76. To Sandaka (MN76)

Thus I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Kosambi in Ghosita’s Park.

Now on that occasion the Wanderer Sandaka was staying in the Pilakkha-tree Cave with a large assembly of wanderers.

Then when it was evening, the venerable Ānanda rose from meditation, and he addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Friends, let us go to the Devakaṭasobbha, the Rain Pool, to see the cave.”

“Yes, friend,” they replied. Then the venerable Ānanda went to the Rain Pool with a number of bhikkhus.

Now on that occasion the wanderer Sandaka was seated with a large assembly of wanderers who were shouting, very clamorous and noisy, talking many kinds of vulgar talk, such as talk of kings, robbers, ministers, armies, alarms, battles, food, drink, clothing, beds, garlands, perfumes, relatives, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, countries, women, heroes, streets, wells, the dead, trifles, the origin of the world, the origin of the sea, whether things are or are not.

The wanderer Sandaka saw the venerable Ānanda coming in the distance. Seeing him, he quieted his own assembly thus: “Sirs, be quiet; sirs, make no noise. Here comes the monk Ānanda. If there are any disciples of the monk Gotama staying in Kosambi, this monk Ānanda is one of them. The venerable ones like quiet; they are disciplined in quiet, they commend quiet. Perhaps if he finds our assembly a quiet one, he will think to join us.”

Then the wanderers were silent.

The venerable Ānanda went to Sandaka the wanderer, who said to him: “Come, Master Ānanda, welcome, Master Ānanda; it is long since Master Ānanda made an occasion to come here. Let Master Ānanda be seated; this seat is ready.”

The venerable Ānanda sat down on the seat prepared, and Sandaka the wanderer took another, lower, seat and sat down at one side. When he had done so, the venerable Ānanda asked him: “For what talk are you gathered here now, Sandaka? And what was your talk meanwhile which was left unfinished?”

“Let that be, Master Ānanda, let the talk for which we are now gathered here be. Master Ānanda can well hear about that later. It would be good if a talk on the Dhamma in his own Teacher’s doctrine occurred to Master Ānanda.”

“Then Sandaka, listen and attend carefully to what I shall say.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied. The venerable Ānanda said this:

“Sandaka, these four ways of life that are no life divine have been declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened; and also these four kinds of life divine without consolation have been declared, wherein a wise man almost certainly would not live the life divine, or while living it, he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.”

“But, Master Ānanda, what are those four ways of life that are no life divine declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man almost certainly would not live the life divine, or, while living it, he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable?”

“Here, Sandaka, some teacher’s theory and view is this: ‘There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed, no fruit or ripening of good and bad kammas, no this world, no other world, no mother, no father, no spontaneously born beings, no good and virtuous monks and divines that have themselves realized by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world. Man consists of four great elements. When he dies, earth returns and goes back to the body of earth, water returns and goes back to the body of water, fire returns and goes back to the body of fire, and air returns and goes back to the body of air, the faculties are transferred to space. Four men with the bier as fifth go with the corpse. The funeral orations last as far as the charnel ground. The bones whiten. Burnt offerings end with ashes. Giving is fools’ doctrine. When anyone makes the assertion that there is giving and the like, it is empty, false prating. Fools and wise men are alike cut off and annihilated with the dissolution of the body; after death they are not.’

“About this a wise man considers thus, ‘This good teacher has this theory and view: “There is nothing given… after death they are not”. Now if this good teacher’s words are true, then here in this teaching I have done my duty by not doing it, here I have lived the life divine by not living it; and both of us are exactly equal here in this teaching, both are arrived at equality. But what I do not say is that both of us are cut off and annihilated with the dissolution of the body, that after death we shall not be. But this good teacher’s nakedness, his shavenness, devotion to the squatting position and pulling out of hair and beard, are superfluous, since I, who live in a house crowded with children, using Benares sandalwood, wearing garlands, and unguents, accepting gold and silver, shall reap exactly the same destination as this good teacher. What do I know and see that I should lead the life divine under this teacher?’ So when he finds that this is no life divine, he consequently turns away and leaves it.

“This is the first way of life that is no life divine declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man would certainly not live the life divine, or while living it he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“Again, Sandaka here some teacher’s theory and view is this: ‘When a man acts or has action done, when he mutilates or has mutilation done, when he tortures or has torturing done, when he inflicts sorrow, when he oppresses, when he threatens or causes threatening, when he slays living beings, takes what is not given, breaks open locks, raids for plunder, commits burglary, ambushes highways, goes with another’s wife, utters falsehood—no evil is done for the doer. If a man with a razor-rimmed wheel makes the living beings on this earth into one mass of meat, into one heap of meat, there is no evil sourcing from it and no outcome of evil. If a man follows the Ganges’ south bank killing and slaughtering, mutilating and having mutilation done, there is no evil sourcing from it and no outcome of evil. If a man follows the Ganges’ north bank giving gifts and having them given, offering sacrifices and having them offered, then there is no merit sourcing from it and no outcome of merit. By giving, by training, by restraint, by speaking truth, there is no merit and no outcome of merit.’

“About this a wise man considers thus: ‘This good teacher has this theory and view, “When a man acts… there is no merit and no outcome of merit.” If this good teacher’s words are true, then here in this teaching I have done my duty by not doing it, here I have lived the life divine by not living it; and both of us are exactly equal here in this teaching, both are arrived at equality. But what I do not say is that whatever both of us do, no evil is done. But this good teacher’s nakedness… are superfluous…’ So when he finds that this is no life divine, he consequently turns away and leaves it.

“This is the second way of life that is no life divine declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man would certainly not live the life divine, or, while living it, he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“Again, Sandaka, here some teacher’s theory and view is this: ‘There is no reason, no condition, for beings’ defilement; beings are defiled without reason or condition. There is no reason, no condition, for beings’ purification; beings are purified without reason or condition. There is no power, no energy, no manly courage, no manly endurance; all creatures, all breathing things, all beings, all souls, are without mastery, power or energy; moulded by fate, coincidence and essence, they experience pleasure and pain in the six species.’

“About this a wise man considers thus: ‘This good teacher has this theory and view, “There is no reason… in the six species.” If this good teacher’s words are true, then here in this teaching I have done my duty by not doing it, here I have lived the life divine by not living it; and both of us are exactly equal here in this teaching, both are arrived at equality. But what I do not say is that both of us are purified without reason or condition. But this good teacher’s nakedness… are superfluous…’ So when he finds this is no life divine, he consequently turns away and leaves it.

“This is the third way of life that is no life divine declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man would certainly not live the life divine, or, while living it, he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“Again, Sandaka, here some teacher’s theory and view is this: ‘There are these seven bodies that are unmade, with no assignment made, uncreated, without a creator, barren, standing like mountain peaks, standing like pillars. They do not move or change or afflict each other. None is able to arouse pleasure or pain, or pleasure and pain, in another. What are the seven? They are the earth body, the water body, the fire body, the air body, pleasure, pain and soul as the seventh. These seven bodies are unmade, with no assignment made, uncreated, without a creator, barren, standing like mountain peaks, standing like pillars. They do not move or change or afflict each other. None is able to arouse pleasure, pain, or pleasure and pain, in another. Herein, there is no killer, no slaughterer, no hearer, no maker of hearing, no cognizer, no intimator. Even those who cut off a head with a sharp knife do not deprive anyone of life, the knife merely passes through the space between the seven bodies. But there are these fourteen-hundred thousand principal kinds of generation, and sixty hundred kinds, and six hundred kinds; then five hundred kinds of kamma, and five kinds of kamma, and kamma and half kamma; then sixty-two ways, sixty-two aeons intervals sub-aeons, six species, eight planes of man, forty-nine hundred kinds of livelihood, forty-nine hundred kinds of going-forth, forty-nine hundred abodes of serpents, twenty hundred faculties, thirty hundred hells, thirty-six elements of dust, seven percipient breeds, seven non-percipient breeds, seven sheathless breeds, seven kinds of gods, seven kinds of men, seven kinds of demons, seven lakes, seven knots, seven kinds of chasms, seven hundred kinds of chasms, seven kinds of dreams, seven hundred kinds of dreams, and there are eighty-four hundred-thousand great aeons wherein, by travelling and trudging through the round of rebirth fools and wise men both will make an end of suffering. “By this virtue or duty or mortification or life divine I shall get unripened kamma to ripen or annihilate ripened kamma as it comes”: there is none of that. Pleasure and pain are meted out. With the end of the round of rebirths there is no loss or increase, no improvement or worsening. Just as a ball of string when thrown goes as far as the string unwinds, so too, by travelling and trudging through the round of rebirths fools and wise men both will make an end of suffering.’

“About this a wise man considers thus: ‘This good teacher has this theory and view, “There are these seven bodies… fools and wise men both will make an end of suffering.” If this good teacher’s words are true, then here in this teaching I have done my duty by not doing it, here I have lived the life divine by not living it; and both of us are exactly equal here in this teaching, both are arrived at equality. But what I do not say is that both of us will make an end of suffering by travelling and trudging through the round of rebirths. But this good teacher’s nakedness, his shavenness, devotion to the squatting position and pulling out hair and beard, are superfluous since I, who live in a house crowded with children, using Benares sandalwood, wearing garlands, scents and unguents, accepting gold and silver, shall reap exactly the same destination as this good teacher. What do I know and see that I should lead the life divine under this teacher?’ So when he finds that this is no life divine, he consequently turns and leaves it.

“This is fourth way of life that is no life divine declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man would certainly not live the life divine, or while living it he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“These are the four ways of life which are no life divine declared by the Blessed One… the true way that is profitable.”

“It is wonderful, Master Ānanda, it is marvellous, how the four ways of life that are no life divine have been declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man certainly would not live the life divine, or while living it he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable! But, Master Ānanda, what are those four kinds of life divine without consolation that have been declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man certainly would not lead the life divine, or while living it he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable?”

“Here, Sandaka, some omniscient, all-seeing teacher claims to have complete knowledge and vision thus: ‘Whether I am walking or standing or sleeping or waking, my knowledge and vision are continuously, unceasingly maintained.’ He enters an empty house, gets no alms-food, a dog bites him, he meets with a savage elephant, he meets with a savage horse, he meets with a savage bull, he asks the name and surname of a woman and of a man, he asks the way to a village or town. When he is questioned: ‘How is this?’ he replies: ‘The empty house had to be entered by me, that is why I entered it. Alms-food had not to be got by me, that is why I did not get it. There had to be a biting by a dog, that is why I was bitten. There had to be a meeting with a savage elephant… savage horse… savage bull… that is why I met with it. There had to be an asking of a woman’s and a man’s name and surname, that is why I asked. There had to be an asking the way to a village or town, that I why I asked.’

“About this a wise man considers thus: ‘This omniscient all-seeing good teacher claims to have complete knowledge and vision thus… There had to be an asking the way to a village or town, that is why I asked.’

“So when he finds that this life divine is without consolation, he consequently turns away and leaves it.

“This is the first life divine without consolation declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man certainly would not live the life divine, or while living it, he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“Again, Sandaka, here some teacher depends on oral tradition, his truth is oral tradition, he teaches a Dhamma by oral tradition, by legends handed down, by what has come down in scriptures. But when a teacher depends on oral tradition and his truth is oral tradition, some is well remembered and some is ill remembered, and some is thus and some is otherwise.

“About this a wise man considers thus: ‘This good teacher depends on oral tradition… some is thus and some is otherwise.’

“So when he finds that this life divine is without consolation, he consequently turns away and leaves it.

“This is the second life divine without consolation… he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“Again, Sandaka, here a certain teacher is a rationalist, an enquirer. He teaches a Dhamma hammered out by reasoning, following a line of enquiry as it occurs to him. But when a teacher is a rationalist, an enquirer, some is well reasoned and some is ill reasoned, and some is thus and some is otherwise.

“About this a wise man considers thus: ‘This good teacher is a rationalist… some is thus and some is otherwise.’

“So when he finds that this life divine is without consolation, he consequently turns away and leaves it.

“This is the third life divine without consolation… he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“Again, Sandaka, here a certain teacher is dense and confused. Because he is dense and confused, when he is asked such and such a question he starts verbal wriggling, eel-wriggling: ‘I don’t say it is like this. And I don’t say it is like that. And I don’t say it is otherwise. And I don’t say it not so. And I don’t say it not not so.’

“About this a wise man considers thus: ‘This good teacher is dense and confused… And I don’t say it is not not so.’

“So when he finds that this life divine is without consolation he consequently turns away leaves it.

“This is the fourth life divine without consolation declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man certainly would not live the life divine, or while living it, he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“These are the four kinds of life divine without consolation… he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.”

“It is wonderful, Master Ānanda, it is marvellous, how the four kinds of life divine without consolation have been declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, wherein a wise man certainly would not live the life divine, or while living it, he would not succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable!

“But, Master Ānanda, what does he tell, what does he declare, wherein a wise man certainly would live the life divine, and while living it he would succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable?”

“Here, Sandaka, a Tathāgata appears in the world, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of worlds, incomparable leader of men to be tamed, teacher of gods and men, enlightened, blessed.

“He declares this world with its gods, its Māras and its Brahmā Divinities, this generation with its monks and divines, with its kings, and men, which he has himself realized by direct knowledge.

“He teaches Dhamma good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing, and he announces a life divine that is utterly perfect and pure.

“A householder or householder’s son or one born in some clan hears that Dhamma. On hearing the Dhamma he acquires faith in the Tathāgata. Possessing that faith, he considers thus: ‘House life is crowded and dirty; life gone forth is wide open. It is not possible, living in a household, to lead a life divine as utterly perfect and pure as a polished shell. Suppose I shaved off hair and beard, put on the yellow cloth, and went forth from the home life into homelessness?’

“And on another occasion, abandoning perhaps a small, perhaps a large fortune, abandoning perhaps a small, perhaps a large circle of relatives, he shaves off hair and beard, puts on the yellow cloth, and goes forth from the home life into homelessness.

“Being thus gone forth and possessing the bhikkhus’ training and way of life, abandoning killing living beings, he becomes one who abstains from killing living beings, with rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, he abides compassionate to all beings.

“Abandoning taking what is not given, he becomes one who abstains from taking what is not given, taking only what is given, expecting only what is given, he abides pure in himself by not stealing.

“Abandoning what is not the life divine, he becomes one who lives the life divine, who lives apart abstaining from vulgar lechery.

“Abandoning false speech, he becomes one who abstains from false speech, he speaks truth, cleaves to truth, is trustworthy, reliable and undeceiving of the world.

“Abandoning malicious speech, he becomes one who abstains from malicious speech: as one who is neither a repeater elsewhere of what is heard here for the purpose of causing division from these, nor a repeater to these of what is heard elsewhere for the purpose of causing division from those, who is thus a reuniter of the divided, a promoter of friendships, and enjoying concord, rejoicing in concord, delighting in concord, he becomes a speaker of words that promote concord.

“Abandoning harsh speech, he becomes one who abstains from harsh speech: he becomes a speaker of such words as are innocent, pleasing to the ear and lovable, as go to the heart, are civil, desired of many, and dear to many.

“Abandoning gossip, he becomes one who abstains from gossip: as one who tells in season what is true and beneficial and the Dhamma and Discipline, he becomes a speaker of timely words, worth recalling, reasoned, measured and connected with good.

“He becomes one who abstains from injuring seeds and plants.

“He becomes one who eats in only one part of the day, refusing food at night and late meals.

“He becomes one who abstains from dancing, singing, music and theatrical shows.

“He becomes one who abstains from wearing of garlands, smartening with scent and embellishment with unguents.

“He becomes one who abstains from high and large couches.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting gold and silver.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting raw corn.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting raw meat.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting women and girls.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting bondswomen and bondsmen.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting sheep and goats.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting poultry and pigs.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting elephants, cattle, horses and mares.

“He becomes one who abstains from accepting fields and lands.

“He becomes one who abstains from going on errands.

“He becomes one who abstains from buying and selling.

“He becomes one who abstains from false weights, false metal and false measures.

“He becomes one who abstains from cheating, deceiving, defrauding and trickery.

“He becomes one who abstains from wounding, murdering, binding brigandage, plunder and violence.

“He becomes one who is content with robes to keep the body, with alms-food to keep the belly: wherever he goes he takes all with him. Just as wherever a winged bird flies it flies using its own wings, so too he becomes one who is content with robes to keep the body, with alms-food to keep the belly: wherever he goes he takes all with him.

“Possessing this store of Noble Ones’ virtue, he feels in himself pleasure that is blameless.

“He becomes one who, on seeing a visible form with the eye, apprehends no signs and features through which, if he left the eye faculty unguarded, evil unprofitable dhammas of covetousness and grief might invade him. He practises the way of restraint, he guards the eye faculty, undertakes the restraint of the eye faculty. On hearing a sound with the ear… On smelling an odour with the nose… On tasting a flavour with the tongue… On touching a tangible with the body… On cognizing a dhamma with the mind… undertakes the restraint of the mind faculty.

“Possessing this Noble Ones’ faculty restraint, he feels in himself pleasure that is blameless.

“He becomes one who acts in full awareness when moving forward and moving backward, who acts in full awareness when looking towards and looking away, who acts in full awareness when flexing and extending, who acts in full awareness when wearing the patched cloak, robes and bowl, who acts in full awareness when eating, drinking, chewing and tasting, who acts in full awareness when evacuating the bowels and making water, who acts in full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, waking up, talking and keeping silent.

“Possessing this store of the Noble Ones’ virtue, and possessing this Noble Ones’ faculty restraint, and possessing this Noble Ones’ mindfulness and full awareness, he resorts to a secluded resting-place—to the forest, a tree-root, a rock, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a woodland solitude, an open space, a heap of straw.

“On return from his alms-round after the meal, he sits down, folding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect, establishing mindfulness before him.

“Abandoning covetousness for the world, he abides with a mind free from covetousness, he purifies mind from covetousness. Abandoning ill-will and hatred, he abides without a mind of ill-will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings, he purifies mind from ill-will and hatred. Abandoning lethargy and drowsiness, he abides with a mind free from lethargy and drowsiness, percipient of light, mindful and fully aware, he purifies mind from lethargy and drowsiness. Abandoning agitation and worry, he abides unagitated with a mind stilled in himself, he purifies mind from agitation and worry. Abandoning uncertainty, he abides with a mind crossed beyond uncertainty, unquestioning about profitable dhammas, he purifies mind from uncertainty.

“Having thus abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of mind that weaken understanding, quite secluded from sensual desires, secluded from unprofitable dhammas he enters upon and abides in the first jhāna which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, with happiness and bodily pleasure born of seclusion.

“When a wise man attains such sublime distinction under any teacher, he certainly would live the life divine under him, and living it, he would succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.

“Again, with the stilling of initial and sustained application, he enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind, without initial application and without sustained application, with happiness and pleasure born of concentration.

“When a wise man attains such sublime distinction…

“Again with the fading as well of happiness… ‘He has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful.’

“When a wise man attains such sublime distinction…

“Again, with the abandoning of bodily pleasure… and has purity of mindfulness due to equanimity.

“When a wise man attains such sublime distinction…

“When his concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs, he inclines the mind to knowledge of the recollection of 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 world contraction, many aeons of world expansion, many aeons of world contraction and expansion: there he was so-named, of such a race, with such qualities of appearance, such was his nutriment, such his experience of pleasure and pain, such his life-term; and passing away from there, he appeared elsewhere; and there too he was so-named, of such a race, with such qualities of appearance, such was his nutriment, such his experience of pleasure and pain, such his life-term; and passing away from there he appeared here. Thus with details and particulars he recollects his manifold past life.

“When a wise man attains such sublime distinction…

“When his concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs, he inclines the mind to knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings.

“With the heavenly eyesight which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, well-behaved and ill-behaved; he understands 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, have, on the dissolution of the body, after death, appeared in a state of deprivation, 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, have, on the dissolution of the body, after death, appeared in a good destination, even in the heavenly world’, thus with heavenly eyesight which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, well-behaved and ill-behaved. He understands how beings pass on according to their kamma.

“When a wise man attains such sublime distinction…

“When his concentrated mind is thus purified and bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, and become malleable, wieldy, steady and attained to unperturbability, he directs, he inclines the mind to knowledge of exhaustion of taints.

“He has direct knowledge thus: ‘This is suffering’; he has direct knowledge thus: ‘This is the origin of suffering’; he has direct knowledge thus: ‘This is the cessation of suffering’; he has direct knowledge thus: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’ He has direct knowledge thus: ‘These are taints’; he has direct knowledge thus: ‘This is the origin of taints’; he has direct knowledge thus: ‘This is the cessation of taints’; he has direct knowledge thus: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of taints’.

“Knowing thus, seeing thus, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. When liberated, there is the knowledge ‘It is liberated’. He understands: ‘Birth is exhausted, the life divine has been lived out, what can be done is done, there is no more of this to come.’

“When a wise man attains such sublime distinction under any teacher, he certainly would live the life divine under him, and living it, he would succeed in the Dhamma belonging to the true way that is profitable.”

“But, Master Ānanda, when a bhikkhu is an Arahant with the taints exhausted and he has lived the life, done what was to be done, laid down the burden, reached the highest goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and through right knowledge is liberated, would he indulge in sensual desires?”

“Sandaka, when a bhikkhu is an Arahant with the taints exhausted… and through right knowledge is liberated, he is incapable of transgression in five instances. A bhikkhu whose taints are exhausted is incapable of purposely depriving a living being of life; he is incapable of taking what is not given, in other words, stealing; he is incapable of indulging in sexual intercourse; he is incapable of knowingly speaking falsehood; he is incapable of indulging sensual desires, laying up a store as formerly in lay life. When a bhikkhu is an Arahant with taints exhausted, and has lived the life, done what was to be done, laid down the burden, reached the highest goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and through right knowledge is liberated, he is incapable of transgression in these five instances.”

“But, Master Ānanda, when a bhikkhu is Arahant… and with right knowledge is liberated, whether he is walking or standing or sleeping or waking, are his knowledge and vision that his taints are exhausted continuously, unceasingly maintained?”

“As to that, Sandaka, I shall give you a simile, for some wise men understand by means of a simile the meaning of what is said. Suppose a man’s hands and feet were cut off, does he, whether he is walking or standing or sleeping or waking, know: ‘My hands and feet are cut off’, continuously, unceasingly, or does he know: ‘My hands and feet are cut off’ when he reviews the fact?”

“The man, Master Ānanda, does not know: ‘My hands and feet are cut off’ continuously, unceasingly. On the contrary, he knows: ‘My hands and feet are cut off’ when he reviews the fact.”

“So too, Sandaka, when a bhikkhu is an Arahant… and with right knowledge is liberated, whether he is walking or standing or sleeping or waking, his knowledge and vision that his taints are exhausted are not continuously and unceasingly maintained. On the contrary he knows: ‘My taints are exhausted’ when he reviews the fact.”

“How many guides are there in this Dhamma and Discipline, Master Ānanda?”

“There are not one hundred, Sandaka, nor two hundred, nor three hundred, nor four hundred, nor five hundred; there are indeed far more than that in this Dhamma and Discipline.”

“It is wonderful, Master, Ānanda, it is marvellous! There is no lauding one’s own Dhamma and disparaging others’ Dhamma and in the range of the Dhamma’s teaching so many guides appear. But these Ājivaka ascetics, these mothers’ dead sons, I mean Nanda Vaccha, Kisa Sankicca, and Makkhali Gosāla, laud themselves and disparage others.”

Then the Wanderer Sandaka addressed his own assembly: “Go, sirs; the way of life under the monk Gotama is the life divine. It is not easy for us now to give up gain, honour and renown.”

That is how the Wanderer Sandaka exhorted his own assembly to the life divine under the Blessed One.

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.