ApproachUmmaggasutta

Then one of the mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, what leads the world on? What drags it around? What arises and takes control?”“kena nu kho, bhante, loko nīyati, kena loko parikassati, kassa ca uppannassa vasaṁ gacchatī”ti?

“Good, good, mendicant!“Sādhu sādhu, bhikkhu. Your approach and eloquence are excellent, and it’s a good question.Bhaddako kho te, bhikkhu, ummaggo, bhaddakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ, kalyāṇī paripucchā. For you asked:Evañhi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, pucchasi: ‘What leads the world on? What drags it around? What arises and takes control?’”‘kena nu kho, bhante, loko nīyati, kena loko parikassati, kassa ca uppannassa vasaṁ gacchatī’”ti?

“Yes, sir.”“Evaṁ, bhante”.

“Mendicant, the mind leads the world on. The mind drags it around. When the mind arises, it takes control.”“Cittena kho, bhikkhu, loko nīyati, cittena parikassati, cittassa uppannassa vasaṁ gacchatī”ti.

Saying “Good, sir”, that monk approved and agreed with what the Buddha said. Then he asked another question:“Sādhu, bhante”ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā bhagavantaṁ uttari pañhaṁ apucchi:

“Sir, they speak of ‘a learned memorizer of the teaching’.“‘bahussuto dhammadharo, bahussuto dhammadharo’ti, bhante, vuccati. How is a learned memorizer of the teaching defined?”Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, bahussuto dhammadharo hotī”ti?

“Good, good, mendicant!“Sādhu sādhu, bhikkhu. Your approach and eloquence are excellent, and it’s a good question. …Bhaddako kho te, bhikkhu ummaggo, bhaddakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ, kalyāṇī paripucchā. I have taught many teachings:“Bahū kho, bhikkhu, mayā dhammā desitā— statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and elaborations.suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthā, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ. But if anyone understands the meaning and the text of even a four-line verse, and if they practice in line with that teaching, they’re qualified to be called a ‘learned memorizer of the teaching’.”Catuppadāya cepi, bhikkhu, gāthāya atthamaññāya dhammamaññāya dhammānudhammappaṭipanno hoti bahussuto dhammadharoti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.

Saying “Good, sir”, that monk approved and agreed with what the Buddha said. Then he asked another question:“Sādhu, bhante”ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā bhagavantaṁ uttari pañhaṁ apucchi:

“Sir, they speak of ‘a learned person with penetrating wisdom’.“‘sutavā nibbedhikapañño, sutavā nibbedhikapañño’ti, bhante, vuccati. How is a learned person with penetrating wisdom defined?”Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, sutavā nibbedhikapañño hotī”ti?

“Good, good, mendicant!“Sādhu sādhu, bhikkhu. Your approach and eloquence are excellent, and it’s a good question. …Bhaddako kho te, bhikkhu, ummaggo, bhaddakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ, kalyāṇī paripucchā. Take a mendicant who has heard: ‘This is suffering.’ They see what it means with penetrating wisdom.“Idha, bhikkhu, bhikkhuno ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti sutaṁ hoti, paññāya cassa atthaṁ ativijjha passati; They’ve heard: ‘This is the origin of suffering’ …‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti sutaṁ hoti, paññāya cassa atthaṁ ativijjha passati; ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ …‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti sutaṁ hoti, paññāya cassa atthaṁ ativijjha passati; ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.’ They see what it means with penetrating wisdom.‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti sutaṁ hoti, paññāya cassa atthaṁ ativijjha passati. That’s how an individual is learned, with penetrating wisdom.”Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, sutavā nibbedhikapañño hotī”ti.

Saying “Good, sir”, that monk approved and agreed with what the Buddha said. Then he asked another question:“Sādhu, bhante”ti kho so bhikkhu bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā bhagavantaṁ uttari pañhaṁ apucchi:

“Sir, they speak of ‘an astute person with great wisdom’.“‘paṇḍito mahāpañño, paṇḍito mahāpañño’ti, bhante, vuccati. How is an astute person with great wisdom defined?”Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, paṇḍito mahāpañño hotī”ti?

“Good, good, mendicant!“Sādhu sādhu, bhikkhu. Your approach and eloquence are excellent, and it’s a good question. …Bhaddako kho te, bhikkhu, ummaggo, bhaddakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ, kalyāṇī paripucchā. An astute person with great wisdom is one who has no intention to hurt themselves, or to hurt others, or to hurt both. When they think, they only think of the benefit for themselves, for others, for both, and for the whole world.“Idha, bhikkhu, paṇḍito mahāpañño nevattabyābādhāya ceteti na parabyābādhāya ceteti na ubhayabyābādhāya ceteti attahitaparahitaubhayahitasabbalokahitameva cintayamāno cinteti. That’s how an individual is astute, with great wisdom.”Evaṁ kho, bhikkhu, paṇḍito mahāpañño hotī”ti.