1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.1.3Tena kho pana samayena bāhiyo dārucīriyo suppārake paṭivasati samuddatīre sakkato garukato mānito pūjito apacito lābhī cīvarapiṇḍapātasenāsanagilānapaccayabhesajjaparikkhārānaṁ.Now at that time Bāhiya of the Bark Cloth was residing by Suppāraka on the ocean shore, where he was honored, respected, revered, venerated, and esteemed. And he received robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick.¹1.4Atha kho bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi:Then as he was in private retreat this thought came to his mind,1.5“ye kho keci loke arahanto vā arahattamaggaṁ vā samāpannā, ahaṁ tesaṁ aññataro”ti.“I am one of those in the world who are perfected or on the path to perfection.”

2.1Atha kho bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa purāṇasālohitā devatā anukampikā atthakāmā bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya yena bāhiyo dārucīriyo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bāhiyaṁ dārucīriyaṁ etadavoca:Then a deity who was a former relative of Bāhiya, having sympathy and wanting what’s best for him, approached him and said:2.2“neva kho tvaṁ, bāhiya, arahā, nāpi arahattamaggaṁ vā samāpanno.“Bāhiya, you’re not a perfected one, nor on the path to perfection.2.3Sāpi te paṭipadā natthi yāya tvaṁ arahā vā assa arahattamaggaṁ vā samāpanno”ti.You don’t have the practice by which you might become a perfected one or one on the path to perfection.”

3.1“Atha ke carahi sadevake loke arahanto vā arahattamaggaṁ vā samāpannā”ti?“So who then are those in the world who are perfected or on the path to perfection?”3.2“Atthi, bāhiya, uttaresu janapadesu sāvatthī nāma nagaraṁ.“In the northern lands there is a city named Sāvatthī.3.3Tattha so bhagavā etarahi viharati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho.There that Blessed One is now staying, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha.3.4So hi, bāhiya, bhagavā arahā ceva arahattāya ca dhammaṁ desetī”ti.He is a perfected one and teaches the Dhamma for the sake of perfection.”

4.1Atha kho bāhiyo dārucīriyo tāya devatāya saṁvejito tāvadeva suppārakamhā pakkāmi.Impelled by that deity, Bāhiya left Suppāraka right away.4.2Sabbattha ekarattiparivāsena yena sāvatthī jetavanaṁ anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāmo tenupasaṅkami.Sojourning no more than a single night in any place, he made his way to Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery in the Jeta Grove at Sāvatthī.4.3Tena kho pana samayena sambahulā bhikkhū abbhokāse caṅkamanti.At that time several mendicants were walking mindfully in the open air.4.4Atha kho bāhiyo dārucīriyo yena te bhikkhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā te bhikkhū etadavoca:Bāhiya approached them and said,4.5“kahaṁ nu kho, bhante, etarahi bhagavā viharati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho?“Sirs, where is the Blessed One at present, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha?4.6Dassanakāmamhā mayaṁ taṁ bhagavantaṁ arahantaṁ sammāsambuddhan”ti.For I want to see him.”4.7“Antaragharaṁ paviṭṭho kho, bāhiya, bhagavā piṇḍāyā”ti.“He has entered an inhabited area for almsfood, Bāhiya.”

5.1Atha kho bāhiyo dārucīriyo taramānarūpo jetavanā nikkhamitvā sāvatthiṁ pavisitvā addasa bhagavantaṁ sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya carantaṁ pāsādikaṁ pasādanīyaṁ santindriyaṁ santamānasaṁ uttamadamathasamathamanuppattaṁ dantaṁ guttaṁ yatindriyaṁ nāgaṁ.Then Bāhiya rushed out of the Jeta Grove and entered Sāvatthī, where he saw the Buddha walking for alms. He was impressive and inspiring, with peaceful faculties and heart, attained to the highest self-control and serenity, like an elephant with tamed, guarded, and controlled faculties.5.2Disvāna yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato pāde sirasā nipatitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Bāhiya went up to the Buddha, bowed down with his head to the Buddha’s feet, and said,5.3“desetu me, bhante, bhagavā dhammaṁ; desetu sugato dhammaṁ,“Sir, let the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach me the Dhamma!5.4yaṁ mamassa dīgharattaṁ hitāya sukhāyā”ti.That would be for my lasting welfare and happiness.”5.5Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā bāhiyaṁ dārucīriyaṁ etadavoca:The Buddha said this:5.6“akālo kho tāva, bāhiya, antaragharaṁ paviṭṭhamhā piṇḍāyā”ti.“It’s not the time, Bāhiya, so long as I have entered an inhabited area for almsfood.”

6.1Dutiyampi kho bāhiyo dārucīriyo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:For a second time, Bāhiya said,6.2“dujjānaṁ kho panetaṁ, bhante, bhagavato vā jīvitantarāyānaṁ, mayhaṁ vā jīvitantarāyānaṁ.“But you never know, sir, when life is at risk, either the Buddha’s or my own.6.3Desetu me, bhante, bhagavā dhammaṁ;Let the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach me the Dhamma!6.4desetu sugato dhammaṁ, yaṁ mamassa dīgharattaṁ hitāya sukhāyā”ti.That would be for my lasting welfare and happiness.”6.5Dutiyampi kho bhagavā bāhiyaṁ dārucīriyaṁ etadavoca:For a second time, the Buddha said,6.6“akālo kho tāva, bāhiya, antaragharaṁ paviṭṭhamhā piṇḍāyā”ti.“It’s not the time, Bāhiya, so long as I have entered an inhabited area for almsfood.”

7.1Tatiyampi kho bāhiyo dārucīriyo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:For a third time, Bāhiya said,7.2“dujjānaṁ kho panetaṁ, bhante, bhagavato vā jīvitantarāyānaṁ, mayhaṁ vā jīvitantarāyānaṁ.“But you never know, sir, when life is at risk, either the Buddha’s or my own.7.3Desetu me, bhante, bhagavā dhammaṁ;Let the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach me the Dhamma!7.4desetu sugato dhammaṁ, yaṁ mamassa dīgharattaṁ hitāya sukhāyā”ti.That would be for my lasting welfare and happiness.”

8.1“Tasmātiha te, bāhiya, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ:∥“In that case, Bāhiya, you should train like this:8.2‘diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṁ bhavissati, sute sutamattaṁ bhavissati, mute mutamattaṁ bhavissati, viññāte viññātamattaṁ bhavissatī’ti.‘In the seen will be merely the seen; in the heard will be merely the heard; in the thought will be merely the thought; in the known will be merely the known.’8.3Evañhi te, bāhiya, sikkhitabbaṁ.That’s how you should train.8.4Yato kho te, bāhiya, diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṁ bhavissati, sute sutamattaṁ bhavissati, mute mutamattaṁ bhavissati, viññāte viññātamattaṁ bhavissati,When you have trained in this way,8.5tato tvaṁ, bāhiya, na tena.you won’t be ‘by that’.8.6Yato tvaṁ, bāhiya, na tena;When you’re not ‘by that’,8.7tato tvaṁ, bāhiya, na tattha.you won’t be ‘in that’.8.8Yato tvaṁ, bāhiya, na tattha,When you’re not ‘in that’,8.9tato tvaṁ, bāhiya, nevidha na huraṁ na ubhayamantarena.you won’t be in this life or the next or between the two.8.10Esevanto dukkhassā”ti.Just this is the end of suffering.”

9.1Atha kho bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa bhagavato imāya saṅkhittāya dhammadesanāya tāvadeva anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucci.Then, due to this brief Dhamma teaching of the Buddha, Bāhiya’s mind was right away freed from defilements by not grasping.

10.1Atha kho bhagavā bāhiyaṁ dārucīriyaṁ iminā saṅkhittena ovādena ovaditvā pakkāmi.And when the Buddha had given Bāhiya this brief advice he left.10.2Atha kho acirapakkantassa bhagavato bāhiyaṁ dārucīriyaṁ gāvī taruṇavacchā adhipatitvā jīvitā voropesi.But soon after the Buddha had left, a cow with a baby calf charged at Bāhiya and took his life.

11.1Atha kho bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto sambahulehi bhikkhūhi saddhiṁ nagaramhā nikkhamitvā addasa bāhiyaṁ dārucīriyaṁ kālaṅkataṁ;Then the Buddha wandered for alms in Sāvatthī. After the meal, on his return from almsround, he exited the city together with several mendicants and saw that Bāhiya had passed away.11.2disvāna bhikkhū āmantesi:He said to the monks,11.3“gaṇhatha, bhikkhave, bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa sarīrakaṁ; mañcakaṁ āropetvā nīharitvā jhāpetha; thūpañcassa karotha.“Mendicants, pick up Bāhiya’s corpse. Having lifted it onto a cot and carried it, cremate it and build a monument.11.4Sabrahmacārī vo, bhikkhave, kālaṅkato”ti.Mendicants, one of your spiritual companions has passed away.”

12.1“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa sarīrakaṁ mañcakaṁ āropetvā nīharitvā jhāpetvā thūpañcassa katvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu.“Yes, sir,” replied those mendicants. They did as the Buddha asked, then returned to the Buddha12.2Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:and said,12.3“daḍḍhaṁ, bhante, bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa sarīraṁ, thūpo cassa kato.“Sir, Bāhiya’s corpse has been cremated and a monument built for him.12.4Tassa kā gati, ko abhisamparāyo”ti?Where has he been reborn in his next life?”12.5“Paṇḍito, bhikkhave, bāhiyo dārucīriyo paccapādi dhammassānudhammaṁ; na ca maṁ dhammādhikaraṇaṁ vihesesi.“Mendicants, Bāhiya was astute. He practiced in line with the teaching, and did not trouble me about the teachings.12.6Parinibbuto, bhikkhave, bāhiyo dārucīriyo”ti.Bāhiya of the Bark Cloth has become fully quenched.”

13.1Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:

14.1“Yattha āpo ca pathavī,“Where water and earth,²14.2tejo vāyo na gādhati;fire and air have no footing—

14.3Na tattha sukkā jotanti,there no star does shine,³14.4ādicco nappakāsati;nor does the sun shed its light;14.5Na tattha candimā bhāti,there the moon glows not,14.6tamo tattha na vijjati.yet no darkness is found.

15.1Yadā ca attanāvedi,And when a sage, a brahmin, finds understanding15.2muni monena brāhmaṇo;through their own sagacity,15.3Atha rūpā arūpā ca,then, from forms and formless,15.4sukhadukkhā pamuccatī”ti.from pleasure and pain they are released.”

15.5Dasamaṁ.

16.1Ayampi udāno vutto bhagavatā iti me sutanti.This too is a heartfelt saying that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.⁴

16.2Bodhivaggo paṭhamo.

17.0Tassuddānaṁ

17.1Tayo bodhī ca huṁhuṅko,17.2brāhmaṇā kassapena ca;17.3Aja saṅgāma jaṭilā,17.4bāhiyenāti te dasāti.