73. To Vacchagotta (MN73)

Thus I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels’ Sanctuary.

Then the Wanderer Vacchagotta went to the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him, and when the courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, he said:

“I have had conversations with Master Gotama for a long time. It would be good if Master Gotama would show me the profitable and the the unprofitable in brief.”

“I might show you the profitable and the unprofitable in brief, Vaccha, and I might show you the profitable and unprofitable at length. Still I will show you them in brief. Listen and heed well what I shall say.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied. The Blessed One said this:

“Vaccha, greed is unprofitable, non-greed is profitable; hate is unprofitable, non-hate is profitable, delusion is unprofitable, non-delusion is profitable, In this way these three dhammas are unprofitable and three dhammas are profitable.

“Killing living beings is unprofitable, abstention from it is profitable; taking what is not given is unprofitable, abstention from it is profitable; misconduct in sexual desires is unprofitable, abstention from it is profitable. False speech is unprofitable, abstention from it is profitable; malicious speech is unprofitable, abstention from it is profitable; harsh speech is unprofitable, abstention from it is profitable; gossip is unprofitable, abstention from it is profitable; covetousness is unprofitable, uncovetousness is profitable; ill-will is unprofitable, non-ill-will is profitable; wrong view is unprofitable, right view is profitable. In this way these ten dhammas are unprofitable and ten dhammas are profitable.

“As soon as craving has been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, done away with so that it is no longer liable to arise in future, then that bhikkhu is accomplished with taints destroyed, who has lived the life, done what was to be done, laid down the burden, reached the highest goal, destroyed the fetters of being and is rightly liberated through final knowledge.”

“Apart from Master Gotama, is there any one bhikkhu, Master Gotama’s disciple, who has by realization himself with direct knowledge here and now entered upon and abided in the deliverance of the heart and the deliverance by understanding that are taint-free with the exhaustion of taints?”

“There are not only one hundred, or two or three or four or five hundred, but far more bhikkhus, my disciples, who have by realization themselves with direct knowledge here and now entered upon and abided in the deliverance of the heart and the deliverance by understanding that are taint-free with the exhaustion of taints.”

“Apart from Master Gotama and the bhikkhus, is there any one bhikkhuni, Master Gotama’s disciple, who has by realization… exhaustion of taints?”

“There are not only one hundred… but far more bhikkhunis… exhaustion of taints.”

“Apart from Master Gotama and the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, is there any one layman follower in white clothes leading the life divine, Master Gotama’s disciple, who, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, will reappear spontaneously in the Pure Abodes and there attain Nibbāna without ever returning from that world?”

“There are not only one hundred… laymen followers, in white clothes leading the life divine… without ever returning from that world.”

“Apart from Master Gotama and the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis and laymen followers in white clothes leading the life divine, is there any one layman follower in white clothes enjoying sensual desires, Master Gotama’s disciple, who carries out the message, responds to advice, has crossed beyond uncertainty, has done with questioning, has gained intrepidity, and become independent of others in the Teacher’s message?”

“There are not only one hundred… laymen followers in white clothes enjoying sensual desires… become independent of others in the Teacher’s message.”

“Apart from Master Gotama and the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis and laymen followers in white clothes both those leading the life divine and those enjoying sensual desires, is there any one laywoman follower in white clothes leading the life divine, Master Gotama’s disciple, who with the destruction of the five lower fetters will reappear spontaneously in the Pure Abodes and there attain Nibbāna without ever returning from that world?”

“There are not only one hundred… laywomen followers in white clothes leading the life divine… without ever returning from that world.”

“Apart from Master Gotama and the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis and the laymen followers in white clothes both those leading the life divine and those enjoying sensual desires and laywomen followers in white clothes leading the life divine is there any one laywoman follower in white clothes enjoying sensual desires, Master Gotama’s disciple, who carries out the message, responds to advice, has crossed beyond uncertainty, has done with questioning, has gained intrepidity and become independent of other in the Teachers message?”

“There are not only one hundred… laywomen followers in white clothes enjoying sensual desires… become independent of others in the Teacher’s message.”

“If only Master Gotama testified to this Dhamma and no bhikkhus, then this life divine would be deficient in that part, but since Master Gotama and bhikkhus testify to this Dhamma this life divine is thus complete in that part.

“If only Master Gotama and bhikkhus testified to this Dhamma and no bhikkhunis then this life divine would be deficient in that part, but since…

“If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis testified to this Dhamma and no laymen followers leading the life divine, then…

“If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus, bhikkhunis and laymen followers in white clothes leading the life divine and no laymen followers enjoying sensual desires, then…

“If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, laymen followers in white clothes both those leading the life divine and those enjoying sensual desires testified to this Dhamma and no laywomen followers in white clothes leading the life divine, then…

“If only Master Gotama, bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, laymen followers in white clothes both those leading the life divine and those enjoying sensual desires, laywomen followers in white clothes leading the life divine testified to this Dhamma and no laywomen followers enjoying sensual desires, then this life divine would be deficient in that part, but since… this life divine is thus complete in that part.

“Just as the River Ganges inclines towards the sea, slopes towards the sea, tends towards the sea, merges into the sea, so too Master Gotama’s assembly with its householders and those gone forth inclines towards Nibbāna, slopes towards Nibbāna, tends towards Nibbāna, merges into Nibbāna.

“Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama! The Dhamma has been made clear in many ways by Master Gotama as though he were righting the overthrown, revealing the hidden, showing the way to one who is lost, holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms.

“I go to Master Gotama for refuge and to the Dhamma and to the Sangha. I would receive the Going-forth under Master Gotama, I would receive the Full Admission.”

“Vaccha, one who belonged formerly to another sect and wants the Going-forth and the Full Admission in this Dhamma and Discipline lives on probation for four months. At the end of the four months, bhikkhus who are satisfied in their minds give him the Going-forth into homelessness and also the Full Admission to the bhikkhus’ state. A difference in persons has become known to me in this probation period.”

“Venerable sir, if those who belonged formerly to another sect and want the Going-forth and the Full Admission in this Dhamma and Discipline live on probation for four months and at the end of four months bhikkhus who are satisfied in their minds give them the Going-forth into homelessness and the full Admission to the bhikkhus’ state, I will live on probation for four years and at the end of the four years let bhikkhus who are satisfied in their minds give me the Going-forth into homelessness and the Full Admission to the bhikkhus’ state.”

The Wanderer Vacchagotta received the Going-forth, and he received the Full Admission.

Not long after his Full Admission, half a month after his Full Admission, the venerable Vacchagotta went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, he told the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, I have reached what can be reached by the knowledge, the true knowledge of one in the higher training, Let the Blessed One further show me the Dhamma.”

“In that case, Vaccha, develop further two dhammas, namely, peace and insight. These two dhammas when further developed will lead to penetration of the many elements.

“As much as you shall wish: ‘May I enjoy the various sorts of supernormal success; having been one, may I become many; having been many, may I become one; may I appear and vanish; may I go unhindered through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain, as though in space; may I dive in and out of the earth as though it were water; may I go on unbroken water as though it were earth; seated crosslegged may I travel in space like a winged bird; with my hand may I touch and stroke the moon and sun so successful and mighty; may I wield bodily mastery even as far as the world of Brahmā’, you shall attain the ability to be a witness in any part therein whenever there is opportunity.

“As much as you shall wish: ‘May I with the heavenly ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, hear both kinds of sounds, the heavenly and the human, those that are far as well as near’, you shall attain the ability to be a witness in any part therein whenever there is opportunity.

“As much as you shall wish: ‘May I understand by encompassing with mind other beings’, other persons’ minds; may I understand mind with lust as with lust, and mind without lust as without lust; may I understand mind with hate as with hate, and mind without hate as without hate; may I understand mind with delusion as with delusion, and mind without delusion as without delusion; may I understand the contracted mind as contracted, and the distracted mind as distracted; may I understand the exalted mind as exalted, and the unexalted mind as unexalted; may I understand the surpassed mind as surpassed, and the unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed; may I understand the concentrated mind as concentrated, and the unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; may I understand the liberated mind as liberated, and the unliberated mind as unliberated’, you shall attain the ability to be a witness in any part therein whenever there is opportunity.

“As much as you shall wish: ‘May I recollect my manifold past life, that is to say, one birth, two births… five births, ten births… fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many aeons of contraction, many aeons of expansion, many aeons of contraction and expansion: “There I was so named, of such a race, with such qualities of appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there, I appeared elsewhere; and there too I was so-named, of such a race, with such qualities of appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from there I appeared here.” Thus with details and particulars may I recollect my manifold past life’, you shall attain the ability to be a witness in any part therein whenever there is opportunity.

“As much as you shall wish: ‘May I with heavenly eyesight which is purified and surpasses the human, see beings passing away and reappearing inferior and superior, fair and ugly, well-behaved and ill-behaved; may I understand how beings pass on according to their kammas, thus: “These worthy beings who are ill-conducted in body, speech and mind, revilers of Noble Ones, wrong in their views, giving effect to wrong view in their kammas (actions), on the dissolution of the dissolution of the body, after death, appear in a state of deprivation, in a bad destination in perdition, even in hell; but these worthy beings, who are well-conducted in body, speech and mind, not revilers of Noble Ones, right in their views, giving effect to right view in their kammas (actions), on the dissolution of the body, after death, appear in a good destination, even in the heavenly world”, thus with heavenly eyesight which is purified and surpasses the human, may I see beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, well-behaved and ill-behaved; may I understand how beings pass on according to their kammas’, you shall attain ability to be a witness in any part therein whenever there is opportunity.

“As much as you shall wish: ‘May I by myself realizing with direct knowledge here and now, enter upon and abide in the deliverance of the heart and the deliverance by understanding that are taint-free with the exhaustion of taints’, you shall attain ability to be a witness in any part therein whenever there is opportunity.”

Then the venerable Vacchagotta, delighting in the Blessed One’s words, rose from his seat, and paying homage to the Blessed One, keeping him on his right, he departed.

Then dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and self-controlled, the venerable Vacchagotta, by realization himself with direct knowledge here and now entered upon and abided in that supreme goal of the life divine, for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness. He had direct knowledge thus: “Birth is exhausted, the life divine has been lived, what was to be done is done, there is no more of this to come.”

And the venerable Vacchagotta became one of the Arahants.

Now on that occasion many bhikkhus came to see the Blessed One. The venerable Vacchagotta saw them coming in the distance. Seeing them, he went to them and asked them: “Where are the venerable ones going?”

“We are going to see the Blessed One, friend.”

“In that case, may the venerable ones pay homage with their heads at the Blessed One’s feet in my name thus: ‘Venerable sir, the bhikkhu Vacchagotta pays homage with his head at the Blessed One’s feet’, and say thus: ‘The Blessed One has been worshipped by me, the Sublime One has been worshipped by me.’”

“Yes, friend,” they replied. Then they went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him they sat down at one side. When they had done so, they told the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, the venerable Vacchagotta pays homage with his head at the Blessed One’s feet, and he says: ‘The Blessed One has been worshipped by me, the Sublime One has been worshipped by me.’”

“Bhikkhus, the bhikkhu Vacchagotta was already known to me by encompassing mind with mind thus: ‘The bhikkhu Vacchagotta has the Three True Knowledges; he has great success and great might’. And gods told me this too: ‘The bhikkhu Vacchagotta has the Three True Knowledges; he has great success and great might.’”

That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied, and they delighted in the Blessed One’s words.

This is an excerpt from A Treasury of the Buddha's Words, a collection of suttas from the Majjhima Nikāya translated by Ven. Nyanamoli Thera and edited by Khantipalo Bhikkhu in 1977.

It was printed in Thailand by Mahāmakut Rājavidyālaya Press for free distribution.