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SN 46.56PTS SN 5.1262 min read

With Prince Abhaya

Abhayasutta

Prince Abhaya reports Pūraṇa Kassapa’s view that there is no cause for ignorance or knowledge, and asks the Buddha’s opinion. The Buddha replies that the cause of ignorance is the hindrances, and the cause of knowledge is the awakening factors.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 46.56Linked Discourses 46.56
  • 0.26. Sākacchavagga6. Discussion

0.3AbhayasuttaWith Prince Abhaya

1.1PTS 5.127Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati gijjhakūṭe pabbate.At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, on the Vulture’s Peak Mountain.1.3Atha kho abhayo rājakumāro yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho abhayo rājakumāro bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Then Prince Abhaya went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:1

1.4“pūraṇo, bhante, kassapo evamāha:“Sir, Pūraṇa Kassapa says this:1.5‘natthi hetu, natthi paccayo aññāṇāya adassanāya.‘There is no cause or reason for not knowing and not seeing.21.6Ahetu, appaccayo aññāṇaṁ adassanaṁ hoti.Not knowing and not seeing have no cause or reason.1.7Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo ñāṇāya dassanāya.There is no cause or reason for knowing and seeing.1.8Ahetu, appaccayo ñāṇaṁ dassanaṁ hotī’ti.Knowing and seeing have no cause or reason.’1.9Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?What does the Buddha say about this?”

1.10“Atthi, rājakumāra, hetu, atthi paccayo aññāṇāya adassanāya.“Prince, there are causes and reasons for not knowing and not seeing.1.11Sahetu, sappaccayo aññāṇaṁ adassanaṁ hoti.Not knowing and not seeing have causes and reasons.1.12Atthi, rājakumāra, hetu, atthi paccayo ñāṇāya dassanāya.There are causes and reasons for knowing and seeing.1.13Sahetu, sappaccayo ñāṇaṁ dassanaṁ hotī”ti.Knowing and seeing have causes and reasons.”

2.1“Katamo pana, bhante, hetu, katamo paccayo aññāṇāya adassanāya?“But sir, what is the cause and reason for not knowing and not seeing?2.2Kathaṁ sahetu, sappaccayo aññāṇaṁ adassanaṁ hotī”ti?How do not knowing and not seeing have causes and reasons?”

2.3“Yasmiṁ kho, rājakumāra, samaye kāmarāgapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati kāmarāgaparetena, uppannassa ca kāmarāgassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ na jānāti na passati—“There’s a time when the heart is overcome and mired in sensual desire, without truly knowing and seeing the escape from sensual desire that has arisen.2.4ayampi kho, rājakumāra, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo aññāṇāya adassanāya.This is a cause and reason for not knowing and not seeing.2.5Evampi sahetu sappaccayo aññāṇaṁ adassanaṁ hoti.And this is how not knowing and not seeing have causes and reasons.

3.1Puna caparaṁ, rājakumāra, yasmiṁ samaye byāpādapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati byāpādaparetena …pe…Furthermore, there’s a time when the heart is overcome and mired in ill will …3.2thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhitena …pe…dullness and drowsiness …3.3uddhaccakukkuccapariyuṭṭhitena …pe…restlessness and remorse …3.4vicikicchāpariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati vicikicchāparetena, uppannāya ca vicikicchāya nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ na jānāti na passati—doubt, without truly knowing and seeing the escape from doubt that has arisen.3.5ayampi kho, rājakumāra, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo aññāṇāya adassanāya.This is a cause and reason for not knowing and not seeing.3.6Evampi sahetu sappaccayo aññāṇaṁ adassanaṁ hotī”ti.And this is how not knowing and not seeing have causes and reasons.”

4.1“Ko nāmāyaṁ, bhante, dhammapariyāyo”ti?“Sir, what is the name of this exposition of the teaching?”

4.2“Nīvaraṇā nāmete, rājakumārā”ti.“These are called the ‘hindrances’, prince.”

4.3“Taggha, bhagavā, nīvaraṇā;“Indeed, Blessed One, these are hindrances!4.4taggha, sugata, nīvaraṇā.Indeed, Holy One, these are hindrances!4.5Ekamekenapi kho, bhante, nīvaraṇena abhibhūto yathābhūtaṁ na jāneyya na passeyya, ko pana vādo pañcahi nīvaraṇehi?Overcome by even a single hindrance you wouldn’t truly know or see, let alone all five hindrances.

5.1PTS 5.128Katamo pana, bhante, hetu, katamo paccayo ñāṇāya dassanāya?But sir, what is the cause and reason for knowing and seeing?5.2Kathaṁ sahetu, sappaccayo ñāṇaṁ dassanaṁ hotī”ti?How do knowing and seeing have causes and reasons?”

5.3“Idha, rājakumāra, bhikkhu satisambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ.“It’s when a mendicant develops the awakening factor of mindfulness, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go.5.4So satisambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāvitena cittena yathābhūtaṁ jānāti passati—They truly know and see with a mind that has developed the awakening factor of mindfulness.5.5ayampi kho, rājakumāra, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo ñāṇāya dassanāya.This is a cause and reason for knowing and seeing.5.6Evampi sahetu, sappaccayo ñāṇaṁ dassanaṁ hoti.And this is how knowing and seeing have causes and reasons.

6.1Puna caparaṁ, rājakumāra, bhikkhu …pe…Furthermore, a mendicant develops the awakening factor of investigation of principles … energy … rapture … tranquility … immersion …6.2upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ.equanimity, which rely on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripen as letting go.6.3So upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāvitena cittena yathābhūtaṁ jānāti passati—They truly know and see with a mind that has developed the awakening factor of equanimity.6.4ayampi kho, rājakumāra, hetu, ayaṁ paccayo ñāṇāya dassanāya.This is a cause and reason for knowing and seeing.6.5Evaṁ sahetu, sappaccayo ñāṇaṁ dassanaṁ hotī”ti.And this is how knowing and seeing have causes and reasons.”

7.1“Ko nāmāyaṁ, bhante, dhammapariyāyo”ti?“Sir, what is the name of this exposition of the teaching?”

7.2“Bojjhaṅgā nāmete, rājakumārā”ti.“These are called the ‘awakening factors’, prince.”

7.3“Taggha, bhagavā, bojjhaṅgā;“Indeed, Blessed One, these are awakening factors!7.4taggha, sugata, bojjhaṅgā.Indeed, Holy One, these are awakening factors!7.5Ekamekenapi kho, bhante, bojjhaṅgena samannāgato yathābhūtaṁ jāneyya passeyya, ko pana vādo sattahi bojjhaṅgehi?Endowed with even a single awakening factor you would truly know and see, let alone all seven awakening factors.7.6Yopi me, bhante, gijjhakūṭaṁ pabbataṁ ārohantassa kāyakilamatho cittakilamatho, sopi me paṭippassaddho, dhammo ca me abhisamito”ti.When climbing Mount Vulture’s Peak I became fatigued in body and mind. But this has now faded away. And I’ve comprehended the teaching.”3

7.7Chaṭṭhaṁ.

7.8Sākacchavaggo chaṭṭho.

8.0Tassuddānaṁ

8.1Āhārā pariyāyamaggi,8.2mettaṁ saṅgāravena ca;8.3Abhayo pucchito pañhaṁ,8.4gijjhakūṭamhi pabbateti.

Translator’s notes

  1. Prince Abhaya (“fearless”) raised Jīvaka after discovering him abandoned Kd 8:1.4.5. In this sutta he asks the Buddha about Pūraṇa Kassapa, whereas in MN 58 he appears as an acolyte of Mahāvīra. Apart from these details he is unknown in the early texts. Commentaries say he was the son of King Bimbisāra by one of his queens, Padumavatī of Ujjenī, making him half-brother to Ajātasattu. They also say that following Bimbisāra’s death, Abhaya went forth and spoke the verse at Thag 1.26.

    Not to be confused with Abhaya the Licchavī of AN 3.74 and AN 4.196; nor with the author of Thag 1.98; nor is Thig 2.8 addressed to his mother, but that of the nun Abhayā (Thig 2.9).

    ↩ sn46.56:1.3

  2. In DN 2, Pūraṇa Kassapa posits the view that there are no results of deeds. There, Makkhali argues that there is no cause for the purification of beings, but the same view is attributed to Pūraṇa as well (SN 22.60:2.1). The exact view stated here does not appear elsewhere in the Pali canon, but does not contradict Pūraṇa’s other views. If action has no consequence, then there is nothing we can do to gain wisdom. This view also explains why his own students did not respect his understanding (MN 77:6.22). Nonetheless, he claimed to be omniscient (AN 9.38:2.1). His doctrine of “six classes” (AN 6.57) is shared with Makkhali (DN 2:20.6). This suggests that, like Makkhali, he believed in a predestined course of rebirths, culminating in the highest rebirth as an omniscient one, per the “rolling out of a ball of string” (DN 2:20.10).

    ↩ sn46.56:1.5

  3. With this he declares stream-entry.

    ↩ sn46.56:7.6