94. To Ghoṭamukha (MN94)

Thus I heard:

On one occasion the Venerable Udena was living at Benares in the Khemiya Mango Grove.

Now on that occasion Ghoṭamukha of the divine caste had arrived at Benares for some business or other. As he was walking and wandering for exercise he came to the Khemiya Mango Grove. And on that occasion the Venerable Udena was walking up and down in the open. Then Ghoṭamukha of the divine caste went up to him and exchanged greetings with him. Then when the courteous and amiable talk was finished, still walking up and down with the Venerable Udena, he said this:

“Worthy monk, there is no true wandering: that is how it appears to me in this case. And that is either owing to my not seeing those such as your goodselves, or else it is owing to not seeing that which is the Dhamma here.”

When this was said, the Venerable Udena stepped down from the walk and went into his dwelling, where he sat down on a seat made ready. And Ghoṭamukha too stepped down from the walk and went into the dwelling, where he stood at one side. Then the Venerable Udena said to him: “There are seats, divine, sit down if you wish.”

“We did not sit down because we were waiting for Master Udena to speak; for how should one like me presume to sit down on a seat uninvited?”

Then he took a low seat and sat down at one side. When he had done so, he said: “Worthy monk, there is no true wandering: that is how it appears to me in this case. And that is either owing to my not seeing those such as your goodselves, or else it is owing to not seeing that which is the Dhamma here.”

“Divine, if you think any statement of mine is to be agreed with, then agree with it; if you think any statement is to be argued against, argue against it; and if you should not know the meaning of any statement of mine, ask me more about it thus: ‘This was the statement, Master Udena: what is its meaning?’ In this way there can be conversation between us on this matter.”

“Master Udena, if I think any statement of Master Udena’s is to be agreed with, I shall agree with it; if I think any statement is to be argued against, I shall argue it; and if I should not know the meaning of any statement of Master Udena’s I shall ask Master Udena more about it thus: ‘This was the statement Master Udena; what is its meaning?’ In this way let there be conversation between us on this matter.”

“Divine, there are four kinds of persons to be found existing in the world. What four? Here a certain kind of person torments himself being interested in self-torture.

“Here a certain kind of person torments others, being interested in torturing others.

“Here a certain kind of person torments himself, being interested in self-torture, and he torments others, being interested in torturing others.

“Here a certain kind of person does not torment himself, not being interested in self-torture, nor does he torment others, not being interested in torturing others; since he torments neither himself nor others he is here and now unparched extinguished, cooled, he abides experiencing pleasure as one become divine in himself.

“Which of these four kinds of persons commends itself to your mind, divine?”

“The first three do not commend themselves to my mind, Venerable sir, but the last one does so.”

“But, divine why do these three kinds of persons not commend themselves to your mind?”

“Venerable sir, the kind of person who torments himself, being interested in self-torments and tortures his own self which desires pleasure and recoils from pain; that is why that kind of person does not commend itself to my mind. And the kind of person who torments others, being interested in torturing others, torments and tortures another who desires pleasure and recoils from pain; that is why that kind of person does not commend itself to my mind. And the third kind of person who torments himself, being interested in self-torture, and torments others, being interested in torturing others, both of them desiring pleasure and recoiling from pain; that is why that kind of person does not commend itself to my mind. But the kind of person who does not torment himself, not being interested in self-torture, and does not torment others, not being interested in torturing others, since he torments neither himself nor others, he is here and now unparched, extinguished, cooled, and having become divine in himself he abides experiencing pleasure. That is why that kind of person commends itself to my mind.”

“Divine, there are two kinds of assembly. What two? Here a certain assembly lusts greatly after jewels and earrings, seeks bondsmen and bondswomen, seeks fields and land, seeks gold and silver. But here a certain assembly does not lust at all after jewels and earrings, but abandoning wife and children, abandoning bondsmen and bondswomen, abandoning fields and land, abandoning gold and silver, it has gone forth from home life to homelessness. Now there is this kind of person who neither torments himself, not being interested in self-torture, nor torments others, not being interested in torturing others; who, since he torments neither himself nor others, is here and now unparched, extinguished, cooled, and having become divine in himself, he abides experiencing pleasure. In which of the two kinds of assembly do you see this person most often, divine?”

“I see this kind of person most often in the second kind of assembly, Master Udena.”

“But only just now, divine, we understood you to say: ‘Worthy monk, there is no true wandering: that is how it appears to me in this case. And that is either owing to my not seeing those such as your goodselves, or else it is owing to not seeing that which is Dhamma here’.”

“Certainly, Master Udena, it was in order to learn, in fact, that that statement was made by me. There is true wandering: that is how it appears to me in this case, and may Master Udena remember me to have spoken thus. And now it would be good if out of compassion Master Udena would expound in detail those four kinds of persons which he mentioned in brief without expounding them in detail.”

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

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

“Divine, what is the kind of person who torments himself, being interested in self-torture? Here a certain person goes naked, rejecting conventions, licking his hands, not coming when asked, not stopping when asked; he does not accept a thing brought or a thing specially made or an invitation; he receives nothing from out of a pot, from out of a bowl, across a threshold, across a stick, across a pestle, from two eating together, from a woman with child, from a woman giving suck, from where a woman was lying with a man, from where food was advertised to be distributed, from where a dog was waiting, from where flies were buzzing; he accepts no fish or meat, he drinks no liquor, wine or besotting drink; he keeps to one house, to one morsel; he keeps to two houses, to two morsels… he keeps to seven houses, to seven morsels. He lives on one saucerful, on two saucerfuls… on seven saucerfuls, a day; he takes food once a day, once each two days… once each seven days, and so, up to once each fortnight. He dwells pursuing the practice of taking food at stated intervals. He is an eater of greens, or millet, or wild rice, or hide-parings, or moss, or rice-bran, or rinsings, or sesamum flour, or grass, or cowdung; he lives on forest roots and on fruits as a feeder on windfalls. He clothes himself in hemp, in hemp mixed cloth, in shrouds, in refuse rags, in tree bark, in antelope hide, in kusa-grass fabric, in bark fabric, in wood shavings fabric, in head-hair wool, in animal wool, in owls’ wings. He is one who pulls out hair and beard, pursuing the practice of pulling out hair and beard. He is one who stands continuously, rejecting seats. He is one who squats continuously, devoted to maintaining the squatting position. He is one who uses a mattress of spikes; he makes a mattress of spikes his bed. He dwells pursuing the practice of bathing in water for the third time by nightfall. In fact he dwells pursuing the practice of torment and torture of the body in its main aspects. This is called the kind of person who torments himself, being interested in self-torture.

“What kind of person torments others, being interested in torturing others? Here a certain person is a butcher of sheep, a butcher of pigs, a fowler, a trapper of wild beasts, a hunter, a fisher, an executioner of felons, a prison warder, or follows any other such bloody occupation. This is called the kind of person who torments others, being interested in torturing others.

“What is the kind of person who torments himself, being interested in self-torture, and torments others, being interested in torturing others? Here some person is a head-anointed warrior noble, king, or a divine of great property. He has a new sacrificial temple made to the east of the city, and having shaved off his hair and beard, dressed himself in rough hide and greased his body with ghee and oil, scratching his back with a deer’s horn, he enters the sacrificial temple together with his chief queen and his high priest of the divine caste. There he lies down on the bare ground with the grass on it. The king uses any milk there is in the first teat of a cow with a calf of the same colour while the chief queen uses any milk in the second teat, and the divine high priest uses any milk in the third teat, and milk in the fourth teat they pour onto the fire: the calf uses what is left. He says thus: ‘Let so many bulls be slaughtered for sacrifice, let so many bullocks be slaughtered for sacrifice, let so many heifers be slaughtered for sacrifice, let so many goats be slaughtered for sacrifice, let so many sheep be slaughtered for sacrifice, let so many trees be felled for the sacrificial posts, let so much grass be cut for the sacrificial grass.’ And then his slaves and messengers and servants make preparations with tearful faces and weeping, being spurred on by threats of punishment and by fear. This is called the kind of person who torments himself, being interested in self-torture, and torments others, being interested in torturing others.

“What kind of person does not torment himself, not being interested in self-torture, and does not torment others, not being interested in torturing others, who since he torments neither himself nor others, is here and now unparched, extinguished, cooled and abides experiencing pleasure having become divine in himself?

“Here, Ghoṭamukha, 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 trust-worthy, 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, 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 abandoned these five hindrances, defilements of the 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.

“… second jhāna…

“… third jhāna…

“… fourth jhāna…

“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 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 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’.

“When he knows and sees thus, the mind is liberated from the taints of sensual desire, from the taints of being and from the taints of ignorance. When liberated there comes the knowledge: ‘It is liberated’. He has direct knowledge thus: ‘Birth is exhausted, the life divine has been lived out, what can be done is done. There is no more of this to come.’

“This is called the kind of person who does not torment himself, not being interested in self torture, and does not torment others, not being interested in torturing others, who since he torments neither himself nor others, is here and now unparched, extinguished, cooled, who, become divine in himself, abides experiencing pleasure.”

When this was said, Ghoṭamukha of the divine caste said to the Venerable Udena: “Magnificent! Master Udena! Magnificent! Master Udena! The Dhamma has been made clear in many ways by Master Udena 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 Udena for refuge and to the Dhamma and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. From today let Master Udena remember me as a follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

“Do not go to me for refuge, divine. Go for refuge to that same Blessed One to whom I go for refuge.”

“Where is he living now, that Blessed One, Arahant and fully enlightened, Master Udena?”

“That Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened, has attained the final Nibbāna now, divine.”

“If we heard that that Blessed One was within ten leagues, we would go ten leagues in order to see that Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened. If we heard that that Blessed One was within twenty… thirty… forty… fifty… a hundred leagues, we would go a hundred leagues in order to see that Blessed One, Arahant and Fully Enlightened. But since that Blessed One has attained the final Nibbāna, we go to that Blessed One for refuge and to the Dhamma and to the Sangha of bhikkhus. From today let Master Udena remember me as a follower who has gone for refuge for life.

“Now, Master Udena, there is the king of Anga who gives me a regular pension daily; from that I give Master Udena a regular pension.”

“In what form does the king of Anga give you the regular pension daily, divine?”

“It is five hundred kahapanas, Master Udena.”

“It is not allowed for us to accept gold and silver, divine.”

“If that is not allowed to Master Udena, I will have a monastery built for Master Udena.”

“If you desire to have a monastery built for me, divine, have a service hall built for the Sangha at Pāṭaliputta.”

“I am still more satisfied and glad that Master Udena suggests to me a gift to the Sangha. So with this regular pension and another regular pension I shall have a service hall built for the Sangha at Pāṭaliputta.”

Then with that regular pension which he had offered Master Udena and another regular pension added to it, Ghoṭamukha of the divine caste had a service hall built for the Sangha at Pāṭaliputta. And that is now known as the Ghoṭamukhi.

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.