5.15. Posāla’s Question (SNP5.15)

Posāla
To One illuming the past,
the undisturbed who’s cut off doubt,
Gone across the dharmas all,
with this question have I come:

In whom are no perceptions of form,
abandoned it in bodies all,
who sees within, without “there’s nought”,
of such a one, what knowledge known
how will such a one be led?

Buddha
The Tathāgata knows thoroughly
all supports of consciousness:
knows this one as stuck,
that one freed, or bound for the beyond.

Having known the existence of no-thingness
together with its bond of indulgence,
then investigating this and seeing that,
just this is the knowledge of a brahmin perfected.

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.