1At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then Tāḷapuṭa the dancing master came up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to the Buddha:

“Sir, I have heard that the dancers of the past who were teachers of teachers said: ‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’ What does the Buddha say about this?”

“Enough, chief, let it be. Don’t ask me that.”

For a second time …
And for a third time Tāḷapuṭa said to the Buddha:

“Sir, I have heard that the dancers of the past who were teachers of teachers said: ‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’ What does the Buddha say about this?”

2“Clearly, chief, I’m not getting through to you when I say: ‘Enough, chief, let it be. Don’t ask me that.’ Nevertheless, I will answer you.

When sentient beings are still not free of greed, and are still bound by greed, a dancer in a stage or festival presents them with even more arousing things. When sentient beings are still not free of hate, and are still bound by hate, a dancer in a stage or festival presents them with even more hateful things. When sentient beings are still not free of delusion, and are still bound by delusion, a dancer in a stage or festival presents them with even more delusory things. And so, being heedless and negligent themselves, they’ve encouraged others to be heedless and negligent.

When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the hell called ‘Laughter’. But if you have such a view: ‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’ This is your wrong view. An individual with wrong view is reborn in one of two places, I say: hell or the animal realm.”

3When he said this, Tāḷapuṭa cried and burst out in tears.

“This is what I didn’t get through to you when I said: ‘Enough, chief, let it be. Don’t ask me that.’”

“Sir, I’m not crying because of what the Buddha said. But sir, for a long time I’ve been cheated, tricked, and deceived by the dancers of the past who were teachers of teachers, who said: ‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’

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 good 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. Sir, may I receive the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence?”

And the dancing master Tāḷapuṭa received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence. Not long after his ordination, Venerable Tāḷapuṭa became one of the perfected.

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

"sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ acariyapācariyānaṁ naṭānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ: ‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti. Idha bhagavā kimāhā"ti?

"Alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ. Mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī"ti.

Dutiyampi kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ acariyapācariyānaṁ naṭānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ: ‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti. Idha bhagavā kimāhā"ti? "Alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ. Mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī"ti. Tatiyampi kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

"sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ acariyapācariyānaṁ naṭānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ: ‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti. Idha bhagavā kimāhā"ti?

2"Addhā kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, na labhāmi: ‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ, mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’ti. Api ca tyāhaṁ byākarissāmi.

Pubbe kho, gāmaṇi, sattā avītarāgā rāgabandhanabaddhā. Tesaṁ naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe ye dhammā rajanīyā te upasaṁharati bhiyyoso mattāya. Pubbe kho, gāmaṇi, sattā avītadosā dosabandhanabaddhā. Tesaṁ naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe ye dhammā dosanīyā te upasaṁharati bhiyyoso mattāya. Pubbe kho, gāmaṇi, sattā avītamohā mohabandhanabaddhā. Tesaṁ naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe ye dhammā mohanīyā te upasaṁharati bhiyyoso mattāya.

So attanā matto pamatto pare madetvā pamādetvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāso nāma nirayo tattha upapajjati. Sace kho panassa evaṁdiṭṭhi hoti: ‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti, sāssa hoti micchādiṭṭhi. Micchādiṭṭhikassa kho panāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, purisapuggalassa dvinnaṁ gatīnaṁ aññataraṁ gatiṁ vadāmi – nirayaṁ vā tiracchānayoniṁ vā"ti.

3Evaṁ vutte, tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi parodi assūni pavattesi.

"Etaṁ kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, nālatthaṁ: ‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’"ti.

"Nāhaṁ, bhante, etaṁ rodāmi yaṁ maṁ bhagavā evamāha; api cāhaṁ, bhante, pubbakehi acariyapācariyehi naṭehi dīgharattaṁ nikato vañcito paluddho: ‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’"ti.

"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. Labheyyāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan"ti.

Alattha kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ. Acirūpasampanno ca panāyasmā tālapuṭo … pe … arahataṁ ahosīti.

Dutiyaṁ.