1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, when what exists, by clinging to what, by adhering to what, does such a view as this arise: [n.258] At DN I 56,21–34 this doctrine of the seven bodies (sattakāyavāda) is ascribed to Pakudha Kaccāyana. ‘There are these seven bodies that are unmade, not brought forth, uncreated, without a creator, barren, steady as mountain peaks, steady as pillars. They do not move or change or obstruct each other. None is able to cause pleasure or pain or pleasure-and-pain to others. What are the seven? They are: the earth-body, the water-body, the fire-body, the air-body, pleasure, pain, and the soul as the seventh. These seven bodies are unmade … . Herein, there is no killer, no slaughterer, no hearer, no speaker, no knower, no intimater. [n.259] I have imported the sentence in brackets from the DN and MN versions of this view; it seems to have been lost in the SN transmission. Even one who cuts off another's head with a sharp sword does not deprive anyone of life; the sword merely passes through the space between the seven bodies. There are fourteen hundred thousand principal modes of generation, [n.260] In the DN version, this fantastic cosmology is connected to the doctrine of noncausality and subsumed under the teaching of Makkhali Gosāla, where the whole system is called the doctrine of purity by wandering on (saṁsārasuddhi). At MN I 517,31–518,15 however, as here, the cosmology is attached to the doctrine of the seven bodies. This dual ascription suggests that the cosmological scheme may have been shared by both systems, and in fact the schools of Makkhali and Pakudha later coalesced to form the southern branch of the Ājīvika school. Basham discusses the different ascriptions at pp. 18–23, but treats the cosmology as an integral feature of Makkhali's system at pp. 240–54.
The passage contains a number of anomalous grammatical forms, such as nominatives both singular and plural terminating in -e, which are probably vestiges of ancient Magadhi. Variant readings are common. I have generally translated the passage with the aid of Spk, but we must bear in mind that the commentaries are explaining the obscure terms at double remove: first, from the outside perspective of the Buddhist community (which may already have been acquainted with a distorted version of the doctrine), and then from the additional distance of the centuries that separated the commentators from the period when the views were current. Often the commentary is obviously engaging in conjecture, and sometimes is clearly wrong. For a translation of the full commentary, see Fruits of Recluseship, pp. 72–77, and for a critical assessment, see Basham's discussion of the passage at pp. 240–54. and six thousand, and six hundred; there are five hundred kinds of kamma, and five kinds of kamma, and three kinds of kamma, and full kamma, and half-kamma; there are sixty-two pathways, sixty-two sub-aeons, six classes, eight stages in the life of man, forty-nine hundred kinds of Ajivakas, [n.261] Here I part with Spk, which glosses ājīvak with ājāvavutti, "means of livelihood." forty-nine hundred kinds of wanderers, forty-nine hundred abodes of nāgas, twenty hundred faculties, thirty hundred hells, thirty-six realms of dust, seven spheres of percipient beings, seven spheres of nonpercipient beings, seven spheres of knotless ones, seven sn.iii.212 kinds of devas, seven kinds of human beings, seven kinds of demons, seven great lakes, seven kinds of knots, seven hundred other kinds of knots, seven precipices, seven hundred other precipices, seven kinds of dreams, seven hundred other kinds of dreams, eighty-four hundred thousand great aeons through which the foolish and the wise roam and wander, after which they will alike make an end to suffering. There is none of this: "By this virtue or vow or austerity or holy life I will make unripened kamma ripen or eradicate ripened kamma by repeatedly experiencing it"—not so! Pleasure and pain are meted out; saṁsara's limits are fixed; there is no shortening it or extending it, no advancing forward or falling back. Just as, when a ball of string is thrown, it runs away unwinding, so too the foolish and the wise, by unwinding, flee from pleasure and pain′?" [n.262] Bāle ca paṇḍite ca nibbeṭhiyamānā sukhadukkhaṃ paleti. Spk: Starting from a mountain top or a tree top, a ball of thread goes along unwinding for the length of the thread; then, when the thread is finished, it stops right there and goes no farther. Just so, fools and the wise flee from pleasure and pain, "unwinding" by way of time. They do not exceed the aforesaid time. The versions at DN I 54,20–21 and MN I 518,13–15 read: bale ca paṇḍite ca sandhavitva saṁsaritva dukkhass’ antaṁ karissanti; "the foolish and the wise, having roamed and wandered on, will make an end of suffering." Note in both versions the nominative plurals terminating in -e.

"Venerable sir, our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One … ."

2–3"When there is form, bhikkhus, when there is feeling … perception … volitional formations … consciousness, by clinging to consciousness, by adhering to consciousness, such a view as this arises: ‘There are these seven bodies that are unmade … the foolish and the wise, by unwinding, flee from pleasure and pain.’ … sn.iii.213 …

4"When, bhikkhus, a noble disciple has abandoned perplexity in these six cases … he is then called a noble disciple who is a stream-enterer … with enlightenment as his destination."

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. "Kismiṁ nu kho, bhikkhave, sati, kiṁ upādāya, kiṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā, animmitā, animmātā, vañjhā, kūṭaṭṭhā, esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā; te na iñjanti, na vipariṇamanti, na aññamaññaṁ byābādhenti; nālaṁ aññamaññassa sukhāya vā dukkhāya vā sukhadukkhāya vā. Katame satta? Pathavīkāyo, āpokāyo, tejokāyo, vāyokāyo, sukhe, dukkhe, jīve sattame. Ime satta kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā, animmitā, animmātā, vañjhā, kūṭaṭṭhā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā; te na iñjanti, na vipariṇamanti, na aññamaññaṁ byābādhenti; nālaṁ aññamaññassa sukhāya vā dukkhāya vā sukhadukkhāya vā. Yopi tiṇhena satthena sīsaṁ chindati, na sopi kañci jīvitā voropeti; sattannaṁ tveva kāyānamantarena satthaṁ vivaramanupavisati. Cuddasa kho panimāni yonipamukhasatasahassāni saṭṭhi ca satāni cha ca satāni pañca ca kammuno satāni pañca ca kammāni, tīṇi ca kammāni, kamme ca aḍḍhakamme ca dvaṭṭhipaṭipadā, dvaṭṭhantarakappā, chaḷābhijātiyo, aṭṭha purisabhūmiyo, ekūnapaññāsa ājīvakasate, ekūnapaññāsa paribbājakasate, ekūnapaññāsa nāgavāsasate, vīse indriyasate, tiṁse nirayasate, chattiṁsarajodhātuyo, satta saññīgabbhā, satta asaññīgabbhā, satta nigaṇṭhigabbhā, satta devā, satta mānusā, satta pesācā, satta sarā, satta pavuṭā, satta papātā, satta ca papātasatāni, satta supinā, satta supinasatāni, cullāsīti mahākappino satasahassāni, yāni bāle ca paṇḍite ca sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karissanti. Tattha natthi imināhaṁ sīlena vā vatena vā tapena vā brahmacariyena vā aparipakkaṁ vā kammaṁ paripācessāmi; paripakkaṁ vā kammaṁ phussa phussa byantīkarissāmīti hevaṁ natthi doṇamite sukhadukkhe pariyantakate saṁsāre, natthi hāyanavaḍḍhane, natthi ukkaṁsāvakaṁse. Seyyathāpi nāma suttaguḷe khitte nibbeṭhiyamānameva paleti; evameva bāle ca paṇḍite ca nibbeṭhiyamānā sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’"ti?

"Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā … pe …

2"Rūpe kho, bhikkhave, sati, rūpaṁ upādāya, rūpaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’ti. Vedanāya sati … pe … saññāya sati … saṅkhāresu sati … viññāṇe sati, viññāṇaṁ upādāya, viññāṇaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā, akaṭavidhā … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’ti.

3Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā"ti? "Aniccaṁ, bhante" … pe … "yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā akaṭavidhā … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’"ti? "No hetaṁ, bhante". "Yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā tampi niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā"ti? "Aniccaṁ, bhante … pe … api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya: ‘sattime kāyā akaṭā akaṭavidhā … pe … nibbeṭhiyamānā sukhadukkhaṁ palentī’"ti? "No hetaṁ, bhante".

4"Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa imesu ca ṭhānesu kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti, dukkhepissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti … pe … dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāyapissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti – ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano"ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.