The Longer Discourse to Saccaka Mahṅ Saccaka Sutta (MN 36) · 莲华归心开放中文佛学资料库

- suttas - - evening talks - short morning talks - lectures - guided meditations - talk collections - other themes - chants - - - - à¹à¸à¸¢ - Franā§ais - Espaā±ol - - Portuguāªs - Ð ÑÑÑÐºÐ¸Ð¹ - - - Ð£ÐºÑÐ°ÑÐ½ÑÑÐºÐ° Submit Search - Home - Suttas - MN - MN 36 The Longer Discourse to Saccaka ## Browse Suttas Go to Majjhima Nikṅya index MN index ## The Longer Discourse to Saccaka Mahṅ Saccaka SuttaÂ Â (MNÂ 36) I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Vesṅlī, at the Gabled Hall in the Great Forest. And on that occasion, early in the morning, he had adjusted his lower robe and was taking his bowl & outer robe, planning to enter Vesṅlī for alms. Then Saccaka, a Nigaṃṭha [Jain], while walking and wandering around to exercise his legs, went to the Gabled Hall in the Great Forest. Ven. ṅnanda saw him coming from afar and, on seeing him, said to the Blessed One, "Venerable sir, here comes Saccaka the Nigaṃṭha: a debater, a sophist, well-regarded by people at large. He is intent on the disparagement of the Buddha, the disparagement of the Dhamma, the disparagement of the Saṃgha. It would be good if the Blessed One would sit down for a moment, out of sympathy (for him)." So the Blessed One sat down on a prepared seat. Then Saccaka the Nigaṃṭha went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, "There are, Master Gotama, some contemplatives & brahmans who live committed to the development of the body but not to the development of the mind. They are touched by bodily painful feeling. It has happened in the past that when one (of them) was touched by bodily painful feeling, his thighs would grow rigid, his heart would burst, hot blood would gush from his mouth, he would go mad, out of his mind. His mind was thus subservient to his body and fell under the power of the body. Why was that? A lack of development of the mind. "Then there are some contemplatives & brahmans who live committed to the development of the mind but not to the development of the body. They are touched by mental painful feeling. It has happened in the past that when one (of them) was touched by mental painful feeling, his thighs would grow rigid, his heart would burst, hot blood would gush from his mouth, he would go mad, out of his mind. His body was thus subservient to his mind and fell under the power of the mind. Why was that? A lack of development of the body. The thought has occurred to me that the disciples of Gotama the contemplative live committed to the development of the mind but not to the development of the body." "But what have you learned, Aggivessana, about the development of the body?" "There are, for example, Nanda Vaccha, Kisa Saṃkicca, and Makkhali Gosṅla. They are cloth-less1 ascetics, rejecting conventions, licking their hands, not coming when called, not staying when asked. They donât consent to food brought to them or food dedicated to them or to an invitation to a meal. They accept nothing from the mouth of a pot or from the mouth of a bowl. They accept nothing from across a threshold, across a stick, across a pestle, from two eating together, from a pregnant woman, from a nursing woman, from a woman living with a man, from where it is announced that food is to be distributed, from where a dog is waiting or flies are buzzing. They take no fish or meat. They drink no liquor, wine, or fermented drink. They limit themselves to one house & one morsel a day, or two houses & two morselsâ¦ seven houses & seven morsels. They live on one saucerful a day, twoâ¦ seven saucerfuls a day. They take food once a day, once every two daysâ¦ once every seven days, and so on up to a fortnight, devoted to regulating their intake of food." "But, Aggivessana, do they survive just on that?" "No, Master Gotama. Sometimes they eat outstanding staple foods, chew on outstanding non-staple foods, taste outstanding delicacies, and drink outstanding drinks. They rescue the body & its strength, fortify it, and fatten it." "What they earlier abandoned, Aggivessana, they later gather up. This is how there is decrease & increase of the body. But what have you learned, Aggivessana, about the development of the mind?" Yet Saccaka the Nigaṃṭha, when asked by the Blessed One about the development of the mind, was unable to respond. Then the Blessed One said to Saccaka, "The ones you described just now as developed in the development of the body: That is not legitimate development of the body in the discipline of the noble ones. As you donât understand the development of the body, from where would you understand the development of the mind? Nevertheless, as to how one is undeveloped in body and undeveloped in mind, and developed in body and developed in mind, listen and pay close attention. I will speak." "As you say, Master Gotama," Saccaka responded. The Blessed One said, "And how is one