Skip to content
True DhammaLibrary · Community
SN 21.9PTS SN 2.2811 min read

With Tissa

Tissasutta

Venerable Tissa admonished others but got upset when he was admonished. The Buddha encourages him to let go of his anger.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 21.9Linked Discourses 21.9
  • 0.21. Bhikkhuvagga1. Monks

0.3TissasuttaWith Tissa

1.1PTS 2.282Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.At Sāvatthī.

1.2Atha kho āyasmā tisso bhagavato pitucchāputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi dukkhī dummano assūni pavattayamāno. Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ tissaṁ etadavoca:Then Venerable Tissa—the Buddha’s cousin on his father’s side—went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. He was miserable and sad, with tears flowing. Then the Buddha said to him:1

1.3“kiṁ nu kho tvaṁ, tissa, ekamantaṁ nisinno dukkhī dummano assūni pavattayamāno”ti?“Tissa, why are you sitting there so miserable and sad, with tears flowing?”

1.4“Tathā hi pana maṁ, bhante, bhikkhū samantā vācāyasannitodakena sañjambharimakaṁsū”ti.“Sir, it’s because the mendicants beset me on all sides with sneering and jeering.”

1.5“Tathāhi pana tvaṁ, tissa, vattā no ca vacanakkhamo;“That’s because you admonish others, but don’t accept admonition yourself.21.6na kho te taṁ, tissa, patirūpaṁ kulaputtassa saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitassa, yaṁ tvaṁ vattā no ca vacanakkhamo.As a gentleman who has gone forth out of faith from the lay life to homelessness, it’s not appropriate for you to admonish others without accepting admonition yourself.1.7Etaṁ kho te, tissa, patirūpaṁ kulaputtassa saddhā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitassa:It’s appropriate for you to1.8‘yaṁ tvaṁ vattā ca assa vacanakkhamo cā’”ti.admonish others and accept admonition yourself.”

2.1Idamavoca bhagavā.That is what the Buddha said.2.2Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

3.1“Kiṁ nu kujjhasi mā kujjhi,“Why are you angry? Don’t be angry!3.2Akkodho tissa te varaṁ;It’s better to not be angry, Tissa.3.3Kodhamānamakkhavinayatthañhi,For this spiritual life is lived3.4Tissa brahmacariyaṁ vussatī”ti.in order to remove anger, conceit, and denigration.”

3.5Navamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Tissa’s further struggles are at SN 22.84. He is maintaining the tradition of the Buddha’s family members causing issues: Devadatta, Nanda, Upananda, Mahāpajāpati, Daṇḍapāṇi, Channa.

    ↩ sn21.9:1.2
  2. This misconduct is addressed in the Vinaya with Bu Ss 12.

    ↩ sn21.9:1.5