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SN 14.13PTS SN 2.1531 min read

In the Brick Hall

Giñjakāvasathasutta

When unenlightened people have the view that certain people are Buddhas, this is due to ignorance.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 14.13Linked Discourses 14.13
  • 0.22. DutiyavaggaChapter Two

0.3GiñjakāvasathasuttaIn the Brick Hall

1.1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā ñātike viharati giñjakāvasathe.At one time the Buddha was staying at Ñātika in the brick house.1.2Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:There the Buddha addressed the mendicants,1.3“bhikkhavo”ti.“Mendicants!”

1.4“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.“Venerable sir,” they replied.1.5Bhagavā etadavoca:The Buddha said this:

2.1“Dhātuṁ, bhikkhave, paṭicca uppajjati saññā, uppajjati diṭṭhi, uppajjati vitakko”ti.“Mendicants, an element gives rise to a perception, a view, and a thought.”

2.2Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā kaccāno bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When he said this, Venerable Kaccāna said to the Buddha,12.3“yāyaṁ, bhante, diṭṭhi:“Sir, regarding2.4‘asammāsambuddhesu sammāsambuddhā’ti, ayaṁ nu kho, bhante, diṭṭhi kiṁ paṭicca paññāyatī”ti?those who are not fully awakened Buddhas, there is a view that they are in fact fully awakened Buddhas. Due to what does this view appear?”2

3.1PTS 2.154“Mahati kho esā, kaccāna, dhātu yadidaṁ avijjādhātu.“It’s a mighty thing, Kaccāna, the element of ignorance.3.2Hīnaṁ, kaccāna, dhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati hīnā saññā, hīnā diṭṭhi, hīno vitakko, hīnā cetanā, hīnā patthanā, hīno paṇidhi, hīno puggalo, hīnā vācā;An inferior element gives rise to inferior perception, inferior view, inferior thought, inferior intention, inferior aim, inferior wish, an inferior person, and inferior speech.33.3hīnaṁ ācikkhati deseti paññapeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti;One explains, teaches, asserts, establishes, clarifies, analyzes, and discloses the inferior.3.4hīnā tassa upapattīti vadāmi.I say that their rebirth is inferior.

4.1Majjhimaṁ, kaccāna, dhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati majjhimā saññā, majjhimā diṭṭhi, majjhimo vitakko, majjhimā cetanā, majjhimā patthanā, majjhimo paṇidhi, majjhimo puggalo, majjhimā vācā;A middling element gives rise to middling perception, middling view, middling thought, middling intention, middling aim, middling wish, a middling person, and middling speech.4.2majjhimaṁ ācikkhati deseti paññapeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti;One explains, teaches, asserts, establishes, clarifies, analyzes, and discloses the middling.4.3majjhimā tassa upapattīti vadāmi.I say that their rebirth is middling.

5.1Paṇītaṁ, kaccāna, dhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati paṇītā saññā, paṇītā diṭṭhi, paṇīto vitakko, paṇītā cetanā, paṇītā patthanā, paṇīto paṇidhi, paṇīto puggalo, paṇītā vācā;A superior element gives rise to superior perception, superior view, superior thought, superior intention, superior aim, superior wish, a superior person, and superior speech.5.2paṇītaṁ ācikkhati deseti paññapeti paṭṭhapeti vivarati vibhajati uttānīkaroti;One explains, teaches, asserts, establishes, clarifies, analyzes, and discloses the superior.5.3paṇītā tassa upapattīti vadāmī”ti.I say that their rebirth is superior.”

5.4Tatiyaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. The identity of this monk is uncertain. Most manuscripts, and the commentary, simply have Kaccāna here, which is probably not “Kaccāna the Great”. Some manuscripts add a personal name, Saddha or Sandha, while the Chinese parallel at SA 457 has 婆迦利, evidently for Vakkali. He may be the Sabhiya Kaccāna who appears in the same location at SN 44.11.

    ↩ sn14.13:2.2
  2. The problem of false enlightened ones is discussed at DN 29:4.1, DN 33:1.6.5, MN 11:13.6, MN 49:30.9, MN 104:2.5, and SN 55.25:10.4.

    ↩ sn14.13:2.4
  3. The appearance of “person” here anticipates the analysis of different kinds of person in the following discourses through to SN 14.29.

    ↩ sn14.13:3.2