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SN 35.89PTS SN 4.632 min read

With Bāhiya

Bāhiyasutta

Venerable Bāhiya asks for a teaching to take on retreat. The Buddha teaches him that the senses are impermanent, etc.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.89Linked Discourses 35.89
  • 0.29. Channavagga9. With Channa

0.3BāhiyasuttaWith Bāhiya

1.1Atha kho āyasmā bāhiyo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā bāhiyo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Then Venerable Bāhiya went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:1

1.2“sādhu me, bhante, bhagavā saṅkhittena dhammaṁ desetu, yamahaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ sutvā eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihareyyan”ti.“Sir, may the Buddha please teach me Dhamma in brief. When I’ve heard it, I’ll live alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute.”

2.1“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, bāhiya,“What do you think, Bāhiya?2.2cakkhu niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?Is the eye permanent or impermanent?”

3.1“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.“Impermanent, sir.”

4.1“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

5.1“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.“Suffering, sir.”

6.1“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ:“But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus:6.2‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’”ti?‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

7.1PTS 4.64“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

8.1“Rūpā niccā vā aniccā vā”ti?“Are sights …9.1“Aniccā, bhante” …pe…9.2cakkhuviññāṇaṁ …pe…eye consciousness …9.3cakkhusamphasso …pe…eye contact …

9.4yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?The pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact: is that permanent or impermanent?”

10.1“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.“Impermanent, sir.”

11.1“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

12.1“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.“Suffering, sir.”

13.1“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ:“But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus:13.2‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’”ti?‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

14.1“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

15.1“Evaṁ passaṁ, bāhiya, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati, rūpesupi nibbindati, cakkhuviññāṇepi nibbindati, cakkhusamphassepi nibbindati …pe…“Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with the eye, sights, eye consciousness, and eye contact. And they grow disillusioned with the painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact.

15.2yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tasmimpi nibbindati.They grow disillusioned with the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact.

15.3Nibbindaṁ virajjati; virāgā vimuccati; vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ hoti.Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed.

15.4‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī”ti.They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’”

16.1Atha kho āyasmā bāhiyo bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi.And then Venerable Bāhiya approved and agreed with what the Buddha said. He got up from his seat, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving.

16.2Atha kho āyasmā bāhiyo eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto nacirasseva—yassatthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti, tadanuttaraṁ—brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsi.Then Bāhiya, living alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, soon realized the supreme culmination of the spiritual path in this very life. He lived having achieved with his own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.

16.3“Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā”ti abbhaññāsi.He understood: “Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is nothing further for this place.”16.4Aññataro ca panāyasmā bāhiyo arahataṁ ahosīti.And Venerable Bāhiya became one of the perfected.

16.5Chaṭṭhaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. A monk called Bāhiya appears in a similar discourse at SN 47.15. In both cases he is said to become an arahant. It may be that these are different versions of the same event. The Bāhiya Dārucīriya famed from Ud 1.10 must be a different person, since he died immediately.

    ↩ sn35.89:1.1