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SN 42.1PTS SN 4.3051 min read

Fury

Caṇḍasutta

A headman known for his aggressive nature approaches the Buddha and asks how to give up irritability. The Buddha points out that such reactions are fueled by greed, hate, and delusion.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 42.1Linked Discourses 42.1
  • 0.21. Gāmaṇivagga1. Chiefs

0.3CaṇḍasuttaFury

1.1PTS 4.305Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.

1.2Atha kho caṇḍo gāmaṇi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho caṇḍo gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Then Fury the chief went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:1

1.3“ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo yena midhekacco caṇḍo caṇḍotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.“What is the cause, sir, what is the reason why some people are regarded as furious,1.4Ko pana, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo yena midhekacco sorato soratotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchatī”ti?while others are regarded as gentle?”

1.5“Idha, gāmaṇi, ekaccassa rāgo appahīno hoti.“Take someone who hasn’t given up greed.1.6Rāgassa appahīnattā pare kopenti, parehi kopiyamāno kopaṁ pātukaroti.So they get annoyed by others, and they show it.1.7So caṇḍotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.They’re regarded as furious.1.8Doso appahīno hoti.They haven’t given up hate.1.9Dosassa appahīnattā pare kopenti, parehi kopiyamāno kopaṁ pātukaroti.So they get annoyed by others, and they show it.1.10So caṇḍotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.They’re regarded as furious.1.11Moho appahīno hoti.They haven’t given up delusion.1.12Mohassa appahīnattā pare kopenti, parehi kopiyamāno kopaṁ pātukaroti.So they get annoyed by others, and they show it.1.13So caṇḍotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.They’re regarded as furious.1.14Ayaṁ kho, gāmaṇi, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo yena midhekacco caṇḍo caṇḍotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.This is the cause, this is the reason why some people are regarded as furious.

2.1Idha pana, gāmaṇi, ekaccassa rāgo pahīno hoti.But take someone who has given up greed.2.2Rāgassa pahīnattā pare na kopenti, parehi kopiyamāno kopaṁ na pātukaroti.So they don’t get annoyed by others, and don’t show it.2.3So soratotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.They’re regarded as gentle.2.4Doso pahīno hoti.They’ve given up hate.2.5Dosassa pahīnattā pare na kopenti, parehi kopiyamāno kopaṁ na pātukaroti.So they don’t get annoyed by others, and don’t show it.2.6So soratotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.They’re regarded as gentle.2.7Moho pahīno hoti.They’ve given up delusion.2.8Mohassa pahīnattā pare na kopenti, parehi kopiyamāno kopaṁ na pātukaroti.So they don’t get annoyed by others, and don’t show it.2.9So soratotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.They’re regarded as gentle.2.10Ayaṁ kho, gāmaṇi, hetu ayaṁ paccayo yena midhekacco sorato soratotveva saṅkhaṁ gacchatī”ti.This is the cause, this is the reason why some people are regarded as gentle.”

3.1PTS 4.306Evaṁ vutte, caṇḍo gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When he said this, Fury the chief said to the Buddha,3.2“abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante.“Excellent, sir! Excellent!3.3Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito.As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, the Buddha has made the teaching clear in many ways.3.4Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha.3.5Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

3.6Paṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. “Fury” (caṇḍa) is a descriptive epithet used as a nickname. Such nicknames were a feature of the culture. Sometimes, texts invent a character as a vehicle for the teaching; such artifice may well have been intentional and received as such. By translating such names where appropriate, I aim to call attention to the way names are used to add a dimension of meaning.

    Gāmaṇi is literally a “village headman”. Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 5.4.4.18 establishes that the village headman ranks beneath the sūta (“equerry”, see SN 19.8:1.4 and note). However, it is used for a chief in general: in the next Sutta it is a “dancing master”, and in the one after that, a military rank.

    ↩ sn42.1:1.2