Majjhima Nikāya
II. Majjhima-Paṇṇāsa
1. Gahapati Vagga

The Middle Length Sayings
II. The Middle Fifty Discourses
1. The Division on Householders

Sutta 54

Potaliya Suttaṃ

Discourse to Potaliya

Translated from the Pali by I.B. Horner, O.B.E., M.A.
Associate of Newham College, Cambridge
First Published in 1954

[359] [25]

[1][chlm][than][ntbb][upal] THUS have I heard:

At one time the Lord was staying near Aṇguttarāpa.^[1]

Āpaṇa^[2] was a market town in Aṇguttarāpa.

Then the Lord, having dressed in the morning,
taking his bowl and robe,
entered Āpaṇa for almsfood.

When he had walked for almsfood in Āpaṇa
and was returning from the alms-gathering after the meal,
he approached a certain forest-thicket for the day-sojoum;
and having plunged into that forest-thicket
he sat down at the root of a tree.

And the householder Potaliya,^[3]
who was constantly pacing up and down
and roaming about on foot,
fully dressed^[4] and clothed,^[4]
with parasol and slippers,
approached that forest-thicket;
having plunged into that forest-thicket,
he approached the Lord;
having approached,
he exchanged greetings with the Lord;
having conversed in a friendly and courteous way,
he stood at a respectful distance.

Then the Lord spoke thus
to the householder Potaliya
as he was standing at a respectful distance:

"There are seats, householder;
if you wish,
do sit down."

When this had been said,
the householder Potaliya
thinking:

"The recluse Gotama addresses me
with the word 'householder'",
angry,
displeased,
became silent.

And a second time
the Lord spoke thus to the householder Potaliya:

"There are [26] seats, householder;
if you wish,
do sit down."

And a second time
the householder Potaliya
thinking:

"The recluse Gotama addresses me
with the word 'householder'",
angry,
displeased,
became silent.

And a third time
the Lord spoke thus to the householder Potaliya:

"There are seats, householder;
if you wish,
do sit down."

When this had been said,
the householder Potaliya
thinking:

"The recluse Gotama addresses me
with the word 'householder'",
angry,
displeased,
spoke thus to the Lord:

"This, [360] good Gotama, is not proper,
it is not suitable,
that you should address me
with the word 'householder.' "

"But you, householder,
have all the characteristic marks and signs
of a householder."

"But all relevant occupations
have been abandoned by me, good Gotama,
all avocations given up."

"But, householder,
how have all occupations been abandoned by you,
all avocations given up?"

"As to this, good Gotama,
I handed over to my sons
as their inheritance
all that I had of wealth
or grain
or silver
or gold.

Without giving advice or blame in these matters
I live on a minimum
of food and covering.^[5]

This is how all occupations have been abandoned by me, good Gotama,
all avocations given up."

"But what you, householder, call
a giving up of avocations
is one thing;
but in the discipline for an ariyan
the giving up of avocations
is another thing."

"And what, revered sir,
is the giving up of avocations
in the discipline for an ariyan?

It would be good, revered sir,
if the Lord were to teach me dhamma
as to that which is the giving up of avocations
in the discipline for an ariyan."

"Well then, householder, listen,
attend carefully
and I will speak."

"Yes, revered sir,"
the householder Potaliya answered the Lord in assent.

The Lord spoke thus:

"Householder, these eight things
conduce to the giving up of avocations
in the discipline for an ariyan.^[6]

What eight?

Through no onslaught on creatures,
onslaught on creatures should be got rid of;

through taking what is given,
taking what is not given should be got rid of;

through speaking truth,
lying speech should be got rid of;

through unslanderous speech,
slanderous speech should be got rid of;

through non-covetise and greed,
covetise and greed should be got rid of;

through no angry fault-finding,
angry fault-finding should be got [27] rid of;

through no wrathful rage,
wrathful rage should be got rid of;

through no arrogance,
arrogance should be got rid of.

These are the eight things, householder,
spoken of in brief,
not explained in detail,
that, in the discipline for an ariyan,
conduce to the giving up of avocations."

"As to these eight things, revered sir,
which are spoken of in brief,
not explained in detail,
and which, in the discipline for an ariyan,
conduce to the giving up of avocations,
it were good, revered sir,
if the Lord
out of compassion
were to explain these eight things to me in detail."

"Well then, householder, listen,
attend carefully
and I will speak."

"Yes, revered sir,"
the householder Potaliya answered the Lord in assent.

The Lord spoke thus:

[361]"When I said:

'Through no onslaught on creatures,
on-slaught on creatures should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
onslaught on creatures might be a cause;
for if I were to make onslaught on creatures,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of making onslaught on creatures,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me^[7]
as a result of making onslaught on creatures;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of making onslaught on creatures.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say onslaught on creatures.

But for one who refrains
from onslaught on creatures
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers^[8]
that might arise as a result
of making onslaught on creatures.'

When I said:

'Through no onslaught on creatures,
onslaught on creatures should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

■

"When I said:

'Through taking what is given,
taking what is not given should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
taking what is not given might be a cause;
for if I were to take what is not given,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of taking what is not given,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me
as a result of taking what is not given;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of taking what is not given.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say taking what is not given.

But for one who refrains
from taking what is not given
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers
that might arise as a result
of taking what is not given.'

When I said:

'Through taking what is given,
taking what is not given should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

■

"When I said:

'Through speaking truth,
lying speech should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
lying speech might be a cause;
for if I were use lying speech,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of using lying speech,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me
as a result of using lying speech;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of using lying speech.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say using lying speech.

But for one who refrains
from using lying speech
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers
that might arise as a result
of using lying speech.'

When I said:

'Through speaking truth,
lying speech should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

■

"When I said:

'Through unslanderous speech,
slanderous speech should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
slanderous speech might be a cause;
for if I were to use slanderous speech,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of using slanderous speech,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me
as a result of using slanderous speech;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of using slanderous speech.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say using slanderous speech.

But for one who refrains
from using slanderous speech
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers
that might arise as a result
of using slanderous speech.'

When I said:

'Through unslanderous speech,
slanderous speech should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

■

"When I said:

'Through non-covetise and greed,
covetise and greed should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
covetise and greed might be a cause;
for if I were covetous and greedy,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of covetise and greed,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me
as a result of covetise and greed;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of covetise and greed.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say covetise and greed.

But for one who refrains
from covetise and greed
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers
that might arise as a result
of covetise and greed.'

When I said:

'Through non-covetise and greed,
covetise and greed should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

■

"When I said:

'Through no angry fault-finding,
angry fault-finding should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
angry fault-finding might be a cause;
for if I were angry and fault-finding,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of angry fault-finding,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me
as a result of angry fault-finding;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of angry fault-finding.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say angry fault-finding.

But for one who refrains
from angry fault-finding
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers
that might arise as a result
of angry fault-finding.'

When I said:

'Through no angry fault-finding,
angry fault-finding should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

■

"When I said:

'Through no wrathful rage,
wrathful rage should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
wrathful rage might be a cause;
for if I were wrathful and enraged,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of wrathful rage,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me
as a result of wrathful rage;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of wrathful rage.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say wrathful rage.

But for one who refrains
from wrathful rage
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers
that might arise as a result
of wrathful rage.'

When I said:

'Through no wrathful rage,
wrathful rage should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

■

"When I said:

'Through no arrogance,
arrogance should be got rid of' -

in reference to what was this said?

As to this, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'I am faring along
for getting rid of
and abandoning
those fetters of which
arrogance might be a cause;
for if I were arrogant,
not only would self upbraid me
as a result of arrogance,
but intelligent men (also)
after scrutinising,
would blame me
as a result of arrogance;
and at the breaking up of the body after dying
a bad bourne would be expected
as a result of arrogance.

This is indeed a fetter,
this is a hindrance,
that is to say arrogance.

But for one who refrains
from arrogance
there are not those destructive and consuming cankers
that might arise as a result
of arrogance.'

When I said:

'Through no arrogance,
arrogance should be got rid of,'

it was said in reference to this."

[364]"These, householder, are the eight things spoken of in brief,
(now) explained in detail,
that, in the discipline for an ariyan,
conduce to the giving up of a vocations.

But not even yet
in the [28] discipline for an ariyan
is there an entire giving up in every way
of all avocations."

"But how is it, revered sir,
in the discipline for an ariyan
there is an entire giving up in every way
of all avocations?

It were good, revered sir,
if the Lord were to teach me dhamma as to how,
in the discipline for an ariyan,
there is an entire giving up in every way
of all avocations."

"Well then, householder, listen,
attend carefully
and I will speak."

"Yes, revered sir,"
the householder Potaliya answered the Lord in assent.

The Lord spoke thus:

"It is, householder,
as if a dog,
overcome by hunger and exhaustion^[9]
were to happen on a slaughtering place for cows,
and the skilled cattle-butcher there
or his apprentice
were to fling him a bone,
scraped
and well scraped,
fleshless,
but with a smearing of blood.

What do you think about this, householder?

Could that dog,
gnawing such a bone,
scraped and well scraped,
fleshless,
but with a smearing of blood,
appease his hunger and exhaustion?'

"No, revered sir.

What is the reason for this?

That bone, revered sir,
is scraped and well scraped,
fleshless,
but although it has a smearing of blood,
that dog would be worn out with fatigue
or ever he got anything from it."

"Even so, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'Pleasures of the senses
have been likened to a skeleton^[10] by the Lord,
of much pain,
of much tribulation,
wherein is more peril.'

And having seen this thus
as it really is
by means of perfect wisdom,
having avoided^[11] that which is equanimity in face of multiformity,^[12]
resting on multiformity,
he develops that equanimity
which is equanimity in face of uniformity,
resting on uniformity,
wherein all graspings
after the material things of the world
are stopped entirely.

And, householder,
it is as if a vulture
or kite
or hawk
seizing a lump of flesh
were to fly upwards,
and other vultures,
kites
and hawks
following hard after it
were to tear at it
and pull it to pieces.^[13]

What do you think about this, householder?

If that vulture
or kite
or [29] hawk
were not to let go quickly
of that lump of flesh,
would it, from that cause,
come to death
or pain like unto death?"

"Yes, revered sir."

"Even so, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'Pleasures of the senses
have been likened to a lump of flesh^[14] by the Lord,
of much pain,
of much tribulation,
wherein is more peril.'

And having seen this thus
as it really is
by means of perfect wisdom,
having avoided that which is equanimity in face of multiformity,
resting on multiformity,
he develops that equanimity
which is equanimity in face of uniformity,
resting on uniformity,
wherein all graspings
after the material things of the world
are stopped entirely.

And, householder,
it is as though a man might come along
bringing a blazing grass torch^[15]
against the wind.

What do you think about this, householder?

If that man were not to let go quickly
of that blazing grass torch,
would it burn his hand
or burn his arm
or burn another part of his body
so that, from that cause,
he would come to death
or pain like unto death?"

"Yes, revered sir."

"Even so, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'Pleasures of the senses
have been likened by the Lord to a grass torch,^[16],
of much pain,
of much tribulation,
wherein is more peril.'

And, householder,
it is as if there might be a pit of glowing embers,
deeper than a man's height,
full of embers
that were neither flaming nor smoking,^[17]
and a man might come along
wanting to live,
not wanting to die,
wanting happiness,
recoiling from pain;
but two strong men,
having grasped hold of his arms,
might drag him towards
that pit of glowing embers.

What do you think about this, householder?

Would not that man
twist his body
this way
and that?"^[18]

"Yes, revered sir.

What is the reason for this?

Revered sir, that man realizes:

'If I fall down
into this pit of glowing embers,
from that cause
I will come to death
or pain like unto death.'"

"Even so, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'Pleasures of the senses
have been likened by the Lord
to a pit of glowing embers,^[19],
of much pain,
of much tribulation,
wherein is more peril.'

[30] And, householder,
it is as if a man might see in a dream
delightful parks,
delightful woods,
delightful stretches of level ground
and delightful lakes;
but on waking up
could see nothing.

Even so, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'Pleasures of the senses
have been likened by the Lord
to a dream,
of much pain,
of much tribulation,
wherein is more peril.'

And, householder,
it is as if a man,
having borrowed^[20] a loan of wealth,
[366]a fashionable^[21] vehicle
and splendid jewels and ear-ornaments,
might go forth into the bazaar,
honoured for his loan of wealth,
surrounded by it,
so that people having seen him
might say:

'This man is indeed wealthy,
and undoubtedly wealthy men
enjoy their wealth thus';

but the veritable owners,
wherever they might, see him,
might take away what was theirs.

What do you think about this, householder?

Would that man have had enough
of being other (than what he is)?"

"Yes, revered sir.

What is the reason for this?

It is, revered sir,
that the veritable owners
take away what is theirs."

"Even so, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'Pleasures of the senses
have been likened by the Lord
to what is borrowed,
of much pain,
of much tribulation,
wherein is more peril.'

And, householder,
it is as if in a dense forest thicket
not far from a village or a market town
there might be a tree
laden with ripe fruit,
but with no fruit fallen to the ground;
and a man might come along
walking about and aiming at fruit,
seeking for fruit,
looking about for fruit;
having plunged into that forest thicket,
he might see that tree
laden with ripe fruit,
and it might occur to him:

'This tree is laden with ripe fruit,
but no fruit has fallen to the ground.

However, I know how to climb a tree.

Suppose that I,
having climbed this tree,
should eat as much as I like
and should fill my clothes?

So he, having climbed that tree,
might eat as much as he liked
and might fill his clothes.^[22]

Then a second man might come [31] along
walking about and aiming at fruit,
seeking for fruit,
looking about for fruit,
and bringing a sharp axe.

Having plunged into that forest thicket,
he might see that tree
laden with ripe fruit,
and it might occur to him:

'This tree is laden with ripe fruit
but no fruit has fallen to the ground.

Now, I don't know how to climb a tree,
so suppose that I,
having cut down this tree at the root,
should eat as much as I like
and should fill my clothes?

So he might cut down this tree at the root.

What do you think about this, householder?

Unless he came down very quickly,
would not that tree in falling
crush the hand
or the foot
or another part of the body
of that man who had first climbed the tree,
[367]so that, from that cause
he might come to death
or to pain like unto death?"

"Yes, revered sir."

"Even so, householder,
an ariyan disciple reflects thus:

'Pleasures of the senses
have been likened by the Lord
to the fruits of a tree,
of much pain,
of much tribulation,
wherein is more peril.'

This ariyan disciple, householder,
who has come to this matchless purification
through equanimity and mindfulness,
recollects a variety of former habitations,
that is to say:

One birth,
two births,
three births,
four births,
five births,
ten births,
twenty births,
thirty births,
forty births,
fifty births,
a hundred births,
a thousand births,
a hundred thousand births,
and many an eon of integration
and many an eon of disintegration
and many an eon of integration-disintegration;
such a one was I by name,
having such and such a clan,
such and such a colour,
so was I nourished,
such and such pleasant and painful experiences were mine,
so did the span of life end.

Passing from this,
I came to be in another state
where such a one was I by name,
having such and such a clan,
such and such a colour,
so was I nourished,
such and such pleasant and painful experiences were mine,
so did the span of life end.

Passing from this,
I arose here.

Thus he remembers divers former abodes in all their modes and detail.

This ariyan disciple, householder,
who has come to this matchless purification
through equanimity and mindfulness,
with the purified deva-vision
surpassing that of men,
sees beings as they pass hence
or come to be;
he comprehends that beings are mean,
excellent,
comely,
ugly,
well-going,
ill-going,
according to the consequences of their deeds,
and he thinks:

Indeed these worthy beings
who were possessed of wrong conduct in body,
who were possessed of wrong conduct of speech,
who were possessed of wrong conduct of thought,
scoffers at the ariyans,
holding a wrong view,
incurring deeds consequent on a wrong view -
these, at the breaking up of the body after dying,
have arisen in a sorrowful state,
a bad bourn,
the abyss,
Niraya Hell.

But these worthy beings
who were possessed of good conduct in body,
who were possessed of good conduct in speech,
who were possessed of good conduct in thought,
who did not scoff at the ariyans,
holding a right view,
incurring deeds consequent on a right view -
these, at the breaking up of the body after dying,
have arisen in a good bourn,
a heaven world.

Thus with the purified deva-vision
surpassing that of men
he sees beings as they pass hence
or come to be;
he comprehends that beings are mean,
excellent,
comely,
ugly,
well-going,
ill-going,
according to the consequences of their deeds.

This ariyan disciple, householder,
who has come to this matchless purification
through equanimity and mindfulness,
by the destruction of the cankers
having here-now realized by his own super-knowledge
the freedom of mind
and the freedom through wisdom
that are cankerless,
enters and abides therein.

It is to this extent, householder,
that in the discipline for an ariyan
there is an entire giving up in every way
of all avocations.

What do you think about this, householder?

Do you behold in yourself
a giving up of avocations
such as is, in the discipline for an ariyan,
an entire giving up in every way
of all avocations?"

"Who am I, revered sir,
that there is an entire giving up
of all [32] avocations
in every way?

I, revered sir,
am far from the entire giving up in every way
of all avocations
according to the discipline for an ariyan.

For hitherto we, revered sir,
deemed wanderers belonging to other sects
to be superior
although they are inferior;
although they are inferior
we offered them food for superiors;
although they are inferior
we placed them
in places for superiors.

And we, revered sir,
deemed monks to be inferior
although they are superior;
although they are superior
we offered them food for inferiors;
although they are superior
we placed them in places
for inferiors.

But now we, revered sir,
[368]will know that wanderers belonging to other sects,
being inferior,
are inferior;
because they are inferior
we will offer them food for inferiors;
because they are inferior
we will place them in places
for inferiors.

And we, revered sir,
will know that monks,
being superior,
are superior;
because they are superior
we will offer them food for superiors;
because they are superior
we will place them in places
for superiors.

Indeed, revered sir,
the Lord has inspired in me
a recluse's regard for recluses,
a recluse's satisfaction in recluses,
a recluse's reverence for recluses.

It is excellent, revered sir,
it is excellent, revered sir.

Revered sir, it is as if one might set upright
what had been upset,
or might disclose what what was covered,
or show the way
to one who had gone astray,
or bring an oil-lamp into the darkness
so that those with vision
might see material shapes -
even so in many a figure
has dhamma been made clear by the Lord.

I, revered sir,
am going to the Lord for refuge
and to dhamma
and to the Order of monks.

May the Lord accept me as a lay follower
going for refuge
from this day forth
for as long as life lasts."

Discourse to Potaliya
The Fourth

^[1] MA. iii. 34, Aṇga was a district. Not far north of the waters of the river Mahī, there was Uttarāpa. Aṇguttarāpa mentioned at M. i. 447, Vin. i. 243, Sn. p. 102.

^[2] So called because it had many shops and bazaars, MA. iii. 37.

^[3] He possibly became the wanderer Potaliya, of A. ii. 100 f.

^[4] nivāsa and pāvuraṇa refer to putting on of different garments (or cloths), the former to the loin-cloth or under garment, and the latter to the shoulder-cloth or outer garment. MA. iii. 38 distinguishes between these two cloths (the attire of the ordinary Indian), and says the former had a long fringe.

^[5] Cf. D. i. 60.

^[6] Cf. M. iii. 29; Vin. iv. 2; D. iii. 232; A. ii. 246, iv. 307.

^[7] attā pi māṃ upavadeyya anuvicca viññū garaheyyum; cf. A. i. 57, iii. 255, 267-8, all reading attā pi attānaṃ upavadati. See G.S. i. 52, n. 3 on anuvicca, translated above as "scrutinising," following MA. iii. 40 which explains by tulayitvā pariyogahetvā, having weighed, having scrutinised (or examined).

"Canker": Āsava. The four Corrupting Influences: sense pleasures, living, blindness, and opinions.

— p.p.

^[8] MA. iii. 40-42 states which single canker arises, or which two or which three arise, out of the total of four, for each one of the eight things so long as these have not been extirpated.

^[9] Cf. M. i. 114.

^[10] Cf. M. i. 130. For the following things to which pleasures of the senses are likened, see B.D. iii. 22 f. (Vin. iv. 134} and notes.

^[11] abkinivajjetvā, as at M. i. 111; D. iii. 113.

Upekkhā nānattā nānattasitā and upekkhā ekattā ekattasitā Detachment based on diversity and detachment based on uniformity. What this means is that 1. the individual may himself be diverse in nature or unified, and 2. there is a detachment towards experience arising from the senses (detachment, or impassivity, or equanimity or poise when experiencing the 6 objects of sense); and there is detachment from that which is unified (the four formless realms and the state of the ending of perception and sense-experience); and there is detachment from any and all experience arising from the senses. This is precisely the difference between 'equanimity' and 'detachment' and why 'detachment' is the better translation for upekkhā. There can be a worldly sort of detachment (equanimity) but there cannot be an equanimity without worldly objects.

— p.p.

^[12] Cf. M. iii. 220. "Multiformity" consists of the five sensual qualities, "uniformity" of the four jhānas, MA. iii. 43.

^[13] Cf. Vin. iii. 105; S. ii. 255.

^[14] Cf. M. i. 145.

^[15] Cf. M. i. 128.

^[16] Cf. S. ii. 152.

^[17] Cf. M. i. 74.

^[18] Aa at M. i. 507.

^[19] Cf. D. iii. 283; S. iv. 188; A. iv. 224, v. 175; Sn. 396.

^[20] Or, begged, yācitvā. Trenekner suggests yāceyya, M. i. 574.^[ed1]

^[21] poroseyya. P.E.D. rejects the derivation from purisa, as at MA. iii. 44, and says the word is derived from pura, a town. However, the text is corrupt here; see v.l. at M. i. 56l, 574.^[ed1]

^[22] ucchaṇga, used in a similar sense here and at Vin. i. 225. Probably meaning the man knotted his cloth garment so as to carry the fruit.

^[ed1] These refer to a section at the back of the hard-copy which gives alternative readings.

Majjhima Nikāya II. Majjhima-Paṇṇāsa 1. Gahapati Vagga

The Middle Length Sayings II. The Middle Fifty Discourses 1. The Division on Householders

Sutta 54

Potaliya Suttaṃ

Discourse to Potaliya

Majjhima Nikāya
II. Majjhima-Paṇṇāsa
1. Gahapati Vagga

The Middle Length Sayings
II. The Middle Fifty Discourses
1. The Division on Householders