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MN 18PTS MN 1.1088 min read

The Honey-Cake

Madhupiṇḍikasutta

Challenged by a brahmin, the Buddha gives an enigmatic response on how conflict arises due to proliferation based on perceptions. Venerable Kaccāna draws out the detailed implications of this in one of the most insightful passages in the entire canon.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Majjhima Nikāya 18Middle Discourses 18

0.2MadhupiṇḍikasuttaThe Honey-Cake

1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.11.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakkesu viharati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme.At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery.2

2.1Atha kho bhagavā pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya kapilavatthuṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi.Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Kapilavatthu for alms.32.2Kapilavatthusmiṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto yena mahāvanaṁ tenupasaṅkami divāvihārāya.He wandered for alms in Kapilavatthu. After the meal, on his return from almsround, he went to the Great Wood for the day’s meditation,42.3Mahāvanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā beluvalaṭṭhikāya mūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdi.plunged deep into it, and sat at the root of a young wood-apple tree to meditate.

3.1Daṇḍapāṇipi kho sakko jaṅghāvihāraṁ anucaṅkamamāno anuvicaramāno yena mahāvanaṁ tenupasaṅkami.Daṇḍapāṇi the Sakyan, while going for a walk,53.2Mahāvanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā yena beluvalaṭṭhikā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi.plunged deep into the Great Wood. He approached the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him.3.3Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā daṇḍamolubbha ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho daṇḍapāṇi sakko bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he stood to one side leaning on his staff, and said to the Buddha,3.4“kiṁvādī samaṇo kimakkhāyī”ti?“What is the ascetic’s doctrine? What does he assert?”6

4.1“Yathāvādī kho, āvuso, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya na kenaci loke viggayha tiṭṭhati, yathā ca pana kāmehi visaṁyuttaṁ viharantaṁ taṁ brāhmaṇaṁ akathaṅkathiṁ chinnakukkuccaṁ bhavābhave vītataṇhaṁ saññā nānusenti—“Respectable sir, my doctrine is such that one does not argue with anyone in this world with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans. And it is such that perceptions do not underlie the brahmin who lives detached from sensual pleasures, without indecision, stripped of worry, and rid of craving for rebirth in this or that state.74.2evaṁvādī kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evamakkhāyī”ti.That is my doctrine, and that is what I assert.”

5.1PTS 1.109Evaṁ vutte, daṇḍapāṇi sakko sīsaṁ okampetvā, jivhaṁ nillāḷetvā, tivisākhaṁ nalāṭikaṁ nalāṭe vuṭṭhāpetvā daṇḍamolubbha pakkāmi.When he had spoken, Daṇḍapāṇi shook his head, waggled his tongue, raised his eyebrows until his brow puckered in three furrows, and left leaning on his staff.8

6.1Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena nigrodhārāmo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi.Then in the late afternoon, the Buddha came out of retreat and went to the Banyan Tree Monastery, sat down on the seat spread out,6.2Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:and told the mendicants what had happened.6.3“idhāhaṁ, bhikkhave, pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya kapilavatthuṁ piṇḍāya pāvisiṁ.6.4Kapilavatthusmiṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto yena mahāvanaṁ tenupasaṅkamiṁ divāvihārāya.6.5Mahāvanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā beluvalaṭṭhikāya mūle divāvihāraṁ nisīdiṁ.6.6Daṇḍapāṇipi kho, bhikkhave, sakko jaṅghāvihāraṁ anucaṅkamamāno anuvicaramāno yena mahāvanaṁ tenupasaṅkami.6.7Mahāvanaṁ ajjhogāhetvā yena beluvalaṭṭhikā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā mayā saddhiṁ sammodi.6.8Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā daṇḍamolubbha ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho, bhikkhave, daṇḍapāṇi sakko maṁ etadavoca:6.9‘kiṁvādī samaṇo kimakkhāyī’ti?

6.10Evaṁ vutte, ahaṁ, bhikkhave, daṇḍapāṇiṁ sakkaṁ etadavocaṁ:6.11‘yathāvādī kho, āvuso, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya na kenaci loke viggayha tiṭṭhati, yathā ca pana kāmehi visaṁyuttaṁ viharantaṁ taṁ brāhmaṇaṁ akathaṅkathiṁ chinnakukkuccaṁ bhavābhave vītataṇhaṁ saññā nānusenti—6.12evaṁvādī kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evamakkhāyī’ti.6.13Evaṁ vutte, bhikkhave, daṇḍapāṇi sakko sīsaṁ okampetvā, jivhaṁ nillāḷetvā, tivisākhaṁ nalāṭikaṁ nalāṭe vuṭṭhāpetvā daṇḍamolubbha pakkāmī”ti.

6.14PTS 1.110Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When he had spoken, one of the mendicants said to him,7.1“kiṁvādī pana, bhante, bhagavā sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya na kenaci loke viggayha tiṭṭhati?“But sir, asserting what doctrine does the Buddha not argue with anyone in this world with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans?97.2Kathañca pana, bhante, bhagavantaṁ kāmehi visaṁyuttaṁ viharantaṁ taṁ brāhmaṇaṁ akathaṅkathiṁ chinnakukkuccaṁ bhavābhave vītataṇhaṁ saññā nānusentī”ti?And how is it that perceptions do not underlie the Buddha, the brahmin who lives detached from sensual pleasures, without indecision, stripped of worry, and rid of craving for rebirth in this or that state?”10

8.1“Yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti.“Mendicant, judgments driven by proliferating perceptions beset a person.118.2Ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ.If they don’t find anything worth approving, welcoming, or getting attached to in the source from which these arise,128.3Esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ, esevanto paṭighānusayānaṁ, esevanto diṭṭhānusayānaṁ, esevanto vicikicchānusayānaṁ, esevanto mānānusayānaṁ, esevanto bhavarāgānusayānaṁ, esevanto avijjānusayānaṁ, esevanto daṇḍādānasatthādānakalahaviggahavivādatuvaṁtuvaṁpesuññamusāvādānaṁ.just this is the end of the underlying tendencies to desire, aversion, views, doubt, conceit, the desire for continued existence, and ignorance. This is the end of taking up the rod and the sword, the end of quarrels, arguments, and disputes, of accusations, backbiting, and lies.138.4Etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī”ti.This is where these bad, unskillful qualities cease without remainder.”14

9.1Idamavoca bhagavā.That is what the Buddha said.9.2Idaṁ vatvāna sugato uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ pāvisi.When he had spoken, the Holy One rose from his seat and entered his dwelling.15

10.1Atha kho tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ acirapakkantassa bhagavato etadahosi:Soon after the Buddha left, those mendicants considered,10.2“idaṁ kho no, āvuso, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā, vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā, uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:“The Buddha gave this brief summary recital, then entered his dwelling without explaining the meaning in detail.10.3‘yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti.10.4Ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ.10.5Esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ …pe…10.6etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī’ti.10.7Ko nu kho imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajeyyā”ti?Who can explain in detail the meaning of this brief summary recital given by the Buddha?”

10.8Atha kho tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ etadahosi:Then those mendicants thought,10.9“ayaṁ kho āyasmā mahākaccāno satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ.“This Venerable Mahākaccāna is praised by the Buddha and esteemed by his sensible spiritual companions.1610.10Pahoti cāyasmā mahākaccāno imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajituṁ.He is capable of explaining in detail the meaning of this brief summary recital given by the Buddha.10.11Yannūna mayaṁ yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkameyyāma; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyāmā”ti.Let’s go to him, and ask him about this matter.”

11.1PTS 1.111Atha kho te bhikkhū yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā mahākaccānena saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu.Then those mendicants went to Mahākaccāna, and exchanged greetings with him.11.2Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etadavocuṁ:When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side. They told him what had happened, and said:11.3“idaṁ kho no, āvuso kaccāna, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:11.4‘yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti.11.5Ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ.11.6Esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ …pe…11.7etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī’ti.11.8Tesaṁ no, āvuso kaccāna, amhākaṁ acirapakkantassa bhagavato etadahosi:11.9‘idaṁ kho no, āvuso, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:11.10“yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti.11.11Ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ.11.12Esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ …pe…11.13etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī”’ti.11.14Ko nu kho imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajeyyāti?11.15Tesaṁ no, āvuso kaccāna, amhākaṁ etadahosi:11.16‘ayaṁ kho āyasmā mahākaccāno satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ, pahoti cāyasmā mahākaccāno imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajituṁ.11.17Yannūna mayaṁ yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkameyyāma; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyāmā’ti.11.18Vibhajatāyasmā mahākaccāno”ti.“May Venerable Mahākaccāna please explain this.”

12.1“Seyyathāpi, āvuso, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno mahato rukkhassa tiṭṭhato sāravato atikkammeva mūlaṁ, atikkamma khandhaṁ, sākhāpalāse sāraṁ pariyesitabbaṁ maññeyya;“Reverends, suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. And while wandering in search of heartwood he’d come across a large tree standing with heartwood. But he’d pass over the roots and trunk, imagining that the heartwood should be sought in the branches and leaves.12.2evaṁsampadamidaṁ āyasmantānaṁ satthari sammukhībhūte, taṁ bhagavantaṁ atisitvā, amhe etamatthaṁ paṭipucchitabbaṁ maññatha.Such is the consequence for the venerables. Though you were face to face with the Buddha, you bypassed him, imagining that you should ask me about this matter.12.3So hāvuso, bhagavā jānaṁ jānāti, passaṁ passati, cakkhubhūto ñāṇabhūto dhammabhūto brahmabhūto, vattā pavattā, atthassa ninnetā, amatassa dātā, dhammassāmī tathāgato.For he is the Buddha, the one who knows and sees. He is vision, he is knowledge, he is the manifestation of principle, he is the manifestation of divinity. He is the preacher, the proclaimer, the elucidator of meaning, the bestower of freedom from death, the lord of truth, the Realized One.12.4So ceva panetassa kālo ahosi, yaṁ bhagavantaṁyeva etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyātha.That was the time to approach the Buddha and ask about this matter.12.5Yathā vo bhagavā byākareyya tathā naṁ dhāreyyāthā”ti.You should have remembered it in line with the Buddha’s answer.”

13.1“Addhāvuso kaccāna, bhagavā jānaṁ jānāti, passaṁ passati, cakkhubhūto ñāṇabhūto dhammabhūto brahmabhūto, vattā pavattā, atthassa ninnetā, amatassa dātā, dhammassāmī tathāgato.“Certainly he is the Buddha, the one who knows and sees. He is vision, he is knowledge, he is the manifestation of principle, he is the manifestation of divinity. He is the preacher, the proclaimer, the elucidator of meaning, the bestower of freedom from death, the lord of truth, the Realized One.13.2So ceva panetassa kālo ahosi, yaṁ bhagavantaṁyeva etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyāma.That was the time to approach the Buddha and ask about this matter.13.3Yathā no bhagavā byākareyya tathā naṁ dhāreyyāma.We should have remembered it in line with the Buddha’s answer.13.4Api cāyasmā mahākaccāno satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ,Still, Mahākaccāna is praised by the Buddha and esteemed by his sensible spiritual companions.13.5pahoti cāyasmā mahākaccāno imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajituṁ.You are capable of explaining in detail the meaning of this brief summary recital given by the Buddha.13.6Vibhajatāyasmā mahākaccāno agaruṁ katvā”ti.Please explain this, if it’s no trouble.”

14.1“Tena hāvuso, suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasikarotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.“Well then, reverends, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”

14.2“Evamāvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahākaccānassa paccassosuṁ.“Yes, reverend,” they replied.14.3Āyasmā mahākaccāno etadavoca:Venerable Mahākaccāna said this:

15.1“Yaṁ kho no, āvuso, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:“Reverends, the Buddha gave this brief summary recital, then entered his dwelling without explaining the meaning in detail:1715.2‘yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti.‘Judgments driven by proliferating perceptions beset a person.15.3Ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ, esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ …pe…If they don’t find anything worth approving, welcoming, or getting attached to in the source from which these arise,15.4etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī’ti, imassa kho ahaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa evaṁ vitthārena atthaṁ ājānāmi—just this is the end of the underlying tendencies to desire, repulsion, views, doubt, conceit, the desire to be reborn, and ignorance. This is the end of taking up the rod and the sword, the end of quarrels, arguments, and disputes, of accusations, backbiting, and lies. This is where these bad, unskillful qualities cease without remainder.’ This is how I understand the detailed meaning of this summary recital.

16.1PTS 1.112Cakkhuñcāvuso, paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjati cakkhuviññāṇaṁ, tiṇṇaṁ saṅgati phasso, phassapaccayā vedanā, yaṁ vedeti taṁ sañjānāti, yaṁ sañjānāti taṁ vitakketi, yaṁ vitakketi taṁ papañceti, yaṁ papañceti tatonidānaṁ purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti atītānāgatapaccuppannesu cakkhuviññeyyesu rūpesu.Eye consciousness arises dependent on the eye and sights. The meeting of the three is contact. Contact is a requirement for feeling. What you feel, you perceive. What you perceive, you think about. What you think about, you proliferate. What you proliferate is the source from which judgments driven by proliferating perceptions beset a person. This occurs with respect to sights known by the eye in the past, future, and present.18

16.2Sotañcāvuso, paṭicca sadde ca uppajjati sotaviññāṇaṁ …pe…Ear consciousness arises dependent on the ear and sounds. …

16.3ghānañcāvuso, paṭicca gandhe ca uppajjati ghānaviññāṇaṁ …pe…Nose consciousness arises dependent on the nose and smells. …

16.4jivhañcāvuso, paṭicca rase ca uppajjati jivhāviññāṇaṁ …pe…Tongue consciousness arises dependent on the tongue and tastes. …

16.5kāyañcāvuso, paṭicca phoṭṭhabbe ca uppajjati kāyaviññāṇaṁ …pe…Body consciousness arises dependent on the body and touches. …

16.6manañcāvuso, paṭicca dhamme ca uppajjati manoviññāṇaṁ, tiṇṇaṁ saṅgati phasso, phassapaccayā vedanā, yaṁ vedeti taṁ sañjānāti, yaṁ sañjānāti taṁ vitakketi, yaṁ vitakketi taṁ papañceti, yaṁ papañceti tatonidānaṁ purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti atītānāgatapaccuppannesu manoviññeyyesu dhammesu.Mind consciousness arises dependent on the mind and ideas. The meeting of the three is contact. Contact is a requirement for feeling. What you feel, you perceive. What you perceive, you think about. What you think about, you proliferate. What you proliferate is the source from which judgments driven by proliferating perceptions beset a person. This occurs with respect to ideas known by the mind in the past, future, and present.19

17.1So vatāvuso, cakkhusmiṁ sati rūpe sati cakkhuviññāṇe sati phassapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is the eye, sights, and eye consciousness, it will be possible to discover evidence of contact.2017.2Phassapaññattiyā sati vedanāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of contact, it will be possible to discover evidence of feeling.17.3Vedanāpaññattiyā sati saññāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of feeling, it will be possible to discover evidence of perception.17.4Saññāpaññattiyā sati vitakkapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of perception, it will be possible to discover evidence of thought.17.5Vitakkapaññattiyā sati papañcasaññāsaṅkhāsamudācaraṇapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of thought, it will be possible to discover evidence of being beset by judgments driven by proliferating perceptions.

17.6So vatāvuso, sotasmiṁ sati sadde sati …pe…Where there is the ear …17.7ghānasmiṁ sati gandhe sati …pe…nose …17.8jivhāya sati rase sati …pe…tongue …17.9kāyasmiṁ sati phoṭṭhabbe sati …pe…body …17.10manasmiṁ sati dhamme sati manoviññāṇe sati phassapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.mind, ideas, and mind consciousness, it will be possible to discover evidence of contact.17.11Phassapaññattiyā sati vedanāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of contact, it will be possible to discover evidence of feeling.17.12Vedanāpaññattiyā sati saññāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of feeling, it will be possible to discover evidence of perception.17.13Saññāpaññattiyā sati vitakkapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of perception, it will be possible to discover evidence of thinking.17.14Vitakkapaññattiyā sati papañcasaññāsaṅkhāsamudācaraṇapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.Where there is evidence of thinking, it will be possible to discover evidence of being beset by judgments driven by proliferating perceptions.

18.1So vatāvuso, cakkhusmiṁ asati rūpe asati cakkhuviññāṇe asati phassapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no eye, no sights, and no eye consciousness, it will not be possible to discover evidence of contact.18.2Phassapaññattiyā asati vedanāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of contact, it will not be possible to discover evidence of feeling.18.3Vedanāpaññattiyā asati saññāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of feeling, it will not be possible to discover evidence of perception.18.4Saññāpaññattiyā asati vitakkapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of perception, it will not be possible to discover evidence of thinking.18.5Vitakkapaññattiyā asati papañcasaññāsaṅkhāsamudācaraṇapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of thinking, it will not be possible to discover evidence of being beset by judgments driven by proliferating perceptions.

18.6So vatāvuso, sotasmiṁ asati sadde asati …pe…Where there is no ear …18.7ghānasmiṁ asati gandhe asati …pe…no nose …18.8jivhāya asati rase asati …pe…no tongue …18.9kāyasmiṁ asati phoṭṭhabbe asati …pe…no body …18.10manasmiṁ asati dhamme asati manoviññāṇe asati phassapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.no mind, no ideas, and no mind consciousness, it will not be possible to discover evidence of contact.18.11Phassapaññattiyā asati vedanāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of contact, it will not be possible to discover evidence of feeling.18.12Vedanāpaññattiyā asati saññāpaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of feeling, it will not be possible to discover evidence of perception.18.13Saññāpaññattiyā asati vitakkapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of perception, it will not be possible to discover evidence of thinking.18.14Vitakkapaññattiyā asati papañcasaññāsaṅkhāsamudācaraṇapaññattiṁ paññāpessatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.Where there is no evidence of thinking, it will not be possible to discover evidence of being beset by judgments driven by proliferating perceptions.

19.1PTS 1.113Yaṁ kho no, āvuso, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:This is how I understand the detailed meaning of that brief summary recital given by the Buddha.19.2‘yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ …pe…19.3etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī’ti, imassa kho ahaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa evaṁ vitthārena atthaṁ ājānāmi.19.4Ākaṅkhamānā ca pana tumhe āyasmanto bhagavantaṁyeva upasaṅkamitvā etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyātha.If you wish, you may go to the Buddha and ask him about this.19.5Yathā vo bhagavā byākaroti tathā naṁ dhāreyyāthā”ti.You should remember it in line with the Buddha’s answer.”

20.1Atha kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahākaccānassa bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:Then those mendicants, approving and agreeing with what Mahākaccāna said, rose from their seats and went to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened, adding:20.2“yaṁ kho no, bhante, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:20.3‘yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti.20.4Ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ.20.5Esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ …pe…20.6etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī’ti.20.7Tesaṁ no, bhante, amhākaṁ acirapakkantassa bhagavato etadahosi:20.8‘idaṁ kho no, āvuso, bhagavā saṅkhittena uddesaṁ uddisitvā vitthārena atthaṁ avibhajitvā uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ paviṭṭho:20.9“yatonidānaṁ, bhikkhu, purisaṁ papañcasaññāsaṅkhā samudācaranti.20.10Ettha ce natthi abhinanditabbaṁ abhivaditabbaṁ ajjhositabbaṁ.20.11Esevanto rāgānusayānaṁ, esevanto paṭighānusayānaṁ, esevanto diṭṭhānusayānaṁ, esevanto vicikicchānusayānaṁ, esevanto mānānusayānaṁ, esevanto bhavarāgānusayānaṁ, esevanto avijjānusayānaṁ, esevanto daṇḍādānasatthādānakalahaviggahavivādatuvaṁtuvaṁpesuññamusāvādānaṁ.20.12Etthete pāpakā akusalā dhammā aparisesā nirujjhantī”ti.20.13Ko nu kho imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajeyyā’ti?20.14Tesaṁ no, bhante, amhākaṁ etadahosi:20.15PTS 1.114‘ayaṁ kho āyasmā mahākaccāno satthu ceva saṁvaṇṇito sambhāvito ca viññūnaṁ sabrahmacārīnaṁ, pahoti cāyasmā mahākaccāno imassa bhagavatā saṅkhittena uddesassa uddiṭṭhassa vitthārena atthaṁ avibhattassa vitthārena atthaṁ vibhajituṁ, yannūna mayaṁ yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkameyyāma; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyāmā’ti.20.16Atha kho mayaṁ, bhante, yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkamimha; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etamatthaṁ paṭipucchimha.20.17Tesaṁ no, bhante, āyasmatā mahākaccānena imehi ākārehi imehi padehi imehi byañjanehi attho vibhatto”ti.“Mahākaccāna clearly explained the meaning to us in this manner, with these words and phrases.”

21.1“Paṇḍito, bhikkhave, mahākaccāno; mahāpañño, bhikkhave, mahākaccāno.“Mahākaccāna is astute, mendicants, he has great wisdom.21.2Mañcepi tumhe, bhikkhave, etamatthaṁ paṭipuccheyyātha, ahampi taṁ evamevaṁ byākareyyaṁ yathā taṁ mahākaccānena byākataṁ.If you came to me and asked this question, I would answer it in exactly the same way as Mahākaccāna.21.3Eso cevetassa attho. Evañca naṁ dhārethā”ti.That is what it means, and that’s how you should remember it.”

22.1Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When he said this, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha,22.2“seyyathāpi, bhante, puriso jighacchādubbalyapareto madhupiṇḍikaṁ adhigaccheyya, so yato yato sāyeyya, labhetheva sādurasaṁ asecanakaṁ.“Sir, suppose a person who was weak with hunger was to obtain a honey-cake. Wherever they taste it, they would enjoy a sweet, delectable flavor.21

22.3Evameva kho, bhante, cetaso bhikkhu dabbajātiko, yato yato imassa dhammapariyāyassa paññāya atthaṁ upaparikkheyya, labhetheva attamanataṁ, labhetheva cetaso pasādaṁ.In the same way, wherever a sincere, proficient mendicant might examine with wisdom the meaning of this exposition of the teaching they would only gain joy and clarity.22.4Ko nāmo ayaṁ, bhante, dhammapariyāyo”ti?Sir, what is the name of this exposition of the teaching?”

22.5“Tasmātiha tvaṁ, ānanda, imaṁ dhammapariyāyaṁ madhupiṇḍikapariyāyotveva naṁ dhārehī”ti.“Well then, Ānanda, you may remember this exposition of the teaching as ‘The Honey-Cake Discourse’.”

22.6Idamavoca bhagavā.That is what the Buddha said.22.7Attamano āyasmā ānando bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandīti.Satisfied, Venerable Ānanda approved what the Buddha said.

22.8Madhupiṇḍikasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ aṭṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. This is one of the most famous discourses in studies of early Buddhism, largely due to the ground-breaking analysis by Venerable Kaṭukurunde Ñāṇananda in his 1971 monograph Concept and Reality in Early Buddhist Thought, which established the meaning of papañca as “conceptual proliferation”.

    It is the first of the “thought trilogy”, a series of discourses that deal with the activity of thinking in meditation (also MN 19, MN 20).

    ↩ mn18:1.1
  2. The Banyan Tree Monastery (nigrodhārāma) was the normal residence for the Buddha and his disciples in the Sakyan republic. It was named, according to northern traditions, after the banyan trees that grew there, while the Pali commentaries say it was named after a Sakyan called Nigrodha who donated it. The two stories are not incompatible, as the owner could have been known by his most famous attribute, his banyan grove. It has been identified by stupas located next to the village Kudan, just north of the India-Nepal border.

    ↩ mn18:1.2
  3. It would have been about thirty minutes walk to Kapilavatthu.

    ↩ mn18:2.1
  4. The Great Wood (mahāvana) was a favorite meditation place of the Buddha. The commentaries say it was a stretch of wilderness that reached as far as the Himalayas on one side (200 km) and the ocean on the other (1000 km). Later tradition says that a town should have three woods: a “great wood” for wilderness (mahāvana); a “prosperity wood” for resources (sirivana); and an “ascetic wood” for spiritual practice (tapovana).

    ↩ mn18:2.2
  5. Daṇḍapāṇi was said to be the brother of the Buddha’s birth mother Māyā and foster mother Mahāpajāpatī (Mahāvaṁsa 2.19), or else the father of the Buddha’s former wife Yasodharā (or Gopā, Lalitavistara 12.15). Both could be true, making Siddhattha’s wife his cousin. Reading between the lines, it seems Daṇḍapāṇi nursed a grudge against the Buddha. This would be understandable if Siddhattha’s birth resulted in the death of one of Daṇḍapāṇi’s sisters, while the other sister was left distraught when he went forth; and even more so if he abandoned Daṇḍapāṇi’s daughter with their newborn son.

    ↩ mn18:3.1
  6. There is a minor Vinaya training against teaching anyone with “a staff in their hand” (daṇḍapāṇi, Bu Sk 58:1.3.1). This was evidently laid down because a staff could be used as a weapon, and hence was associated with royal authority or with policing and the exercise of violence. In a vision interpreted at Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 11.6.1.13, a man with staff in hand is identified with wrath (krodha).

    ↩ mn18:3.4
  7. In the face of Daṇḍapāṇi’s evidently hostile attitude, the Buddha addresses his uncle with the respectful āvuso (“sir”), and emphasizes non-conflict in line with his claim that, “I do not argue with the world; it is the world that argues with me” (SN 22.94).

    The expression “perceptions do not underlie” (saññā nānusenti) is unique to this context and must pertain to the highly-charged relation between the Buddha and Daṇḍapāṇi. “Perception” is that mode of knowing that interprets the present in terms of the past, and hence it might sometimes be translated as “recognition”. The Buddha, by asserting he is no longer bound by past perceptions, is hinting that this is how Daṇḍapāṇi can get over his grudge.

    ↩ mn18:4.1
  8. While the Buddha succeeding in deescalating possible conflict, clearly the teaching did not have the desired effect, at least right away.

    Māra responds in the same way at SN 4.21:1.12.

    ↩ mn18:5.1
  9. The “Buddha” (bhagavā) is the subject and object respectively of this sentence and the next, a detail not always captured in translations.

    ↩ mn18:7.1
  10. The following passage, with its longer explanation below, is one of the most dense and enigmatic statements in the suttas. I shall explain the terms as they occur, and draw out the structure of the argument as it is revealed.

    ↩ mn18:7.2
  11. “Judgment” (saṅkhā) is the way we “appraise” or “assess” ourselves, especially in relation to others (cf. MN 1:3.3, DN 1:1.3.2).

    “Proliferation” (papañca) is the compulsion of the mind to spread out in endless inner commentary that hides reality.

    “Beset” (samudācaranti) conveys the sense that the person is overwhelmed and swamped, no longer the agent of their existence.

    A “person” (purisa) is the conventional sense of self that arises from desire and identification.

    ↩ mn18:8.1
  12. Ettha (“regarding that”) refers back to yatonidānaṁ (“the source from which”) in the previous line. This “source” has not yet been identified.

    ↩ mn18:8.2
  13. Here the Buddha uses “underlying tendencies” (anusaya) for the normal set of seven, implying that these are meant by “perceptions” in the phrase “perceptions do not underlie the brahmin” at MN 18:4.1.

    He identifies the doctrine that leads to peace as the ending of these tendencies that create proliferation and judgment about the supposed “person”.

    ↩ mn18:8.3
  14. By this the Buddha indicates arahantship.

    ↩ mn18:8.4
  15. While the Buddha usually took pains to make his teaching explicit, he sometimes left his students with puzzling or enigmatic statements as a way of encouraging them to figure them out for themselves.

    ↩ mn18:9.2
  16. Mahākaccāna was one of the great disciples, whose teachings specially emphasized the incisive analysis of consciousness through the lens of the six senses. He was said to be the most skilled at given detailed explanations of brief teachings (AN 1.197), a skill he displayed also at MN 133, MN 138, and AN 10.172. Later he was to settle to the southwest in Avanti, where he established the Dhamma in the region.

    ↩ mn18:10.9
  17. “Passage for recitation” is uddesa, which is used for a short passage to be memorized verbatim, to which is then attached a longer analysis.

    ↩ mn18:15.1
  18. In this passage, Mahākaccāna deftly unfolds the meaning inside the syntax. For consciousness, contact, and feeling, he repeats the standard analysis of sense experience linked to dependent origination (SN 12.43), where each item, expressed as a noun, leads to the next like falling dominoes. Pivoting on feeling (cp. SN 12.43:4.5, DN 15:18.6), he switches to verbs; feeling exerts a force that motivates desire, even though desire itself is left unstated here. In the Pali, the subject of the verbs is implicit, assuming an agent who is feeling, perceiving, thinking, and proliferating. But with proliferating, the syntax changes again. The agent is fully manifest as the “person” who, tragically, is no longer the subject in control of the process, but the hapless object of the swarm of judgments that beset them. It is at this point that time is introduced, as the concept of the “person” binds the mind to suffering in the three periods of time. If we relate this to the origin story, Daṇḍapāṇi has become the “person” he is, full of bitterness and resentment, because of his chronic ruminations on perceived injustices of the past.

    Mahākaccāna identifies the “source” left undefined in the Buddha’s statement with proliferation itself.

    This passage also clarifies the grammatical relationship between the main terms: perception leads to proliferation and proliferation results in judgments.

    ↩ mn18:16.1
  19. Here, rather unsatisfactorily, “ideas” renders dhammā. Dhamma in the sense of “what is known by the mind rather than the senses” doesn’t readily map on to a common concept in English. Attempts include “mind objects”, which introduces the Abhidhammic idea of “object” to the suttas, where it is entirely absent; or “(mental) phenomena”, which doesn’t really fit the common meaning of “phenomena” as being what is perceptible by the senses. Etymologically, the correct word would be “noumena”, but this is used only as a technical term in Kantian philosophy where it has a rather different sense. Ñāṇamoḷi’s “idea” might be the least bad option, in the sense of a thought, concept, sensation, or image present in consciousness.

    ↩ mn18:16.6
  20. I take this passage as an encouragement to meditators who may be intimidated by the complex analysis that preceded. Mahākaccāna is assuring his audience that if they can see the fundamentals of sense experience, the rest of the process “will make itself known” (paññāpessati).

    I render the repetitive phrase phassapaññattiṁ paññāpessati idiomatically as “will discover evidence of contact”, but more literally it might be “the making known of contact will make itself known”.

    ↩ mn18:17.1
  21. This simile is also used for the Buddha’s teachings at AN 5.194:4.1.

    ↩ mn18:22.2