti. As I noticed this, the living person’s intoxication with life entirely dropped away. The PTS edition treats this sutta as two suttas, divided at this point. Asian traditions, however, treat it as one. The autobiographical verse at the conclusion of the second half fits neatly with the autobiographical first half, which suggests that the two halves were originally meant to go together.Reflecting like this, I entirely gave up the vanity of life.
Tayome, bhikkhave, madā. “Monks, there are these three forms of intoxication. There are these three vanities.
Katame tayo? Which three? What three?
Yobbanamado, ārogyamado, jīvitamado. Intoxication with youth, intoxication with health, intoxication with life. The vanity of youth, of health, and of life.
Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. “Drunk with the intoxication of youth, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Intoxicated with the vanity of youth, an unlearned ordinary person does bad things by way of body, speech, and mind.
So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano …pe… “Drunk with the intoxication of health, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. Intoxicated with the vanity of health …
jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. “Drunk with the intoxication of life, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct. Intoxicated with the vanity of life, an unlearned ordinary person does bad things by way of body, speech, and mind.
So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. Having engaged in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct, he—on the break-up of the body, after death—reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. “Drunk with the intoxication of youth, a monk leaves the training and returns to the lower life. Intoxicated with the vanity of youth, health, or life, a mendicant resigns the training and returns to a lesser life.
Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe… Drunk with the intoxication of health, a monk leaves the training and returns to the lower life.
jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattatīti. Drunk with the intoxication of life, a monk leaves the training and returns to the lower life.”
Byādhidhammā jarādhammā, ‘Subject to birth, subject to aging, For others, sickness is natural,
atho maraṇadhammino; subject to death, and so are old age and death.
Yathādhammā tathāsantā, run-of-the-mill people Though this is how their nature is,
jigucchanti puthujjanā. are repelled by those who suffer from that to which they are subject. ordinary people feel disgusted.
Ahañce taṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, And if I were to be repelled If I were to be disgusted
evaṁdhammesu pāṇisu; by beings subject to these things, with creatures whose nature is such,
Na metaṁ patirūpassa, it would not be fitting for me, it would not be appropriate for me,
mama evaṁ vihārino. living as they do.’ since my life is just the same.
Sohaṁ evaṁ viharanto, As I maintained this attitude— Living in such a way,
ñatvā dhammaṁ nirūpadhiṁ; knowing the Dhamma without acquisitions— I understood the truth without attachments.
Ārogye yobbanasmiñca, I overcame all intoxication I mastered all vanities—
jīvitasmiñca ye madā. with health, youth, & life of health, of youth,
Sabbe made abhibhosmi, as one who sees and even of life—
Nekkhamme daṭṭhu khemataṁ; renunciation as rest. seeing renunciation as sanctuary.
Tassa me ahu ussāho, For me, energy arose, Zeal sprang up in me
Nibbānaṁ abhipassato. unbinding was clearly seen. as I looked to extinguishment.
Nāhaṁ bhabbo etarahi, There’s now no way Now I’m unable
Kāmāni paṭisevituṁ; I could partake of sensual pleasures. to indulge in sensual pleasures;
Anivatti bhavissāmi, Having followed the holy life, there’s no turning back,
Brahmacariyaparāyaṇo”ti. I will not return.” See also: MN 26; MN 36; MN 82; AN 5:57; Sn 3:1; Sn 3:2; Sn 4:15I’m committed to the spiritual life.”
Navamaṁ.