Sucimukhīsutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sāriputto rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahe piṇḍāya pāvisi. Rājagahe sapadānaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā taṁ piṇḍapātaṁ aññataraṁ kuṭṭamūlaṁ nissāya paribhuñjati. Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then he robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Rājagaha for alms. After wandering indiscriminately for almsfood in Rājagaha, he ate his almsfood by a wall. Then the wanderer Sucimukhī went up to Venerable Sāriputta and said to him:

“Kiṁ nu kho, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī”ti? “Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī”ti. “Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī”ti? “Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī”ti. “Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī”ti? “Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī”ti. “Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī”ti? “Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“Ascetic, do you eat facing downwards?” “No, sister.” “Well then, do you eat facing upwards?” “No, sister.” “Well then, do you eat facing the cardinal directions?” “No, sister.” “Well then, do you eat facing the intermediate directions?” “No, sister.”

“‘Kiṁ nu, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi.

“When asked if you eat facing all these directions, you answer ‘no, sister’.

Kathañcarahi, samaṇa, bhuñjasī”ti? “Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘adhomukhā bhuñjantī’ti. Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘ubbhamukhā bhuñjantī’ti. Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘disāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti. Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘vidisāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

How then do you eat, ascetic?” “Sister, those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by geomancy—a low lore, a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing downwards. Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by astrology—a low lore, a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing upwards. Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by running errands and messages—a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing the cardinal directions. Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by limb-reading—a low lore, a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing the intermediate directions.

So khvāhaṁ, bhagini, na vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi. Dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesāmi; dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesitvā bhuñjāmī”ti.

I don’t earn a living by any of these means. I seek alms in a principled manner, and I eat it in a principled manner.”

Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā rājagahe rathiyāya rathiyaṁ, siṅghāṭakena siṅghāṭakaṁ upasaṅkamitvā evamārocesi: “dhammikaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti; anavajjaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti. Detha samaṇānaṁ sakyaputtiyānaṁ piṇḍan”ti. Dasamaṁ. Sāriputtavaggo paṭhamo.

Then Sucimukhī the wanderer went around Rājagaha from street to street and from square to square, and announced: “The ascetics who follow the Sakyan eat food in a principled manner! The ascetics who follow the Sakyan eat food blamelessly! Give almsfood to the ascetics who follow the Sakyan!”

Vivekajaṁ avitakkaṁ, pīti upekkhā catutthakaṁ; Ākāsañceva viññāṇaṁ, ākiñcaṁ nevasaññinā; Nirodho navamo vutto, dasamaṁ sūcimukhī cāti. Sāriputtasaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.

The Linked Discourses on Sāriputta are complete.