Aṅguttara Nikāya
Chakka-Nipāta
I: Āhuneyya-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sixes
Chapter I: The Worthy
Sutta 10
Mahānāma Suttaɱ
Mahānāma
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once, while the Exalted One was dwelling near Kapilavatthu
in Banyan Tree Park,
there came to him Mahānāma,[1] the Sakya,
who saluted
and sat down at one side.
So seated,
Mahānāma, the Sakya, said this
to the Exalted One:
[205] 'Lord,[2] the Ariyan diaeiple who has won the fruit,[3]
grasped the message,
what life lives he in abundance?'
§
'Mahānāma,[4] the Ariyan disciple who has won the fruit,
grasped the message,
lives this life in abundance:
The Ariyan disciple, Mahānāma,
is ever minding the Tathāgata:
"He is the Exalted One,
arahant,
fully enlightened,
perfected in knowledge and way of life,
one well-gone,
a knower of the worlds,
none higher,
a tamer of tamable men,
a teacher,
the awake among devas and men,
the Exalted One!"
■
Mahānāma, what time the Ariyan disciple minds the Tathāgata,
his heart is never overwhelmed[5] by passion,
never overwhelmed by hatred,
never overwhelmed by infatuation;
then, verily, is the way of his heart made straight
because of the Tathāgata.
■
And with his heart's ways straightened, Mahānāma,
the Ariyan disciple becomes zealous[6] of the goal,
zealous of Dhamma,
wins the joy that is linked to Dhamma;
and of his joy
zest is born;
when his mind is rapt in zest,
his whole[7] being becomes calm;
calm in being,
he experiences ease;
and of him that dwelleth at ease
the heart is composed.
■
Mahānāma, of this Ariyan disciple it is said:
Among uneven folk he lives evenly;[8]
among troubled folk he lives untroubled;
[206] with the ear for Dhamma won,
he makes become
the ever minding of the Buddha.
§
Again, Mahānāma, the Ariyan disciple
is ever minding Dhamma:
"Well declared by the Exalted One is Dhamma,
a view for this life,
nor for this only,[9]
bidding come and see,
a guide,
to be known by the wise
each for himself."
■
Mahānāma, what time the Ariyan disciple minds Dhamma,
his heart is never overwhelmed by passion,
never overwhelmed by hatred,
never overwhelmed by infatuation;
then, verily, is the way of his heart made straight
because of the Dhamma.
■
And with his heart's ways straightened, Mahānāma,
the Ariyan disciple becomes zealous of the goal,
zealous of Dhamma,
wins the joy that is linked to Dhamma;
and of his joy
zest is born;
when his mind is rapt in zest,
his whole being becomes calm;
calm in being,
he experiences ease;
and of him that dwelleth at ease
the heart is composed.
Of him it is said:
Among uneven folk he lives evenly;
among troubled folk he lives untroubled;
with the ear for Dhamma won,
he makes become the ever minding of the Dhamma.
§
Again, Mahānāma, the Ariyan disciple
is ever minding the Order:
"The Exalted One's Order of disciples
has rightly stepped the way,
has straightly stepped the way,
has fitly stepped the way,
has wholly stepped the way,
that is:
the four pairs among men,
the eight persons among mankind;
and this Order of disciples of the Exalted One
is worthy of offerings,
worthy of gifts,
worthy of oblations,
meet to be reverently saluted,
the world's peerless field for merit."
■
Mahānāma, what time the Ariyan disciple minds the Order
his heart is never overwhelmed by passion,
never overwhelmed by hatred,
never overwhelmed by infatuation;
then, verily, is the way of his heart made straight
because of the Order.
■
And with his heart's ways straightened, Mahānāma,
the Ariyan disciple becomes zealous of the goal,
zealous of Dhamma,
wins the joy that is linked to Dhamma;
and of his joy
zest is born;
when his mind is rapt in zest,
his whole being becomes calm;
calm in being,
he experiences ease;
and of him that dwelleth at ease
the heart is composed.
Of him it is said:
Among uneven folk he lives evenly;
among troubled folk he lives untroubled;
with the ear for Dhamma won,
he makes become the ever minding of the Order.
§
Again, Mahānāma, the Ariyan disciple
is ever minding the virtues in the self:
"They are unbroken,
without a flaw,
spotless,
without blemish;
they bring freedom
and are praised by wise men;
they are incorruptible
and lead to concentration."[10]
■
Mahānāma, what time the Ariyan disciple minds virtue in the self
his heart is never overwhelmed by passion,
never overwhelmed by hatred,
never overwhelmed by infatuation;
then, verily, is the way of his heart made straight
because of the virtues in the self.
■
And with his heart's ways straightened, Mahānāma,
the Ariyan disciple becomes zealous of the goal,
zealous of Dhamma,
wins the joy that is linked to Dhamma;
and of his joy
zest is born;
when his mind is rapt in zest,
his whole being becomes calm;
calm in being,
he experiences ease;
and of him that dwelleth at ease
the heart is composed.
[207] Of him it is said:
Among uneven folk he lives evenly;
among troubled folk he lives untroubled;
with the ear for Dhamma won,
he makes become the ever minding of virtue.
§
Again, Mahānāma, the Ariyan disciple
is ever minding liberality in the self:
"It is indeed a gain for me,
indeed I have greatly gained,
I who among folk, overwhelmed by the taint of stinginess,
live the home-life heart-free of the stingy taint,
giving freely,
open-handād,
loving bounty,
within reach of all,
finding joy in alms-distribution."
■
Mahānāma, what time the Ariyan disciple minds liberality in the self
his heart is never overwhelmed by passion,
never overwhelmed by hatred,
never overwhelmed by infatuation;
then, verily, is the way of his heart made straight
because of liberality in the self.
■
And with his heart's ways straightened, Mahānāma,
the Ariyan disciple becomes zealous of the goal,
zealous of Dhamma,
wins the joy that is linked to Dhamma;
and of his joy
zest is born;
when his mind is rapt in zest,
his whole being becomes calm;
calm in being,
he experiences ease;
and of him that dwelleth at ease
the heart is composed.
Of him it is said:
Among uneven folk he lives evenly;
among troubled folk he lives untroubled;
with the ear for Dhamma won,
he makes become the ever minding of liberality.
§
Then, Mahānāma, the Ariyan disciple
makes become the ever minding of the devas:
"There are the Four Royal devas,
there are the devas of the Thirty,
the Yama devas,
the Tusita devas,
the devas who delight in creating,
the devas who have power over others' creations,
the Brahma-world devas,[11]
and there are the devas beyond that;
because their faith was such,
those devas fared hence and arose there,
I also have such faith;
because their virtue was such,
those devas fared hence and arose there,
I also have such virtue;
because their learning was such,
those devas fared hence and arose there,
I also have such learning;
because their liberality was such,
those devas fared hence and arose there,
I also have such liberality;
because their wisdom was such,
those devas fared hence and arose there,
I also have such wisdom.'
■
Mahānāma, what time the Ariyan disciple minds
both in himself
and in those devas
faith,
virtue,
learning,
liberality
and wisdom,
his heart is never overwhelmed by passion,
never overwhelmed by hatred,
never overwhelmed by infatuation;
then, verily, is the way of his heart made straight
because of the devas.
■
And with his heart's ways straightened, Mahānāma,
the Ariyan disciple becomes zealous of the goal,
zealous of Dhamma,
wins the joy that is linked to Dhamma;
and of his joy
zest is born;
when his mind is rapt in zest,
his whole being becomes calm;
calm in being,
he experiences ease;
and of him that dwelleth at ease
the heart is composed.
Of him it is said:
Among uneven folk he lives evenly;
among troubled folk he lives untroubled;
[208] with the ear for Dhamma won,
he makes become the ever minding of the devas.
Mahānāma, the Ariyan disciple who has won the fruit,
grasped the message,
lives this life in abundance.'
[1] Comy. the B.'s first cousin: see Vin. Texts iii, 224 (S.B.E. xx).
[2] See the references to this sutta at Vism. trsl. 257 ff. The items in the discourse closely follow those in the talk with Visākhā, G.S. i, pp. 185-195, the three sorts of feast-day keeping there replaced here by the six Anussatis only.
[3] Āgata-phalo viññāta-sāsano. I cannot trace these compounds elsewhere in the four Nikāyas. Our - Comy., observes: Ariya-phalaɱ assa agatan-ti and Sikkhā-ttaya-sāaamɱ etena viññātan-ti They recur, however, at Mhvs. xiv, 27 (trsl. p. 93), and the ṭīkā therein (Colombo ed., 1895, p. 233) observes: Ettha tatiya-phale ṭhitatta ariya-maggena āgata-anāgāmi-phalo-ti, and Ariya-maggen'eva suṭṭhu vijānita-sambuddha-sāsano.
[4] According to our Comy., and Vism. M. was a Streamwinner.
[5] Pariyuṭṭhita.
[6] Attha-vedaɱ, dhamma-vedaɱ. Comy. says veda is the pīti-pāmojjan that arises in respect of aṭṭha-kathā and Pāḷi. See Vism. trsl. 281. We see this late scholastic interpretation in Nyanatiloka's rendering: 'understanding of exposition and of law.'
[7] Kāya. Comy. nāma- ca karaja- ca.
[8] With Comy., S.e. and v.l. we should read sama-ppatto; the former explains: aamaɱ upasamaɱ patto hutvā
[9] Sanṇdiṭṭhiko akāliko, etc.; cf. 'Everyman, I will go with thee,' etc. Cf. below, § 47. Akāliko, lit. 'not-time-ish,' means for life in other worlds reckoned by kalpa, not kāla. Cf. Sakya, p. 413.
[10] S.e. reads samādhi-saɱvattanikānī-ti.
[11] Devā Brahma-kāyikā.
