Aṇguttara Nikāya
IX. Navaka Nipāta
II. Sīhanāda Vagga
The Book of Nines
Sutta 13
Mahā-Koṭṭhita Suttaṃ
Mahā-Koṭṭhita
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
[1][pts][than][upal] I Hear Tell:
Once upon a time, Bhagava, Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Anāthapiṇḍika's Pleasure Grove.
There then the Venerable Mahā-Koṭṭhita approached the Venerable Sāriputta and drew near.
Having drawn near he exchanged greetings together with the Venerable Sāriputta.
Having exchanged greetings and shared friendly talk he took a seat to one side.
Seated to one side then, the Venerable Mahā-Koṭṭhita had this dialog with the Venerable Sāriputta:
"How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma[1] to be experienced in this seen thing
be kamma to be experienced by me in some future state.'
Is it aspiring[2] to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"[3]
"Not for that, friend."
"What then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma to be experienced in some future state
be kamma to be experienced by me in this seen thing.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma to be experienced as pleasant,
be kamma to be experienced by me as unpleasant.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"What then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma to be experienced as unpleasant,
be kamma to be experienced by me as pleasant.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma that is to be experienced as thoroughly ripe
be kamma to be experienced by me as not thoroughly ripe.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"What then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma to be experienced as not thoroughly ripe
be kamma to be experience by me as thoroughly ripe.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma that is to be experienced as a big thing
be kamma to be experienced by me as a little thing.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"What then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma that is to be experienced as a little thing
be kamma to be experienced by me as a big thing.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma to be experienced
be kamma not to be experienced by me.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."[4]
"What then, friend Sāriputta:
'Let kamma not to be experienced
be kamma to be experienced by me.'
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Not for that, friend."
"How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced in this seen thing
be kamma to be experienced by me in some future state."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
What then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced in some future state
be kamma to be experienced by me in this seen thing."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced as pleasant,
be kamma to be experienced by me as unpleasant."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
What then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced as unpleasant,
be kamma to be experienced by me as pleasant."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded."
How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced as thoroughly ripe
be kamma to be experienced by me as not thoroughly ripe."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded."
What then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced as not thoroughly ripe
be kamma to be experienced by me as thoroughly ripe."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced as a big thing
be kamma to be experienced by me as a little thing."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
What then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced as a little thing
be kamma to be experienced by me as a big thing."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
How now then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma to be experienced
be kamma not to be experienced by me."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
What then, friend Sāriputta:
'"Let kamma not to be experienced
be kamma to be experienced by me."
Is it aspiring to this that one leads the holy life under the Lucky Man?'
Such being asked, 'Not for that, friend' you have responded.
But to what then, friend, does one aspire
in leading the holy life under the Lucky Man?"
"Of that, friend, which is
unknown,
unseen,
unattained,
unrealized,
unmastered,
it is for the knowing,
seeing,
attaining,
realizing,
mastering of that
for which the holy life under the Lucky Man is lead."
What then, friend, is that which is
unknown,
unseen,
unattained,
unrealized,
unmastered,
for the knowing,
seeing,
attaining,
realizing,
mastering of which
the holy life under the Lucky Man is lead?
'This is Pain,'[5]
This, friend, is that which is
unknown,
unseen,
unattained,
unrealized,
unmastered.
It is for the knowing,
seeing,
attaining,
realizing,
mastering of this
that the holy life under the Lucky Man is lead.
'This is the source of pain.'
This, friend, is that which is
unknown,
unseen,
unattained,
unrealized,
unmastered.
It is for the knowing,
seeing,
attaining,
realizing,
mastering of this
that the holy life under the Lucky Man is lead.
'This is the eradication of pain.'
This, friend, is that which is
unknown,
unseen,
unattained,
unrealized,
unmastered.
It is for the knowing,
seeing,
attaining,
realizing,
mastering of this
that the holy life under the Lucky Man is lead.
'This is the walk to walk to go to the end of pain.'
This, friend, is that which is
unknown,
unseen,
unattained,
unrealized,
unmastered.
It is for the knowing,
seeing,
attaining,
realizing,
mastering of this
that the holy life under the Lucky Man is lead.
This, friend, is that which is
unknown,
unseen,
unattained,
unrealized,
unmastered,
for the knowing,
seeing,
attaining,
realizing,
mastering of which
the holy life under the Lucky Man is lead."
[1] Kamma. Deed or action and its consequence. Differing from 'saṇkhāra' in that 'saṇkhāra' is always performed with the intent to experience; kamma may be performed with the intent to end kamma [e.g. abstention from action when opportunity permits with the intent of fully experiencing, learning from and ending the sort of action which produced such a consequence] or with such an intent as produces no result [e.g. a strictly factual answer to a question]. See note 4 below.
[2] Attha. Hare: Hope; Sister Upalivanna: purpose; Bhk. Thanissaro: purpose.
PED: 1. interest, advantage, gain; (moral) good, blessing, welfare; profit, prosperity, well-being.
[3] Brahmā-cariya. Carrying one's self in the manner of Brahmā. Frequently, but not exclusively indicating a celibate life [too frequently explained as such in the footnotes of translations], its meaning covers a much broader scope of behaviors and can be used to describe the entire practice of the Dhamma.
[4] 'yaṃ kammaṃ vedanīyaṃ taṃ me kammaṃ avedaniyaṃ hotū' It is important to notice that what is being spoken of is the goal of an individual still identifying with sense experience. The issue here being discussed is: 'Is the goal the idea of changing kamma for a person still subject to kamma?' So the idea in this section is 'let me not experience the result of such and such a specific deed' — while not intending the escape from kamma altogether.
Hare leaves the question of 'kamma' out of his translation completely and so switches the focus from the kamma to the experience. Since it is in fact the goal of the system to change what is experienced into what is not experienced, the meaning comes out incorrectly. Sister Upalivanna and Bhk. Thanissaro set up the aspiration properly: may such and such a kamma become such and such another kamma.
[5] For details see: The Method: The Four Aristocrats of Truths
References:
See: [MN 101]
and the BuddhaDust forum discussion: Burning off Kamma
