Majjhima Nikāya 45

The Middle-Length Suttas Collection 45

Cūḷadhammasamādānasutta

The Shorter Discourse on Taking Up Practices

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the bhikkhus, “Bhikkhus!”

“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“cattārimāni, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānāni. Katamāni cattāri? Atthi, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannasukhaṁ āyatiṁ dukkhavipākaṁ; atthi, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannadukkhañceva āyatiñca dukkhavipākaṁ; atthi, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannadukkhaṁ āyatiṁ sukhavipākaṁ; atthi, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannasukhañceva āyatiñca sukhavipākaṁ.

“Bhikkhus, there are these four ways of taking up practices. What four? There is a way of taking up practices that is pleasant now but results in future pain. There is a way of taking up practices that is painful now and results in future pain. There is a way of taking up practices that is painful now but results in future pleasure. There is a way of taking up practices that is pleasant now and results in future pleasure.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannasukhaṁ āyatiṁ dukkhavipākaṁ? Santi, bhikkhave, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino: ‘natthi kāmesu doso’ti. Te kāmesu pātabyataṁ āpajjanti. Te kho moḷibaddhāhi¹ paribbājikāhi paricārenti. Te evamāhaṁsu: ‘kiṁsu nāma te bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā kāmesu anāgatabhayaṁ sampassamānā kāmānaṁ pahānamāhaṁsu, kāmānaṁ pariññaṁ paññapenti? Sukho imissā paribbājikāya taruṇāya mudukāya lomasāya bāhāya samphasso’ti te kāmesu pātabyataṁ āpajjanti. Te kāmesu pātabyataṁ āpajjitvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti. Te tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedayanti. Te evamāhaṁsu: ‘idaṁ kho te bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā kāmesu anāgatabhayaṁ sampassamānā kāmānaṁ pahānamāhaṁsu, kāmānaṁ pariññaṁ paññapenti, ime hi mayaṁ kāmahetu kāmanidānaṁ dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedayāmā’ti.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now but results in future pain? There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘There’s nothing wrong with sensual pleasures.’ They throw themselves into sensual pleasures, cavorting with female wanderers with fancy hair-dos. They say, ‘What future danger do those ascetics and brahmins see in sensual pleasures that they speak of giving up sensual pleasures, and advocate the complete understanding of sensual pleasures? Pleasant is the touch of this female wanderer’s arm, tender, soft, and downy!’ And they throw themselves into sensual pleasures. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. And there they feel painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings. They say, ‘This is that future danger that those ascetics and brahmins saw. For it is because of sensual pleasures that I’m feeling painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings.’

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gimhānaṁ pacchime māse māluvāsipāṭikā phaleyya. Atha kho taṁ, bhikkhave, māluvābījaṁ aññatarasmiṁ sālamūle nipateyya. Atha kho, bhikkhave, yā tasmiṁ sāle adhivatthā devatā sā bhītā saṁviggā santāsaṁ āpajjeyya. Atha kho, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ sāle adhivatthāya devatāya mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā ārāmadevatā vanadevatā rukkhadevatā osadhitiṇavanappatīsu adhivatthā devatā saṅgamma samāgamma evaṁ samassāseyyuṁ: ‘mā bhavaṁ bhāyi, mā bhavaṁ bhāyi; appeva nāmetaṁ māluvābījaṁ moro vā gileyya, mago vā khādeyya, davaḍāho vā ḍaheyya, vanakammikā vā uddhareyyuṁ, upacikā vā uṭṭhaheyyuṁ, abījaṁ vā panassā’ti. Atha kho taṁ, bhikkhave, māluvābījaṁ neva moro gileyya, na mago khādeyya, na davaḍāho ḍaheyya, na vanakammikā uddhareyyuṁ, na upacikā uṭṭhaheyyuṁ, bījañca panassa taṁ pāvussakena meghena abhippavuṭṭhaṁ sammadeva viruheyya. Sāssa māluvālatā taruṇā mudukā lomasā vilambinī, sā taṁ sālaṁ upaniseveyya. Atha kho, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ sāle adhivatthāya devatāya evamassa: ‘kiṁsu nāma te bhonto mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā ārāmadevatā vanadevatā rukkhadevatā osadhitiṇavanappatīsu adhivatthā devatā māluvābīje anāgatabhayaṁ sampassamānā saṅgamma samāgamma evaṁ samassāsesuṁ: “mā bhavaṁ bhāyi mā bhavaṁ bhāyi, appeva nāmetaṁ māluvābījaṁ moro vā gileyya, mago vā khādeyya, davaḍāho vā ḍaheyya, vanakammikā vā uddhareyyuṁ, upacikā vā uṭṭhaheyyuṁ, abījaṁ vā panassā”ti; sukho imissā māluvālatāya taruṇāya mudukāya lomasāya vilambiniyā samphasso’ti. Sā taṁ sālaṁ anuparihareyya. Sā taṁ sālaṁ anupariharitvā upari viṭabhiṁ² kareyya. Upari viṭabhiṁ karitvā oghanaṁ janeyya. Oghanaṁ janetvā ye tassa sālassa mahantā mahantā khandhā te padāleyya. Atha kho, bhikkhave, tasmiṁ sāle adhivatthāya devatāya evamassa: ‘idaṁ kho te bhonto mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā ārāmadevatā vanadevatā rukkhadevatā osadhitiṇavanappatīsu adhivatthā devatā māluvābīje anāgatabhayaṁ sampassamānā saṅgamma samāgamma evaṁ samassāsesuṁ: “mā bhavaṁ bhāyi mā bhavaṁ bhāyi, appeva nāmetaṁ māluvābījaṁ moro vā gileyya, mago vā khādeyya, davaḍāho vā ḍaheyya, vanakammikā vā uddhareyyuṁ, upacikā vā uṭṭhaheyyuṁ abījaṁ vā panassā”ti. Yañcāhaṁ³ māluvābījahetu dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedayāmī’ti.

Suppose that in the last month of summer a camel’s foot creeper pod were to burst open and a seed were to fall at the root of a sal tree. Then the deity haunting that sal tree would become apprehensive and nervous. But their friends and colleagues, relatives and kin—deities of the parks, forests, trees, and those who haunt the herbs, grass, and big trees—would come together to reassure them, ‘Do not fear, sir, do not fear! Hopefully that seed will be swallowed by a peacock, or eaten by a deer, or burnt by a forest fire, or picked up by a lumberjack, or eaten by termites, or it may not even be fertile.’ But none of these things happened. And the seed was fertile, so that when the clouds soaked it with rain, it sprouted. And the creeper wound its tender, soft, and downy tendrils around that sal tree. Then the deity thought, ‘What future danger did my friends see when they said: ‘Do not fear, sir, do not fear! Hopefully that seed will be swallowed by a peacock, or eaten by a deer, or burnt by a forest fire, or picked up by a lumberjack, or eaten by termites, or it may not even be fertile.’ Pleasant is the touch of this creeper’s tender, soft, and downy tendrils.’ Then the creeper enfolded the sal tree, made a canopy over it, draped a curtain around it, and split apart all the main branches. Then the deity thought, ‘This is the future danger that my friends saw! It’s because of that camel’s foot creeper seed that I’m feeling painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings.’

Evameva kho, bhikkhave, santi eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino ‘natthi kāmesu doso’ti. Te kāmesu pātabyataṁ āpajjanti. Te moḷibaddhāhi paribbājikāhi paricārenti. Te evamāhaṁsu: ‘kiṁsu nāma te bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā kāmesu anāgatabhayaṁ sampassamānā kāmānaṁ pahānamāhaṁsu, kāmānaṁ pariññaṁ paññapenti? Sukho imissā paribbājikāya taruṇāya mudukāya lomasāya bāhāya samphasso’ti. Te kāmesu pātabyataṁ āpajjanti. Te kāmesu pātabyataṁ āpajjitvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjanti. Te tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedayanti. Te evamāhaṁsu: ‘idaṁ kho te bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā kāmesu anāgatabhayaṁ sampassamānā kāmānaṁ pahānamāhaṁsu, kāmānaṁ pariññaṁ paññapenti. Ime hi mayaṁ kāmahetu kāmanidānaṁ dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vedayāmā’ti. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannasukhaṁ āyatiṁ dukkhavipākaṁ.

In the same way, there are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘There’s nothing wrong with sensual pleasures’ … This is called the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now but results in future pain.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannadukkhañceva āyatiñca dukkhavipākaṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco acelako hoti muttācāro hatthāpalekhano, naehibhaddantiko, natiṭṭhabhaddantiko, nābhihaṭaṁ, na uddissakataṁ, na nimantanaṁ sādiyati, so na kumbhimukhā paṭiggaṇhāti, na kaḷopimukhā paṭiggaṇhāti, na eḷakamantaraṁ, na daṇḍamantaraṁ, na musalamantaraṁ, na dvinnaṁ bhuñjamānānaṁ, na gabbhiniyā, na pāyamānāya, na purisantaragatāya, na saṅkittīsu, na yattha sā upaṭṭhito hoti, na yattha makkhikā saṇḍasaṇḍacārinī, na macchaṁ, na maṁsaṁ, na suraṁ, na merayaṁ, na thusodakaṁ pivati. So ekāgāriko vā hoti ekālopiko, dvāgāriko vā hoti dvālopiko …pe… sattāgāriko vā hoti sattālopiko. Ekissāpi dattiyā yāpeti, dvīhipi dattīhi yāpeti … sattahipi dattīhi yāpeti. Ekāhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti, dvīhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti … sattāhikampi āhāraṁ āhāreti. Iti evarūpaṁ addhamāsikampi pariyāyabhattabhojanānuyogamanuyutto viharati.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is painful now and results in future pain? It’s when someone goes naked, ignoring conventions. They lick their hands, and don’t come or wait when called. They don’t consent to food brought to them, or food prepared on purpose for them, or an invitation for a meal. They don’t receive anything from a pot or bowl; or from someone who keeps sheep, or who has a weapon or a shovel in their home; or where a couple is eating; or where there is a woman who is pregnant, breastfeeding, or who has a man in her home; or where there’s a dog waiting or flies buzzing. They accept no fish or meat or liquor or wine, and drink no beer. They go to just one house for alms, taking just one mouthful, or two houses and two mouthfuls, up to seven houses and seven mouthfuls. They feed on one saucer a day, two saucers a day, up to seven saucers a day. They eat once a day, once every second day, up to once a week, and so on, even up to once a fortnight. They live committed to the practice of eating food at set intervals.

So sākabhakkho vā hoti, sāmākabhakkho vā hoti, nīvārabhakkho vā hoti, daddulabhakkho vā hoti, haṭabhakkho vā hoti, kaṇabhakkho vā hoti, ācāmabhakkho vā hoti, piññākabhakkho vā hoti, tiṇabhakkho vā hoti, gomayabhakkho vā hoti, vanamūlaphalāhāro yāpeti pavattaphalabhojī.

They eat herbs, millet, wild rice, poor rice, water lettuce, rice bran, scum from boiling rice, sesame flour, grass, or cow dung. They survive on forest roots and fruits, or eating fallen fruit.

So sāṇānipi dhāreti, masāṇānipi dhāreti, chavadussānipi dhāreti, paṁsukūlānipi dhāreti, tirīṭānipi dhāreti, ajinampi dhāreti, ajinakkhipampi dhāreti, kusacīrampi dhāreti, vākacīrampi dhāreti, phalakacīrampi dhāreti, kesakambalampi dhāreti, vāḷakambalampi dhāreti, ulūkapakkhampi dhāreti, kesamassulocakopi hoti, kesamassulocanānuyogamanuyutto, ubbhaṭṭhakopi hoti, āsanapaṭikkhitto, ukkuṭikopi hoti ukkuṭikappadhānamanuyutto, kaṇṭakāpassayikopi hoti, kaṇṭakāpassaye seyyaṁ kappeti, sāyatatiyakampi udakorohanānuyogamanuyutto viharati. Iti evarūpaṁ anekavihitaṁ kāyassa ātāpanaparitāpanānuyogamanuyutto viharati. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannadukkhañceva āyatiñca dukkhavipākaṁ.

They wear robes of sunn hemp, mixed hemp, corpse-wrapping cloth, rags, lodh tree bark, antelope hide (whole or in strips), kusa grass, bark, wood-chips, human hair, horse-tail hair, or owls’ wings. They tear out their hair and beard, committed to this practice. They stand forever, refusing seats. They squat, committed to persisting in the squatting position. They lie on a mat of thorns, making a mat of thorns their bed. They’re committed to the practice of immersion in water three times a day, including the evening. And so they live committed to practicing these various ways of mortifying and tormenting the body. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. This is called the way of taking up practices that is painful now and results in future pain.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannadukkhaṁ āyatiṁ sukhavipākaṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pakatiyā tibbarāgajātiko hoti, so abhikkhaṇaṁ rāgajaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti; pakatiyā tibbadosajātiko hoti, so abhikkhaṇaṁ dosajaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti; pakatiyā tibbamohajātiko hoti, so abhikkhaṇaṁ mohajaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti. So sahāpi dukkhena, sahāpi domanassena, assumukhopi rudamāno paripuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carati. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannadukkhaṁ āyatiṁ sukhavipākaṁ.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is painful now but results in future pleasure? It’s when someone is ordinarily full of acute greed, hate, and delusion. They often feel the pain and sadness that greed, hate, and delusion bring. They lead the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful faces. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. This is called the way of taking up practices that is painful now but results in future pleasure.

Katamañca, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannasukhañceva āyatiñca sukhavipākaṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pakatiyā na tibbarāgajātiko hoti, so na abhikkhaṇaṁ rāgajaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti; pakatiyā na tibbadosajātiko hoti, so na abhikkhaṇaṁ dosajaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti; pakatiyā na tibbamohajātiko hoti, so na abhikkhaṇaṁ mohajaṁ dukkhaṁ domanassaṁ paṭisaṁvedeti. So vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. Vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ …pe… tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ … catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, dhammasamādānaṁ paccuppannasukhañceva āyatiñca sukhavipākaṁ. Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri dhammasamādānānī”ti.

And what is the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now and results in future pleasure? It’s when someone is not ordinarily full of acute greed, hate, and delusion. They rarely feel the pain and sadness that greed, hate, and delusion bring. Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, they enter and remain in the first jhāna … second jhāna … third jhāna … fourth jhāna. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. This is called the way of taking up practices that is pleasant now and results in future pleasure. These are the four ways of taking up practices.”

Idamavoca bhagavā. Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the bhikkhus approved what the Buddha said.

Cūḷadhammasamādānasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ pañcamaṁ.