Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
12. Nidāna Saṃyutta
II. Āhāra Vagga

Sutta 18

Timbaruka Suttaṃ

Timbaruka

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 

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[1][pts][than][bodh] I HEAR TELL:

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

Then Timbaruka the wanderer,
having drawn near The Lucky Man,
having given salutation,
took a seat to one side.

Seated to one side then,
Timbaruka the wanderer said this
to The Lucky Man:

"How is it good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka"
said The Lucky Man.

"Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by another?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka"
said The Lucky Man.

"Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self, and
another?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka"
said The Lucky Man.

"Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made by
neither one's self, nor
another —
but has arisen as self spontaneously?"

"No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka"
said The Lucky Man.

"What then, good Gotama —
is there no such thing as pain?"

"No, Timbaruka,
it is not that
there is no such thing as pain.

There is pain, Timbaruka."

"Is it then put forward, Gotama,
that he does not know
does not see
pain?"

"No, Timbaruka, I am not one
who does not know
does not see
pain.

I am one who knows pain, Timbaruka,
I am one who sees pain Timbaruka."

-◦-

"'Then, how is it good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka'
is the response.

'Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by another?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka'
is the response.

'Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made
by one's self, and
another?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka'
is the response.

'Then one more, good Gotama —
is pain made by
neither one's self, nor
another —
but has arisen as self spontaneously?'
this being asked,
'No indeed, it is not thus Timbaruka'
is the response.

'What then, good Gotama —
is there no such thing as pain?'
this being asked,
'No, Timbaruka,
it is not that
there is no such thing as pain.

There is pain, Timbaruka.'
is the response.

'Is it then put forward, Gotama,
that he does not know
does not see
pain?'
this being asked,
'No, Timbaruka, I am not one
who does not know
does not see
pain.

I am one who knows pain, Timbaruka,
I am one who sees pain Timbaruka'
is the response.

Teach me, Bhante,
The Lucky Man's "pain,"
tell me, Bhante,
about The Lucky Man's "pain."

 

■

 

"'He who acts
is he who experiences the result',
or Timbaruka,
remembering one's heedlessness
'is pain made by one's self' —
this comes down to professing the eternalist side."

'One acts
another is he who experiences the result',
or Timbaruka,
remembering a bad experience,
'is pain made by another' —
this comes down to professing the annihilationist side."

Avoiding both sides, Timbaruka,
the Tathāgata teaches you
a middle Dhamma:

Rebounding off blindness, beggars,
own-making
rebounding off own-making,
consciousness
rebounding off consciousness,
named-form
rebounding off named-form,
the six-realms
rebounding off the six-realms,
touch
rebounding off touch,
sensation
rebounding off sensation,
thirst
rebounding off thirst,
bind-ups
rebounding off bind-ups,
existence
rebounding off existence,
birth
rebounding off birth,
aging and death
grief and lamentation
pain and misery
and despair
become one's own.

Even thus
is the self-arising
of this pile of pain
made to be.

But if you
utterly-dispassionately-end blindness,
own-making is ended
own-making ended,
consciousness is ended
consciousness ended,
named-form is ended
named-form ended,
the six-realms are ended
the six-realms ended,
touch is ended
touch ended,
sensation is ended
sensation ended,
thirst is ended
thirst ended,
bind-ups are ended
bind-ups ended,
existence is ended
existence ended,
birth is ended
birth ended,
aging and death
grief and lamentation
pain and misery
and despair
are ended.

Even so
is this pile of pain
made to not be."

This said, Timbaruka the unclothed said this to The Lucky Man:

"Wonderful Bhante!

Wonderful Bhante!

Just as though, Bhante,
one were to set upright the upside-down,
or uncover the covered,
or to show the way to one who was lost,
or were to bring a light into the darkness
so that creatures there might see:
'There are Forms!'

In the same way, The Lucky Man
has in many a figure
presented his Dhamma.

I take myself to The Lucky Man for refuge,
I take myself to the Dhamma for refuge;
I take myself to the Saṇgha for refuge.

May the Venerable Gotama remember me
as a lay disciple
who from this day
and for as long as life lasts
has taken refuge.