Sutta Piṭaka
Cūḷamālukyasutta
Cūḷamālukyasutta
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
The Shorter Discourse With Māluṅkyaputta
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
Atha kho āyasmato mālukyaputtassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: “yānimāni diṭṭhigatāni bhagavatā abyākatāni ṭhapitāni paṭikkhittāni: ‘sassato loko’tipi, ‘asassato loko’tipi, ‘antavā loko’tipi, ‘anantavā loko’tipi, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’tipi, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’tipi, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi, ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi, ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi— tāni me bhagavā na byākaroti. Yāni me bhagavā na byākaroti taṁ me na ruccati, taṁ me nakkhamati. Sohaṁ bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamitvā etamatthaṁ pucchissāmi. Sace me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā— evāhaṁ bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi; no ce me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā— evāhaṁ sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattissāmī”ti.
Then as Venerable Māluṅkyaputta was in private retreat this thought came to his mind: “There are several convictions that the Buddha has left undeclared; he has set them aside and turned them down. For example: the cosmos is eternal, or not eternal, or finite, or infinite; the soul and the body are one and the same, or the soul is one thing, the body another; after death, a realized one still exists, or no longer exists, or both still exists and no longer exists, or neither still exists nor no longer exists. The Buddha does not explain these points to me. I don’t endorse that, and do not accept it. I’ll go to him and ask him about this. If he gives me a straight answer on any of these points, I will lead the spiritual life under him. If he does not explain these points to me, I shall resign the training and return to a lesser life.”
Atha kho āyasmā mālukyaputto sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mālukyaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Idha mayhaṁ, bhante, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi— yānimāni diṭṭhigatāni bhagavatā abyākatāni ṭhapitāni paṭikkhittāni: ‘sassato loko’tipi, ‘asassato loko’tipi …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’tipi— tāni me bhagavā na byākaroti. Yāni me bhagavā na byākaroti taṁ me na ruccati, taṁ me nakkhamati. Sohaṁ bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamitvā etamatthaṁ pucchissāmi. Sace me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā, ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā— evāhaṁ bhagavati, brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi. No ce me bhagavā byākarissati: ‘sassato loko’ti vā, ‘asassato loko’ti vā …pe… ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā— evāhaṁ sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattissāmīti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘sassato loko’ti, ‘sassato loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘asassato loko’ti, ‘asassato loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti: ‘sassato loko’ti vā, ‘asassato loko’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi, na passāmī’ti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘antavā loko’ti, ‘anantavā loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘anantavā loko’ti, ‘anantavā loko’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti: ‘antavā loko’ti vā, ‘anantavā loko’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi, na passāmī’ti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti: ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti vā, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi, na passāmī’ti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti: ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi na passāmī’ti. Sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti me bhagavā byākarotu; sace bhagavā jānāti: ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti me bhagavā byākarotu. No ce bhagavā jānāti: ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ajānato kho pana apassato etadeva ujukaṁ hoti yadidaṁ: ‘na jānāmi, na passāmī’”ti.
Then in the late afternoon, Māluṅkyaputta came out of retreat and went to the Buddha. He bowed, sat down to one side, and told the Buddha of his thoughts. He then continued: “If the Buddha knows that the cosmos is eternal, please tell me. If you know that the cosmos is not eternal, tell me. If you don’t know whether the cosmos is eternal or not, then it is straightforward to simply say: ‘I neither know nor see.’ If you know that the cosmos is finite, or infinite; that the soul and the body are one and the same, or is the soul one thing, the body another; that after death, a realized one still exists, or no longer exists, or both still exists and no longer exists, or neither still exists nor no longer exists, please tell me. If you don’t know any of these things, then it is straightforward to simply say: ‘I neither know nor see.’”
“Kiṁ nu tāhaṁ, mālukyaputta, evaṁ avacaṁ: ‘ehi tvaṁ, mālukyaputta, mayi brahmacariyaṁ cara, ahaṁ te byākarissāmi: “sassato loko”ti vā, “asassato loko”ti vā, “antavā loko”ti vā, “anantavā loko”ti vā, “taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran”ti vā, “aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran”ti vā, “hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā, “na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā, “hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā, “neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā’”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”. “Tvaṁ vā pana maṁ evaṁ avaca: ‘ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi, bhagavā me byākarissati: “sassato loko”ti vā, “asassato loko”ti vā, “antavā loko”ti vā, “anantavā loko”ti vā, “taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran”ti vā, “aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran”ti vā, “hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā, “na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā, “hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā, “neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā’”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”. “Iti kira, mālukyaputta, nevāhaṁ taṁ vadāmi: ‘ehi tvaṁ, mālukyaputta, mayi brahmacariyaṁ cara, ahaṁ te byākarissāmi: “sassato loko”ti vā, “asassato loko”ti vā …pe… “neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇāti vā”’ti; napi kira maṁ tvaṁ vadesi: ‘ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi, bhagavā me byākarissati: “sassato loko”ti vā “asassato loko”ti vā …pe… “neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā’ti. Evaṁ sante, moghapurisa, ko santo kaṁ paccācikkhasi?
“What, Māluṅkyaputta, did I ever say to you: ‘Come, Māluṅkyaputta, lead the spiritual life under me, and I will declare these things to you’?” “No, sir.” “Or did you ever say to me: ‘Sir, I will lead the spiritual life under the Buddha, and the Buddha will declare these things to me’?” “No, sir.” “So it seems that I did not say to you: ‘Come, Māluṅkyaputta, lead the spiritual life under me, and I will declare these things to you.’ And you never said to me: ‘Sir, I will lead the spiritual life under the Buddha, and the Buddha will declare these things to me.’ In that case, you futile man, who are you and what do you disavow?
Yo kho, mālukyaputta, evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi yāva me bhagavā na byākarissati: “sassato loko”ti vā, “asassato loko”ti vā …pe… “neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā’ti, abyākatameva taṁ, mālukyaputta, tathāgatena assa, atha so puggalo kālaṁ kareyya. Seyyathāpi, mālukyaputta, puriso sallena viddho assa savisena gāḷhapalepanena. Tassa mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā bhisakkaṁ sallakattaṁ upaṭṭhapeyyuṁ. So evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ purisaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, khattiyo vā brāhmaṇo vā vesso vā suddo vā’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ purisaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto iti vā’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ purisaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, dīgho vā rasso vā majjhimo vā’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ purisaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, kāḷo vā sāmo vā maṅguracchavī vā’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ purisaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, amukasmiṁ gāme vā nigame vā nagare vā’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ dhanuṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, yadi vā cāpo yadi vā kodaṇḍo’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ jiyaṁ jānāmi yāyamhi viddho, yadi vā akkassa yadi vā saṇhassa yadi vā nhārussa yadi vā maruvāya yadi vā khīrapaṇṇino’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ kaṇḍaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, yadi vā gacchaṁ yadi vā ropiman’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ kaṇḍaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, yassa pattehi vājitaṁ yadi vā gijjhassa yadi vā kaṅkassa yadi vā kulalassa yadi vā morassa yadi vā sithilahanuno’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ kaṇḍaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, yassa nhārunā parikkhittaṁ yadi vā gavassa yadi vā mahiṁsassa yadi vā bheravassa yadi vā semhārassā’ti; so evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ imaṁ sallaṁ āharissāmi yāva na taṁ sallaṁ jānāmi yenamhi viddho, yadi vā sallaṁ yadi vā khurappaṁ yadi vā vekaṇḍaṁ yadi vā nārācaṁ yadi vā vacchadantaṁ yadi vā karavīrapattan’ti— aññātameva taṁ, mālukyaputta, tena purisena assa, atha so puriso kālaṁ kareyya. Evameva kho, mālukyaputta, yo evaṁ vadeyya: ‘na tāvāhaṁ bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ carissāmi yāva me bhagavā na byākarissati: “sassato loko”ti vā “asassato loko”ti vā …pe… “neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā”ti vā’ti— abyākatameva taṁ, mālukyaputta, tathāgatena assa, atha so puggalo kālaṁ kareyya.
Suppose someone were to say this: ‘I will not lead the spiritual life under the Buddha until the Buddha declares to me that the cosmos is eternal, or that the cosmos is not eternal … or that after death a realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists.’ That would still remain undeclared by the Realized One, and meanwhile that individual would die. Suppose a man was struck by an arrow thickly smeared with poison. His friends and colleagues, relatives and kin would get a surgeon to treat him. But the man would say: ‘I won’t extract this arrow as long as I don’t know whether the man who wounded me was an aristocrat, a brahmin, a peasant, or a menial.’ He’d say: ‘I won’t extract this arrow as long as I don’t know the following things about the man who wounded me: his name and clan; whether he’s tall, short, or medium; whether his skin is black, brown, or dingy; and whether he comes from such-and-such village, town, or city. I won’t extract this arrow as long as I don’t know whether the bow that wounded me was straight or recurved; whether the bow-string is made of swallow-wort fibre, sunn hemp fibre, sinew, sanseveria fibre, or spurge fibre; whether the shaft is made from a bush or a plantation tree; whether the shaft was fitted with feathers from a vulture, a heron, a hawk, a peacock, or a stork; whether the shaft was bound with sinews of a cow, a buffalo, a black lion, or an ape; and whether the arrowhead was spiked, razor-tipped, barbed, made of iron or a calf’s tooth, or lancet-shaped.’ That man would still not have learned these things, and meanwhile they’d die. In the same way, suppose someone was to say: ‘I will not lead the spiritual life under the Buddha until the Buddha declares to me that the cosmos is eternal, or that the cosmos is not eternal … or that after death a realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists.’ That would still remain undeclared by the Realized One, and meanwhile that individual would die.
‘Sassato loko’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evaṁ no. ‘Asassato loko’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evampi no. ‘Sassato loko’ti vā, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati, ‘asassato loko’ti vā diṭṭhiyā sati attheva jāti, atthi jarā, atthi maraṇaṁ, santi sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā; yesāhaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme nighātaṁ paññapemi. ‘Antavā loko’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evaṁ no. ‘Anantavā loko’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evampi no. ‘Antavā loko’ti vā, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati, ‘anantavā loko’ti vā diṭṭhiyā sati attheva jāti, atthi jarā, atthi maraṇaṁ, santi sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā; yesāhaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme nighātaṁ paññapemi. ‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evaṁ no. ‘Aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evampi no. ‘Taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti vā, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati, ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti vā diṭṭhiyā sati attheva jāti …pe… nighātaṁ paññapemi. ‘Hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evaṁ no. ‘Na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evampi no. ‘Hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati, ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā diṭṭhiyā sati attheva jāti …pe… yesāhaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme nighātaṁ paññapemi. ‘Hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evaṁ no. ‘Neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati brahmacariyavāso abhavissāti, evampi no. ‘Hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti, mālukyaputta, diṭṭhiyā sati, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā diṭṭhiyā sati attheva jāti …pe… yesāhaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme nighātaṁ paññapemi.
It’s not true that if there were the view ‘the cosmos is eternal’ there would be the living of the spiritual life. It’s not true that if there were the view ‘the cosmos is not eternal’ there would be the living of the spiritual life. When there is the view that the cosmos is eternal or that the cosmos is not eternal, there is rebirth, there is old age, there is death, and there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. And it is the defeat of these things in this very life that I advocate. It’s not true that if there were the view ‘the cosmos is finite’ … ‘the cosmos is infinite’ … ‘the soul and the body are one and the same’ … ‘the soul is one thing, the body another’ … ‘a realized one still exists after death’ … ‘a realized one no longer exists after death’ … ‘a realized one both still exists and no longer exists after death’ … ‘a realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists after death’ there would be the living of the spiritual life. When there are any of these views there is rebirth, there is old age, there is death, and there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. And it is the defeat of these things in this very life that I advocate.
Tasmātiha, mālukyaputta, abyākatañca me abyākatato dhāretha; byākatañca me byākatato dhāretha. Kiñca, mālukyaputta, mayā abyākataṁ? ‘Sassato loko’ti mālukyaputta, mayā abyākataṁ; ‘asassato loko’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘antavā loko’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘anantavā loko’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti— mayā abyākataṁ; ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti— mayā abyākataṁ.
So, Māluṅkyaputta, you should remember what I have not declared as undeclared, and what I have declared as declared. And what have I not declared? I have not declared the following: ‘the cosmos is eternal,’ ‘the cosmos is not eternal,’ ‘the cosmos is finite,’ ‘the world is infinite,’ ‘the soul and the body are one and the same,’ ‘the soul is one thing, the body another,’ ‘a realized one still exists after death,’ ‘a realized one no longer exists after death,’ ‘a realized one both still exists and no longer exists after death,’ ‘a realized one neither still exists nor no longer exists after death.’
Kasmā cetaṁ, mālukyaputta, mayā abyākataṁ? Na hetaṁ, mālukyaputta, atthasaṁhitaṁ na ādibrahmacariyakaṁ na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati. Tasmā taṁ mayā abyākataṁ.
And why haven’t I declared these things? Because they aren’t beneficial or relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They don’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment. That’s why I haven’t declared them.
Kiñca, mālukyaputta, mayā byākataṁ? ‘Idaṁ dukkhan’ti, mālukyaputta, mayā byākataṁ; ‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti— mayā byākataṁ; ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti— mayā byākataṁ; ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti— mayā byākataṁ.
And what have I declared? I have declared the following: ‘this is suffering,’ ‘this is the origin of suffering,’ ‘this is the cessation of suffering,’ ‘this is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.’
Kasmā cetaṁ, mālukyaputta, mayā byākataṁ? Etañhi, mālukyaputta, atthasaṁhitaṁ etaṁ ādibrahmacariyakaṁ nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati. Tasmā taṁ mayā byākataṁ. Tasmātiha, mālukyaputta, abyākatañca me abyākatato dhāretha; byākatañca me byākatato dhārethā”ti. Idamavoca bhagavā. Attamano āyasmā mālukyaputto bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandīti.
And why have I declared these things? Because they are beneficial and relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment. That’s why I have declared them. So, Māluṅkyaputta, you should remember what I have not declared as undeclared, and what I have declared as declared.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, Venerable Māluṅkyaputta approved what the Buddha said.