Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
44. Avyākata Saṃyutta
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
4. The Book Called the Saḷāyatana-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the 'Six-Fold Sphere' of Sense and Other Subjects
44. Kindred Sayings about the Unrevealed
Sutta 2
Anurādha Suttaṃ
Anurādha[1]
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was once staying near Vesalī, in Great Grove, at the Hall of the Gabled Home.
At that time the venerable Anuradha
was staying not far from the Exalted One
in a forest hut.
Then a number of heretical Wanderers
came to visit the venerable Anuradha,
greeted him
and exchanged the courtesies of civil words
and sat down at one side.
So seated, those heretical Wanderers
said to the venerable Anuradha: -
"Friend Anuradha, a Tathāgata,
a superman,
one of the best of men,
a winner of the highest winning,
is proclaimed in (one of) these four ways:
'A Tathāgata, exists after death'
or
'A Tathāgata, does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, both does and does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, neither exists nor not-exists after death.'"
■
Upon this the venerable Anuradha said
to those heretical Wanderers: -
"Friends, a Tathāgata,
a superman,
one of the best of men,
a winner of the highest gain,
is spoken of in other than those four ways,
to wit:
'A Tathāgata, exists after death'
or
'A Tathāgata, does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, both does and does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, neither exists nor not-exists after death.'"
Upon this those heretical Wanderers
said of the venerable Anuradha:
"This brother must be a novice, not long ordained.
Or, if he is an elder, he is an ignorant fool."
[270] So those heretical Wanderers,
having thus abused the venerable Anuradha,
by calling him 'novice' and 'fool,'
rose up and went away.
§
Thereupon the venerable Anuradha,
not long after those heretical Wanderers were gone,
thought thus:
"If these heretical Wanderers
were to put me a further question,
how, in answering,
should I tell them the views of the Exalted One
without misrepresenting the Exalted One
by stating an untruth?
How should I answer
in accordance with his teaching,
so that no one who agrees with his teaching
and foUows his views
might incur reproach?
■
Thereupon the venerable Anuradha
went to the Exalted One
and sat down at one side.
So seated
the venerable Anuradha thus addressed the Exalted One: -
"I am staying here, lord,
in a forest hut
not far from the Exalted One.
Now a number of heretical Wanderers came to me
greeted me
and exchanged the courtesies of civil words
and sat down at one side.
So seated, those heretical Wanderers
said to me: -
"Friend Anuradha, a Tathāgata,
a superman,
one of the best of men,
a winner of the highest winning,
is proclaimed in (one of) these four ways:
'A Tathāgata, exists after death'
or
'A Tathāgata, does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, both does and does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, neither exists nor not-exists after death.'"
■
Upon this I said
to those heretical Wanderers: -
"Friends, a Tathāgata,
a superman,
one of the best of men,
a winner of the highest gain,
is spoken of in other than those four ways,
to wit:
'A Tathāgata, exists after death'
or
'A Tathāgata, does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, both does and does not exist after death,
or
'A Tathāgata, neither exists nor not-exists after death.'"
Upon this those heretical Wanderers
said of me:
"This brother must be a novice, not long ordained.
Or, if he is an elder, he is an ignorant fool."
So those heretical Wanderers,
having thus abused me
by calling me 'novice' and 'fool,'
rose up and went away.
■
Thereupon I,
not long after those heretical Wanderers were gone,
thought thus:
"If these heretical Wanderers
were to put me a further question,
how, in answering,
should I tell them the views of the Exalted One
without misrepresenting the Exalted One
by stating an untruth?
How should I answer
in accordance with his teaching,
so that no one who agrees with his teaching
and foUows his views
might incur reproach?
"Now what think you, Anuradha?
Is body permanent or impermanent!"
[271] "Impermanent, lord."
"What is impermanent,
is that weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Now what is impermanent,
what is woe,
what is of a nature to cbange, -
is it proper to regard that thus:
'This is mine.
This am I.
This is my self.'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Is feeling permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"What is impermanent,
is that weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Now what is impermanent,
what is woe,
what is of a nature to cbange, -
is it proper to regard that thus:
'This is mine.
This am I.
This is my self.'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Is perception permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"What is impermanent,
is that weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Now what is impermanent,
what is woe,
what is of a nature to cbange, -
is it proper to regard that thus:
'This is mine.
This am I.
This is my self.'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Are the activities permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"What is impermanent,
is that weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Now what is impermanent,
what is woe,
what is of a nature to cbange, -
is it proper to regard that thus:
'This is mine.
This am I.
This is my self.'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"What is impermanent,
is that weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Now what is impermanent,
what is woe,
what is of a nature to cbange, -
is it proper to regard that thus:
'This is mine.
This am I.
This is my self.'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Therefore, Anuradha, whatsoever body,
be it past,
future
or present,
inward or outward,
subtle or gross,
low or high,
far or near, -
every body
should be regarded,
as it really is,
by perfect insight,
thus:
'This is not mine.
This am not I.
This is not my self.'
■
Whatsoever feelings
be they past,
future
or present,
inward or outward,
subtle or gross,
low or high,
far or near, -
every feeling
should be regarded,
as it really is,
by perfect insight,
thus:
'This is not mine.
This am not I.
This is not my self.'
■
Whatsoever perception
be it past,
future
or present,
inward or outward,
subtle or gross,
low or high,
far or near, -
every perception
should be regarded,
as it really is,
by perfect insight,
thus:
'This is not mine.
This am not I.
This is not my self.'
■
Whatsoever activities
be they past,
future
or present,
inward or outward,
subtle or gross,
low or high,
far or near, -
every activity
should be regarded,
as it really is,
by perfect insight,
thus:
'This is not mine.
This am not I.
This is not my self.'
■
Whatsoever consciousness
be it past,
future
or present,
inward or outward,
subtle or gross,
low or high,
far or near, -
every consciousness
should be regarded,
as it really is,
by perfect insight,
thus:
'This is not mine.
This am not I.
This is not my self.'
■
So seeing, Anuradha,
the well-taught Ariyan disciple
feels aversion from body,
feels aversion from feeling,
feels aversion from perception,
feels aversion from the activities,
feels aversion from consciousness.
So feeling,
he is dispassionate.
By dispassion
be is set free.
By freedom
comes the knowledge that he is free.
So that he knows:
'Ended is birth,
lived is the righteous life,
done is the task,
for life in such conditions
there is no hereafter.'
§
Now what say you, Anuradha?
Do you regard a Tathāgata's, body
as the Tathāgata?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata's, feeling
as the Tathāgata?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata's, perception
as the Tathāgata?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata's, activities
as the Tathāgata?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata's, consciousness
as the Tathāgata?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
Now what say you, Anuradha?
Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as within body?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as apart from body?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as within feeling?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as apart from feeling?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as within perception?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as apart from perception?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as within activities?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as apart from activities?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as within consciousness?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as apart from consciousness?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
Now what say you, Anuradha?
Do you regard a Tathāgata,
as [272] as having no body,
no feeling,
no perception,
no activities,
no consciousness?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Then, Anuradha, since in just this life
a Tathāgata, is not met with in truth,
in reality,[2]
is it proper for you to pronounce this of him:
'A Tathāgata,
a superman,
one of the best of men,
a winner of the highest gain,
is spoken of in other than those four ways,
to wit:
"A Tathāgata, exists after death,"
or
"A Tathāgata, does not exist after death,"
or
"A Tathāgata, both does and does not exist after death,"
or
"A Tathāgata, neither exists nor not-exists after death."'"
"Surely not, lord."
"Well said! Well said, Anuradha!
Both formerly and now also, Anuradha,
it is just sorrow
and the ceasing of sorrow
that I proclaim."
[1] As at K.S. iii, 99 ff.
[2] The phrase adopted in the Kathāā-vatthu (Points of Controversy) I, 1.
