Aṇguttara Nikāya
Chakka Nipāta
V. Dhammika Vagga
The Book of Sixes
Sutta 47
Paṭhama Sandiṭṭhika Suttaṃ
To Be Seen for One's Self
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Translator's Introduction
There are some significant differences of opinion concerning the meaning of a couple of terms in this sutta and this results also in a very different understanding between translators as to its meaning in general. My take is that it is a very skillfully handled answer to Sivaka's question that not only answers his question, but teaches him a Dhamma lesson that illustrates the answer. Bhk. Bodhi does not get his say, because his translation cannot be posted because of copyright restrictions, but his translation of key terms is cited in the footnotes to my translation.
I have here suggested a significant change in the usual translation of 'moha' as 'delusion' (Hare's 'infatuation'). I am suggesting 'confusion'. In this sutta we can see that one is supposed to be able to recognize the presence or absence of 'moha' within ourselves. People are able to recognize when they are confused, they are not able to recognize when they are deluded or infatuated as those ideas are defined by the fact of the self being deceived.
Once upon a time The Lucky Man,
Sāvatthī-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There then, Top-knot-Sīvaka, the wanderer, approached The Lucky Man and drew near.
Having drawn near, he gave salutation.
Having given salutation,
having exchanged greetings,
he took a seat to one side.
Seated to one side then, Top-knot-Sīvaka the wanderer said this to The Lucky Man:
"A 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma.[1]
A 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma.
This, Bhante, is what they say.
In what way then, Bhante, is there a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma,
timeless[2],
inviting 'come, see!',
to be experienced individually through vision?"
"In this case Sīvaka what is required is a counter-question
and you should make such response
as seems fit to you.
What to you think Sīvaka?
There being greed within,
is this known:
'There is greed within me.'?
There being no greed within,
is this known:
'There is no greed within me.'?"
"Even so, bhante."
"Whenever Sīvaka
there being greed within,
this is known:
'There is greed within me,'
there being no greed within,
this is known:
'There is no greed within me,'
then in this way Sīvaka
is there a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma,
timeless,
inviting 'come, see!',
to be experienced individually through vision.
What to you think Sīvaka?
There being hate within,
is this known:
'There is hate within me.'?
There being no hate within,
is this known:
'There is no hate within me.'?"
"Even so, bhante."
"Whenever Sīvaka
there being hate within,
this is known:
'There is hate within me,'
there being no hate within,
this is known:
'There is no hate within me,'
then in this way Sīvaka
is there a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma,
timeless,
inviting 'come, see!',
to be experienced individually through vision.
What to you think Sīvaka?
There being confusion within,
is this known:
'There is confusion within me.'?
There being no confusion within,
is this known:
'There is no confusion within me.'?"
"Even so, bhante."
"Whenever Sīvaka
there being confusion within,
this is known:
'There is confusion within me,'
there being no confusion within,
this is known:
'There is no confusion within me,'
then in this way Sīvaka
is there a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma,
timeless,
inviting 'come, see!',
to be experienced individually through vision.
What to you think Sīvaka?
There being forms of behavior leading to greed[3] within,
is this known:
'There is forms of behavior leading to greed within me.'?
There being no forms of behavior leading to greed within,
is this known:
'There is no forms of behavior leading to greed within me.'?"
"Even so, bhante."
"Whenever Sīvaka
there being forms of behavior leading to greed within,
this is known:
'There are forms of behavior leading to greed within me,'
there being no forms of behavior leading to greed within,
this is known:
'There are no forms of behavior leading to greed within me,'
then in this way Sīvaka
is there a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma,
timeless,
inviting 'come, see!',
to be experienced individually through vision.
What to you think Sīvaka?
There being forms of behavior leading to hate within,
is this known:
'There are forms of behavior leading to hate within me.'?
There being no forms of behavior leading to hate within,
is this known:
'There are no forms of behavior leading to hate within me.'?"
"Even so, bhante."
"Whenever Sīvaka
there being forms of behavior leading to hate within,
this is known:
'There are forms of behavior leading to hate within me,'
there being no forms of behavior leading to hate within,
this is known:
'There are no forms of behavior leading to hate within me,'
then in this way Sīvaka
is there a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma,
timeless,
inviting 'come, see!',
to be experienced individually through vision.
What to you think Sīvaka?
There being forms of behavior leading to confusion within,
is this known:
'There are forms of behavior leading to confusion within me.'?
There being no forms of behavior leading to confusion within,
is this known:
'There are no forms of behavior leading to confusion within me.'?"
"Even so, bhante."
"Whenever Sīvaka
there being forms of behavior leading to confusion within,
this is known:
'There are forms of behavior leading to confusion within me,'
there being no forms of behavior leading to confusion within,
this is known:
'There are no forms of behavior leading to confusion within me,'
then in this way Sīvaka
is there a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma,
timeless,
inviting 'come, see!',
to be experienced individually through vision."
"Wonderful, bhante!
Wonderful, bhante!
It is, Bhante, as though the turned-down were over-turned;
the lost were told the way,
an oil-lamp were brought into the darkness
so that those with eyes in their heads could see shapes.
Thus thusly the Lucky Man has shown Dhamma with not simply one exposition.
I go to The Lucky Man for refuge
and to the Dhamma
and to the Order of Beggars.
Having been given life this day,
remember me as a follower
who has taken refuge in the Venerable Gotama."
[1] Sandiṭṭhiko Dhammo. own-seen thing. It could be 'with-seen,' or 'co-seen,' or 'con-seen,' or 'once-seen' but none of those makes sense. Hare: 'Dhamma for this life'; Bhk. Bodhi: 'The directly visible Dhamma'. The sense is clear from the way it is explained: when one knows about one's self that such and such a thing is present or absent in one, then one has Sandiṭṭhiko Dhammo. Since this is a question not about seeing things in general, 'Dhamma' here means 'Teaching', or 'Form', as in the 'Tao' or natural good form, for Buddhists, understanding and behavior according to kamma. Since this is a question coming from an outsider, the meaning for him is this latter, 'form', 'proper form' but Gotama steers him into seeing it in the Buddhist sense of such form as leads to liberation from pain.
[2] Akālika. Non-time stuff. Not bound by time. Here meaning that the knowledge is directly perceived it is not a matter of a conclusion, or a result to be experienced at a later time. But further, in the way it is here taught by Gotama, it is an instruction that does not apply simply to, say, the culture of Gotama in his Time, but is applicable to all beings from whatever cultures, at all times, in all states of consciousness. As an instruction, it does require an understanding that greed is not a good thing, which is not something that is all that clear to people here today [USA Saturday, October 04, 2014 9:16 AM], but the description of a 'to-be-seen-for-one's-self' Dhamma does require vision and anyone with any self-awareness can recognize that the popular expression 'Greed is good', is being made by a mind aware that it is voicing what it does not believe, what is not-Dhamma.
[3] -dhammaṃ. 'greed- etc. practices', or 'forms of behavior leading to greed'. Hare: 'has some hold'; Bhk. Bodhi: 'state connected to'. From √dha to hold. But the better way to put that would be 'things held to be' which is, presumably, the idea in back of Bhk. Bodhi's translation.
