Verses in Praise of the Way to the Beyond (SNP5.18)

This was said by the Gracious One while living among the Magadhans at the Pāsāṇaka shrine. The sixteen attendent brahmins requested, asked, and asked, and he answered the questions. If, knowing the meaning of each question, knowing the Teaching, he would practice in conformity with the Teaching, he would surely go beyond old age and death. It is said “These teachings go to the beyond,” therefore this presentation of the Teaching is indeed called “The Way to the Beyond”.

Ajita, Tissa Metteyya, Puṇṇaka, also Mettagū,
Dhotaka, and Upasīva, Nanda, and also Hemaka,
the two: Todeyya, and Kappa, and Jatukaṇṇī, the one who is wise,

Bhadrāvudha, and Udaya, also the brahmin Posāla,
Mogharāja, the intelligent one, and the great seer Piṅgiya.

These went to the Buddha, to the seer with perfect conduct,
asking subtle questions, they went to the Buddha who is best.

The Buddha answered as it truly is the questions that they asked,
and by answering the questions the sage satisfied those brahmins.

They, being satisfied by the Visionary, the Buddha, the kinsman of the sun,
lived the spiritual life under the One With Excellent Wisdom.

The Buddha taught like this in response to the questions one by one,
he who practices like this can go from here to the beyond.

From here to the beyond he can go by developing the supreme path.
This is the path for going to the beyond, therefore it is called The Way to the Beyond.

Translated by Ānandajoti Bhikkhu.

Original translation 1999, revised, May 2007.

The text and translation, together with detailed notes and discussions, may be found in multiple formats on the translator’s website, Ancient Buddhist Texts.

Used by kind permission of Bhikkhu Ānandajoti.

The original translation was released under the following licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.