Saṁyutta Nikāya 22.86

The Related Suttas Collection 22.86

9. Theravagga

9. Senior Bhikkhus

Anurādhasutta

With Anurādha

Ekaṁ¹ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā anurādho bhagavato avidūre araññakuṭikāyaṁ viharati. Atha kho sambahulā aññatitthiyā paribbājakā yenāyasmā anurādho tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā anurādhena saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te aññatitthiyā paribbājakā āyasmantaṁ anurādhaṁ etadavocuṁ:

At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Now at that time Venerable Anurādha was staying not far from the Buddha in a wilderness hut. Then several wanderers of other religions went up to Venerable Anurādha and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side and said to him:

“yo so, āvuso anurādha, tathāgato uttamapuriso paramapuriso paramapattipatto, taṁ tathāgato imesu catūsu ṭhānesu paññāpayamāno paññāpeti: ‘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”ti?

“Friend Anurādha, when a Realized One is describing a Realized One—a supreme person, highest of people, who has reached the highest point—they describe them in these four ways: 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.”

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā anurādho te aññatitthiye paribbājake etadavoca:

When they said this, Venerable Anurādha said to those wanderers:

“yo so āvuso tathāgato uttamapuriso paramapuriso paramapattipatto taṁ tathāgato aññatra imehi catūhi ṭhānehi paññāpayamāno paññāpeti: ‘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”ti. Evaṁ vutte, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā āyasmantaṁ anurādhaṁ etadavocuṁ:

“Friends, when a Realized One is describing a Realized One—a supreme person, highest of people, who has reached the highest point—they describe them other than these four ways: 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.” When he said this, the wanderers said to him:

“so cāyaṁ bhikkhu navo bhavissati acirapabbajito, thero vā pana bālo abyatto”ti. Atha kho aññatitthiyā paribbājakā āyasmantaṁ anurādhaṁ navavādena ca bālavādena ca apasādetvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkamiṁsu.

“This bhikkhu must be junior, recently gone forth, or else a foolish, incompetent senior bhikkhu.” Then, after rebuking Venerable Anurādha by calling him “junior” and “foolish”, the wanderers got up from their seats and left.

Atha kho āyasmato anurādhassa acirapakkantesu tesu aññatitthiyesu paribbājakesu etadahosi:

Soon after they had left, Anurādha thought:

“sace kho maṁ te aññatitthiyā paribbājakā uttariṁ pañhaṁ puccheyyuṁ. Kathaṁ byākaramāno nu khvāhaṁ tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ vuttavādī ceva bhagavato assaṁ, na ca bhagavantaṁ abhūtena abbhācikkheyyaṁ, dhammassa cānudhammaṁ byākareyyaṁ, na ca koci sahadhammiko vādānuvādo gārayhaṁ ṭhānaṁ āgaccheyyā”ti?

“If those wanderers were to inquire further, how should I answer them so as to repeat what the Buddha has said, and not misrepresent him with an untruth? How should I explain in line with his teaching, so that there would be no legitimate grounds for rebuke and criticism?”

Atha kho āyasmā anurādho yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā anurādho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “idhāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavato avidūre araññakuṭikāyaṁ viharāmi. Atha kho, bhante, sambahulā aññatitthiyā paribbājakā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁsu …pe… maṁ etadavocuṁ: ‘yo so, āvuso anurādha, tathāgato uttamapuriso paramapuriso paramapattipatto taṁ tathāgato imesu catūsu ṭhānesu paññāpayamāno paññāpeti—hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vā, na hoti … hoti ca na ca hoti, neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vā’”ti?

Then Venerable Anurādha went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him all that had happened.

Evaṁ vuttāhaṁ, bhante, te aññatitthiye paribbājake etadavocaṁ: “yo so, āvuso, tathāgato uttamapuriso paramapuriso paramapattipatto, taṁ tathāgato aññatra imehi catūhi ṭhānehi paññāpayamāno paññāpeti: ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vāti. Evaṁ vutte, bhante, te aññatitthiyā paribbājakā maṁ etadavocuṁ: ‘so cāyaṁ bhikkhu na vo bhavissati acirapabbajito thero vā pana bālo abyatto’ti. Atha kho maṁ, bhante, te aññatitthiyā paribbājakā navavādena ca bālavādena ca apasādetvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkamiṁsu.

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, acirapakkantesu tesu aññatitthiyesu paribbājakesu etadahosi: ‘sace kho maṁ te aññatitthiyā paribbājakā uttariṁ pañhaṁ puccheyyuṁ. Kathaṁ byākaramāno nu khvāhaṁ tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ vuttavādī ceva bhagavato assaṁ, na ca bhagavantaṁ abhūtena abbhācikkheyyaṁ, dhammassa cānudhammaṁ byākareyyaṁ, na ca koci sahadhammiko vādānuvādo gārayhaṁ ṭhānaṁ āgaccheyyā’”ti?

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, anurādha, rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

“What do you think, Anurādha? Is form permanent or impermanent?”

“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.

“Impermanent, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.

“Suffering, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ: ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Vedanā … saññā … saṅkhārā … viññāṇaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

“Is feeling … perception … choices … consciousness permanent or impermanent?”

“Aniccaṁ, bhante” …pe… tasmātiha …pe… evaṁ passaṁ …pe… nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāti”.

“Impermanent, sir.” … “So you should truly see … Seeing this … They understand: ‘… there is no return to any state of existence.’

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, anurādha, rūpaṁ tathāgatoti samanupassasī”ti?

What do you think, Anurādha? Do you regard the Realized One as form?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Vedanaṁ … saññaṁ … saṅkhāre … viññāṇaṁ tathāgatoti samanupassasī”ti?

“Do you regard the Realized One as feeling … perception … choices … consciousness?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, anurādha, rūpasmiṁ tathāgatoti samanupassasī”ti?

“What do you think, Anurādha? Do you regard the Realized One as in form?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Aññatra rūpā tathāgatoti samanupassasī”ti?

“Or do you regard the Realized One as distinct from form?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Vedanāya …pe… aññatra vedanāya …pe… saññāya … aññatra saññāya … saṅkhāresu … aññatra saṅkhārehi … viññāṇasmiṁ … aññatra viññāṇā tathāgatoti samanupassasī”ti?

“Do you regard the Realized One as in feeling … or distinct from feeling … as in perception … or distinct from perception … as in choices … or distinct from choices … as in consciousness … or as distinct from consciousness?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, anurādha, rūpaṁ … vedanā … saññā … saṅkhārā … viññāṇaṁ tathāgatoti samanupassasī”ti?

“What do you think, Anurādha? Do you regard the Realized One as possessing form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, anurādha, ayaṁ so arūpī … avedano … asaññī … asaṅkhāro … aviññāṇo tathāgatoti samanupassasī”ti?

“What do you think, Anurādha? Do you regard the Realized One as one who is without form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Ettha ca te, anurādha, diṭṭheva dhamme saccato thetato tathāgate anupalabbhiyamāne kallaṁ nu te taṁ veyyākaraṇaṁ: ‘yo so, āvuso, tathāgato uttamapuriso paramapuriso paramapattipatto taṁ tathāgato aññatra imehi catūhi ṭhānehi paññāpayamāno paññāpeti—hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vā … na hoti … hoti ca na ca hoti … neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vā’”ti?

“In that case, Anurādha, since you don’t acknowledge the Realized One as a genuine fact in the present life, is it appropriate to declare: ‘Friends, when a Realized One is describing a Realized One—a supreme person, highest of people, who has reached the highest point—they describe them other than these four ways: 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’?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Sādhu sādhu, anurādha. Pubbe cāhaṁ, anurādha, etarahi ca dukkhañceva paññapemi, dukkhassa ca nirodhan”ti.

“Good, good, Anurādha! In the past, as today, I describe suffering and the cessation of suffering.”

Catutthaṁ.