Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saṃyutta
6. Upāya Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
3. The Book Called the Khandhā-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the Elements of Sensory Existence and other Subjects
22. Kindred Sayings on Elements
6. On Attachment
Sutta 60
Mahāli Suttaṃ
Mahāli
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:—
Once the Exalted One was staying near Vesali,
in Great Wood,
at the Hall of the Peaked Gable.
Then Mahāli, the Licchavi,[1]
came to the Exalted One
and sat down at one side.
So seated, Mahāli, the Licchavi,
thus addressed the Exalted One:
[61] "Lord, Pūraṇa Kassapa[2] thus spoke:
'There are no conditions,
there is no cause[3]
for the impurity of beings.
Without conditions,
without cause
do beings become impure.
There are no conditions,
there is no cause
for the purity of beings.
Without conditions,
without cause
do beings become pure.'
As to this,
what saith the Exalted One?"
"I say there are conditions,
there is cause
for the impurity of beings, Mahāli.
By conditions,
by a cause
do beings become impure.
There are conditions,
there is cause, Mahāli,
for the purity of beings.
By conditions,
by a cause
are beings purified."
§
"But what are the conditions, lord,
what is the cause
for the impurity of beings?
How do they become impure
by conditions,
by cause?"
"If the body, Mahāli,
were thus entirely painful,
fallen upon[4] pain,
beset with pain,
untouched by pleasure,[5]
beings would not thus delight in the body.
But whereas the body, Mahāli, is pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
therefore beings take delight in the body.
Linked by passion to it,
because of that union
they become impure.
These, Mahāli, are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the impurity of beings,
and thus beings become impure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If feeling, Mahāli,
were thus entirely painful,
fallen upon pain,
beset with pain,
untouched by pleasure,
beings would not thus delight in feeling.
But whereas feeling, Mahāli, is pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
therefore beings take delight in feeling.
Linked by passion to it,
because of that union
they become impure.
These, Mahāli, are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the impurity of beings,
and thus beings become impure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If perception, Mahāli,
were thus entirely painful,
fallen upon pain,
beset with pain,
untouched by pleasure,
beings would not thus delight in perception.
But whereas perception, Mahāli, is pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
therefore beings take delight in perception.
Linked by passion to it,
because of that union
they become impure.
These, Mahāli, are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the impurity of beings,
and thus beings become impure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If the activities, Mahāli,
were thus entirely painful,
fallen upon pain,
beset with pain,
untouched by pleasure,
beings would not thus delight in the activities.
But whereas the activities, Mahāli, are pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
therefore beings take delight in the activities.
Linked by passion to them,
because of that union
they become impure.
These, Mahāli, are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the impurity of beings,
and thus beings become impure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If consciousness, Mahāli,
were thus entirely painful,
fallen upon pain,
beset with pain,
untouched by pleasure,
beings would not thus delight in consciousness.
But whereas consciousness, Mahāli, is pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
therefore beings take delight in consciousness.
Linked by passion to it,
because of that union
they become impure.
These, Mahāli, are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the impurity of beings,
and thus beings become impure
by conditions,
by a cause.
[62] These, Mahāli, are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the impurity of beings,
and thus beings become impure
by conditions,
by a cause."
§
"But what, lord, are the conditions,
what is the cause
for the purity of beings?
How do beings by conditions,
by a cause,
become pure?"
"If the body, Mahāli,
were thus entirely pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
beings would thus delight in the body.
But whereas, Mahāli,
the body is painful,
fallen upon pain,
untouched by pleasure,
therefore beings feel disgust at the body;
by that disgust they are repelled,
by that repulsion they are made pure.
And these, Mahāli,
are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the purity of beings.
Even so they are made pure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If feeling, Mahāli,
were thus entirely pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
beings would thus delight in feeling.
But whereas, Mahāli,
feeling is painful,
fallen upon pain,
untouched by pleasure,
therefore beings feel disgust at feeling;
by that disgust they are repelled,
by that repulsion they are made pure.
And these, Mahāli,
are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the purity of beings.
Even so they are made pure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If perception, Mahāli,
were thus entirely pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
beings would thus delight in perception.
But whereas, Mahāli,
perception is painful,
fallen upon pain,
untouched by pleasure,
therefore beings feel disgust at perception;
by that disgust they are repelled,
by that repulsion they are made pure.
And these, Mahāli,
are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the purity of beings.
Even so they are made pure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If the activities, Mahāli,
were thus entirely pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
beings would thus delight in the activities.
But whereas, Mahāli,
the activities are painful,
fallen upon pain,
untouched by pleasure,
therefore beings feel disgust at the activities;
by that disgust they are repelled,
by that repulsion they are made pure.
And these, Mahāli,
are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the purity of beings.
Even so they are made pure
by conditions,
by a cause.
■
If consciousness, Mahāli,
were thus entirely pleasant,
fallen upon pleasure,
untouched by pain,
beings would thus delight in consciousness.
But whereas, Mahāli,
consciousness is painful,
fallen upon pain,
untouched by pleasure,
therefore beings feel disgust at consciousness;
by that disgust they are repelled,
by that repulsion they are made pure.
And these, Mahāli,
are the conditions,
this is the cause
for the purity of beings.
Even so they are made pure
by conditions,
by a cause.
[1] Cf. S. i, 230; K.S. i, 295.
[2] The head of one of the six independent sects which opposed Buddhism. Cf. S. i, 65; K.S. i, 90; Buddhism (Mrs Rhys Davids), p 85 f. By a quite curious carelessness the editors of the Kindred Sayings have imputed to Pūraṇa Kassapa the teaching imputed in the Dīgha (i, 53) to Makkhali Gosāla He denied hetu-paccayo, condition and cause; the efficacy of karma. He is ahetu-vādo, non-causationst.
[3] Compendium 280-1. Hetu-paccayo, 'something which affects a cause in the production of the effects of that cause. So "condition" is nearest.'
[4] For avakkati. See Buddh. Psychol, 22.
[5] At Expos., i, 53, sukhaṃ is defined in different ways.
