SN 41.5

Paṭhamakāmabhūsutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā kāmabhū macchikāsaṇḍe viharati ambāṭakavane. Atha kho citto gahapati yenāyasmā kāmabhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho cittaṁ gahapatiṁ āyasmā kāmabhū etadavoca:

With Kāmabhū (1st)

At one time Venerable Kāmabhū was staying near Macchikāsaṇḍa in the Wild Mango Grove. Then Citta the householder went up to Venerable Kāmabhū, bowed, and sat down to one side. Kāmabhū said to him,

“Vuttamidaṁ, gahapati:

“Householder, there is this saying:

‘Nelaṅgo setapacchādo, ekāro vattatī ratho; Anīghaṁ passa āyantaṁ, chinnasotaṁ abandhanan’ti.

‘With faultless parts and white canopy, the one-spoked chariot rolls on. See it come, untroubled, with stream cut, unbound.’

Imassa nu kho, gahapati, saṅkhittena bhāsitassa kathaṁ vitthārena attho daṭṭhabbo”ti? “Kiṁ nu kho etaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā bhāsitan”ti? “Evaṁ, gahapatī”ti. “Tena hi, bhante, muhuttaṁ āgamehi yāvassa atthaṁ pekkhāmī”ti. Atha kho citto gahapati muhuttaṁ tuṇhī hutvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ etadavoca:

How should we see the detailed meaning of this brief statement?” “Sir, was this spoken by the Buddha?” “Yes, householder.” “Well then, sir, please wait a while as I consider the meaning of this.” Then after staying silent for a while, Citta said to Kāmabhū:

“‘Nelaṅgan’ti kho, bhante, sīlānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Setapacchādo’ti kho, bhante, vimuttiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Ekāro’ti kho, bhante, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Vattatī’ti kho, bhante, abhikkamapaṭikkamassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Ratho’ti kho, bhante, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa. Rāgo kho, bhante, nīgho, doso nīgho, moho nīgho. Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘anīgho’ti vuccati. ‘Āyantan’ti kho, bhante, arahato etaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Soto’ti kho, bhante, taṇhāyetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sā khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘chinnasoto’ti vuccati. Rāgo kho, bhante, bandhanaṁ, doso bandhanaṁ, moho bandhanaṁ. Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘abandhano’ti vuccati. Iti kho, bhante, yaṁ taṁ bhagavatā vuttaṁ:

“Sir, ‘faultless parts’ is a term for ethics. ‘White canopy’ is a term for freedom. ‘One spoke’ is a term for mindfulness. ‘Rolls on’ is a term for going forward and coming back. ‘Chariot’ is a term for this body made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction. Greed, hate, and delusion are troubles. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future. That’s why a mendicant who has ended the defilements is called ‘untroubled’. ‘The one who comes’ is a term for the perfected one. ‘Stream’ is a term for craving. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given this up, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, and obliterated it, so it’s unable to arise in the future. That’s why a mendicant who has ended the defilements is said to have ‘cut the stream’. Greed, hate, and delusion are bonds. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future. That’s why a mendicant who has ended the defilements is called ‘unbound’. So, sir, that’s how I understand the detailed meaning of what the Buddha said in brief:

‘Nelaṅgo setapacchādo, ekāro vattatī ratho; Anīghaṁ passa āyantaṁ, chinnasotaṁ abandhanan’ti.

‘With faultless parts and white canopy, the one-spoked chariot rolls on. See it come, untroubled, with stream cut, unbound.’”

Imassa kho, bhante, bhagavatā saṅkhittena bhāsitassa evaṁ vitthārena atthaṁ ājānāmī”ti. “Lābhā te, gahapati, suladdhaṁ te, gahapati. Yassa te gambhīre buddhavacane paññācakkhu kamatī”ti.

“You’re fortunate, householder, so very fortunate, to traverse the Buddha’s deep teachings with the eye of wisdom.”