Other Translations: Deutsch , ŃŃĢŃŃŠŗŠøŠ¹ ŃŠ·ŃĢŠŗ
From: ,
Saį¹yutta NikÄya 42.11 Linked Discourses 42.11
1. GÄmaį¹ivagga 1. Chiefs
Bhadrakasutta With Bhadraka
Ekaį¹ samayaį¹ bhagavÄ mallesu viharati uruvelakappaį¹ nÄma mallÄnaį¹ nigamo. At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Mallas, near the Mallian town named Uruvelakappa. Uruvelakappa of the Mallas is mentioned a few times in the Suttas (SN 48.52:1.2, AN 9.41:1.1). Elsewhere I can only find an UrubilvÄkalpa in the Lalitavistara (Vaidya 297), which however is apparently a town past GÄyÄ in Magadha.
Atha kho bhadrako gÄmaį¹i yena bhagavÄ tenupasaį¹
kami; upasaį¹
kamitvÄ bhagavantaį¹ abhivÄdetvÄ ekamantaį¹ nisÄ«di. Ekamantaį¹ nisinno kho bhadrako gÄmaį¹i bhagavantaį¹ etadavoca: Then Bhadraka the village chief went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: Bhadraka appears only here.
āsÄdhu me, bhante, bhagavÄ dukkhassa samudayaƱca atthaį¹
gamaƱca desetÅ«āti. āPlease, sir, let the Blessed One teach me the origin and disappearance of suffering.ā While this might seem like a generic question, the phrase āorigin and disappearance of sufferingā appears elsewhere only in the context of dependent origination (SN 12.43:1.2, SN 35.106:1.1). It is unusual to see an obscure lay person directly asking on this topic. The Buddhaās response shows that he did not think Bhadraka would understand the standard explanation, in terms of the arising of sense activity leading to continuation of rebirth. But rather than dismissing the problem as too hard, he takes an approach that Bhadraka can relate to.
āAhaƱce te, gÄmaį¹i, atÄ«tamaddhÄnaį¹ Ärabbha dukkhassa samudayaƱca atthaį¹
gamaƱca deseyyaį¹: āChief, if I were to teach you about the origin and disappearance of suffering in connection with the past, saying
āevaį¹ ahosi atÄ«tamaddhÄnanāti, tatra te siyÄ kaį¹
khÄ, siyÄ vimati. āthis is how it was in the past,ā you might have doubts or uncertainties about that. Dependent origination is realized at the time of stream-entry, when a person finally overcomes all doubt, including doubts such as āDid I exist in the past?ā or āWill I exist on the future?ā
AhaƱce te, gÄmaį¹i, anÄgatamaddhÄnaį¹ Ärabbha dukkhassa samudayaƱca atthaį¹
gamaƱca deseyyaį¹: If I were to teach you about the origin and disappearance of suffering in connection with the future, saying
āevaį¹ bhavissati anÄgatamaddhÄnanāti, tatrÄpi te siyÄ kaį¹
khÄ, siyÄ vimati. āthis is how it will be in the future,ā you might have doubts or uncertainties about that.
Api cÄhaį¹, gÄmaį¹i, idheva nisinno ettheva te nisinnassa dukkhassa samudayaƱca atthaį¹
gamaƱca desessÄmi. Rather, chief, I will teach you about the origin and disappearance of suffering as I am sitting right here and you are sitting right there.
Taį¹ suį¹Ähi, sÄdhukaį¹ manasi karohi; bhÄsissÄmÄ«āti. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.ā
āEvaį¹, bhanteāti kho bhadrako gÄmaį¹i bhagavato paccassosi. āYes, sir,ā Bhadraka replied.
BhagavÄ etadavoca: The Buddha said this:
āTaį¹ kiį¹ maƱƱasi, gÄmaį¹i, āWhat do you think, chief?
atthi te uruvelakappe manussÄ yesaį¹ te vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ uppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti? Are there any people here in Uruvelakappa who, if they were executed, imprisoned, fined, or condemned, it would cause you sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress?ā Notice that, while the Buddha is focusing on the present, he does not mean narrowly, āthe present moment arisen in awarenessā. It is a broader sense of present requiring reflection and inference regarding hypotheticals.
āAtthi me, bhante, uruvelakappe manussÄ yesaį¹ me vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ uppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti. āThere are, sir.ā
āAtthi pana te, gÄmaį¹i, uruvelakappe manussÄ yesaį¹ te vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ nuppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti? āBut are there any people here in Uruvelakappa who, if they were executed, imprisoned, fined, or condemned, it would not cause you sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress?ā
āAtthi me, bhante, uruvelakappe manussÄ yesaį¹ me vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ nuppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti. āThere are, sir.ā
āKo nu kho, gÄmaį¹i, hetu, ko paccayo yena te ekaccÄnaį¹ uruvelakappiyÄnaį¹ manussÄnaį¹ vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ uppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti? āWhatās the cause, chief, whatās the reason why, if this was to happen to some people it could cause you sorrow, while if it happens to others it does not?ā
āYesaį¹ me, bhante, uruvelakappiyÄnaį¹ manussÄnaį¹ vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ uppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄ, atthi me tesu chandarÄgo. āThe people regarding whom this would give rise to sorrow are those I have desire and passion. The Buddha has led him to realize for himself the crucial link in dependent origination: suffering stems from craving.
Yesaį¹ pana, bhante, uruvelakappiyÄnaį¹ manussÄnaį¹ vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ nuppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄ, natthi me tesu chandarÄgoāti. The people regarding whom this would not give rise to sorrow are those I donāt have desire and passion.ā
āIminÄ tvaį¹, gÄmaį¹i, dhammena diį¹į¹hena viditena akÄlikena pattena pariyogÄįø·hena atÄ«tÄnÄgate nayaį¹ nehi: āWith this present phenomenon that you have seen, understood, immediately attained, and fathomed, you can apply the same method to the past and future: Compare the āinferential knowledgeā of SN 12.33. The Buddha wants him to understand that this dynamic does not just apply to his present situation, but to any possible life in the past or future.
āyaį¹ kho kiƱci atÄ«tamaddhÄnaį¹ dukkhaį¹ uppajjamÄnaį¹ uppajji sabbaį¹ taį¹ chandamÅ«lakaį¹ chandanidÄnaį¹. āAll the suffering that arose in the past was rooted and sourced in desire.
Chando hi mÅ«laį¹ dukkhassa. For desire is the root of suffering.
Yampi hi kiƱci anÄgatamaddhÄnaį¹ dukkhaį¹ uppajjamÄnaį¹ uppajjissati, sabbaį¹ taį¹ chandamÅ«lakaį¹ chandanidÄnaį¹. All the suffering that will arise in the future will be rooted and sourced in desire.
Chando hi mÅ«laį¹ dukkhassÄāāti. For desire is the root of suffering.āā
āAcchariyaį¹, bhante, abbhutaį¹, bhante. āItās incredible, sir, itās amazing!
YÄva subhÄsitaƱcidaį¹, bhante, bhagavatÄ: How well said this was by the Buddha!
āyaį¹ kiƱci dukkhaį¹ uppajjamÄnaį¹ uppajjati, sabbaį¹ taį¹ chandamÅ«lakaį¹ chandanidÄnaį¹. āAll the suffering that arises is rooted and sourced in desire. The Buddha has not in fact said this exact line, although he subsequently endorses Bhadrakaās words. Perhaps the phrase has been lost from the text above.
Chando hi mÅ«laį¹ dukkhassÄāti. For desire is the root of suffering.ā While Bhadraka endorses the Buddhaās teaching, his response is still limited to his experience in this life, despite the Buddha urging him to apply it to past and future. This confirms the Buddhaās intuition that Bhadraka was not ready to understand the deeper principles of the Dhamma.
Atthi me, bhante, ciravÄsÄ« nÄma kumÄro bahi Ävasathe paį¹ivasati. I have a boy called CiravÄsi, who resides in a house away from here.
So khvÄhaį¹, bhante, kÄlasseva vuį¹į¹hÄya purisaį¹ uyyojemi: I rise early and dispatch someone, saying:
āgaccha, bhaį¹e, ciravÄsiį¹ kumÄraį¹ jÄnÄhÄ«āti. āGo, lad, and check on my boy CiravÄsi.ā
YÄvakÄ«vaƱca, bhante, so puriso nÄgacchati, tassa me hoteva aƱƱathattaį¹: Until they get back I worry:
āmÄ heva ciravÄsissa kumÄrassa kiƱci ÄbÄdhayitthÄāāti. āI hope nothingās wrong with CiravÄsi!āā
āTaį¹ kiį¹ maƱƱasi, gÄmaį¹i, āWhat do you think, chief?
ciravÄsissa kumÄrassa vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ uppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti? If CiravÄsi was executed, imprisoned, fined, or condemned, would it cause you sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress?ā
āCiravÄsissa me, bhante, kumÄrassa vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ jÄ«vitassapi siyÄ aƱƱathattaį¹, kiį¹ pana me nuppajjissanti sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti. āHow could it not, sir?ā
āIminÄpi kho etaį¹, gÄmaį¹i, pariyÄyena veditabbaį¹: āThis too is a way to understand:
āyaį¹ kiƱci dukkhaį¹ uppajjamÄnaį¹ uppajjati, sabbaį¹ taį¹ chandamÅ«lakaį¹ chandanidÄnaį¹. āAll the suffering that arises is rooted and sourced in desire.
Chando hi mÅ«laį¹ dukkhassÄāti. For desire is the root of suffering.ā
Taį¹ kiį¹ maƱƱasi, gÄmaį¹i, What do you think, chief?
yadÄ te ciravÄsimÄtÄ adiį¹į¹hÄ ahosi, assutÄ ahosi, te ciravÄsimÄtuyÄ chando vÄ rÄgo vÄ pemaį¹ vÄāti? Before youād seen or heard of CiravÄsiās mother, did you have any desire or passion or fondness for her?ā
āNo hetaį¹, bhanteā. āNo, sir.ā
āDassanaį¹ vÄ te, gÄmaį¹i, Ägamma savanaį¹ vÄ evaį¹ te ahosi: āThen was it because you saw or heard of her that you had
āciravÄsimÄtuyÄ chando vÄ rÄgo vÄ pemaį¹ vÄāāti? desire or passion or fondness for her?ā
āEvaį¹, bhanteā. āYes, sir.ā
āTaį¹ kiį¹ maƱƱasi, gÄmaį¹i, āWhat do you think, chief?
ciravÄsimÄtuyÄ te vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ uppajjeyyuį¹ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti? If CiravÄsiās mother was executed, imprisoned, fined, or condemned, would it cause you sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress?ā
āCiravÄsimÄtuyÄ me, bhante, vadhena vÄ bandhena vÄ jÄniyÄ vÄ garahÄya vÄ jÄ«vitassapi siyÄ aƱƱathattaį¹, kiį¹ pana me nuppajjissanti sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupÄyÄsÄāti. āHow could it not, sir?ā
āIminÄpi kho etaį¹, gÄmaį¹i, pariyÄyena veditabbaį¹: āThis too is a way to understand:
āyaį¹ kiƱci dukkhaį¹ uppajjamÄnaį¹ uppajjati, sabbaį¹ taį¹ chandamÅ«lakaį¹ chandanidÄnaį¹. āAll the suffering that arises is rooted and sourced in desire.
Chando hi mÅ«laį¹ dukkhassÄāāti. For desire is the root of suffering.āā
EkÄdasamaį¹.