5.18. Epilogue: In Praise of the Way to the Beyond (SNP5.18)

The Radiant One said this while he stayed among the Magadhese at the Pāsānika Shrine. There he was asked, then he questioned, the sixteen brahmin pupils, answering their questions. If one should understand the meaning of even one question, and then practise the Dharma according to the Dharma, then one would go to the farther shore beyond ageing and death. As this Dharma leads to the farther shore it is known as the Teaching leading to the Farther Shore (pārāyana).

Narrator
Ajita, Tissametteyya,
Puṇṇaka, then there’s Mettagū,
Dhotaka, Upasīva then
Nanda also Hemaka,

The pair Todeyya, Kappa, then
Jātukaṇṇi the learned one,
Bhadrāvudha, Udaya, and
the brahmin who’s called Posāla,
Mogharāja the very wise
and Piṅgiya the seer so great—

All these approached the perfect Seer,
the Buddha who practised perfectly,
to question him on subtle points,
to the Buddha-best they journeyed.

Having been questioned the Buddha replied
with Dharma according to how it really is.
In answering their questions the Sage
delighted those brahmins.

Being delighted by the Seer,
The Buddha, Kinsman of the Sun,
They lived the Holy Life in his presence,
He of such magnificent wisdom.

One who practices in accordance
With each and every question
As taught by the Buddha
Goes from the near to the far shore.

One developing this unexcelled path
would go from the near to the far shore;
This path goes to the far shore, which is why
It’s called the “Way to the Far Shore”.

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.