Sick (1st)Paṭhamagilānasutta

At Sāvatthī.Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, and said to him,Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Sir, in such-and-such monastery there’s a mendicant who is junior and not well-known. He’s sick, suffering, gravely ill.“amukasmiṁ, bhante, vihāre aññataro bhikkhu navo appaññāto ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Please go to him out of sympathy.”Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā”ti.

When the Buddha heard that the mendicant was junior and ill, understanding that he was not well-known, he went to him.Atha kho bhagavā navavādañca sutvā gilānavādañca, “appaññāto bhikkhū”ti iti viditvā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami. That mendicant saw the Buddha coming off in the distanceAddasā kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. and stirred in his cot.Disvāna mañcake samadhosi.

The Buddha said to that monk,Atha kho bhagavā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “It’s all right, mendicant, don’t get up.“alaṁ, bhikkhu, mā tvaṁ mañcake samadhosi. There are some seats spread out, I will sit there.”Santimāni āsanāni paññattāni, tatthāhaṁ nisīdissāmī”ti.

He sat down on the seat spread outNisīdi bhagavā paññatte āsane. and said to the mendicant,Nisajja kho bhagavā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “I hope you’re keeping well, mendicant, I hope you’re all right. I hope your pain is fading, not growing; that its fading is evident, not its growing.”“kacci te, bhikkhu, khamanīyaṁ, kacci yāpanīyaṁ, kacci dukkhā vedanā paṭikkamanti no abhikkamanti, paṭikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no abhikkamo”ti?

“Sir, I’m not keeping well, I’m not getting by. My pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.”“Na me, bhante, khamanīyaṁ, na yāpanīyaṁ, bāḷhā me dukkhā vedanā abhikkamanti no paṭikkamanti, abhikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no paṭikkamo”ti.

“I hope you don’t have any remorse or regret?”“Kacci te, bhikkhu, na kiñci kukkuccaṁ, na koci vippaṭisāro”ti?

“Indeed, sir, I have no little remorse and regret.”“Taggha me, bhante, anappakaṁ kukkuccaṁ, anappako vippaṭisāro”ti.

“I hope you have no reason to blame yourself when it comes to ethical conduct?”“Kacci pana taṁ, bhikkhu, attā sīlato upavadatī”ti?

“No sir, I have no reason to blame myself when it comes to ethical conduct.”“Na kho maṁ, bhante, attā sīlato upavadatī”ti.

“In that case, mendicant, why do you have remorse and regret?”“No ce kira te, bhikkhu, attā sīlato upavadati, atha kiñca te kukkuccaṁ ko ca vippaṭisāro”ti?

“Because I understand that the Buddha has not taught the Dhamma merely for the sake of ethical purity.”“Na khvāhaṁ, bhante, sīlavisuddhatthaṁ bhagavatā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāmī”ti.

“If that is so, what then do you understand to be the purpose of teaching the Dhamma?”“No ce kira tvaṁ, bhikkhu, sīlavisuddhatthaṁ mayā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāsi, atha kimatthaṁ carahi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, mayā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāsī”ti?

“I understand that the Buddha has taught the Dhamma for the purpose of the fading away of greed.”“Rāgavirāgatthaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāmī”ti.

“Good, good, mendicant!“Sādhu sādhu, bhikkhu. It’s good that you understand that I’ve taught the Dhamma for the purpose of the fading away of greed.Sādhu kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, rāgavirāgatthaṁ mayā dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānāsi. For that is indeed the purpose.Rāgavirāgattho hi, bhikkhu, mayā dhammo desito. What do you think, mendicant?Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, bhikkhu, Is the eye permanent or impermanent?”cakkhu niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

“Impermanent, sir.” …“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.

“Impermanent, sir.”“Anicco, bhante”.

“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?

“Suffering, sir.”“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.

“But if it’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, is it fit to be regarded thus:“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, kallaṁ nu taṁ samanupassituṁ: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’”ti?

“No, sir.”“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

“Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.“Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhu, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati, sotasmimpi nibbindati …pe… manasmimpi nibbindati. Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed.Nibbindaṁ virajjati; virāgā vimuccati; vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ hoti.

They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended … there is nothing further for this place.’”‘Khīṇā jāti …pe… nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī”ti.

That is what the Buddha said.Idamavoca bhagavā. Satisfied, that mendicant approved what the Buddha said.Attamano so bhikkhu bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandi. And while this discourse was being spoken, the stainless, immaculate vision of the Dhamma arose in that mendicant:Imasmiñca pana veyyākaraṇasmiṁ bhaññamāne tassa bhikkhuno virajaṁ vītamalaṁ dhammacakkhuṁ udapādi:

“Everything that is liable to arise is liable to cease.”“yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhamman”ti.