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- Samyutta Nikaya XXII.3
- Haliddakani Sutta
- To Haliddakani
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
I have heard that on one occasion Ven. Maha Kaccana was staying
in Avanti at Osprey's Haunt, on Sheer-face Peak. Then Haliddakani the householder went to him and, on arrival, having
bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to Ven. Maha Kaccana:
"Venerable sir, this was said by the Blessed One in Magandiya's Questions in the Atthaka Vagga:
'Having abandoned home,
living free from society,
the sage
in villages
creates no intimacies.
Rid of sensual passions, free
from yearning,
he wouldn't engage with people
in quarrelsome debate.'
"How is the detailed meaning of this, the Blessed One's brief statement, to be
understood?"
[Ven. Maha Kaccana:] "The property of form, householder, is the home of
consciousness. When consciousness is in bondage through passion to the property of form,
it is said to be living at home. The property of feeling ... perception ... fabrication is
the home of consciousness. When consciousness is in bondage through passion to the
property of fabrication, it is said to be dwelling at home.
"And how does one not live at home? Any desire, passion, delight, craving, any
attachments, clingings, fixations of awareness, biases, or latent tendencies with regard
to the property of form: these the Tathagata has abandoned, their root
destroyed, like an uprooted palm tree, deprived of the conditions of existence, not
destined for future arising. Therefore the Tathagata is said to be not dwelling at home.
"Any desire, passion, delight, craving, any attachments, clingings, fixations of
awareness, biases or latent tendencies with regard to the property of feeling ...
perception ...
"Any desire, passion, delight, craving, any attachments, clingings, fixations of
awareness, biases or latent tendencies with regard to the property of fabrication: these
the Tathagata has abandoned, their root destroyed, like an uprooted palm tree, deprived of
the conditions of existence, not destined for future arising. Therefore the Tathagata is
said to be not dwelling at home.
"And how does one live with society? One who is in bondage to the distraction of
the society of form-impressions is said to be living in society. One who is in bondage to
the distraction of the society of sound-impressions ... aroma-impressions ...
flavor-impressions ... tactile-sensation-impressions ... idea-impressions is said to be
living in society. This is how one lives with society.
"And how does one live free from society? The Tathagata has abandoned bondage to
the distraction of the society of form-impressions, its root destroyed, like an uprooted
palm tree, deprived of the conditions of existence, not destined for future arising.
Therefore the Tathagata is said to be living free from society.
"The Tathagata has abandoned bondage to the distraction of the society of
sound-impressions ... aroma-impressions ... flavor-impressions ...
tactile-sensation-impressions ... idea-impressions, its root destroyed, like an uprooted
palm tree, deprived of the conditions of existence, not destined for future arising.
Therefore the Tathagata is said to be living free from society.
"And how is one intimate in villages? There is the case where a certain person
lives entangled with householders. Delighting together with them, sorrowing together with
them, happy when they are happy, pained when they are pained, he takes on any of their
arisen business affairs as his own duty. This is how one is intimate in villages.
"And how is one not intimate in villages? There is the case where a monk lives
unentangled with householders. Not delighting together with them, not sorrowing together
with them, not happy when they are happy, not pained when they are pained, he does not
take on any of their arisen business affairs as his own duty. This is how one is not
intimate in villages.
"And how is one not rid of sensual passions? There is the case where a certain
person is not free of passion for sensual pleasures, not free of desire, not free of love,
not free of thirst, not free of fever, not free of craving for sensual pleasures. This is
how one is not rid of sensual passions.
"And how is one rid of sensual passions? There is the case where a certain person
is free of passion for sensual pleasures, free of desire, free of love, free of thirst,
free of fever, free of craving for sensual pleasures. This is how one is rid of sensual
passions.
"And how does one have yearnings? There is the case where a certain person thinks,
'May form be like this in the future. May feeling .... May perception .... May fabrication
.... May consciousness be like this in the future.' This is how one has yearnings.
"And how is one free from yearning? There is the case where a certain person does
not think, 'May form be like this in the future. May feeling .... May perception .... May
fabrication .... May consciousness be like this in the future.' This is how one is free
from yearning.
"And how does one engage with people in quarrelsome debate? There is the case
where a certain person is a fomenter of this kind of debate: 'You understand this
doctrine & discipline? I'm the one who understands this doctrine &
discipline. How could you understand this doctrine & discipline? You're practicing
wrongly. I'm practicing rightly. What should be said first you said last. What should be
said last you said first. I'm being consistent. You're not. What you took so long to think
out has been refuted. Your doctrine has been overthrown. You're defeated. Go and try to
salvage your doctrine, or extricate yourself if you can!' This is how one engages with
people in quarrelsome debate.
"And how does one not engage with people in quarrelsome debate? There is the case
where a certain person is not a fomenter of this kind of debate: 'You understand
this doctrine & discipline? I'm the one who understands this doctrine &
discipline. How could you understand this doctrine & discipline? You're practicing
wrongly. I'm practicing rightly. What should be said first you said last. What should be
said last you said first. I'm being consistent. You're not. What you took so long to think
out has been refuted. Your doctrine has been overthrown. You're defeated. Go and try to
salvage your doctrine, or extricate yourself if you can!' This is how one does not engage
with people in quarrelsome debate.
"So, householder, what was said by the Blessed One in Magandiya's Questions in the
Atthaka Vagga:
'Having abandoned home,
living free from society,
the sage
in villages
creates no intimacies.
Rid of sensual passions, free
from yearning,
he wouldn't engage with people
in quarrelsome debate.'
"This is how the detailed meaning of this, the Blessed One's brief statement, is
to be understood."