1On one occasion the Venerable Mahākaccāna was dwelling among the people of Avantī on Mount Pavatta at Kuraraghara. Then the female lay follower Kāḷī of Kuraraghara approached him, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him: [n.1997] At AN1.267 Kāḷī is called the "foremost of those whose confidence is based on hearsay." Apparently she never met the Buddha but based her trust in him on what she heard from others.

"Bhante, this was said by the Blessed One in ‘The Maidens’ Questions’: [n.1998] SN 4:25, I 126,15–18. The "maidens" are Māra's daughters, who try to tempt the Buddha after his enlightenment. The question here is specifically that of the daughter Taṇhā, "Craving."

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2"‘Having conquered the army of the pleasant and agreeable,
meditating alone, I discovered bliss,
the attainment of the goal, the peace of the heart.
Therefore I don’t form intimate ties with people,
nor does intimacy with anyone get a chance with me.’

3"How, Bhante, is the meaning of this statement that the Blessed One spoke in brief to be seen in detail?"

4"Some ascetics and brahmins, sister, for whom the attainment of the earth kasiṇa is supreme, generated it as their goal. [n.1999] Ce and Ee: atthābhinibbattesuṁ. Be: attho ti abhinibbattesuṁ. Mp: "They generated it, thinking the attainment of the earth kasiṇa is supreme, taking it as the ultimate goal." The Blessed One directly knew to what extent the attainment of the earth kasiṇa is supreme. Having directly known this, he saw the beginning, [n.2000] Ce and Ee ādimaddasa; Be assādamaddasa. The Ce and Ee reading here is unusual. The standard triad is gratification, danger, and escape (assāda, ādīnava, nissaraṇa), which we find here in Be. The Chinese parallel SĀ 549 (T II 143a2 –b17) provides a check on the two alternatives. Though SĀ 549 differs in some respects, the list of insights regarding the kasiṇas reads: "(He) saw its origin, saw the danger, saw cessation, saw the path to cessation". The Chinese character corresponds to Pāli ādi, not to assāda, thus supporting Ce and Ee against Be, which may have normalized the reading. The Ce and Be readings of Mp differ with respect to the same word. the danger, and the escape, and he saw the knowledge and vision of the path and the non-path. By seeing the beginning, the danger, and the escape, and by seeing the knowledge and vision of the path and the non-path, he knew the attainment of the goal, the peace of the heart.

5"Some ascetics and brahmins, sister, for whom the attainment of the water kasiṇa … the fire kasiṇa … the air kasiṇa … the blue kasiṇa … the yellow kasiṇa … the red kasiṇa … the white kasiṇa … the space kasiṇa … the consciousness kasiṇa is supreme, generated it as their goal. The Blessed One directly knew to what extent the attainment of the consciousness kasiṇa is supreme. Having directly known this, he saw the beginning, the danger, and the escape, and he saw the knowledge and vision of the path and the non-path. By seeing the beginning, the danger, and the escape, and by seeing the knowledge and vision of the path and the non-path, he knew the attainment of the goal, the peace of the heart.

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"Thus, sister, it is in such a way that the meaning should be seen in detail of this statement that the Blessed One spoke in brief in ‘The Maidens’ Questions’:

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6"‘Having conquered the army of the pleasant and agreeable,
meditating alone, I discovered bliss,
the attainment of the goal, the peace of the heart.
Therefore I don’t form intimate ties with people,
nor does intimacy with anyone succeed in my case.’"

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā mahākaccāno avantīsu viharati kuraraghare pavatte pabbate. Atha kho kāḷī upāsikā kuraragharikā yenāyasmā mahākaccāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho kāḷī upāsikā kuraragharikā āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etadavoca:

"Vuttamidaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā kumāripañhesu:

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2‘Atthassa pattiṁ hadayassa santiṁ,
Jetvāna senaṁ piyasātarūpaṁ;
Ekohaṁ jhāyaṁ sukhamanubodhiṁ,
Tasmā janena na karomi sakkhiṁ;
Sakkhī na sampajjati kenaci me’ti.

3Imassa kho, bhante, bhagavatā saṅkhittena bhāsitassa kathaṁ vitthārena attho daṭṭhabbo"ti?

4"Pathavīkasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘attho’ti abhinibbattesuṁ. Yāvatā kho, bhagini, pathavīkasiṇasamāpattiparamatā, tadabhiññāsi bhagavā. Tadabhiññāya bhagavā assādamaddasa ādīnavamaddasa nissaraṇamaddasa maggāmaggañāṇadassanamaddasa. Tassa assādadassanahetu ādīnavadassanahetu nissaraṇadassanahetu maggāmaggañāṇadassanahetu atthassa patti hadayassa santi viditā hoti.

5Āpokasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … pe … tejokasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … vāyokasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … nīlakasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … pītakasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … lohitakasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … odātakasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … ākāsakasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini … viññāṇakasiṇasamāpattiparamā kho, bhagini, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘attho’ti abhinibbattesuṁ. Yāvatā kho, bhagini, viññāṇakasiṇasamāpattiparamatā, tadabhiññāsi bhagavā. Tadabhiññāya bhagavā assādamaddasa … ādīnavamaddasa … nissaraṇamaddasa … maggāmaggañāṇadassanamaddasa … tassa assādadassanahetu ādīnavadassanahetu nissaraṇadassanahetu maggāmaggañāṇadassanahetu atthassa patti hadayassa santi viditā hoti.

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Iti kho, bhagini, yaṁ taṁ vuttaṁ bhagavatā kumāripañhesu:

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6‘Atthassa pattiṁ hadayassa santiṁ,
Jetvāna senaṁ piyasātarūpaṁ;
Ekohaṁ jhāyaṁ sukhamanubodhiṁ,
Tasmā janena na karomi sakkhiṁ;
Sakkhī na sampajjati kenaci me’ti.

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7Imassa kho, bhagini, bhagavatā saṅkhittena bhāsitassa evaṁ vitthārena attho daṭṭhabbo"ti.

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Chaṭṭhaṁ.