4.9. Māgandiya Learns the Muni’s Life. (SNP4.9)

Buddha
As Craving with Longing and Lust had been Seen
no spark of desire existed for sex,
What then about this filled with piss and with shit—
That even with foot I’d not wish to touch!

Māgandiya
If you don’t wish for a jewel such as this,
a woman desired by many lords of men,
what view do you hold, living by what rite,
by what vows to arise in what kind of life?

Buddha
As nothing is grasped among various Dharmas,
so for me there is not any “This I proclaim”,
having seen but not grasped among many views,
through discernment among them I saw inner peace.

Māgandiya
Among what’s constructed thoroughly knowing,
Ungrasping, O Sage, do you speak upon these,
“inward peacefulness”—what meaning has that,
how will the wise declare it to be?

Buddha
Neither from views, not from learning or knowledge,
not from rites, or from vows, does purity come I say;
nor from no views, no learning, no knowledge acquired,
no rites and no vows—none of them at all,
Neither by grasping nor giving them up
is their peace unsupported, and no hunger “to be”.

Māgandiya
If you speak then not of purity by views,
not by learning, not by knowledge, not rites and not vows;
nor from no views, no learning, no knowledge acquired,
by no rites and no vows—none of them at all,
then I think that this is very deluded Dharma,
for some depend on views as the source of purity.

Buddha
Questioning repeatedly dependent on views,
grasped at again, you’ve arrived at delusion,
not having experienced even a tiny perception of peace,
so therefore you see this as very deluded.

Who as “equal” considers, “greater” or “less”,
conceiving others thus would dispute because of this;
but who by these three never is swayed,
“equal”, “superior” does not exist.

Why would this Brahmin declare “this is the true”,
with whom would he argue that “this is false”,
in whom there is not “equal”, “unequal”,
with whom would he join another in dispute?

With home let go, faring on in homelessness,
in villages the Sage having no intimates,
rid of sensual desires, having no preference,
would not with any arguments people engage.

Unattached, one wanders forth in the world,
a Nāga, ungrasping, would not dispute those,
just as the water lily, thorny-stemmed species,
sullied is not by water or mud,
even so is the ungreedy Sage proclaiming Peace,
unsullied by desires and pleasures in the world.

The Wise One’s not conceited by view or by intelligence,
for that one there is no “making-it-mine”;
and cannot be led by good works or by learning,
cannot be led away by mind-shelters of view.

For one detached from perception, there exist no ties,
for one by wisdom freed, no delusions are there,
but those who have grasped perceptions and views,
they wander the world stirring up strife.

Translated by Laurence Khantipalo Mills.

This translation was edited by Bhikkhu Sujato as part of the full translation of the Sutta Nipāta with commentary prepared from a draft handwritten and typed manuscript of Laurence Khantipalo Mills in 2015. The project was managed by Laurence’s students Michael Wells and Gary Dellora, and initial digitizing of the text was by Sean Read. Full text is available at https://suttacentral.net/downloads

In addition to the suttas noted, Bhikkhu Sujato also translated verses 46, 78, 232, 465, 500, 589–597, 865, 885–890, 894–5, 897–901, 902–916, and 919–921.

This text is released dedicated to the Public Domain by way of Creative Commons Zero. No rights reserved.