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Saṁyutta Nikāya — The Linked Discourses

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Verses
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Causation
SN12-21
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Sense Bases
SN35-44
Vol 5:
Great Book
SN45-56

56. Saccasaṁyutta: On the Truths

V. A Cliff — SN56.41: Speculation About the World

1At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants:

“Once upon a time, mendicants, a certain person left Rājagaha, thinking ‘I’ll speculate about the world.’ They went to the Sumāgadhā lotus pond and sat down on the bank speculating about the world. Then that person saw an army of four divisions enter a lotus stalk. When he saw this he thought, ‘I’ve gone mad, really, I’ve lost my mind! I’m seeing things that don’t exist in the world.’

2Then that person entered the city and informed a large crowd, ‘I’ve gone mad, really, I’ve lost my mind! I’m seeing things that don’t exist in the world.’

‘But how is it that you’re mad? How have you lost your mind? And what have you seen that doesn’t exist in the world?’

‘Sirs, I left Rājagaha, thinking “I’ll speculate about the world.” I went to the Sumāgadhā lotus pond and sat down on the bank speculating about the world. Then I saw an army of four divisions enter a lotus stalk. That’s why I’m mad, that’s why I’ve lost my mind. And that’s what I’ve seen that doesn’t exist in the world.’

‘Well, mister, you’re definitely mad, you’ve definitely lost your mind. And you’re seeing things that don’t exist in the world.’

3But what that person saw was in fact real, not unreal. Once upon a time, a battle was fought between the gods and the demons. In that battle the gods won and the demons lost. The defeated and terrified demons entered the demon city through the lotus stalk only to confuse the gods.

4So mendicants, don’t speculate about the world. For example: the world is eternal, or not eternal, or finite, or infinite; the soul and the body are the same thing, or they are different things; after death, a Realized One exists, or doesn’t exist, or both exists and doesn’t exist, or neither exists nor doesn’t exist. Why is that? Because those thoughts aren’t beneficial or relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They don’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.

5When you think something up, you should think: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. Why is that? Because those thoughts are beneficial and relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.

6That’s why you should practice meditation …”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: 

"Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, aññataro puriso rājagahā nikkhamitvā ‘lokacintaṁ cintessāmī’ti yena sumāgadhā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre nisīdi lokacintaṁ cintento. Addasā kho, bhikkhave, so puriso sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre caturaṅginiṁ senaṁ bhisamuḷālaṁ pavisantaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: ‘ummattosmi nāmāhaṁ, vicetosmi nāmāhaṁ. Yaṁ loke natthi taṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti.

2Atha kho so, bhikkhave, puriso nagaraṁ pavisitvā mahājanakāyassa ārocesi: ‘ummattosmi nāmāhaṁ, bhante, vicetosmi nāmāhaṁ, bhante. Yaṁ loke natthi taṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti.

‘Kathaṁ pana tvaṁ, ambho purisa, ummatto kathaṁ viceto? Kiñca loke natthi yaṁ tayā diṭṭhan’ti?

‘Idhāhaṁ, bhante, rājagahā nikkhamitvā "lokacintaṁ cintessāmī"ti yena sumāgadhā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre nisīdiṁ lokacintaṁ cintento. Addasaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre caturaṅginiṁ senaṁ bhisamuḷālaṁ pavisantaṁ. Evaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, ummatto evaṁ viceto. Idañca loke natthi yaṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti.

‘Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, ummatto taggha viceto. Idañca loke natthi yaṁ tayā diṭṭhan’ti.

3Taṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, so puriso bhūtaṁyeva addasa, no abhūtaṁ. Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, devāsurasaṅgāmo samupabyūḷho ahosi. Tasmiṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, saṅgāme devā jiniṁsu, asurā parājiniṁsu. Parājitā ca kho, bhikkhave, asurā bhītā bhisamuḷālena asurapuraṁ pavisiṁsu devānaṁyeva mohayamānā.

4Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, mā lokacintaṁ cintetha: ‘sassato loko’ti vā ‘asassato loko’ti vā, ‘antavā loko’ti vā ‘anantavā loko’ti vā, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti vā ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti vā, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā ‘Na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā. Taṁ kissa hetu? Nesā, bhikkhave, cintā atthasaṁhitā nādibrahmacariyakā na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati.

5Cintentā kho tumhe, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti cinteyyātha … pe … ‘Ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti cinteyyātha. Taṁ kissa hetu? Esā, bhikkhave, cintā atthasaṁhitā esā ādibrahmacariyakā esā nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati.

6Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo … pe … ‘Ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.