Ājīvakasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ānando kosambiyaṁ viharati ghositārāme. Atha kho aññataro ājīvakasāvako gahapati yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so ājīvakasāvako gahapati āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:

At one time Venerable Ānanda was staying near Kosambī in Ghosita’s monastery. Then a householder who was a disciple of the Ājīvaka ascetics went up to Venerable Ānanda, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to Ānanda:

“Kesaṁ no, bhante ānanda, dhammo svākkhāto? Ke loke suppaṭipannā? Ke loke sukatā”ti? “Tena hi, gahapati, taññevettha paṭipucchissāmi, yathā te khameyya tathā naṁ byākareyyāsi. Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati, ye rāgassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, dosassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, mohassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, tesaṁ dhammo svākkhāto no vā? Kathaṁ vā te ettha hotī”ti? “Ye, bhante, rāgassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, dosassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, mohassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, tesaṁ dhammo svākkhāto. Evaṁ me ettha hotī”ti.

“Honorable Ānanda, whose teaching is well explained? Who in the world is practicing well? Who in the world has done well?” “Well then, householder, I’ll ask you about this in return, and you can answer as you like. What do you think, householder? Is the teaching of those who teach for giving up greed, hate, and delusion well explained or not? Or how do you see this?” “The teaching of those who teach for giving up greed, hate, and delusion is well explained. That’s how I see it.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati, ye rāgassa pahānāya paṭipannā, dosassa pahānāya paṭipannā, mohassa pahānāya paṭipannā, te loke suppaṭipannā no vā? Kathaṁ vā te ettha hotī”ti? “Ye, bhante, rāgassa pahānāya paṭipannā, dosassa pahānāya paṭipannā, mohassa pahānāya paṭipannā, te loke suppaṭipannā. Evaṁ me ettha hotī”ti.

“What do you think, householder? Are those who practice for giving up greed, hate, and delusion practicing well or not? Or how do you see this?” “Those who practice for giving up greed, hate, and delusion are practicing well. That’s how I see it.”

“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, gahapati, yesaṁ rāgo pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, yesaṁ doso pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, yesaṁ moho pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, te loke sukatā no vā? Kathaṁ vā te ettha hotī”ti? “Yesaṁ, bhante, rāgo pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, yesaṁ doso pahīno …pe… yesaṁ moho pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, te loke sukatā. Evaṁ me ettha hotī”ti.

“What do you think, householder? Have those who’ve given up greed, hate, and delusion—so they’re cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future—done well in the world, or not? Or how do you see this?” “Those who’ve given up greed, hate, and delusion have done well in the world. That’s how I see it.”

“Iti kho, gahapati, tayāvetaṁ byākataṁ: ‘ye, bhante, rāgassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, dosassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, mohassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desenti, tesaṁ dhammo svākkhāto’ti. Tayāvetaṁ byākataṁ: ‘ye, bhante, rāgassa pahānāya paṭipannā, dosassa pahānāya paṭipannā, mohassa pahānāya paṭipannā, te loke suppaṭipannā’ti. Tayāvetaṁ byākataṁ: ‘yesaṁ, bhante, rāgo pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, yesaṁ doso pahīno …pe… yesaṁ moho pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, te loke sukatā’”ti.

“So, householder, you’ve declared: ‘The teaching of those who teach for giving up greed, hate, and delusion is well explained.’ And you’ve declared: ‘Those who practice for giving up greed, hate, and delusion are practicing well.’ And you’ve declared: ‘Those who’ve given up greed, hate, and delusion have done well in the world.’”

“Acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Na ceva nāma sadhammukkaṁsanā bhavissati, na ca paradhammāpasādanā. Āyataneva dhammadesanā, attho ca vutto, attā ca anupanīto. Tumhe, bhante ānanda, rāgassa pahānāya dhammaṁ desetha, dosassa …pe… mohassa pahanāya dhammaṁ desetha. Tumhākaṁ, bhante ānanda, dhammo svākkhāto. Tumhe, bhante ānanda, rāgassa pahānāya paṭipannā, dosassa …pe… mohassa pahānāya paṭipannā. Tumhe, bhante, loke suppaṭipannā. Tumhākaṁ, bhante ānanda, rāgo pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo, tumhākaṁ doso pahīno …pe… tumhākaṁ moho pahīno ucchinnamūlo tālāvatthukato anabhāvaṅkato āyatiṁ anuppādadhammo. Tumhe loke sukatā.

“It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing! There’s no acclaiming your own teaching or disrespecting someone else’s, just teaching what’s relevant in that context. The goal is spoken of, but the self is not involved. You, sir, teach Dhamma for giving up greed, hate, and delusion. Your teaching is well explained. You, sir, practice for giving up greed, hate, and delusion. You in the world are practicing well. You’ve given up greed, hate, and delusion. You in the world have done well.

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 ayyena ānandena anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ, bhante ānanda, taṁ bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsakaṁ maṁ ayyo ānando dhāretu, ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti. Dutiyaṁ.

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, Master Ānanda 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 Master Ānanda remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”