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of this sutta
- Majjhima Nikaya 108
- Gopaka Moggallana Sutta
- Moggallana the Guardsman
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
Translator's note: This discourse presents a picture of life in the early
Buddhist community shortly after the Buddha's passing away. On the one hand, it shows the
relationship between the monastic community and the political powers that be: the monks
are polite and courteous to political functionaries, but the existence of this discourse
shows that they had no qualms about depicting those functionaries as a little dense. On
the other hand, it shows that early Buddhist practice had no room for many practices that
developed in later Buddhist traditions, such as appointed lineage holders, elected
ecclesiastical heads, or the use of mental defilements as a basis for concentration
practice.
I have heard that on one occasion Ven. Ananda was staying near Rajagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Sanctuary, not long after
the Blessed One's total Unbinding.
Now at that time King Ajatasattu Vedehiputta of Magadha,
suspicious of King Pajjota, was having Rajagaha fortified.
Then in the early morning, Ven. Ananda, having put on his robes and carrying his bowl
and outer robe, went into Rajagaha for alms. The thought occurred to him, "It's too
early to go for alms in Rajagaha. What if I were to go to the brahmin Moggallana
the Guardsman at his construction site?" So he went to Moggallana the Guardsman
at his construction site. Moggallana the Guardsman saw him coming from afar, and on seeing
him said to him, "Come, Master Ananda. Welcome, Master Ananda. It has been a long
time since Master Ananda has found the time to come here. Sit down, Master Ananda. Here is
a seat made ready for you."
So Ven. Ananda sat down on the seat made ready. Moggallana the Guardsman, taking a
lower seat, sat to one side.
As he was sitting there, he said to Ven. Ananda: "Master Ananda,
is there any one monk endowed in each & every way with the qualities with which Master
Gotama -- worthy & rightly self-awakened -- was endowed?"
"No, brahmin, there isn't any one monk endowed in each & every way with the
qualities with which the Blessed One -- worthy & rightly self-awakened -- was endowed.
For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path, the begetter of the unbegotten
path, the expounder of the unexpounded path, the knower of the path, the expert with
regard to the path, adept at the path. And now his disciples follow the path and become
endowed with it after him."
And then Ven. Ananda's discussion with Moggallana the Guardsman was interrupted in
mid-course, for the brahmin Vassakara, the Magadhan administrator, on an
inspection tour of the construction sites in Rajagaha, went to Ven. Ananda at Moggallana
the Guardsman's construction site. On arrival, he exchanged courteous greetings with Ven.
Ananda. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he sat to one side. As
he was sitting there, he said to Ven. Ananda, "Just now, for what discussion were you
sitting together when you were interrupted in mid-course?"
"Just now, brahmin, Moggallana the Guardsman said to me, 'Master Ananda, is there
any one monk endowed in each & every way with the qualities with which Master Gotama
-- worthy & rightly self-awakened -- was endowed?' And when this was said, I said to
him, 'No, brahmin, there isn't any one monk endowed in each & every way with the
qualities with which the Blessed One -- worthy & rightly self-awakened -- was endowed.
For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path, the begetter of the unbegotten
path, the expounder of the unexpounded path, the knower of the path, the expert with
regard to the path, adept at the path. And now his disciples follow the path and become
endowed with it after him.' This was my discussion with the brahmin Moggallana the
Guardsman that was interrupted in mid-course when you arrived."
"Master Ananda, is there any one monk appointed by Master Gotama [with the words],
'He will be your arbitrator after I am gone,' to whom you now turn?"
"No, brahmin. There isn't any one monk appointed by the Blessed One -- the one who
knows, the one who sees, worthy & rightly self-awakened -- [with the words] 'He will
be your arbitrator after I am gone,' to whom we now turn."
"Then is there any one monk authorized by the Sangha and appointed by a large body
of elder monks [with the words], 'He will be our arbitrator after the Blessed One is
gone,' to whom you now turn?"
"No, brahmin. There isn't any one monk authorized by the Sangha and appointed by a
large body of elder monks [with the words] 'He will be our arbitrator after the Blessed
One is gone,' to whom we now turn."
"Being thus without an arbitrator, Master Ananda, what is the reason for your
concord?"
"It's not the case, brahmin, that we're without an arbitrator. We have an
arbitrator. The Dhamma is our arbitrator."
"When asked, 'Master Ananda, is there any one monk appointed by Master Gotama
[with the words], "He will be your arbitrator after I am gone," to whom you now
turn?' you said, 'No, brahmin. There isn't any one monk appointed by the Blessed One...to
whom we now turn.'
"When asked, 'Then is there any one monk authorized by the Sangha...to whom you
now turn?' you said, 'No, brahmin. There isn't any one monk authorized by the Sangha...to
whom we now turn.'
"When asked, 'Being thus without an arbitrator, Master Ananda, what is the reason
for your concord?' you said, 'It's not the case, brahmin, that we're without an
arbitrator. We have an arbitrator. The Dhamma is our arbitrator.' Now how is the meaning
of what you have said to be understood?"
"Brahmin, there is a training rule laid down by the Blessed One -- the one who
knows, the one who sees, worthy & rightly self-awakened -- a Patimokkha that has been
codified. On the uposatha day, all of us who live dependent on a single township gather
together in one place. Having gathered together, we invite the one to whom it falls [to
recite the Patimokkha]. If, while he is reciting, a monk remembers an offense or
transgression, we deal with him in accordance with the Dhamma, in accordance with what has
been instructed. We're not the ones who deal with that venerable one. Rather, the
Dhamma is what deals with us."
"Is there, Master Ananda, any one monk you now honor, respect, revere, &
venerate, on whom -- honoring & respecting -- you live in dependence?"
"Yes, brahmin, there is a monk we now honor, respect, revere, & venerate, on
whom -- honoring & respecting -- we live in dependence."
"When asked, 'Master Ananda, is there any one monk appointed by Master Gotama
[with the words], "He will be your arbitrator after I am gone," to whom you now
turn?' you said, 'No, brahmin. There isn't any one monk appointed by the Blessed One...to
whom we now turn.'
"When asked, 'Then is there any one monk authorized by the Sangha...to whom you
now turn?' you said, 'No, brahmin. There isn't any one monk authorized by the Sangha...to
whom we now turn.'
"When asked, 'Is there, Master Ananda, any one monk you now honor, respect,
revere, & venerate, on whom -- honoring & respecting -- you live in dependence?'
you said, 'Yes, brahmin, there is a monk we now honor, respect, revere, & venerate, on
whom -- honoring & respecting -- we live in dependence.' Now how is the meaning of
what you have said to be understood?"
"Brahmin, there are ten inspiring qualities expounded by the
Blessed One -- the one who knows, the one who sees, worthy & rightly self-awakened. In
whoever among us those ten qualities are found, we now honor, respect, revere, &
venerate him; honoring & respecting him, we live in dependence on him. Which ten?
[1] "There is the case where a monk is virtuous. He dwells restrained in
accordance with the Patimokkha, consummate in his behavior & sphere of activity. He
trains himself, having undertaken the training rules, seeing danger in the slightest
faults.
[2] "He has heard much, has retained what he has heard, has stored what he has
heard. Whatever teachings are admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle,
admirable in the end, that -- in their meaning & expression -- proclaim the holy life
entirely perfect & pure: those he has listened to often, retained, discussed,
accumulated, examined with his mind, and well-penetrated in terms of his views.
[3] "He is content with robes, alms food, lodgings, & medicinal requisites for
curing the sick.
[4] "He attains -- whenever he wants, without strain, without difficulty -- the
four jhanas that are heightened mental states, pleasant abidings in the here-&-now.
[5] "He experiences manifold supranormal powers. Having been one he becomes many;
having been many he becomes one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls,
ramparts, & mountains as if through space. He dives in & out of the earth as if it
were water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting crosslegged
he flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand he touches & strokes even
the sun & moon, so mighty & powerful. He exercises influence with his body even as
far as the Brahma worlds.
[6] "He hears -- by means of the divine ear-element, purified & surpassing the
human -- both kinds of sounds: divine & human, whether near or far.
[7] "He knows the awareness of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed
it with his own awareness. He discerns a mind with passion as a mind with passion, and a
mind without passion as a mind without passion. He discerns a mind with aversion as a mind
with aversion, and a mind without aversion as a mind without aversion. He discerns a mind
with delusion as a mind with delusion, and a mind without delusion as a mind without
delusion. He discerns a restricted mind as a restricted mind, and a scattered mind as a
scattered mind. He discerns an enlarged mind as an enlarged mind, and an unenlarged mind
as an unenlarged mind. He discerns an excelled mind [one that is not at the most excellent
level] as an excelled mind, and an unexcelled mind as an unexcelled mind. He discerns a
concentrated mind as a concentrated mind, and an unconcentrated mind as an unconcentrated
mind. He discerns a released mind as a released mind, and an unreleased mind as an
unreleased mind.
[8] "He recollects his manifold past lives (lit: previous homes), i.e., one birth,
two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one
thousand, one hundred thousand, many aeons of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic
expansion, many aeons of cosmic contraction & expansion, [recollecting], 'There I had
such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my
experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state,
I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an
appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of
my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.' Thus he remembers his manifold
past lives in their modes & details.
[9] "He sees -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human --
beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior &
superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their
kamma: 'These beings -- who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, & mind, who
reviled the noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of
wrong views -- with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the plane
of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these beings -- who
were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind, who did not revile the noble
ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views --
with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in
the heavenly world.' Thus -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the
human -- he sees beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are
inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance
with their kamma.
[10] "Through the ending of the mental fermentations, he remains in the
fermentation-free release of awareness & release of discernment, having known &
made them manifest for himself right in the here & now.
"These, brahmin, are the ten inspiring qualities expounded by the Blessed One --
the one who knows, the one who sees, worthy & rightly self-awakened. In whoever among
us these ten qualities are found, we now honor, respect, revere, & venerate him;
honoring & respecting him, we live in dependence on him."
When this was said, the brahmin Vassakara, the Magadhan administrator, turned to
General Upananda and said, "What do you think, general? Do these venerable ones honor
what should be honored, respect what should be respected, revere what should be revered,
venerate what should be venerated? Of course they honor what should be honored, respect
what should be respected, revere what should be revered, venerate what should be
venerated. For if they did not honor, respect, revere, or venerate a person like this,
then what sort of person would they honor, respect, revere, & venerate; on what sort
of person, honor & respecting, would they live in dependence?"
Then the brahmin Vassakara, the Magadhan administrator, said to Ven. Ananda, "But
where are you staying now, Master Ananda?"
"I am now staying at the Bamboo Grove, brahmin."
"I trust, Master Ananda, that the Bamboo Grove is delightful, quiet, free of
noise, with an air of isolation, remote from human beings, & appropriate for
retreat."
"Certainly, brahmin, the Bamboo Grove is delightful, quiet, free of noise, with an
air of isolation, remote from human beings, & appropriate for retreat because of
guardians & protectors like yourself."
"Certainly, Master Ananda, the Bamboo Grove is delightful, quiet, free of noise,
with an air of isolation, remote from human beings, & appropriate for retreat because
of venerable ones who are endowed with mental absorption (jhana), who make mental
absorption their habit. You venerable ones are both endowed with mental absorption &
make mental absorption your habit.
"Once, Ven. Ananda, Master Gotama was staying near Vesali in the
Peaked Roofed Pavilion in the Great Wood. I went to him at the Peaked Roofed Pavilion in
the Great Wood, and there he spoke in a variety of ways on mental absorption. Master
Gotama was both endowed with mental absorption & made mental absorption his habit. In
fact, he praised mental absorption of every sort."
"It wasn't the case, brahmin, that the Blessed One praised
mental absorption of every sort, nor did he criticize mental absorption of every sort. And
what sort of mental absorption did he not praise? There is the case where a certain person
dwells with his awareness overcome by sensual passion, obsessed with sensual passion. He
does not discern the escape, as it actually is present, from sensual passion once it has
arisen. Making that sensual passion the focal point, he absorbs himself with it, besorbs,
resorbs, & supersorbs himself with it.
"He dwells with his awareness overcome by ill will...
"He dwells with his awareness overcome by sloth & drowsiness...
"He dwells with his awareness overcome by restlessness & anxiety...
"He dwells with his awareness overcome by uncertainty, obsessed with uncertainty.
He does not discern the escape, as it actually is present, from uncertainty once it has
arisen. Making that uncertainty the focal point, he absorbs himself with it, besorbs,
resorbs, & supersorbs himself with it. This is the sort of mental absorption that the
Blessed One did not praise.
"And what sort of mental absorption did he praise? There is the case where a monk
-- quite withdrawn from sensual pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities --
enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal,
accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. With the stilling of directed thought
& evaluation, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born
of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation --
internal assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, mindful &
fully aware, and physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters & remains in the third
jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable
abiding.' With the abandoning of pleasure & pain -- as with the earlier disappearance
of elation & distress -- he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of
equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This is the sort of mental
absorption that the Blessed One praised.
"It would seem, Ven. Ananda, that Master Gotama criticized the mental absorption
that deserves criticism, and praised that which deserves praise.
"Well, now, Master Ananda, I must be going. Many are my duties, many the things I
must do."
"Then do, brahmin, what you think it is now time to do."
So the brahmin Vassakara, the Magadhan administrator, delighting & rejoicing in
what Ven. Ananda had said, got up from his seat & left.
Then, not long after he had left, Moggallana the Guardsman said to Ven. Ananda,
"Master Ananda, you still haven't answered what I asked you."
"Didn't I just tell you, brahmin? There isn't any one monk endowed in each &
every way with the qualities with which the Blessed One -- worthy & rightly
self-awakened -- was endowed. For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path,
the begetter of the unbegotten path, the expounder of the unexpounded path, the knower of
the path, the expert with regard to the path, adept at the path. And now his disciples
follow the path and become endowed with it after him."