The Ancient of the Clan Kaccāyana

Translated from the Pāḷi by Michael Olds

[1][bit][pts][bodh][than][wlsh] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time Bhagava,
Savatthi-town come-a revisit'n.

There then, the Ancient of the Clan Kaccayana^[1]
approached The Lucky Man and drew near.

Having drawn near and given salutation,
he took a seat to one side.

Seated to one side then,
the Ancient of the Clan Kakkayana
said this to the Lucky Man:

"'Consummate view, consummate view', Bhante,
is the saying.

To what extent, then, Bhante,
is there consummate view?"

"Well, as to this, Kaccayana,
the world is mostly split,
adhering to 'this exists'
or to 'this exists not'.

But when, Kaccayana, the arising of the world
is seen in its reality
with consummate wisdom,
one does not hold that
'this exists not'.

When, Kaccayana, the ending of the world
is seen in its reality
with consummate wisdom
one does not hold that
'this exists'.^[2]

Then, as to this, Kaccayana,
the world is mostly bound up down-bound up end down,^[3]
but those who do not welcome,
who do not take hold of
the bias of a clinging and attached heart
do not think in terms of 'self' or 'me'.

Thinking: 'Just pain arises in the arisen,
pain passes away in the passed away,'
he doubts not,
nor wavers —

Not following anyone else
he knows this for himself.

This far then Kaccāna,
one has consummate view.

'Everything exists',
this Kaccāna, is the first end.

'Nothing exists',
this is the second end.

As to this, Kaccāna,
The-Getter-of-the-Getting,
not going towards either end
teaches a 'middle-way' Dhamma:

Blindness conditions own-making.

Own-making conditions individualized consciousness.

Individualized consciousness conditions named forms.

Named forms condition the six realms.

The six realms condition contact.

Contact conditions sense-experience.

Sense-experience conditions hunger/thirst.

Hunger/thirst conditions getting bound up.

Getting bound up conditions becoming.

becoming conditions birth.

Birth conditions aging and death
grief and lamentation,
pain and misery,
and despair.

Thus is had arising with this entire heap of painful ugly ukky k-kha.

But the remainderless dispassionate ending of blindness,
ends own-making.

Ending own-making ends individualized-consciousness.

Ending individualized-consciousness ends named forms.

Ending named forms ends the six realms.

Ending the six realms ends contact.

Ending contact ends sense-experience.

Ending sense experience ends hunger/thirst.

Ending hunger/thirst ends getting bound up.

Ending getting bound up ends becoming.

Ending becoming ends birth.

Ending birth ends aging and death,
grief and lamentation
pain and misery,
and despair.

Thus is had the entire ending of arising with this heap of painful ugly ukky k-kha.

^[1] We can hear this something like: "... of the Apache tribe," and later for when The Lucky Man addresses him: "... for the most part, Apache."

^[2] BJT in my version and in the version on ATI has the sequence as:
1. seeing the arising — not holding the view 'it exists not'
2. seeing the ending — not holding the view 'it exists not'
3. seeing the ending — not holding the view 'it exists'
Feer, PTS, and CSCD have only #s 1 and 3. This could be a copy and paste error but it is not unreasonable to think that this might have actually been the case or even that the four possibilities were given. If seen as it is in reality whether arising or ending, one does not hold views about its existence or non-existence.
Walshe has it that this is actually 'seeing' something there rather than seeing something there and holding a view about it, but the discussion focuses on the two extreme theories held by the world.

^[3] Upāyupādānābhinivesavinibaddho. You going to argue with me about this?