SN 35.74

Paṭhamagilānasutta

Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “amukasmiṁ, bhante, vihāre aññataro bhikkhu navo appaññāto ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā”ti.

Sick (1st)

At Sāvatthī. Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, and said to him, “Sir, in such-and-such monastery there’s a mendicant who is junior and not well-known. He’s sick, suffering, gravely ill. Please go to him out of sympathy.”

Atha kho bhagavā navavādañca sutvā gilānavādañca, “appaññāto bhikkhū”ti iti viditvā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvāna mañcake samadhosi. Atha kho bhagavā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, bhikkhu, mā tvaṁ mañcake samadhosi. Santimāni āsanāni paññattāni, tatthāhaṁ nisīdissāmī”ti. Nisīdi bhagavā paññatte āsane. Nisajja kho bhagavā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “kacci te, bhikkhu, khamanīyaṁ, kacci yāpanīyaṁ, kacci dukkhā vedanā paṭikkamanti no abhikkamanti, paṭikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no abhikkamo”ti?

When the Buddha heard that the mendicant was junior and ill, understanding that he was not well-known, he went to him. That mendicant saw the Buddha coming off in the distance and stirred in his cot. The Buddha said to that monk, “It’s all right, mendicant, don’t get up. There are some seats spread out, I will sit there.” He sat down on the seat spread out and said to the mendicant, “I hope you’re keeping well, mendicant, I hope you’re all right. I hope your pain is fading, not growing; that its fading is evident, not its growing.”

“Na me, bhante, khamanīyaṁ, na yāpanīyaṁ, bāḷhā me dukkhā vedanā abhikkamanti no paṭikkamanti, abhikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no paṭikkamo”ti.

“Sir, I’m not keeping well, I’m not getting by. My pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.”

“Kacci te, bhikkhu, na kiñci kukkuccaṁ, na koci vippaṭisāro”ti?

“I hope you don’t have any remorse or regret?”

“Taggha me, bhante, anappakaṁ kukkuccaṁ, anappako vippaṭisāro”ti.

“Indeed, sir, I have no little remorse and regret.”

“Kacci pana taṁ, bhikkhu, attā sīlato upavadatī”ti?

“I hope you have no reason to blame yourself when it comes to ethical conduct?”

“Na kho maṁ, bhante, attā sīlato upavadatī”ti.

“No sir, I have no reason to blame myself when it comes to ethical conduct.”

“No ce kira te, bhikkhu, attā sīlato upavadati, atha kiñca te kukkuccaṁ ko ca vippaṭisāro”ti?

“In that case, mendicant, why do you have remorse and regret?”

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhante, sīlavisuddhatthaṁ bhagavatā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāmī”ti.

“Because I understand that the Buddha has not taught the Dhamma merely for the sake of ethical purity.”

“No ce kira tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlavisuddhatthaṁ mayā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāsi, atha kimatthaṁ carahi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mayā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāsī”ti?

“If that is so, what then do you understand to be the purpose of teaching the Dhamma?”

“Rāgavirāgatthaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāmī”ti.

“I understand that the Buddha has taught the Dhamma for the purpose of the fading away of greed.”

“Sādhu sādhu, bhikkhu. Sādhu kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, rāgavirāgatthaṁ mayā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāsi. Rāgavirāgattho hi, bhikkhu, mayā dhammo desito. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, bhikkhu, cakkhu niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

“Good, good, mendicant! It’s good that you understand that I’ve taught the Dhamma for the purpose of the fading away of greed. For that is indeed the purpose. What do you think, mendicant? Is the eye permanent or impermanent?”

“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.

“Impermanent, sir.” …

“ …pe… Sotaṁ … ghānaṁ … jivhā … kāyo … mano nicco vā anicco vā”ti?

“Is the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind permanent or impermanent?”

“Anicco, bhante”.

“Impermanent, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.

“Suffering, sir.”

“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ: ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’”ti?

“But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“No, sir.”

“Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhu, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati, sotasmimpi nibbindati …pe… manasmimpi nibbindati. Nibbindaṁ virajjati; virāgā vimuccati; vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ hoti. ‘Khīṇā jāti …pe… nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī”ti.

“Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended … there is nothing further for this place.’”

Idamavoca bhagavā. Attamano so bhikkhu bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandi. Imasmiñca pana veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne tassa bhikkhuno virajaṁ vītamalaṁ dhammacakkhuṁ udapādi: “yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhamman”ti.

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, that mendicant approved what the Buddha said. And while this discourse was being spoken, the stainless, immaculate vision of the Dhamma arose in that mendicant: “Everything that is liable to arise is liable to cease.”