Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saṃyutta
8. Khajjaniya Vagga

The Book of the Kindred Sayings
3. The Book Called the Khandhā-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the Elements of Sensory Existence and other Subjects
22. Kindred Sayings on Elements
8. On what Must be Devoured

Sutta 80

Piṇḍolya Suttaṃ

Almsman^[1]

Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids

Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved

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[91] [77]

[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:—

Once the Exalted One was staying among the Sakkas,
near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Park.

Then the Exalted One,
after rebuking the Order of brethren
in a certain matter,^[2]
robed himself at early dawn,
took bowl and robe
and entered Kapilavatthu for alms.

When he had gone his rounds for alms in Kapilavatthu
and had finished his early meal,
he went to Great Grove for noonday rest,
and plunging into Great Grove,
sat down for noonday rest
at the foot of a young vilva^[3] tree.

Then, as he meditated in seclusion,
this train of thought arose in him:

"I have now well established the Order of brethren.

There are here new brethren,
who have not long left the world,
late-comers into this Norm and Discipline.

If they behold me not,
maybe they will falter and fall away,^[4]
even as a tender calf
that beholds not his dam
falters and falls away.

Verily, verily, there are here new brethren,
who have not long left the world,
late-comers into this Norm and Discipline.

If they behold me not,
maybe they will falter and fall away,
even as tender seedlings
falter and fall away
for lack of water.

Verily, verily, there are here new brethren,
who have not long left the world,
late-comers into this Norm and Discipline.

If they behold me not,
maybe they will falter and fall away.

How now if I confer a boon
upon the Order of brethren,
even as I did aforetime?'"

Thereupon, Brahmā-Sahampati,^[5]
being aware in thought
of the thought of the Exalted One,
just as a strong man [78]
might stretch out his bent arm,
or bend his outstretched arm,
vanished even so from the Brahmā world
and appeared before the Exalted One.

Then Brahmā-Sahampati,
drawing his outer robe over one shoulder,
raised hts joined hands to the Exalted One
and thus spake unto him:

"Even so it is, 0 Exalted One!

Even so it is, 0 Well-farer!^[6]

Well established by the Exalted One
is the Order of brethren.

Verily, verily, there are here new brethren,
who have not long left the world,
late-comers into this Norm and Discipline.

If they behold not the Exalted One,
maybe they will falter and fall away,
even as a tender calf
that beholds not his dam
falters and falls away.

Verily, verily, there are here new brethren,
who have not long left the world,
late-comers into this Norm and Discipline.

If they behold not the Exalted One,
maybe they will falter and fall away,
even as tender seedlings
falter and fall away for lack of water.

Verily, verily, there are here new brethren,
who have not long left the world,
late-comers into this Norm and Discipline.

If they behold not the Exalted One,
maybe they will falter and fall away.

Let my lord, the Exalted One,
delight the Order of brethren.

Let my lord the Exalted One
admonish the Order of brethren!

Even as aforetime the Order of brethren
was favoured by the Exalted One,
so may he now confer a boon upon them."

The Exalted One consented by his silence.

Thereupon Brahmā-Sahampati,
beholding the consent of the Exalted One,
saluted him by the right
and vanished there and then.

Then the Exalted One,
rising at eventide from his solitude,
went to the Banyan Park,
and coming thither
sat down on a seat prepared.

As he sat there
the Exalted One performed a mystic wonder in such wise
that the brethren should come unto him
singly
and in pairs
with timid mien.^[7]

So those brethren came to the Exalted One
singly
and in pairs^[8]
with timid mien;
and when they had come there
they saluted him
and sat down at one side.

So seated
the Exalted One thus spake unto those brethren:

"This, brethren,
is the meanest^[9] of callings -
this of an almsman.

A term of abuse is this in the world to-day,
to say:

'You scrap-gatherer!

With bowl in hand you roam [79] about.'

'Tis this calling
that is entered on
by those clansmen who are bent on [their] good
because of good,
not led thereto
by fear of kings,
by fear of robbers,
not because of debt,
not from fear,
not because they have no livelihood:^[10]
but with the thought:

'Here am I,
fallen upon birth,
decay,
death,
sorrow and grief,
woe,
lamentation
and despair,
fallen upon woe,
foredone with woe.

Maybe some means of ending all this mass of woe
may be found.'

Thus, brethren, a clansman leaves the world,
and covetous is he in his desires,
fierce in his longing,
malevolent of heart,
of mind corrupt,
careless and unrestrained,
not quieted,
but scatter-brained,
and thoughtless.

Just as, brethren,
a torch from a funeral pyre,
lit at both ends,
and in the middle smeared with dung,
kindleth no fuel
either in village or in forest -
using such a figure
do I describe unto you this man,
for he has lost his home and wealth,
nor yet does he fulfil the duties of a recluse.

There are these three evil ways of thought, brethren: -
thoughts of lust,
thoughts of ill-will,
thoughts of hurting.

And these three evil ways of thought
cease utterly without remainder
in him whose heart abides established in the four stations of mindfulness,^[11]
or who practises concentration
that is withdrawn from objects.

Good indeed, brethren,
is this practice of concentration
that is withdrawn from objects.

This sort of concentration, brethren,
if practised and dwelt upon
is of great fruit,
of great profit.

There are these two views, brethren:
the view of coming-to-be
and the view of not coming-to-be.

Herein, brethren,
the well-taught Axiyan disciple
asks himself:

'Is there, I wonder,
aught in all the world
which I can cling to
without sin?'^[12]

Then he knows for certain:

'No!

There is naught in all the world
that I can cling to
without sin.

Suppose I were to grasp
and cling to body.

Conditioned by that grasping of mine
would be coming-to-be;
conditioned by that coming-to-be
would birth be shaped;
conditioned by birth would decay and death,
sorrow,
woe,
grief,
lamentation
and despair
be shaped.

Thus would come about
the arising of this whole mass of woe.

■

Suppose I were to grasp
and cling to feeling.

Conditioned by that grasping of mine
would be coming-to-be;
conditioned by that coming-to-be
would birth be shaped;
conditioned by birth would decay and death,
sorrow,
woe,
grief,
lamentation
and despair
be shaped.

Thus would come about
the arising of this whole mass of woe.

■

Suppose I were to grasp
and cling to perception.

Conditioned by that grasping of mine
would be coming-to-be;
conditioned by that coming-to-be
would birth be shaped;
conditioned by birth would decay and death,
sorrow,
woe,
grief,
lamentation
and despair
be shaped.

Thus would come about
the arising of this whole mass of woe.

■

Suppose I were to grasp
and cling to the activities.

Conditioned by that grasping of mine
would be coming-to-be;
conditioned by that coming-to-be
would birth be shaped;
conditioned by birth would decay and death,
sorrow,
woe,
grief,
lamentation
and despair
be shaped.

Thus would come about
the arising of this whole mass of woe.

■

Suppose I were to grasp
and cling to consciousness.

Conditioned by that grasping of [80] mine
would be coming-to-be;
conditioned by that coming-to-be
would birth be shaped;
conditioned by birth would decay and death,
sorrow,
woe,
grief,
lamentation
and despair
be shaped.

Thus would come about
the arising of this whole mass of woe.'

 

§

 

What think ye, brethren?

Is body permanent or impermanent?"

"Impermanent, lord."

"And that which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"

"Woe, lord."

"And that which is woe,
unstable in nature,
is it fit to regard that thus:

'This is mine;
this am I;
this is the Self of me'?"

"Surely not, lord."

■

"What think ye, brethren?

Is feeling permanent or impermanent?"

"Impermanent, lord."

"And that which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"

"Woe, lord."

"And that which is woe,
unstable in nature,
is it fit to regard that thus:

'This is mine;
this am I;
this is the Self of me'?"

"Surely not, lord."

■

"What think ye, brethren?

Is perception permanent or impermanent?"

"Impermanent, lord."

"And that which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"

"Woe, lord."

"And that which is woe,
unstable in nature,
is it fit to regard that thus:

'This is mine;
this am I;
this is the Self of me'?"

"Surely not, lord."

■

"What think ye, brethren?

Is activity permanent or impermanent?"

"Impermanent, lord."

"And that which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"

"Woe, lord."

"And that which is woe,
unstable in nature,
is it fit to regard that thus:

'This is mine;
this am I;
this is the Self of me'?"

"Surely not, lord."

■

"What think ye, brethren?

Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?"

"Impermanent, lord."

"And that which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"

"Woe, lord."

"And that which is woe,
unstable in nature,
is it fit to regard that thus:

'This is mine;
this am I;
this is the Self of me'?"

"Surely not, lord."

 

§

 

"Therefore, brethren, every body whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every body should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:

'This is not mine.

This I am not.

This is not the Self of me.'

■

Every feeling whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every feeling should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:

'This is not mine.

This I am not.

This is not the Self of me.'

■

Every perception whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every perception should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:

'This is not mine.

This I am not.

This is not the Self of me.'

■

Every activity whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every activity should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:

'This is not mine.

This I am not.

This is not the Self of me.'

■

Every consciousness whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every consciousness should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:

'This is not mine.

This I am not.

This is not the Self of me.'

 

§

 

"Wherefore, brethren, he who thus sees
conceives disgust at body,
at feeling,
at perception,
at the activities,
at consciousness.

Being disgusted
he is repelled by them;
by that repulsion he is released;
by that release he is set free;
knowledge arises:
in the freed man is the freed thing,
and he knows:

'Destroyed is rebirth;
lived is the righteous life;
done is the task;
for life in these conditions
there is no hereafter.'"

 

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^[1] Piṇḍolyaṃ Cf. Brethren, p 110 n., 415. Comy., 'One who goes after piṇḍaa (rice-balls).'

^[2] Comy. says it was owing to their noisy behaviour in the hall, described at Udana 25, on which occasion the Master likened the brethren to quarrelsome fishermen, and sent Ānanda to rebuke them.

^[3] Reading with Comy., beluva-laṭṭhitāya for text velu- (bamboo).

^[4] The words aññatthaṃ vipariṇāmo, lit. 'a changing, becoming otherwise,' used in these three examples, I have paraphrased to suit the context (as does Comy.).

^[5] Cf. K.S. i, 172 n.

^[6] Brahmā acquiesces (says C.), 'even as a skilful cook suits his sauces to the taste of his royal master.'

^[7] Comy. says, 'if he had summoned them in a body to chide them, they would not have been impressed or have felt personal shame for their misconduct, numbers giving confidence to the guilty.'

^[8] Reading with Comy., eka-dvīhi-kāya for fext ekavihakāya.

^[9] Antaṃ, as we say 'the limit'; but Comy., lāmakaṃ These two sections are in Itivuttaka, p. 89.

^[10] Comy., bhayattā na ājivikā pakatā.

^[11] Comy., satipaṭṭhānesu.

^[12] Na vajjavā.