10: The Book of the Tens
96. Kokanada
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi (More copyright information)
1On one occasion the Venerable Ānanda was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Hot Springs Park. Then, as the night was receding, the Venerable Ānanda rose and went to the hot springs to bathe. Having bathed in the hot springs and come back out, he stood in one robe drying his limbs. The wanderer Kokanada, too, rose as the night was receding and went to the hot springs to bathe.
2He saw the Venerable Ānanda from a distance and said to him:
"Who is here, friend?"
"I am a bhikkhu, friend."
3"From which group of bhikkhus, friend?"
"From the ascetics following the Sakyan son."
4"If you could take the time to answer my question, I would like to ask you about a certain point."
"You may ask, friend. When I hear your question, I’ll know whether I can answer it."
5"How is it, sir, do you hold the view: (1) ‘The world is eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong’?"
"I don’t hold such a view, friend."
6"Then do you hold the view: (2) ‘The world is not eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong’?"
"I don’t hold such a view, friend."
7"Do you hold the view: (3) –(4) ‘The world is finite’ … ‘The world is infinite’ … (5) –(6) ‘The soul and the body are the same’ … ‘The soul is one thing, the body another’ … (7) –(10) ‘The Tathāgata exists after death’ … ‘The Tathāgata does not exist after death’ … ‘The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death’ … ‘The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death; this alone is true, anything else is wrong’?"
"I don’t hold such a view, friend."
8"Could it then be that you do not know and see?"
"It isn’t the case, friend, that I do not know and see. I know and see."
9"When I asked you: ‘How is it, sir, do you hold the view: "The world is eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong"?’ you said: ‘I don’t hold such a view, friend.’
10But when I asked you: ‘Then do you hold the view: "The world is not eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong"?’ you said: ‘I don’t hold such a view, friend.’
11When I asked you: ‘Do you hold the view: "The world is finite" … "The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death; this alone is true, anything else is wrong"?’ you said: ‘I don’t hold such a view, friend.’
12Then when I asked you: ‘Could it then be that you do not know and see?’ you said: ‘It isn’t the case, friend, that I do not know and see. I know and see.’ How, friend, should the meaning of this statement be understood?"
13"‘The world is eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong,’ friend: this is a speculative view. ‘The world is not eternal; this alone is true, anything else is wrong’: this is a speculative view. ‘The world is finite’ … ‘The world is infinite’ … ‘The soul and the body are the same’ … ‘The soul is one thing, the body another’ … ‘The Tathāgata exists after death’ … ‘The Tathāgata does not exist after death’ … ‘The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death’ … ‘The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death; this alone is true, anything else is wrong’: this is a speculative view.
14"To the extent, friend, that there is a speculative view, a basis for views, [n.2131] At AN4.38 and AN6.54, I render diṭṭhiṭṭhāna as "viewpoint," but here as "basis for view." I follow Mp, which glosses the word in its earlier occurrences as meaning views themselves, but here as "causes for views" (diṭṭhikāraṇa). Mp mentions eight such causes: the aggregates, ignorance, contact, perception, thought, careless attention, bad friends, and another person's utterance (khandhā, avijjā, phasso, saññā, vitakko, ayoniso manasikāro, pāpamittā, paraghoso). a foundation for views, obsession with views, the origination of views, and the uprooting of views, I know and see this. When I know and see this, why should I say: ‘I do not know and see.’ I know, friend, I see."
15"What is your name? And how are you known by your fellow monks?"
"My name is Ānanda, and my fellow monks know me as Ānanda."
"Indeed, I did not realize that I was consulting the great teacher, the Venerable Ānanda! If I had realized that this was the Venerable Ānanda, I wouldn’t have spoken so much. Let the Venerable Ānanda please pardon me."
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ānando rājagahe viharati tapodārāme. Atha kho āyasmā ānando rattiyā paccūsasamayaṁ paccuṭṭhāya yena tapodā tenupasaṅkami gattāni parisiñcituṁ. Tapodāya gattāni parisiñcitvā paccuttaritvā ekacīvaro aṭṭhāsi gattāni pubbāpayamāno. Kokanudopi kho paribbājako rattiyā paccūsasamayaṁ paccuṭṭhāya yena tapodā tenupasaṅkami gattāni parisiñcituṁ.
2Addasā kho kokanudo paribbājako āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvāna āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:
"Kvettha, āvuso"ti?
"Ahamāvuso, bhikkhū"ti.
3"Katamesaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhūnan"ti?
"Samaṇānaṁ, āvuso, sakyaputtiyānan"ti.
4"Puccheyyāma mayaṁ āyasmantaṁ kiñcideva desaṁ, sace āyasmā okāsaṁ karoti pañhassa veyyākaraṇāyā"ti.
"Pucchāvuso, sutvā vedissāmā"ti.
5"Kiṁ nu kho, bho, ‘sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti – evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavan"ti?
"Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’"ti.
6"Kiṁ pana, bho, ‘asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti – evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavan"ti?
"Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’"ti.
7"Kiṁ nu kho, bho, antavā loko … pe … anantavā loko … taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ … aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ … hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti – evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavan"ti?
"Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’"ti.
8"Tena hi bhavaṁ na jānāti, na passatī"ti?
"Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, na jānāmi na passāmi. Jānāmahaṁ, āvuso, passāmī"ti.
9"‘Kiṁ nu kho, bho, sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti – evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavan’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: ‘Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evaṁdiṭṭhi – sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi.
10‘Kiṁ pana, bho, asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti – evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavan’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: ‘Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evaṁdiṭṭhi – asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi.
11Kiṁ nu kho, bho, antavā loko … pe … anantavā loko … taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ … aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ … hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññanti – evaṁdiṭṭhi bhavanti, iti puṭṭho samāno: ‘Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, evaṁdiṭṭhi – neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti vadesi.
12‘Tena hi bhavaṁ na jānāti na passatī’ti, iti puṭṭho samāno: ‘Na kho ahaṁ, āvuso, na jānāmi na passāmi. Jānāmahaṁ, āvuso, passāmī’ti vadesi. Yathā kathaṁ panāvuso, imassa bhāsitassa attho daṭṭhabbo"ti?
13"‘Sassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti kho, āvuso, diṭṭhigatametaṁ. ‘Asassato loko, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti kho, āvuso, diṭṭhigatametaṁ. Antavā loko … pe … anantavā loko … taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīraṁ … aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīraṁ … hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā … ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā, idameva saccaṁ moghamaññan’ti kho, āvuso, diṭṭhigatametaṁ.
14Yāvatā, āvuso, diṭṭhi yāvatā diṭṭhiṭṭhānaṁ diṭṭhiadhiṭṭhānaṁ diṭṭhipariyuṭṭhānaṁ diṭṭhisamuṭṭhānaṁ diṭṭhisamugghāto, tamahaṁ jānāmi tamahaṁ passāmi. Tamahaṁ jānanto tamahaṁ passanto kyāhaṁ vakkhāmi: ‘Na jānāmi na passāmī’ti? Jānāmahaṁ, āvuso, passāmī"ti.
15"Ko nāmo āyasmā, kathañca panāyasmantaṁ sabrahmacārī jānantī"ti?
"‘Ānando’ti kho me, āvuso, nāmaṁ. ‘Ānando’ti ca pana maṁ sabrahmacārī jānantī"ti.
"Mahācariyena vata kira, bho, saddhiṁ mantayamānā na jānimha: ‘āyasmā ānando’ti. Sace hi mayaṁ jāneyyāma: ‘Ayaṁ āyasmā ānando’ti, ettakampi no nappaṭibhāyeyya. Khamatu ca me āyasmā ānando"ti.
Chaṭṭhaṁ.