Majjhima Nikāya
1. Mūla-Paṇṇāsa
1. Mūla-Pariyāya Vagga

Sutta 6

Ākaṅkheyya Suttaṃ

Should One Hanker After

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 

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[1][wrrn][rhyt][chlm][pts][ntbb][upal][than I HEAR TELL:

Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.

There then The Lucky Man addressed the beggars, saying:

"Beggars!"

And the beggars responding "Bhante!"
The Lucky Man said this to them:

"Abide perfecting ethics, beggars.

Perfect the rules that return as freedom.

Abide wish-restrained by
the the rules that return as freedom.

Practice perfecting your pastures,
seeing fear in the littlest things.

Attain the seeker's composure
walking the seeker's path.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'May those with whom I carry on this best of lives
find me amiable and charming
one to be cultivated and respected.'

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Let me gain clothing,
alms-food,
a bed-sitting place,
the essential medicines for sickness.'

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'May their service of
clothing,
alms-food,
a bed-sitting place,
the essential medicines for sickness
be of great fruit of great advantage.'

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'May those of them
who are my blood relations,
ghosts who have reached the end of their time,
remember this
and may it gladden their hearts and
be of great fruit of great advantage to them.'^[1]

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Overpowring uprisen aversion,
may I live overpowering
aversion and attachment and
not be myself defeated by aversion.'

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Overpowring uprisen fear,
may I live overowering
fear and dread and
not be myself defeated by fear.'

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'four kennings ???dependent on the clearest heart ābhiceta-sikānaṃ high-heart-topmost ||
live pleasantly in this seen thing wish-gained may I||
without difficulty-gained||
without trouble-gained' ti,

Catunnaṃ jhānānaṃ ābhiceta-sikānaṃ||
diṭṭha-dhamma-sukha-vihārānaṃ||
nikāma-lābhī assaṃ||
akiccha-lābhī||
akasira-lābhī' ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Ye te santā vimokkhā||
ati-k-kamma rūpe āruppā,||
te kāyena phassitvā vihareyyan' ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Tiṇṇaṃ saṃyojanānaṃ parikkhayā||
Sotāpanno assaṃ avinipāta-dhammo||
niyato sambodhi-parāyaṇo" ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Tiṇṇaṃ saṃyojanānaṃ parikkhayā||
rāga-dosa-mohānaṃ tanuttā||
Sakad'āgāmī assaṃ' ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Pañcannaṃ oram-bhāgiyānaṃ saṃyojanānaṃ parikkhayā||
opapātiko assaṃ,||
tattha parinibbāyī||
anāvatti dhammo tasmā lokā" ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'An-eka-vihitaṃ iddhi-vidhaṃ pacc'anubhaveyyaṃ,||
eko pi hutvā bahudhā assaṃ,||
bahudhā pi hutvā eko assaṃ,||
ā-vībhāvaṃ||
tiro-bhāvaṃ||
tiro-kuḍḍaṃ||
tiro-pākāraṃ||
tiro-pabbataṃ||
asajja-māno gaccheyyaṃ||
seyyathā pi ākāse,||
paṭhaviyā pi ummujjani-mujjaṃ kareyyaṃ||
seyyathā pi udake,||
udake pi abhijja-māne gaccheyyaṃ||
seyyathā pi paṭhaviyaṃ,||
ākāse pi pallaṅkena kameyyaṃ||
seyyathā pi pakkhī sakuṇo,||
ime pi candima-suriye||
evaṃ mahiddhike||
evaṃ mah-ā-nubhāve pāṇinā||
parimaseyyaṃ||
parimajjeyyaṃ,||
yāva Brahma-lokā pi kāyena vasaṃ vatteyyan" ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Dibbāya sota-dhātuyā||
visuddhāya atikkanta mānusa-kāya||
ubho sadde suṇeyyaṃ:||
dibbe ca mānuse ca,||
ye dūre santike cā" ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Para-sattāṇaṃ para-puggalānaṃ||
cetasā ceto paricca pajāneyyaṃ:|| ||

Sarāgaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Sarāgaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
vīta-rāgaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Vīta-rāgaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
sadosaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Sadosaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
vīta-dosaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Vīta-dosaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
samohaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Samohaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
vīta-mohaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Vīta-mohaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ; -||
saṅkhittaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Saṅkhittaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
vikkhittaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Vikkhittaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
mahaggataṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Mahaggataṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
amahaggataṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Amahaggataṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
sa-uttaraṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Sa-uttaraṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
anuttaraṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Anuttaraṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
samāhitaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
samā- 'Hitaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
asamāhitaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Asamāhitaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
vimuttaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Vimuttaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyaṃ;||
avimuttaṃ vā cittaṃ,||
'Avimuttaṃ cittan' ti pajāneyyan" ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Aneka vihitaṃ pubbe nivāsaṃ anussareyyaṃ,||
seyyath'īdaṃ:|| ||

Ekam pi jātiṃ,||
dve pi jātiyo,||
tisso pi jātiyo,||
catasso pi jātiyo,||
pañca pi jātiyo,||
dasa pi jātiyo,||
vīsam pi jātiyo,||
tiṃsam pi jātiyo,||
cattārīsam pi jātiyo,||
paññāsam pi jātiyo,||
jāti-satam pi jāti-sahassam pi,||
jāti-sata-sahassam pi,||
aneke pi saṃvaṭṭa-kappe,||
aneke pi vivaṭṭa-kappe,||
aneke pi saṃvaṭṭa-vivaṭṭa-kappe,||
'amutr'āsiṃ evaṃ-nāmo||
evaṃ gotto||
evaṃ vaṇṇo||
evam-āhāro||
evaṃ sukha-dukkha-paṭisaṃvedī||
evam-āyu-pariyanto,||
so tato cuto||
amutra udapādiṃ.

Tatrā p'āsiṃ||
evaṃ-nāmo||
evaṃ gotto||
evaṃ vaṇṇo||
evam-āhāro||
evaṃ sukha-dukkha-paṭisaṃvedī||
evam-āyu-pariyanto.

So tato cuto||
idh'ūpapanno' ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkanta-mānusakena satte passeyyaṃ -||
cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe sugate duggate,||
yathā-kamm'ūpage satte pajāneyyaṃ:|| ||

'Ime vata bhonto sattā||
kāya-du-c-caritena samannāgatā||
vacī-du-c-caritena samannāgatā||
mano-du-c-caritena samannāgatā||
ariyānaṃ upavādakā||
micchā-diṭṭhikā micchā-diṭṭhi-kamma-samādānā,||
te kāyassa bhedā param maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ Nirayaṃ upapannā,||
ime vā pana bhonto sattā||
kāya-sucaritena samannāgatā||
vacī-sucaritena samannāgatā||
mano-sucaritena samannāgatā||
ariyānaṃ anupavādakā||
sammā-diṭṭhikā sammā-diṭṭhi-kamma-samādānā,||
te kāyassa bhedā param maraṇā sugatiṃ saggaṃ lokaṃ upapannāti,||
iti dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkanta-mānusakena satte passeyyaṃ -||
cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe,||
sugate duggate, yathā-kamm'ūpage satte pajāneyyan" ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

If, beggars, a beggar should wish:

'Āsavānaṃ khayā||
anāsavaṃ ceto-vimuttiṃ||
paññā-vimuttiṃ||
diṭṭhe'va dhamme sayaṃ abhiññā sacchi- [36] katvā upasampajja vihareyyan" ti,

Let him
bring his ethical practice to complete perfection,
apply himself to personal calmness of heart,
not think little of kenning,
be possessed of insight,
be a frequenter of empty places.

[20] Sampanna-sīlā bhikkhave viharatha,||
sampanna-Pātimokkhā,||
Pātimokkha-saṃvara-saṃvutā viharatha||
ācāra-gocara-sampannā,||
aṇumattesu vajjesu bhaya-dassāvī,||
samādāya sikkhatha sikkhā-padesu.|| ||

Iti yan taṃ vuttaṃ||
idam etaṃ paṭicca vuttan" ti.|| ||

Idam avoca Bhagavā.|| ||

Attamanā te bhikkhū Bhagavato bhāsitaṃ "abhinandun" ti.|| ||

Ākaṅkheyya Suttaṃ

 

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^[1] It is my belief that the previous two plus this suttas make up one thought and are best 'heard' that way. In the spoken situation which was their original form this is not difficult. In the written form we have here, breakig it up into three separate thoughts, it results in the contortions we find in the other translations. Hear it like this: 'May I get these things, and may they be of help to the givers and may the thought of this giving be helpful to my relatives emerging from their time as ghosts.' The next best interpretation of this to my mind is that of Ms. Horner, who at least seems to see that the three ideas are related.

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