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Saį¹yutta NikÄya 4.1 Linked Discourses 4.1
1. Paį¹hamavagga 1. Lifespan
Tapokammasutta Mortification Austere Practice
Evaį¹ me sutaį¹āSo I have heard. The first five discourses of this chapter are set shortly after the Buddhaās awakening, and hence in the period of time covered in the first chapter of the Vinaya Khandhaka (Kd 1). However, despite the length of that narrative, only the fourth and fifth are included there. This situation mirrors the MahÄparinibbÄnasutta, where there are also events missing from the narrative as we have it. Either parts were lost, or the compilers left out some events for some reason.Thus have I heard.
ekaį¹ samayaį¹ bhagavÄ uruvelÄyaį¹ viharati najjÄ neraƱjarÄya tÄ«re ajapÄlanigrodhamÅ«le paį¹hamÄbhisambuddho. At one time, when he was first awakened, the Buddha was staying in UruvelÄ at the root of the goatherdās banyan tree on the bank of the NeraƱjarÄ River. In modern times this is the pilgrimage site Bodhgaya in the Gaya district of Bihar. It lies by a wide river that is dry in summer but abundant in the rains. In Pali the river is called NeraƱjarÄ, which is of unclear meaning, but the commentary suggests āsweet watersā (nela-jala) or āblue watersā (nÄ«la-jala). The Sanskrit is nairaƱjanÄ, which suggests the sense āunblemishedā. Today it is called the LÄ«lajan (or NÄ«lajan). | UruvelÄ, which aptly means āBroadbanksā, was a locality centered around the market town of SenÄnigama (āMarshalltownā). There was also a sizable hermitage nearby with matted-hair Brahmanical ascetics (jaį¹ilÄ) who ritually bathed in the water (Kd 1:20.15.1). After teaching the five monks in Varanasi, the Buddha returned here to teach them, but there is no record of him visiting subsequently.On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at UruvelÄ on the bank of the river NeraƱjarÄ at the foot of the Goatherdās Banyan Tree just after he had become fully enlightened.
Atha kho bhagavato rahogatassa paį¹isallÄ«nassa evaį¹ cetaso parivitakko udapÄdi: Then as he was in private retreat this thought came to his mind, Then, while the Blessed One was alone in seclusion, a reflection arose in his mind thus:
āmutto vatamhi tÄya dukkarakÄrikÄya. āI am truly freed from that grueling work! āGrueling workā (dukkarakÄrikÄ) refers to the self-mortification he practiced for six years before awakening (MN 12:56.1, MN 100:27.5), which was similar to Jain practices (MN 14:17.5).āI am indeed freed from that gruelling asceticism!
SÄdhu mutto vatamhi tÄya anatthasaį¹hitÄya dukkarakÄrikÄya. Thank goodness Iām freed from that pointless grueling work. It is good indeed that I am freed from that useless gruelling asceticism!
SÄdhu vatamhi mutto bodhiį¹ samajjhaganāti. Thank goodness Iām freed and have attained awakening.ā I follow the MS reading here. Sinhalese editions have āsteady, mindfulā instead of āfreedā. Commentary is silent.It is good that, steady and mindful, I have attained enlightenment!ā
Atha kho mÄro pÄpimÄ bhagavato cetasÄ cetoparivitakkamaƱƱÄya yena bhagavÄ tenupasaį¹
kami; upasaį¹
kamitvÄ bhagavantaį¹ gÄthÄya ajjhabhÄsi: And then MÄra the Wicked, knowing the Buddhaās train of thought, went up to him and addressed him in verse: MÄra is sometimes called Namuci, and in fact seems to descend from the Vedic adversary of that name. Vedic Namuci āthe wickedā (pÄpmÄ vai namuciįø„, Åatapatha BrÄhmaį¹a 12.7.3, MaitrÄyaį¹Ä« Saį¹hitÄ 4.4.4) was a wily trickster (mÄyin, Rig Veda 1.53.7c) who was nonetheless outsmarted by Indra (Rig Veda 5.30.6c), and possessed ineffectual armies reliant on women (Rig Veda 5.30.9a). Buddhist MÄra āthe wickedā (mÄro pÄpimÄ) was a wily trickster (passim) who was nonetheless outsmarted by the Buddha and his followers (passim); he possessed ineffectual armies (DN 20:21.3, AN 4.13:2.3, Snp 3.2), and sent his daughters to do his dirty work (SN 4.25). The decapitated head of Namuci introduced death (mį¹tyu) in the form of blood to the deathless (amį¹ta) soma (Åatapatha BrÄhmaį¹a 12.7.3.4, MaitrÄyaį¹Ä« Saį¹hitÄ 4.4.4), establishing his Pali names MaccurÄja, āKing of Deathā and MÄra, āDeathā. He appears in a similar guise in Jainism too (Äcaraį¹
ga 1.3.1.3).Then MÄra the Evil One, having known with his own mind the reflection in the Blessed Oneās mind, approached the Blessed One and addressed him in verse:
āTapokammÄ apakkamma, āYouāve left the practice of mortification MÄra pretends to favor asceticism. Truth means nothing to him, as words are merely devices for him to get what he wants.āHaving deviated from the austere practice
yena sujjhanti mÄį¹avÄ; by which sons of men purify themselves. By which men purify themselves,
Asuddho maƱƱasi suddho, Youāre impure, but think yourself pure; Being impure, you think youāre pure:
suddhimaggÄ aparaddhoāti. youāve strayed from the path of purity.ā You have missed the path to purity. ā
Atha kho bhagavÄ āmÄro ayaį¹ pÄpimÄā iti viditvÄ mÄraį¹ pÄpimantaį¹ gÄthÄhi ajjhabhÄsi: Then the Buddha, knowing that this was MÄra the Wicked, replied to him in verse: Then the Blessed One, having understood, āThis is MÄra the Evil One, ā replied to him in verses:
āAnatthasaį¹hitaį¹ ƱatvÄ, āI realized that itās pointless; āHaving known as useless any austerity
yaį¹ kiƱci amaraį¹ tapaį¹; all that endless mortification The split compound amaraį¹ tapaį¹ also occurs at Thag 3.1:1.4, and at Snp 2.2:11.4 we have amarÄ bahÅ« tapÄ. The commentary explains that amara here is āimmortalityā, and the phrase means āfervent mortification aimed at immortalityā. However, I find this unconvincing, one reason being that amara is an adjective (and thus must be glossed with an abstract noun in dative, amarabhÄvatthÄya). It is simpler to assume Pali has an idiomatic sense of amara as āendlessā, which occurs here, in the phrase amarÄvikkhepa (DN 1:2.23.1), and in the Niddesaās amarÄvitakka (Cnd 12:6.1). Then amarÄ and bahÅ« are synonyms. I cannot find any use in Sanskrit that parallels this, but amara is noted by Edgerton in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit as āa high numberā.Aimed at the immortal state,
Sabbaį¹ natthÄvahaį¹ hoti, is as futile That all such penances are futile
phiyÄrittaį¹va dhammani. as oars and rudder on dry land. PhiyÄritta is the fittings for a boat at AN 4.196:8.12. Phiya is perhaps Hybrid Sanskrit sphija, ābroomā. Aritta is Sanskrit aritra, āoar, rudderā. | Dhammani (Vedic dhanvan, ādesertā) is the neuter noun dhamman in locative singular.Like oars and rudder on dry land,
SÄ«laį¹ samÄdhi paƱƱaƱca, Ethics, immersion, and wisdom: Virtue, concentration, and wisdomā
Maggaį¹ bodhÄya bhÄvayaį¹; by developing this path to awakening By developing the path to enlightenmentā
Pattosmi paramaį¹ suddhiį¹, I attained ultimate purity. I have attained supreme purity:
Nihato tvamasi antakÄāti. Youāre beaten, terminator!ā By calling MÄra āterminatorā, the Buddha makes plain the threat implicit in his name.Youāre defeated, End-maker!ā
Atha kho mÄro pÄpimÄ ājÄnÄti maį¹ bhagavÄ, jÄnÄti maį¹ sugatoāti, dukkhÄ« dummano tatthevantaradhÄyÄ«ti. Then MÄra the Wicked, thinking, āThe Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!ā miserable and sad, vanished right there. Then MÄra the Evil One, realizing, āThe Blessed One knows me, the Fortunate One knows me, ā sad and disappointed, disappeared right there.