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Sutta Nipata » Context of this sutta
- Sutta Nipata V.3
- Punnaka-manava-puccha
- Punnaka's Questions
- Translated from the Pali by John D. Ireland
- From The Discourse Collection: Selected Texts from the Sutta Nipata (WH 82),
translated by John D. Ireland (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1983).
The Venerable Punnaka: "To him who is free from craving, who has seen the
root (of things)[1] I have come with a question: for what
reason did sages, warriors, brahmanas and other men prepare, here in this world, various
sacrificial gifts for the gods (devata)? I ask the Lord this, let him tell me the
answer."
The Lord: "Whatever sages, warriors, brahmanas and other men, Punnaka,
prepared various sacrificial gifts for the gods, they did so in the hope of this or that
(future) existence, being induced by (the fact of) old age and decay."
Punnaka: "By preparing various sacrificial gifts for the gods, being
zealous in sacrificing, do they cross beyond birth and decay, Lord?"
The Lord: "They hope and extol, pray and sacrifice for things of the
senses, Punnaka. For the sake of such reward they pray. These devotees of sacrifice,
infatuated by their passion for existence,[2] do not cross
beyond birth and decay, I say."
Punnaka: "If these devotees of sacrifice do not cross beyond birth and
decay through sacrifice, Sir, then by what practice does one cross beyond birth and decay
in this world of gods and men?"
The Lord: "He who has comprehended in the world the here and the beyond, in
whom there is no perturbation by anything in the world, who is calm, free from the
smoldering fires,[3] untroubled and desireless, -- he has
crossed beyond birth and decay, I say."
-- vv. 1043-1048
Notes
1. "The root of unwholesome actions, etc." (Comy).
There are six roots or basic conditions in a person leading to the performance of
unwholesome (unskilled) and wholesome (skilled) actions: greed, aversion, delusion,
non-greed (renunciation, detachment), non-aversion (love) and non-delusion(wisdom). The
Buddha has seen and understood this as it really is. [Go back]
2. Or, "burning with lust for life." [Go
back]
3. The three "fires" of greed, aversion and delusion.
This is a punning reference, also to be seen in the previous note, to the brahmana's
sacrificial fire. [Go back]