Ud 5.3

Suppabuddhakuṭṭhisutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena rājagahe suppabuddho nāma kuṭṭhī ahosi— manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā mahatiyā parisāya parivuto dhammaṁ desento nisinno hoti.

With Suppabuddha the Leper

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. At that time in Rājagaha there was a leper called Suppabuddha. He was a poor person, destitute, and pitiful. Now, at that time the Buddha was teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly.

Addasā kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī taṁ mahājanakāyaṁ dūratova sannipatitaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: “nissaṁsayaṁ kho ettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā bhājīyati. Yannūnāhaṁ yena so mahājanakāyo tenupasaṅkameyyaṁ. Appeva nāmettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā labheyyan”ti.

Suppabuddha saw the crowd seated off in the distance and thought, “Surely some fresh and cooked foods will be distributed there. Why don’t I approach the crowd? Hopefully I’ll get something to eat.”

Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī yena so mahājanakāyo tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavantaṁ mahatiyā parisāya parivutaṁ dhammaṁ desentaṁ nisinnaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: “na kho ettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā bhājīyati. Samaṇo ayaṁ gotamo parisati dhammaṁ deseti. Yannūnāhampi dhammaṁ suṇeyyan”ti. Tattheva ekamantaṁ nisīdi: “ahampi dhammaṁ sossāmī”ti.

So he approached the crowd where he saw the Buddha teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly. When he saw this he thought, “There’s no food being distributed here. The ascetic Gotama is teaching Dhamma in an assembly. Why don’t I also listen to the teaching?” Right there he sat down to one side, thinking, “I also will listen to the teaching.”

Atha kho bhagavā sabbāvantaṁ parisaṁ cetasā ceto paricca manasākāsi “ko nu kho idha bhabbo dhammaṁ viññātun”ti? Addasā kho bhagavā suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ tassaṁ parisāyaṁ nisinnaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: “ayaṁ kho idha bhabbo dhammaṁ viññātun”ti. Suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ ārabbha anupubbiṁ kathaṁ kathesi, seyyathidaṁ— dānakathaṁ sīlakathaṁ saggakathaṁ; kāmānaṁ ādīnavaṁ okāraṁ saṅkilesaṁ; nekkhamme ānisaṁsaṁ pakāsesi. Yadā bhagavā aññāsi suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ kallacittaṁ muducittaṁ vinīvaraṇacittaṁ udaggacittaṁ pasannacittaṁ, atha yā buddhānaṁ sāmukkaṁsikā dhammadesanā taṁ pakāsesi— dukkhaṁ, samudayaṁ, nirodhaṁ, maggaṁ. Seyyathāpi nāma suddhaṁ vatthaṁ apagatakāḷakaṁ sammadeva rajanaṁ paṭiggaṇheyya; evamevaṁ suppabuddhassa kuṭṭhissa tasmiṁyeva āsane virajaṁ vītamalaṁ dhammacakkhuṁ udapādi: “yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhamman”ti.

Then the Buddha focused on encompassing the minds of everyone in the assembly, thinking, “Who here is capable of understanding the teaching?” He saw Suppabuddha sitting in the assembly, and thought, “He is capable of understanding the teaching.” He gave a step by step talk especially for Suppabuddha on giving, ethical conduct, and heaven. He revealed the drawbacks of sensual pleasures, so sordid and corrupt, and the benefit of renunciation. When the Buddha knew that Suppabuddha’s mind was ready, pliable, rid of hindrances, elated, and confident he revealed the special teaching of the Buddhas: suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. Just as a clean cloth rid of stains would properly absorb dye, in that very seat the stainless, immaculate vision of the Dhamma arose in Suppabuddha: “Everything that is liable to arise is liable to cease.”

Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī diṭṭhadhammo pattadhammo viditadhammo pariyogāḷhadhammo tiṇṇavicikiccho vigatakathaṅkatho vesārajjappatto aparappaccayo satthu sāsane uṭṭhāyāsanā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Then Suppabuddha saw, attained, understood, and fathomed the Dhamma. He went beyond doubt, got rid of indecision, and became self-assured and independent of others regarding the Teacher’s instructions. He rose from his seat and went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said:

“Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante. Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.

“Excellent, sir! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, the Buddha has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavatā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito bhagavatā bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi. Atha kho acirapakkantaṁ suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ gāvī taruṇavacchā adhipatitvā jīvitā voropesi.

After Suppabuddha had been educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired with a Dhamma talk by the Buddha, he got up from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving. But soon after Suppabuddha had left, a cow with a baby calf charged at him and took his life.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “yo so, bhante, suppabuddho nāma kuṭṭhī bhagavatā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito, so kālaṅkato. Tassa kā gati, ko abhisamparāyo”ti?

Then several mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said, “The leper named Suppabuddha, after being educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired with a Dhamma talk by the Buddha, has passed away. Where has he been reborn in his next life?”

“Paṇḍito, bhikkhave, suppabuddho kuṭṭhī; paccapādi dhammassānudhammaṁ; na ca maṁ dhammādhikaraṇaṁ vihesesi. Suppabuddho, bhikkhave, kuṭṭhī tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo”ti.

“Mendicants, Suppabuddha was astute. He practiced in line with the teaching, and did not trouble me about the teachings. With the ending of three fetters, Suppabuddha is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening.”

Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo yena suppabuddho kuṭṭhī ahosi— manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko”ti?

When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha, “What is the cause, sir, what is the reason why Suppabuddha became a leper, a poor person, destitute, and pitiful?”

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, suppabuddho kuṭṭhī imasmiṁyeva rājagahe seṭṭhiputto ahosi. So uyyānabhūmiṁ niyyanto addasa tagarasikhiṁ paccekabuddhaṁ nagaraṁ piṇḍāya pavisantaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: ‘kvāyaṁ kuṭṭhī kuṭṭhicīvarena vicaratī’ti? Niṭṭhubhitvā apasabyato karitvā pakkāmi. So tassa kammassa vipākena bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni niraye paccittha. Tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena imasmiṁyeva rājagahe kuṭṭhī ahosi manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko. So tathāgatappaveditaṁ dhammavinayaṁ āgamma saddhaṁ samādiyi sīlaṁ samādiyi sutaṁ samādiyi cāgaṁ samādiyi paññaṁ samādiyi. So tathāgatappaveditaṁ dhammavinayaṁ āgamma saddhaṁ samādiyitvā sīlaṁ samādiyitvā sutaṁ samādiyitvā cāgaṁ samādiyitvā paññaṁ samādiyitvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapanno devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ sahabyataṁ. So tattha aññe deve atirocati vaṇṇena ceva yasasā cā”ti.

“Once upon a time, mendicants, Suppabuddha used to be a financier’s son right here in Rājagaha. On his way to visit a park, he saw Tagarasikhī, an independent Buddha, entering the city for alms. When he saw this he thought, “Who is this leper wandering about with his leper’s robe?” Before leaving, he spat on the ground and turned his left side to Tagarasikhī. As a result of that deed he burned in hell for many years, for many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands of years. And as a residual result of that same deed, he became a leper right here in Rājagaha, a poor person, destitute and pitiful. But owing to faith in the teaching and training proclaimed by the Realized One, he undertook ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. After undertaking these things, when his body broke up, after death, he was reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm, in the company of the gods of the thirty-three. There he outshines the other gods in beauty and glory.”

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:

“Cakkhumā visamānīva, vijjamāne parakkame; Paṇḍito jīvalokasmiṁ, pāpāni parivajjaye”ti.

“As a clear-eyed man would avoid rough paths, so long as strength is found; an astute person in the living world, would shun bad deeds.”