The Questions of UpasīvaUpasīvamāṇavapucchā

“Alone and independent, O Sakyan,”“Eko ahaṁ sakka mahantamoghaṁ, said Venerable Upasīva,(iccāyasmā upasīvo) “I am not able to cross the great flood.Anissito no visahāmi tārituṁ; Tell me a support, All-seer,Ārammaṇaṁ brūhi samantacakkhu, depending on which I may cross this flood.”Yaṁ nissito oghamimaṁ tareyyaṁ”.

“Mindfully contemplating nothingness,”“Ākiñcaññaṁ pekkhamāno satimā, replied the Buddha,(upasīvāti bhagavā) “depending on the perception ‘there is nothing’, <j>cross the flood.Natthīti nissāya tarassu oghaṁ; Giving up sensual pleasures, <j>refraining from chatter,Kāme pahāya virato kathāhi, watch day and night for the ending of craving.”Taṇhakkhayaṁ nattamahābhipassa”.

“One who is free of desire for sensual pleasures,”“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo, said Venerable Upasīva,(iccāyasmā upasīvo) “depending on nothingness, all else left behind,Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ; freed in the ultimate liberation of perception:Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto, might they remain there without traveling on?”Tiṭṭhe nu so tattha anānuyāyī”.

“One free of desire for sensual pleasures,”“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo, replied the Buddha,(upasīvāti bhagavā) “depending on nothingness, all else left behind,Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ; freed in the ultimate liberation of perception:Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto, they might remain there without traveling on.”Tiṭṭheyya so tattha anānuyāyī”.

“If they were to remain there without traveling on,“Tiṭṭhe ce so tattha anānuyāyī, even for myriad years, All-seer,Pūgampi vassānaṁ samantacakkhu; and, being freed, were to grow cool right there,Tattheva so sītisiyā vimutto, would the consciousness of that sort pass away?”Cavetha viññāṇaṁ tathāvidhassa”.

“As a flame tossed by a gust of wind,”“Accī yathā vātavegena khittā, replied the Buddha,(upasīvāti bhagavā) “comes to an end and cannot be reckoned;Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ; so too, a sage freed from the set of mental phenomenaEvaṁ munī nāmakāyā vimutto, comes to an end and cannot be reckoned.”Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ”.

“One who has disappeared—do they not exist?“Atthaṅgato so uda vā so natthi, Or are they free from disease for eternity?Udāhu ve sassatiyā arogo; Please, sage, answer me clearly,Taṁ me munī sādhu viyākarohi, for truly you understand this matter.”Tathā hi te vidito esa dhammo”.

“One who has disappeared cannot be defined,”“Atthaṅgatassa na pamāṇamatthi, replied the Buddha.(upasīvāti bhagavā) “They have nothing <j>by which others might describe them.Yena naṁ vajjuṁ taṁ tassa natthi; When all things have been eradicated,Sabbesu dhammesu samohatesu, eradicated, too, are all ways of speech.”Samūhatā vādapathāpi sabbe”ti.