Sīsupacālā (SA-2.223)

Thus have I heard, once, the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in the Anāthapiṇḍika Park.

At that time there was a nun called Sīsupacālā staying in the Rājakārāma Vihāra. One morning she took her robes and her begging bowl and entered the town to beg for food. Having finished the meal, she cleaned her bowl, washed her feet, and gathered her seat for meditation. She went to the Andhavana forest for the day’s abiding, sat upright under a tree.

At that time King Māra thought: “Gotama the renunciant is staying at Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in the Anāthapiṇḍika Park. Here there is this nun called Sīsupacālā, who this morning took her robes and her begging bowl and entered Sāvatthī to beg for food. Having finished her alms, she washed her feet, gathered her seat and entered the Andhavana forest for the day’s abiding. Now she is sitting uprightly under a tree. I want to go and disturb her!” Having thought thus he transformed himself into a young man, approached the nun and said to her: “Of the ninety-six non-Buddhist teachings, which one do you like?” The nun answered: “I do not like any of these teachings.” Then the Bad One spoke a verse:

“Who taught you to cut off your hair /
and call yourself bhikkhunī?
To refuse to enjoy any other teaching, /
how silly of you!”

Sīsupacālā said a verse:

“These other, different teachings, /
they all bind us with heretical views.
Bound by various views, /
in the end we are caught in Māra’s net.

The great World-honored One of the Sākyas, /
without equal,
The conqueror of all /
subdued Māra while seated on the seat of enlightenment.

He has surpassed everything, /
is liberated from everything,
having totally subdued and ended all finite things. /
This Enlightened One has taught me;

For me he is the World-honored One /
and I delight in his teaching.
Having understood his teachings /
I have ended all defilements.

I have cut off all craving. /
the darkness of ignorance is destroyed.
Having attained complete cessation, /
I peacefully dwell in a state of purity.
Therefore understand: /
Bad One, you are defeated.”

At that time King Māra thought: “This nun knows my mind well!” Depressed, dispirited, and ashamed he returned to his palace.

Translation by Marcus Bingenheimer, 2005–8 (minor revisions 2009). First version published in Buddhist Studies Review vol. 23.1 (2006). The translations used here were revised by the translator and published in his Studies in Āgama Literature—with Special Reference to the Shorter Chinese Saṁyuktāgama, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, 2010.

Translated from the Taishō text of the CBETA-Database (Version Feb. 2006). All sutta titles added by the translator.

This series of translations were part of the project “A Digital Comparative Edition of the Bieyi za ahan jing” conducted at the Chung-hwa Institute for Buddhist Studies (中華佛學研究所) and the Dharma Drum Buddhist College (法鼓佛教研修學院), funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (蔣經國國際學術交流基金會). The full project, including parallel Chinese, Pali, and Sanskrit texts, is available online here.

Used with kind permission of the translator.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.