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#### Saṁyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saṁyutta
II. Āhāra Vagga

#### Sutta 17

#### Acela-Kassapa Suttaṁ

# Kassapa, the Unclothed

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

[1][pts][than][bodh] I HEAR TELL:

Once Upon a Time, The Lucky Man, Rajagaha revisiting,
Vulture Mount,
Sow's Digs.

There then, The Lucky Man,
afore-time having taken up
his bowl and robes
entered Rājagaha
on his begging rounds.

Then Kasapa the unclothed,
seeing The Lucky Man in the distance
drew near and
having drawn near The Lucky Man,
having given salutation,
stood to one side.

Standing to one side then,
said this
to The Lucky Man:

"I would question the Venerable Gotama
on a certain point
if Gotama would become one
to give permission
for this mode of answering questions."

"It is not the time, now, Kassapa,
for questions,
we have entered the outskirts of the village."

Then a second time
Kasapa the unclothed
said this to The Lucky Man:

"I would question the Venerable Gotama
on a certain point
if Gotama would become one
to give permission
for this mode of answering questions."

And a second time
The Lucky Man said this to
Kasapa the unclothed:

"It is not the time, now, Kassapa,
for questions,
we have entered the outskirts of the village."

Then a third time
Kasapa the unclothed
said this to The Lucky Man:

"I would question the Venerable Gotama
on a certain point
if Gotama would become one
to give permission
for this mode of answering questions."

And a third time
The Lucky Man said this to
Kasapa the unclothed:

"It is not the time, now, Kassapa,
for questions,
we have entered the outskirts of the village."

This said,
Kasapa the unclothed
said this to The Lucky Man:

"We will not put forward
many questions
to the Venerable Gotama."

"Question, Kassapa,
whatever you want."

"Then, how is it good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa"
said The Lucky Man.

"Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by another?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa"
said The Lucky Man.

"Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self, and
another?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa"
said The Lucky Man.

"Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made by
neither one's self, nor
another —
but has arisen as self spontaneously?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa"
said The Lucky Man.

"What then, good Gotama —
is there no such thing as pain?"

"No, Kassapa,
it is not that
there is no such thing as pain.

There is pain, Kassapa."

"Is it then put forward, Gotama,
that he does not know
does not see
pain?"

"No, Kassapa, I am not one
who does not know
does not see
pain.

I am one who knows pain, Kassapa,
I am one who sees pain Kassapa."

-◦-

"'Then, how is it good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa'
is the response.

'Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by another?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa'
is the response.

'Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self, and
another?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa'
is the response.

'Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made by
neither one's self, nor
another —
but has arisen as self spontaneously?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Kassapa'
is the response.

'What then, good Gotama —
is there no such thing as pain?'
this being asked,
'No, Kassapa,
it is not that
there is no such thing as pain.

There is pain, Kassapa.'
is the response.

'Is it then put forward, Gotama,
that he does not know
does not see
pain?'
this being asked,
'No, Kassapa, I am not one
who does not know
does not see
pain.

I am one who knows pain, Kassapa,
I am one who sees pain Kassapa'
is the response.

Teach me, Bhante,
The Lucky Man's "pain,"
tell me, Bhante,
about The Lucky Man's "pain."

"'He who acts
is he who experiences the result',
or Kassapa,
remembering one's heedlessness
'is pain made by one's self' —
this comes down to professing the eternalist side."[1]

'One acts
another is he who experiences the result',
or Kassapa,
remembering a bad experience,
'is pain made by another' —
this comes down to professing the annihilationist side."

Avoiding both sides[2], Kassapa,
the Tathāgata teaches you
a middle Dhamma:

Rebounding off blindness, beggars,
own-making
rebounding off own-making,
consciousness
rebounding off consciousness,
named-form
rebounding off named-form,
the six-realms
rebounding off the six-realms,
touch
rebounding off touch,
sensation
rebounding off sensation,
thirst
rebounding off thirst,
bind-ups
rebounding off bind-ups,
existence
rebounding off existence,
birth
rebounding off birth,
aging and death
grief and lamentation
pain and misery
and despair
become one's own.

Even thus
is the self-arising
of this pile of pain
made to be.

But if you
utterly-dispassionately-end blindness,
own-making is ended
own-making ended,
consciousness is ended
consciousness ended,
named-form is ended
named-form ended,
the six-realms are ended
the six-realms ended,
touch is ended
touch ended,
sensation is ended
sensation ended,
thirst is ended
thirst ended,
bind-ups are ended
bind-ups ended,
existence is ended
existence ended,
birth is ended
birth ended,
aging and death
grief and lamentation
pain and misery
and despair
are ended.

Even so
is this pile of pain
made to not be."

This said, Kassapa the unclothed said this to The Lucky Man:

"Wonderful Bhante!

Wonderful Bhante!

Just as though, Bhante,
one were to set upright the upside-down,
or uncover the covered,
or to show the way to one who was lost,
or were to bring a light into the darkness
so that creatures there might see:
'There are Forms!'

In the same way, The Lucky Man
has in many a figure
presented his Dhamma.

I take myself to The Lucky Man for refuge,
I take myself to the Dhamma for refuge;
I take myself to the Saṅgha for refuge.

I would receive the going forth
in the presence of The Lucky Man,
taking on full ordination."

Whoever Kassapa
formerly of another position,
wishes to leave the world
wishes to take on this Dhamma and discipline,
he undergoes four months probation.

Four months having passed,
having fulfilled probation,
the bhikkhus
having so decided,
being willing,
may have him go forth into homelessness,
taking on the higher ordination
in the bhikkhu life.

But nevertheless I recognize differences in persons.

If, Bhante, one formerly of another position,
wishes to leave the world
wishes to take on this Dhamma and discipline,
undergoes four months probation
and four months having passed,
having fulfilled probation,
the bhikkhus
having so decided,
being willing,
may have him go forth into homelessness,
taking on the higher ordination
in the bhikkhu life
I will undergo four years probation
and four years having passed,
having fulfilled probation,
the bhikkhus
having so decided,
being willing,
may have me go forth into homelessness,
taking on the higher ordination
in the bhikkhu life."

Then Kassapa the unclothed received the going forth
in the presence of The Lucky Man,
and took on full ordination.

Then, not long after his ordination,
Kassapa the unclothed,
living apart,
careful, ardent, self-determined,
quickly achieved that aim,
that unsurpassed Best of Lives,
for which the sons of clansmen go forth from home into homelessness,
experiencing it for himself
in this seen thing.

And he knew from personal experience that:

"Left behind is rebirth
lived is the best of lives,
done is duty's doing,
no further it'n-'n-at'n' for me."

And the venerable Kassapa the unclothed
became another one of the Arahants.

[1] Sassata and the next uccheda are points of view or theories about the way kamma works. 'Sassata' (originally an observation concerning 'endless' fields of corn) refers to eternalism, the idea that there is an ever-lasting soul; 'uccheda', (breaking up), refers to annihiliationism, the idea that after this life, or after some other life, life comes to an end for the individual.

[2] Ubho ante anupagamma. Avoiding both sides. Not going down one side or the other at all. Not even one step. A doctrine that teaches ending, not moderation.

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