Reading 5

MN051 - Kandaraka

translation by Nārada Thera & Mahinda Bhikkhu

more on brahmanical sacrifice

 


Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One, with a large company of bhikkhus, was staying at Campa on the bank of the Gaggara tank.

Then Pessa, the mahout’s son, and Kandaraka, the wandering ascetic, approached the Blessed One. Drawing near, Pessa, the mahout’s son, saluted the Blessed One respectfully and sat down on one side. But Kandaraka, the wandering ascetic, exchanged friendly greetings with the Blessed One, and after the customary salutations remained standing aside.

Standing thus, Kandaraka, the wandering ascetic, surveyed the silent company of bhikkhus and addressed the Blessed One as follows: “It is wonderful, friend Gotama! It is marvellous, friend Gotama! How well has this company of bhikkhus been trained by you. And those who were exalted Fully Enlightened Ones in the distant past, friend Gotama, did those Blessed Ones also train the company of bhikkhus well, even to this pitch of perfection, as, at the present time, the company of bhikkhus has been well trained by you? And those, friend Gotama, who will be exalted Fully Enlightened Ones in the distant future, will they also train the company of bhikkhus well, even to this pitch of perfection, as at the present time, the company of bhikkhus has been well trained by you?”

“That is so, Kandaraka, that is so. And those, Kandaraka, who were exalted Fully Enlightened Buddhas in the distant past, and those who will be exalted Fully Enlightened Buddhas in the dim future, fulfil this work, even as, at the present time, the company of bhikkhus has been well trained by me.

“There are bhikkhus, Kandaraka, in this company, who are arahant saints: having extinguished the corruptions, completed the ascetic life, done what was to be done, laid down the burden, attained their goal, utterly destroyed the fetters of existence, and who are delivered by right insight.

“There are also bhikkhus, Kandaraka, in this company, who are undergoing training of virtuous conduct and tranquil department, prudent, discreet in their actions, and who live with their minds firmly established in the four foundations of mindfulness. What are the four?

“Here, Kandaraka, a bhikkhu abides in meditation on the body, strenuous, clearly conscious, mindful, having overcome covetousness and despair concerning the world; abides in meditation on the sensations … on thoughts … on the states of mind, strenuous, clearly conscious, mindful, having overcome covetousness and despair concerning the world.”

Upon this being said, Pessa, the mahout’s son, addressed the Blessed One as follows: “It is wonderful, Lord! It is marvellous, Lord! How well the Blessed One has expounded the four foundations of mindfulness, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of pain and despair, for the attainment of the path, for the realisation of nibbāna. And we householders also, Lord, dressed in white clothing, from time to time abide with minds firmly established in these four foundations of mindfulness. Here, Lord, we abide in meditation on the body, strenuous, clearly conscious, mindful, having overcome covetousness and despair concerning the world; we abide in meditation on the sensations … on thoughts … on the states of mind, strenuous, clearly conscious, mindful, having overcome covetousness and despair concerning the world.

“Wonderful, Lord! Marvellous, Lord! The Blessed One knows what is of advantage and what of disadvantage for beings, despite the fact that among men, deceitfulness, vice and treachery are going on. Truly, Lord, men are deceitful, whereas animals, Lord, are open.

“I, Lord, can remember the character of an elephant: whilst going to and returning from Campa, he will display all his treacherous habits, deceitful tricks, cunning practices and crooked ways. But, Lord, our slaves, servants, and workmen behave in one way with the body, another way verbally and, yet, vastly different will be their thoughts …. Truly, Lord, men are deceitful, whereas animals, Lord, are open.”

“That is so, Pessa, that is so. Deceitful indeed, Pessa, are men, whereas animals, Pessa are open.

“These four individuals, Pessa, exist and are found in the world. Who are these four?

“Here, Pessa, a certain individual is a tormentor of self, is addicted to the practice of self-torment; whilst another, Pessa, is a tormentor of others, is addicted to the practice of tormenting others. Again, Pessa, a certain individual is a tormentor of self and others; whilst, Pessa, another is neither a tormentor of self nor of others, is not addicted to the practice of tormenting self or others; he, neither tormenting self nor others, in this life itself, is desireless, quenched [of passions], cool, experiences happiness, lives nobly. Of these four individuals, Pessa, which finds favour with you?”

“That individual, Lord, who torments self and is addicted to the practice of self-torment, finds no favour with me. And that individual, Lord, who torments others and is addicted to the practice of tormenting others, he too, finds no favour with me. And that individual, Lord, who torments self and others and is addicted to the practice of tormenting self and others he, also, finds no favour with me. But that individual, Lord, who neither torments self nor others and is not addicted to the practice of tormenting self or others, who, in this life itself, is desireless, quenched [of passions], cool, experiences happiness, lives nobly: that individual finds favour with me.”

“And why, Pessa, do these other three individuals find no favour with you?”

“That individual, Lord, who torments self and is addicted to the practice of self-torment, he torments and mortifies himself who craves happiness and abhors misery; therefore, that individual finds no favour with me.

“And that individual, Lord, who torments others and is addicted to the practice of tormenting others, he torments and mortifies others who crave happiness and abhor misery; therefore that individual finds no favour with me.

“And that individual, Lord, who torments self and others, and is addicted to the practice of tormenting self and others, he torments and mortifies self and others who crave happiness and abhor misery; therefore that individual finds no favour with me.

“But that individual, Lord, who is neither a tormentor of self nor of others, and is not addicted to the practice of tormenting self and others, he, in this life itself, is desireless, quenched [of passions], cool, experiences happiness, lives nobly; therefore that individual finds favour with me.

“And now, Lord, we depart; we have many duties and much to do.”

“You, O Pessa, are aware of the hour.” Thereupon, Pessa, the mahout’s son, pleased with the words of the Blessed One, expressed his thanks, rose from his seat and, having saluted the Blessed One respectfully, passed reverently to the right and departed.

Then the Blessed One, shortly after the departure of Pessa, addressed the bhikkhus. “Highly

intelligent, O bhikkhus, is Pessa, the mahout’s son; a man of great understanding. If, O bhikkhus, Pessa had remained seated for a while until I explained in detail these four individuals, he would have gone away having acquired a great advantage. And even in this short time. O bhikkhus, Pessa did acquire a great advantage.”

“This is the opportunity, O Blessed One! Now is the time, O Accomplished One, that the Blessed one should describe in detail these four individuals. The bhikkhus having listened to the Blessed One, will bear it in mind.”

“Very well, O bhikkhus; listen and bear it well in mind. I shall speak.”

“Yes Lord,” responded the bhikkhus. The Blessed One spoke as follows:

“And which individual, O bhikkhus, is a tormentor of self, is addicted to the practice of self-torment?

“Here, O bhikkhus, a certain individual is naked, devoid of social habits, licks his hands [after eating], does not accept alms if called or requested to wait, and neither accepts food brought to him, nor specially prepared for him, nor an invitation [to dine]. Neither does he accept from the brim of a pot, or from the brim of a cooking vessel; nor anything handed across a threshold, over a stick, or over a rice pounder; not from two people eating together, nor from a woman with child; nor from one giving suck, nor from one indulging in courtship with a man. Nor does he accept food that has been collected from others, nor from where a dog is waiting for food, nor from where swarms of flies are buzzing round; he neither eats fish nor flesh, nor drinks spirituous liquor, arrack, nor fermented rice.

“He goes to one house only [for alms], or takes but one mouthful; or he goes to two houses, or takes two mouthfuls; … or he goes to seven houses or takes seven mouthfuls. He maintains himself on one small plateful, or on two small platefuls, … or seven small platefuls; he takes food only once a day, or only once in two days … or only once in seven days; thus, in this manner, even with intervals of half a month, he lives addicted to the practice of taking food only at certain intervals.

“He eats only herbs, or weeds, or wild rice, or waste shreds, or hide, or water plants, or rice dust, or the scum of boiling rice, or the refuse of sesamum seeds, or grass, or cowdung; he lives on roots and fruit found in the forest, or eats only fallen fruit. He wears garments of hemp, or clothing of hemp interwoven with other materials, or cloths taken from corpses, or rags found on dust heaps, or the bark of tiritaka trees, or deer skins with the hoofs attached, or a dress made of kusa grass, or made of strips of bark, or of strips of wood, or garments made of human hair, or of horse hair, or of owls’ feathers.

“He is a plucker out of hair and beard and is addicted to the practice of pulling out the hairs of the head and beard; he always stands upright and never accepts a seat; or he constantly squats on the heels, and is addicted to the practice of continually squatting on the haunches; or he uses a thorn bed, always sleeping on a bed of thorns; or he bathes for the third time in the evening, and is addicted to the practice of purification by water. Thus, in this manner, he lives addicted in various ways to the practice of mortifying and tormenting the body.

“This individual, O bhikkhus, is said to be a tormentor or self, addicted to the practice of self-torment. And which individual, O bhikkhus, torments others, is addicted to the practice of tormenting others?

“Here, O bhikkhus, a certain individual is a butcher, a pig-killer, a fowler, a deer-stalker, a hunter, a fisherman, a robber, a public executioner, a jailer, or follows any other cruel occupation whatsoever.

“This individual, O bhikkhus, is said to be a tormentor of others, addicted to the practice of tormenting others.

“And which individual, O bhikkhus, is a tormentor of self and others, is addicted to the practice of tormenting self and others?

“Here, O bhikkhus, a certain individual is either an anointed king of warrior caste, or a Brahmin of enormous wealth. On the eastern side of the city he has a new sacrificial hall built, has the head and beard shaved, dons the raw hide of an antelope, rubs the body with clarified butter and oil; and, inflicting wounds on his back with the horns of a deer, goes to the sacrificial hall, accompanied by his chief queen and a Brahmin chaplain. There he sleeps on the bare floor.

“If there be a cow having a calf of similar appearance [to herself], the king maintains himself on the milk in the first teat; the chief queen lives on the milk in the second teat; the Brahmin chaplain on that in the third; with the milk in the fourth teat, they make an offering to fire; and the little calf maintains itself on what is left.

“He speaks thus: ‘Let so many bulls, so many steers, so many heifers, so many she-goats, and so many rams be slaughtered for a sacrifice; let so many trees be cut down for sacrificial posts; let so much kusa grass be cut for the enclosure!’

“Then his slaves, servants and workmen, terrified with sticks, driven by fear, with woeful faces and in tears, do the work.

“This individual, O bhikkhus, is said to be a tormentor or self and others, addicted to the practice of tormenting self and others.

“And which individual, O bhikkhus, is neither a tormentor of self nor of others, is not addicted to the practice of tormenting self or others; who, neither tormenting self nor others, in this life itself is desireless, quenched [of passions], cool, experiences happiness, lives nobly?

“Here, O bhikkhus, an Accomplished One appears in the world, an Exalted One, a Fully Enlightened One, endowed with perfect knowledge and pure conduct, gone, knower of worlds, an incomparable guide for the training of men, teacher of gods and men, Enlightened and Blessed. He, having by his own wisdom comprehended this world, together with the worlds or the gods, Māras, and Brahmas, including the communities of recluses and Brahmins, gods, and men, makes it known. He expounds the truth, glorious in the beginning, glorious in the middle, and glorious in its consummation, both in the spirit and the letter, making known the holy life of perfect purity.

[Acquisition of confidence] “A householder, or the son of a householder, or one born in some other class, hears that truth. Hearing the truth, he acquires confidence in the Blessed One. Possessing that confidence, he reflects thus: ‘Cramped is household life, a den of filth; but the open air is the life of the recluse. Not easy is it for one living the household life to lead the radiant holy life, [shining as a polished conch shell] in all its perfection and purity. How if I should shave head and beard, put on the yellow robes, and go forth from home to homelessness!’

[Renunciation] “Subsequently, abandoning his possessions, whether few or many; forsaking his circle of relatives, be it small or large; he shaves head and beard, dons the yellow robes, and goes forth from home to homelessness.

[Practice of the precepts] “And now, as a recluse, he observes the rules regulating the life of the bhikkhus. Renouncing killing, he abstains from taking the life of any living creature; laying aside stick and sword, modest and merciful, he lives kind and compassionate to all living creatures. Renouncing theft, he abstains from taking what is not given; only what is given to him he takes, waiting till it is given; and he lives with a heart honest and pure. Renouncing incontinence, he lives the celibate life, aloof [from sensuality], abstaining from the vulgar practices of sexuality. Renouncing lying, he abstains from false speech; speaking the truth and never deviating from it, he is reliable, trustworthy, and no deceiver of people. Renouncing slander, he abstains from tale-bearing; what he hears here he does not relate elsewhere, to create discord with these people; nor does he repeat to these what he heard elsewhere, to create dissension with those people. Thus he reconciles those who are divided and encourages those who are united; concord gladdens him, he delights and rejoices in concord, and he utters words conducive to concord. Renouncing harsh speech, he abstains from unkind words; those words that are blameless, pleasant to the ear, affectionate, going to the heart, courteous, agreeable and giving pleasure to many, such are the words he utters. Renouncing frivolous talk, he abstains from idle chatter; speaking at the right time, in accordance with the facts, to the purpose, in accord with the doctrine and discipline, he utters words worthy of remembrance, seasonable, appropriate, concise, and to the point.

“He refrains from injuring seeds and all forms of vegetation. Taking but one meal daily, and abstaining from food at night, he refrains from eating at unseasonable hours. He refrains from dancing, singing, music and horn, and watching theatrical exhibitions. He abstains from wearing garlands, perfumes, ointments, ornaments, and personal decorations. He refrains from the use of high and luxurious beds. He refrains from accepting gold and silver, uncooked corn, raw meat, women and girls, male and female slaves, goats and sheep, fowls and pigs, elephants, cattle, horses and mares, land and buildings. He retrains from the practice of going on errands like a messenger. He abstains from trading, from false balances, unjust weights and fraudulent measures. He refrains from bribery, deception, fraud and crooked practices; from wounding, killing, chaining, highway robbery, plundering and violence.

“He contents himself with the robe that protects his body, and with [the almsfood gathered in] the almsbowl which stills his hunger. Wherever he goes, takes with himself [these two things]. Just as a bird carries its wings wherever it flies, even so the bhikkhu is contented with the robe protecting his body and with the almsbowl for satisfying his stomach, taking these with him wherever be goes. Possessing this noble code of morality, he experiences within himself the bliss of blameless conduct.

[Sense control] “Perceiving a form with the eye, he is neither arrested by its general appearance nor by its details; inasmuch as the evil, de-meritorious states of covetousness and grief would result from living with the organ of vision unrestrained, he practises the control of it; guarding the organ of sight, he brings it under subjection, Hearing a sound with the ear, smelling an odour with the nose, tasting a flavour with the tongue, feeling a touch with the body, or cognising an idea with the mind, he is neither arrested by its general appearance nor by its details; inasmuch as the evil de-meritorious states of mind would result from living with the organs of sense unrestrained, he practices the control of them; guarding the organs of sense, he brings them under subjection. Possessing this noble control of the senses, he experiences within himself an unblemished bliss.

[Mindfulness] “Whether going or coming, looking straight ahead or looking aside, bending or extending the limbs, donning his robes, carrying his bowl, eating, drinking, chewing or swallowing, answering calls of nature, walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, walking, speaking or silent, he is fully conscious of what he is doing.

[Inhibition of the Hindrances] “And possessing this noble code of morality, this noble control of the senses, and this noble mindfulness, he seeks a lonely abode: in the forest, at the foot of a tree, on a mountain, in a cleft, in a rocky cave, in a cemetery, in the depths of a jungle, in an open space, or on a heap of straw.

“Having returned from the alms round and taken his meal, he sits down, with legs crossed, the body erect, and his mindfulness alert. Abandoning covetousness, abiding with thoughts free of greed, he purifies his mind of covetousness. Abandoning the taint of ill-will, abiding with thoughts free from ill-will, kind and compassionate to all living creatures, he purifies his mind of the taint of ill-will. Abandoning sloth and torpor, abiding free from sloth and torpor, with a lucid mind, mindful and aware of folly, he purifies his mind of sloth and torpor. Abandoning restlessness and worry, abiding free from restlessness, with mind appeased, he purifies it of restlessness and worry. Abandoning doubt, he abides free from indecision; free from uncertainty with regard to meritorious conditions, he purifies his mind of doubt.

[Jhānas] “Abandoning these five hindrances which are defilements of the mind and which stultify wisdom; remote, indeed, from sense-desires and de-meritorious conditions, he lives abiding in the first jhāna, born of seclusion, accompanied by initial and sustained application, conjoined with joy and happiness. Stilling initial and sustained application, by unification of the mind having tranquillity within, he lives abiding in the second jhāna, born of concentration, void of initial and sustained application, conjoined with joy and happiness. Detached from delight, he abides serene, mindful and completely conscious, experiencing in his person that bliss, of which the Noble Ones say: ‘Endowed with equanimity and mindfulness, he abides in bliss.’ Thus he lives, abiding in the third jhāna. Abandoning pleasure and pain, leaving behind former joy and grief, he lives abiding in the fourth jhāna, which is beyond pleasure and pain, and is endowed with equanimity and purified by mindfulness.

[Knowledge of past lives] “Thus with thoughts tranquillised, purified, cleansed, free from defilements, pliable, alert, steady, and unshakable, he directs his mind to the recollection and cognition of former existences. He recalls his varied lot in former existences, as follows: first one life, then two lives, then three, four, five, ten, twenty, up to fifty lives; then a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand; then the passing away of many world cycles, then the arising of many world cycles: ‘In that place, I was of such a name, such a family, such a caste, such a sustenance, such the pleasure and pain I experienced, such my life’s end. Vanishing from there, I came into existence elsewhere. Now, such was my name, such my family, such my caste, such my sustenance, such pleasure and pain did I experience, such was that life’s end. After dying, I came into existence here.’ Thus he recalls the mode and details of his varied lot in former existences.

[Divine Eye] “Thus with thoughts tranquillised, purified, cleansed, free from defilements, pliable, alert, steady, and unshakable, he directs his mind to the perception of the disappearing and re-appearing of beings. With clairvoyant vision, purified and super-normal, he perceives beings disappearing from one state of existence and re-appearing in another; he beholds the base and the noble, the beautiful and the ugly, the happy and the miserable, and beings in accordance with their deeds. He thinks: ‘These beings are given to evil ways in deed, word and thought. They revile the Noble Ones, hold false views, and incur the evil consequences of such views. Upon the dissolution of the body after death they are reborn in states of suffering, of misery, and of torment. But those beings are given to ways of virtue in deed, word, and thought. Not reviling the Noble Ones, they hold right views, and acquire the meritorious results of such views. Upon the dissolution of the body after death they are reborn in realms of divine happiness.’

[Knowledge of the Extinction of the Corruptions] “And he turns his mind to the comprehension of the cessation of the corruptions. He realises in accordance with fact, ‘This is sorrow.’ … ‘This is the arising of sorrow.’ … ‘This is the cessation of sorrow.’ … ‘This, the path leading to the cessation of sorrow.’ Likewise, in accordance with fact, he realises, ‘These are the corruptions.’ … ‘This is the cessation of the corruptions.’ … ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of the corruptions.’ Thus cognising, thus perceiving, his mind is delivered from the corruption of sensual craving; from the corruption of craving for existence; from the corruption of ignorance. Upon being delivered, he knows, ‘Delivered am I,’ and he realises, ‘Rebirth is ended; fulfilled the holy life; done what was to be done; there is none other beyond this life.’

“This individual, O bhikkhus, is said to be neither a tormentor of self nor of others, addicted neither to the practice of tormenting self nor others; he, neither tormenting himself nor others, in this life itself, is desireless, quenched [of passions], cool, experiences bliss, lives nobly.”

Thus spoke the Blessed One. The bhikkhus, delighted, rejoiced at his words.


This translation is from Buddhist Publication Society