AN 6.34

Mahāmoggallānasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: “katamesānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti? Tena kho pana samayena tisso nāma bhikkhu adhunākālaṅkato aññataraṁ brahmalokaṁ upapanno hoti. Tatrapi naṁ evaṁ jānanti: “tisso brahmā mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.

With Mahāmoggallāna

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then as Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was in private retreat this thought came to his mind, “Which gods know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?” Now, at that time a monk named Tissa had recently passed away and been reborn in a realm of divinity. There they knew that The divinity Tissa was very mighty and powerful.

Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evamevaṁ—jetavane antarahito tasmiṁ brahmaloke pāturahosi. Addasā kho tisso brahmā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvāna āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca: “ehi kho, mārisa moggallāna; svāgataṁ, mārisa moggallāna; cirassaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna; imaṁ pariyāyamakāsi, yadidaṁ idhāgamanāya. Nisīda, mārisa moggallāna, idamāsanaṁ paññattan”ti. Nisīdi kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno paññatte āsane. Tissopi kho brahmā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho tissaṁ brahmānaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:

And then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, vanished from Jeta’s Grove and reappeared in that realm of divinity. Tissa saw Moggallāna coming off in the distance, and said to him, “Come, my good fellow Moggallāna! Welcome, my good fellow! It’s been a long time since you took the opportunity to come here. Sit, my good Moggallāna, this seat is for you.” Moggallāna sat down on the seat spread out. Then Tissa bowed to Moggallāna and sat to one side. Moggallāna said to him,

“Katamesānaṁ kho, tissa, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti? “Cātumahārājikānaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.

“Tissa, which gods know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?” “The gods of the four great kings know this.”

“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti? “Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṁ cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti. Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā na tesaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti. Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā, tesaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.

“But do all of them know this?” “No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them. Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers. But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”

“Cātumahārājikānaññeva nu kho, tissa, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti udāhu tāvatiṁsānampi devānaṁ …pe… yāmānampi devānaṁ … tusitānampi devānaṁ … nimmānaratīnampi devānaṁ … paranimmitavasavattīnampi devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti? “Paranimmitavasavattīnampi kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.

“But Tissa, is it only the gods of the four great kings who know that they are stream-enterers, or do the gods of the thirty-three … the gods of Yama … the joyful gods … the gods who love to create … and the gods who control what is created by others know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?” “The gods of these various classes know this.”

“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti? “Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṁ paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti. Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā, na tesaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti. Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā tesaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.

“But do all of them know this?” “No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them. Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers. But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”

Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno tissassa brahmuno bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā: “seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evamevaṁ: ‘brahmaloke antarahito jetavane pāturahosī’”ti.

Moggallāna approved and agreed with what the divinity Tissa said. Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from that realm of divinity and reappeared in Jeta’s Grove.