SN 47.12

Nālandasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā nālandāyaṁ viharati pāvārikambavane. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “evaṁpasanno ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavati. Na cāhu, na ca bhavissati, na cetarahi vijjati añño samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā bhagavatā bhiyyobhiññataro, yadidaṁ—sambodhiyan”ti. “Uḷārā kho tyāyaṁ, sāriputta, āsabhī vācā bhāsitā, ekaṁso gahito, sīhanādo nadito: ‘evaṁpasanno ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavati. Na cāhu, na ca bhavissati na cetarahi vijjati añño samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā bhagavatā bhiyyobhiññataro, yadidaṁ—sambodhiyan’ti.

At Nāḷandā

At one time the Buddha was staying near Nāḷandā in Pāvārika’s Mango Grove. Then Sāriputta went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him: “Sir, I have such confidence in the Buddha that I believe there’s no other ascetic or brahmin—whether past, future, or present—whose direct knowledge is superior to the Buddha when it comes to awakening.” “That’s a grand and bold statement, Sāriputta. You’ve roared a definitive, categorical lion’s roar, saying: ‘I have such confidence in the Buddha that I believe there’s no other ascetic or brahmin—whether past, future, or present—whose direct knowledge is superior to the Buddha when it comes to awakening.’

Kiṁ nu te, sāriputta, ye te ahesuṁ atītamaddhānaṁ arahanto sammāsambuddhā, sabbe te bhagavanto cetasā ceto paricca viditā: ‘evaṁsīlā te bhagavanto ahesuṁ’ iti vā, ‘evaṁdhammā te bhagavanto ahesuṁ’ iti vā, ‘evaṁpaññā te bhagavanto ahesuṁ’ iti vā, ‘evaṁvihārino te bhagavanto ahesuṁ’ iti vā, ‘evaṁvimuttā te bhagavanto ahesuṁ’ iti vā”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”.

What about all the perfected ones, the fully awakened Buddhas who lived in the past? Have you encompassed their minds to know that those Buddhas had such ethics, or such qualities, or such wisdom, or such meditation, or such freedom?” “No, sir.”

“Kiṁ pana te, sāriputta, ye te bhavissanti anāgatamaddhānaṁ arahanto sammāsambuddhā, sabbe te bhagavanto cetasā ceto paricca viditā: ‘evaṁsīlā te bhagavanto bhavissanti’ iti vā, ‘evaṁdhammā te bhagavanto bhavissanti’ iti vā, ‘evaṁpaññā te bhagavanto bhavissanti’ iti vā, ‘evaṁvihārino te bhagavanto bhavissanti’ iti vā, ‘evaṁvimuttā te bhagavanto bhavissanti’ iti vā”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“And what about all the perfected ones, the fully awakened Buddhas who will live in the future? Have you encompassed their minds to know that those Buddhas will have such ethics, or such qualities, or such wisdom, or such meditation, or such freedom?” “No, sir.”

“Kiṁ pana tyāhaṁ, sāriputta, etarahi, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho cetasā ceto paricca vidito: ‘evaṁsīlo bhagavā’ iti vā, ‘evaṁdhammo bhagavā’ iti vā, ‘evaṁpañño bhagavā’ iti vā, ‘evaṁvihārī bhagavā’ iti vā, ‘evaṁvimutto bhagavā’ iti vā”ti? “No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“And what about me, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha at present? Have you encompassed my mind to know that I have such ethics, or such qualities, or such wisdom, or such meditation, or such freedom?” “No, sir.”

“Ettha ca te, sāriputta, atītānāgatapaccuppannesu arahantesu sammāsambuddhesu cetopariyañāṇaṁ natthi. Atha kiñcarahi tyāyaṁ, sāriputta, uḷārā āsabhī vācā bhāsitā, ekaṁso gahito, sīhanādo nadito: ‘evaṁpasanno ahaṁ, bhante, bhagavati. Na cāhu, na ca bhavissati, na cetarahi vijjati añño samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā bhagavatā’ bhiyyobhiññataro, yadidaṁ—sambodhiyan”ti?

“In that case, Sāriputta, given that you don’t encompass the minds of Buddhas past, future, or present, what then are you doing, making such a grand and bold statement, roaring such a definitive, categorical lion’s roar?”

“Na kho me, bhante, atītānāgatapaccuppannesu arahantesu sammāsambuddhesu cetopariyañāṇaṁ atthi, api ca me dhammanvayo vidito. Seyyathāpi, bhante, rañño paccantimaṁ nagaraṁ daḷhuddhāpaṁ daḷhapākāratoraṇaṁ ekadvāraṁ. Tatrassa dovāriko paṇḍito byatto medhāvī aññātānaṁ nivāretā ñātānaṁ pavesetā. So tassa nagarassa samantā anupariyāyapathaṁ anukkamamāno na passeyya pākārasandhiṁ vā pākāravivaraṁ vā, antamaso biḷāranikkhamanamattampi. Tassa evamassa: ‘ye kho keci oḷārikā pāṇā imaṁ nagaraṁ pavisanti vā nikkhamanti vā, sabbe te imināva dvārena pavisanti vā nikkhamanti vā’ti. Evameva kho me, bhante, dhammanvayo vidito: ‘yepi te, bhante, ahesuṁ atītamaddhānaṁ arahanto sammāsambuddhā, sabbe te bhagavanto pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya, cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe, catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittā, satta bojjhaṅge yathābhūtaṁ bhāvetvā, anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambujjhiṁsu. Yepi te, bhante, bhavissanti anāgatamaddhānaṁ arahanto sammāsambuddhā, sabbe te bhagavanto pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya, cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe, catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacittā, satta bojjhaṅge yathābhūtaṁ bhāvetvā, anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambujjhissanti. Bhagavāpi, bhante, etarahi arahaṁ sammāsambuddho pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya, cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe, catūsu satipaṭṭhānesu suppatiṭṭhitacitto, satta bojjhaṅge yathābhūtaṁ bhāvetvā, anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’”ti.

“Sir, though I don’t encompass the minds of Buddhas past, future, and present, still I understand this by inference from the teaching. Suppose there was a king’s frontier citadel with fortified embankments, ramparts, and arches, and a single gate. And it has a gatekeeper who is astute, competent, and intelligent. He keeps strangers out and lets known people in. As he walks around the patrol path, he doesn’t see a hole or cleft in the wall, not even one big enough for a cat to slip out. He thinks, ‘Whatever sizable creatures enter or leave the citadel, all of them do so via this gate.’ In the same way, I understand this by inference from the teaching: ‘Those who are perfected ones, fully awakened Buddhas—whether past, future, or present—give up the five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom. Their mind is firmly established in the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. They correctly develop the seven awakening factors. And they awaken to the supreme perfect awakening.’”

“Sādhu sādhu, sāriputta. Tasmātiha tvaṁ, sāriputta, imaṁ dhammapariyāyaṁ abhikkhaṇaṁ bhāseyyāsi bhikkhūnaṁ bhikkhunīnaṁ upāsakānaṁ upāsikānaṁ. Yesampi hi, sāriputta, moghapurisānaṁ bhavissati tathāgate kaṅkhā vā vimati vā, tesampimaṁ dhammapariyāyaṁ sutvā yā tathāgate kaṅkhā vā vimati vā sā pahīyissatī”ti.

“Good, good, Sāriputta! So Sāriputta, you should frequently speak this exposition of the teaching to the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Though there will be some futile people who have doubt or uncertainty regarding the Realized One, when they hear this exposition of the teaching they’ll give up that doubt or uncertainty.”