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Saṁyutta Nikāya 56.41 Linked Discourses 56.41
5. Papātavagga 5. A Cliff
Lokacintāsutta Speculation About the World
Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: There the Buddha addressed the mendicants:
“bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, aññataro puriso rājagahā nikkhamitvā ‘lokacintaṁ cintessāmī’ti yena sumāgadhā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre nisīdi lokacintaṁ cintento. “Once upon a time, mendicants, a certain person left Rājagaha, thinking ‘I’ll speculate about the world.’ They went to the Sumāgadhā lotus pond and sat down on the bank speculating about the world. “Speculation about the world” is said to be one of the four trains of thought that can drive you mad (AN 4.77:1.9). At MN 48:8.9 it is distinguished as speculation about this world and the next. | The Buddha once visited the Sumāgadhā pond to accept Nigrodha’s challenge. There was a peacock’s feeding ground nearby. The Rāmāyaṇa describes the river Sumāgadhī, which rises among the five hills of Rajagaha like a gorgeous garland (1.31.7); this must be a lake on that river. Perhaps to be identified with the modern Dhadhar.
Addasā kho, bhikkhave, so puriso sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre caturaṅginiṁ senaṁ bhisamuḷālaṁ pavisantaṁ. Then that person saw an army of four divisions enter a lotus stalk.
Disvānassa etadahosi: When he saw this he thought,
‘ummattosmi nāmāhaṁ, vicetosmi nāmāhaṁ. ‘I’ve gone mad, really, I’ve lost my mind!
Yaṁ loke natthi taṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti. I’m seeing things that don’t exist in the world.’
Atha kho so, bhikkhave, puriso nagaraṁ pavisitvā mahājanakāyassa ārocesi: Then that person entered the city and informed a large crowd,
‘ummattosmi nāmāhaṁ, bhante, vicetosmi nāmāhaṁ, bhante. ‘I’ve gone mad, really, I’ve lost my mind!
Yaṁ loke natthi taṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti. I’m seeing things that don’t exist in the world.’
‘Kathaṁ pana tvaṁ, ambho purisa, ummatto kathaṁ viceto? ‘But how is it that you’re mad? How have you lost your mind?
Kiñca loke natthi yaṁ tayā diṭṭhan’ti? And what have you seen that doesn’t exist in the world?’
‘Idhāhaṁ, bhante, rājagahā nikkhamitvā “lokacintaṁ cintessāmī”ti yena sumāgadhā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre nisīdiṁ lokacintaṁ cintento. ‘Sirs, I left Rājagaha, thinking “I’ll speculate about the world.” I went to the Sumāgadhā lotus pond and sat down on the bank speculating about the world.
Addasaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre caturaṅginiṁ senaṁ bhisamuḷālaṁ pavisantaṁ. Then I saw an army of four divisions enter a lotus stalk.
Evaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, ummatto evaṁ viceto. That’s why I’m mad, that’s why I’ve lost my mind.
Idañca loke natthi yaṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti. And that’s what I’ve seen that doesn’t exist in the world.’
‘Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, ummatto taggha viceto. ‘Well, my man, you’re definitely mad, you’ve definitely lost your mind.
Idañca loke natthi yaṁ tayā diṭṭhan’ti. And you’re seeing things that don’t exist in the world.’
Taṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, so puriso bhūtaṁyeva addasa, no abhūtaṁ. But what that person saw was in fact real, not unreal.
Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, devāsurasaṅgāmo samupabyūḷho ahosi. Once upon a time, a battle was fought between the gods and the titans.
Tasmiṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, saṅgāme devā jiniṁsu, asurā parājiniṁsu. In that battle the gods won and the titans lost.
Parājitā ca kho, bhikkhave, asurā bhītā bhisamuḷālena asurapuraṁ pavisiṁsu devānaṁyeva mohayamānā. The defeated and terrified titans entered the citadel of the titans through the lotus stalk only to confuse the gods. The titans and the gods are normally depicted as human-sized. The commentaries say they employed the Sambaru sorcery to escape the gods (SN 11.23:1.8).
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, mā lokacintaṁ cintetha: So mendicants, don’t speculate about the world. The sequence of ideas is not really coherent: the Buddha has said that such speculation will drive you mad; then that the man was in fact not mad; then says this is a reason to not do it (the parallel at SA 407 is similar). It’s also unclear what his speculations had to do with the titans entering the lotus stalk: he just happened to be there when it happened. If, however, in his contemplations he fell into samādhi and had a truthful psychic vision, what exactly is the problem? The only issue, as far as the Sutta says, is not the speculation itself, but that oneself and others will think that you’re mad.
‘sassato loko’ti vā ‘asassato loko’ti vā, ‘antavā loko’ti vā ‘anantavā loko’ti vā, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti vā ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti vā, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā. For example: the cosmos is eternal, or not eternal, or finite, or infinite; the soul and the body are one and the same, or the soul is one thing, the body another; after death, a realized one still exists, or no longer exists, or both still exists and no longer exists, or neither still exists nor no longer exists.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that?
Nesā, bhikkhave, cintā atthasaṁhitā nādibrahmacariyakā na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati. Because those thoughts aren’t beneficial or relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They don’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.
Cintentā kho tumhe, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti cinteyyātha …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti cinteyyātha. When you think something up, you should think: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that?
Esā, bhikkhave, cintā atthasaṁhitā esā ādibrahmacariyakā esā nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati. Because those thoughts are beneficial and relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti. That’s why you should practice meditation …”
Paṭhamaṁ.