Aṇguttara Nikāya
4. Catukkanipata
III. Uruvelā Vaggo
Sutta 24
Kalaka Sutta
At Kalaka's Park
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Proofed against and modified in accordance with the revised edition at dhammatalks.org
For free distribution only.
[1][pts][bodh] On one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Saketa at Kalaka's park.
There he addressed the monks:
"Monks!"
"Yes, lord," the monks responded.
The Blessed One said:
"Monks, whatever in this world —
with its devas, Māras, and Brahmās,
its generations with their contemplatives and brahmans
rulers and common people —
is seen,
heard,
sensed,
cognized,
attained,
sought after,
pondered by the intellect:
That do I know.
Whatever in the world
— with its devas, Māras, and Brahmās,
its generations with their contemplatives and brahmans,
their rulers and common people —
is seen, heard, sensed, cognized,
attained, sought after, pondered by the intellect:
That I directly know.
That has been realized by the Tathāgata,
but in the Tathāgata[1] it has not been established.[2]
"If I were to say,
'I don't know whatever in the world ...
is seen, heard, sensed, cognized ...
pondered by the intellect,'
that would be a falsehood in me.
If I were to say,
'I both know and don't know whatever in the world ...
is seen, heard, sensed, cognized ...
pondered by the intellect,'
that would be just the same.
If I were to say,
'I neither know nor don't know whatever in the world ...
is seen, heard, sensed, cognized ...
pondered by the intellect,'
that would be a fault in me.
"Thus, monks, the Tathāgata,
when seeing what is to be seen,
doesn't suppose an [object as] seen.
He doesn't suppose an unseen.
He doesn't suppose an [object] to-be-seen.
He doesn't suppose a seer.
"When hearing....
"When sensing....
"When cognizing what is to be cognized,
he doesn't suppose an [object as] cognized.
He doesn't suppose an uncognized.
He doesn't suppose an [object] to-be-cognized.
He doesn't suppose a cognizer.
Thus, monks, the Tathāgata
— being the same with regard to all phenomena
that can be seen, heard, sensed, and cognized —
is 'Such.'[3]
And I tell you:
There's no other 'Such'
higher or more sublime.
"Whatever is seen or heard or sensed
and fastened onto as true by others,
One who is Such — among the self-fettered —
wouldn't further claim to be true or even false.
"Having seen well in advance that arrow
where generations are fastened and hung
— 'I know, I see, that's just how it is!' —
there's nothing of the Tathāgata fastened."
[1] Reading tathāgate with the Thai edition.
[2] I.e., the Tathāgata hasn't taken a stance on it.
[3] Such (tādin): An adjective applied to the mind of one who has attained the goal. It indicates that the mind "is what it is" — indescribable but not subject to change or alteration.
Of Related Interest:
MN 1;
MN 2
MN 58
MN 63
MN 72
AN 6:43;
AN 10.93
AN 10.94
AN 10.95
AN 10.96
AN 10:81;
Iti 112;
SN 22:85–86;
Sn 3:12;
Sn 4:3;
Sn 4:8;
Sn 4:13;
Sn 5:6
Ud I.10
Ud VIII.1.
