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SN 55.12PTS SN 5.3611 min read

The Brahmins

Brāhmaṇasutta

The Buddha contrasts a foolish brahmanical ritual called “going upwards” with the four factors of stream-entry.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 55.12Linked Discourses 55.12
  • 0.22. Rājakārāmavagga2. The Royal Monastery

0.3BrāhmaṇasuttaThe Brahmins

1.1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.1.2“Brāhmaṇā, bhikkhave, udayagāminiṁ nāma paṭipadaṁ paññapenti.“Mendicants, the brahmins advocate a practice called ‘get up and go’.1.3Te sāvakaṁ evaṁ samādapenti:They encourage their disciple:1.4‘ehi tvaṁ, ambho purisa, kālasseva uṭṭhāya pācīnamukho yāhi.‘Please, my man, rising early you should face east and walk.1.5So tvaṁ mā sobbhaṁ parivajjehi, mā papātaṁ, mā khāṇuṁ, mā kaṇḍakaṭhānaṁ, mā candaniyaṁ, mā oḷigallaṁ.Do not avoid a pit, a cliff, a stump, thorny ground, a swamp, or a sewer.1.6Yattha papateyyāsi tattheva maraṇaṁ āgameyyāsi.You should await death in the place that you fall.1.7Evaṁ tvaṁ, ambho purisa, kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjissasī’ti.And when your body breaks up, after death, you’ll be reborn in a good place, a heaven realm.’1

2.1Taṁ kho panetaṁ, bhikkhave, brāhmaṇānaṁ bālagamanametaṁ mūḷhagamanametaṁ na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati.But this practice of the brahmins is a foolish procedure, a stupid procedure. It doesn’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, or extinguishment.2.2Ahañca kho, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye udayagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ paññāpemi;But in the training of the Noble One I advocate a ‘get up and go’ practice2.3yā ekantanibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati.which does lead solely to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.

3.1PTS 5.362Katamā ca sā, bhikkhave, udayagāminī paṭipadā;And what is that ‘get up and go’ practice?3.2yā ekantanibbidāya …pe… nibbānāya saṁvattati?3.3Idha, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—It’s when a noble disciple has experiential confidence in the Buddha …3.4itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti;3.5dhamme …pe…the teaching …3.6saṅghe …pe…the Saṅgha …3.7ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgato hoti akhaṇḍehi …pe… samādhisaṁvattanikehi.And they have the ethical conduct loved by the noble ones … leading to immersion.3.8Ayaṁ kho sā, bhikkhave, udayagāminī paṭipadā ekantanibbidāya …pe…This is that ‘get up and go’ practice3.9nibbānāya saṁvattatī”ti.which does lead solely to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.”

3.10Dutiyaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Unsurprisingly for a practice with such a high mortality rate, the udayagāmini is not attested in Brahmanical texts. It seems to be a misunderstanding of the udayanīya, which is a rite that concludes the sacrifice. After bathing (avabhṛtha), the sacrificer emerges from the water (udayanīya). Bhāradvāja Śrautasūtra 14.25.13 says that after the udayanīya, those performing the sacrifice should move away toward the east, north, or according to some, the north-east. The successful completion of the sacrifice would, of course, be expected to win the favors of the gods, so it is only a small stretch to imagine that they would have been promised the gods’ protection and a heavenly rebirth.

    ↩ sn55.12:1.7