SN 36.21

Sīvakasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho moḷiyasīvako paribbājako yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho moḷiyasīvako paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “santi, bho gotama, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino: ‘yaṁ kiñcāyaṁ purisapuggalo paṭisaṁvedeti sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā sabbaṁ taṁ pubbekatahetū’ti. Idha bhavaṁ gotamo kimāhā”ti?

With Sīvaka

At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then the wanderer Moḷiyasīvaka went up to the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha: “Worthy Gotama, there are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Everything this individual person experiences—pleasurable, painful, or neutral—is because of past deeds.’ What does the worthy Gotama say about this?”

“Pittasamuṭṭhānānipi kho, sīvaka, idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Sāmampi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, veditabbaṁ yathā pittasamuṭṭhānānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Lokassapi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, saccasammataṁ yathā pittasamuṭṭhānānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Tatra, sīvaka, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino: ‘yaṁ kiñcāyaṁ purisapuggalo paṭisaṁvedeti sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā sabbaṁ taṁ pubbekatahetū’ti. Yañca sāmaṁ ñātaṁ tañca atidhāvanti, yañca loke saccasammataṁ tañca atidhāvanti. Tasmā tesaṁ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ micchāti vadāmi.

“Sīvaka, some feelings stem from bile disorders. You can know this from your own personal experience, and it is generally deemed to be true. Since this is so, the ascetics and brahmins whose view is that everything an individual person experiences is because of past deeds go beyond personal experience and beyond what is generally deemed to be true. So those ascetics and brahmins are wrong, I say.

Semhasamuṭṭhānānipi kho, sīvaka …pe… vātasamuṭṭhānānipi kho, sīvaka …pe… sannipātikānipi kho, sīvaka …pe… utupariṇāmajānipi kho, sīvaka …pe… visamaparihārajānipi kho, sīvaka …pe… opakkamikānipi kho, sīvaka …pe… kammavipākajānipi kho, sīvaka, idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Sāmampi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, veditabbaṁ. Yathā kammavipākajānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti; lokassapi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, saccasammataṁ. Yathā kammavipākajānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti; tatra, sīvaka, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino: ‘yaṁ kiñcāyaṁ purisapuggalo paṭisaṁvedeti sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā sabbaṁ taṁ pubbekatahetū’ti. Yañca sāmaṁ ñātaṁ tañca atidhāvanti yañca loke saccasammataṁ tañca atidhāvanti. Tasmā ‘tesaṁ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ micchā’ti vadāmī”ti.

Some feelings stem from phlegm disorders … wind disorders … their conjunction … change in weather … not taking care of yourself … exertion … Some feelings are the result of past deeds. You can know this from your own personal experience, and it is generally deemed to be true. Since this is so, the ascetics and brahmins whose view is that everything an individual person experiences is because of past deeds go beyond personal experience and beyond what is generally deemed to be true. So those ascetics and brahmins are wrong, I say.”

Evaṁ vutte, moḷiyasīvako paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama …pe… upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ gotamo dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.

When he said this, the wanderer Moḷiyasīvaka said to the Buddha, “Excellent, worthy Gotama! Excellent! … From this day forth, may the worthy Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

“Pittaṁ semhañca vāto ca, Sannipātā utūni ca; Visamaṁ opakkamikaṁ, Kammavipākena aṭṭhamī”ti.

“Bile, phlegm, and wind, their conjunction, and the weather, not taking care of yourself, exertion, and the result of deeds is the eighth.”