Tipitaka » Sutta
Pitaka » Samyutta Nikaya » Context
of this sutta
- Samyutta Nikaya XLII.2
- Talaputa Sutta
- To Talaputa the Actor
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha in the
Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel's Sanctuary.
Then Talaputa, the head of an acting troupe, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival,
having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed
One: "Venerable sir, I have heard that it has been passed down by the ancient
teaching lineage of actors that 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a festival,
makes people laugh & gives them delight with his imitation of reality, then with the
breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the laughing devas.' What
does the Blessed One have to say about that?"
"Enough, headman, put that aside. Don't ask me that."
A second time...A third time Talaputa, the head of an acting troupe, said:
"Venerable sir, I have heard that it has been passed down by the ancient teaching
lineage of actors that 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a festival, makes
people laugh & gives them delight with his imitation of reality, then with the breakup
of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the laughing devas.' What does
the Blessed One have to say about that?"
"Apparently, headman, I haven't been able to get past you by saying, 'Enough,
headman, put that aside. Don't ask me that.' So I will simply answer you. Any beings who
are not devoid of passion to begin with, who are bound by the bond of passion, focus with
even more passion on things inspiring passion presented by an actor on stage in the midst
of a festival. Any beings who are not devoid of aversion to begin with, who are bound by
the bond of aversion, focus with even more aversion on things inspiring aversion presented
by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival. Any beings who are not devoid of delusion
to begin with, who are bound by the bond of delusion, focus with even more delusion on
things inspiring delusion presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival. Thus
the actor -- himself intoxicated & heedless, having made others intoxicated &
heedless -- with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in what is called the
hell of laughter. But if he holds such a view as this: 'When an actor on the stage, in the
midst of a festival, makes people laugh & gives them delight with his imitation of
reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of
the laughing devas,' that is his wrong view. Now, there are two destinations for a person
with wrong view, I tell you: either hell or the animal womb."
When this was said, Talaputa, the head of an acting troupe, sobbed & burst into
tears. [The Blessed One said:] "That is what I couldn't get past you by saying,
'Enough, headman, put that aside. Don't ask me that.'"
"I'm not crying, venerable sir, because of what the Blessed One said to me, but
simply because I have been deceived, cheated, & fooled for a long time by that ancient
teaching lineage of actors who said: 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a
festival, makes people laugh & gives them delight with his imitation of reality, then
with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the laughing
devas.'
"Magnificent, venerable sir! Magnificent! Just as if he were
to place upright what had been overturned, were to reveal what was hidden, were to show
the way to one who was lost, or were to hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes
could see forms, in the same way the Blessed One has -- through many lines of reasoning --
made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the
Community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him
for refuge, from this day forward, for life."