Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
35. Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta
§ II: Paññāsaka Dutiya
4. Channa Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
4. The Book Called the Saḷāyatana-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the 'Six-Fold Sphere' of Sense and Other Subjects
35. Kindred Sayings the Sixfold Sphere of Sense
§ II: The 'Second Fifty' Suttas
4. The Chapter on Channa and Others
Sutta 88
Puṇṇa Suttaṃ
Puṇṇa
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's, Park.[ed1]
Then the venerable Puṇṇa[1] came to see the Exalted One,
saluted him,
and sat down at one side.
Seated at one side the venerable Puṇṇa said to the Exalted One: -
"Well for me, lord, if the Exalted One would teach me a teaching in brief,
hearing which teaching from the Exalted One
I might dwell solitary,
remote,
earnest,
ardent
and aspiring."
"There are objects,[2] Puṇṇa, cognizable by the eye,
objects desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of such,
if he welcome them,
persist in clinging to them,
so enamoured,
so persisting in clinging to them,
there comes a lure upon him.
The arising of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the arising of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are sounds, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the ear,
sounds desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of such,
if he welcome them,
persist in clinging to them,
so enamoured,
so persisting in clinging to them,
there comes a lure upon him.
The arising of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the arising of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are scents, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the nose,
scents desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of such,
if he welcome them,
persist in clinging to them,
so enamoured,
so persisting in clinging to them,
there comes a lure upon him.
The arising of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the arising of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are savours, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the tongue,
savours desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of such,
if he welcome them,
persist in clinging to them,
so enamoured,
so persisting in clinging to them,
there comes a lure upon him.
The arising of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the arising of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are things tangible, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the body,
tangibles desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of such,
if he welcome them,
persist in clinging to them,
so enamoured,
so persisting in clinging to them,
there comes a lure upon him.
The arising of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the arising of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are mind-states, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the mind,
mind-states desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of such,
if he welcome them,
persist in clinging to them,
so enamoured,
so persisting in clinging to them,
there comes a lure upon him.
The arising of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the arising of ill.
So I declare.
§
"There are objects, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the eye,
objects desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of such,
if he welcome them not,
persist not in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured,
thus not persisting in clinging to them,
the lure comes to cease.
The ceasing of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the ceasing of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are sounds, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the ear,
sounds desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of such,
if he welcome them not,
persist not in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured,
thus not persisting in clinging to them,
the lure comes to cease.
The ceasing of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the ceasing of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are scents, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the nose,
scents desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of such,
if he welcome them not,
persist not in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured,
thus not persisting in clinging to them,
the lure comes to cease.
The ceasing of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the ceasing of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are savours, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the tongue,
savours desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of such,
if he welcome them not,
persist not in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured,
thus not persisting in clinging to them,
the lure comes to cease.
The ceasing of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the ceasing of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are things tangible, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the body,
tangibles desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of such,
if he welcome them not,
persist not in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured,
thus not persisting in clinging to them,
the lure comes to cease.
The ceasing of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the ceasing of ill.
So I declare.
■
There are mind-states, Puṇṇa, cognizable by the mind,
mind-states desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of such,
if he welcome them not,
persist not in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured,
thus not persisting in clinging to them,
the lure comes to cease.
The ceasing of the lure, Puṇṇa,
is the ceasing of ill.
So I declare.
§
Now, Puṇṇa,
after being instructed by me
with this teaching in brief,
tell me in what district you will be dwelling."
[35] "There is a district, lord, called Sunāparanta.[3]
That is where I shall be dwelling."|| ||
"Hotheaded, Puṇṇa, are the men of Sunāparanta.|| ||
Fierce, Puṇṇa, are the men of Sunāparanta.|| ||
If the men of Sunāparanta abuse and revile you, Puṇṇa, how will it be with you?"[4]|| ||
"If the men of Sunāparanta abuse and revile me, lord,
I shall feel thus of them:
'Kindly indeed are the men of Sunāparanta.
Very kindly are the men of Sunāparanta
in that they do not smite me a blow with their hands.'
That is how it will be with me, then, 0 Exalted One.
That is how it will be with me then, O Happy One."
■
"But if, Puṇṇa, those men of Sunāparanta
smite you a blow with their hands,
how will it be with you then, Puṇṇa?"
Why in such case, lord,
this is how it will be with me:
'Kindly indeed are the men of Sunāparanta.
Very kindly are the men of Sunāparanta
in that they do not throw clods of earth at me.'
That is how it will be with me, then, 0 Exalted One.
That is how it will be with me then, O Happy One."
■
"But suppose, Puṇṇa, that they throw clods at you,
how will it be with you then, Puṇṇa?"
"Why in such case, lord,
this is how it will be with me:
'Kindly indeed are the men of Sunāparanta.
Very kindly are the men of Sunāparanta in that they do not beat me with a stick'
That is how it will be with me, then, 0 Exalted One.
That is how it will be with me then, O Happy One."
■
"But if they do beat you with a stick, Puṇṇa.,
how will it be with you then, Puṇṇa?"
"Why in such case, lord,
this is how it will be with me:
'Kindly indeed are the men of Sunāparanta.
Very kindly are the men of Sunāparanta in that they do not strike me with a sword.'
That is how it will be with me, then, 0 Exalted One.
That is how it will be with me then, O Happy One."
■
"But if they do strike you with a sword, Puṇṇa,
how will it be with you then, Puṇṇa?"
"Why in such case, lord,
this is how it will be with me:
'Kindly indeed are the men of Sunāparanta.
Very kindly are the men of Sunāparanta in that they do not slay me with a sharp sword.'
That is how it will be with me, then, 0 Exalted One.
That is how it will be with me then, O Happy One."
■
[36] "But suppose they do slay you with a sharp sword, Puṇṇa,
how will it be with you then, Puṇṇa?"
"Then, lord, I shall think:
'There are disciples of that Exalted One
who, when tormented by,[5]
ashamed of,
disgusted with,
body and life,
have resort to stabbing themselves.[6]
Now I have come by a stabbing that I never sought.'|| ||
That is how it will be with me, then, 0 Exalted One.
That is how it will be with me then, O Happy One."
"Well said! Well said, Puṇṇa!
Possessed of such self control as this,
you will be well able to dwell
in the district of the folk of Sunāparanta.
So now, Puṇṇa,
do what you think it time for."[7]
§
Thereupon the venerable Puṇṇa welcomed the words of the Exalted One,
and took pleasure therein,
and rising from his seat
he saluted the Exalted One by the right.
Then he set his lodging in order,
and taking bowl and robe
went off on his wanderings
to the district of Sunāparanta.
And so wandering on,
reached it,
and there the venerable Puṇṇa stayed
in the district of Sunāparanta.
And during that rainy season
the venerable Puṇṇa established in the Norm
as many as five hundred devotees.
In that same rainy season
he realized the threefold knowledge.
In that same rainy season he passed finally away.
Now a number of brethren came to the Exalted One,
saluted him,
and sat down at one side.
Seated at one side those brethren said to the Exalted One: -
"Lord, that clansman named Puṇṇa,
who was taught with a teaching in brief by the Exalted One,
is dead.
What is his rebirth?
What is his attainment?"
"A sage, Brethren, was Puṇṇa the clansman.
He lived in accordance with the Norm.
He did not hurt me with disputings about the Norm.
Puṇṇa, Brethren, has passed finally away."[8]
[1] For Puṇṇa see M. iii, 267 (J.P.T.S., 1887, p. 23): Brethren, 70-1; Poussin, Bouddhisme, p. 275 ff.; Bumouf, Introduction to Bouddhisme Indien, p. 235 ff. (Légende de Purṇa); Divyāvadāna, 37-9. It is possible he is the Puṇṇa Mantāni-putta who was one of the ten great disciples. Cf. K.S. iii, 89.
[3] Bumouf, op. cit., p. 252 n. (who translates the whole sutta), discusses the situation of this place. Aparantaka is mentioned at Mahāvaṇsa, P.T.S. (Geiger), p. 85.
[4] Tatra te kinti bhavissati. We might translate 'what will you think?' Cf. tatra me evaṇ ahosi, 'thus it occurred to me.'
This graduated scale of ill-treatment follows the stock formula for such cases. Cf. the Buddha's advice to Phagguna at M. i, 124.
[5] Aṭṭiyamānā. Text has wrongly atthiyamānā.
[6] Contrary to the ordinances of Vinaya. The Sanskrit version which Bumouf (Story of Purṇa) translates has 'take poison, hang themselves, cast themselves down from precipices': but for the next sentence, 'I shall think them kind for delivering me from this "excrementitious" body.'
[7] Yassa dāni tvaṇ kālaṇ maññasi. The usual formula of dismissal.
[8] The same words are said of Suppabuddha, the leper, at Udāna, v, 3.
[ed1] The Pali begins "There then ..." which would indicate by reference to the previous sutta that this sutta was delevered in Rājagaha, but at MN 145 the same story is located here.
