Majjhima Nikaya - Dighanaka Sutta

MN 74
Dighanaka Sutta
To LongNails
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: M i 497



Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.



Copyright © 2007 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2007
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
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I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha on
Vulture's Peak Mountain, in the Boar's Cave. Then LongNails the wanderer1 went
to the Blessed One and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings with him.
After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he stood to one side. As
he was standing there, he said to the Blessed One, "Master Gotama, I am of the
view, of the opinion, that 'All is not pleasing to me.'"
"But even this view of yours, Aggivessana — 'All is not pleasing to me' — is
even that not pleasing to you?'"
"Even if this view of mine were pleasing to me, Master Gotama, it would still be
the same, it would still be the same."
"Well, Aggivessana, there are more than many in the world who say, 'It would
still be the same, it would still be the same,' yet they both do not abandon
that view and they cling to another view. There are fewer than few in the world
who say, 'It would still be the same, it would still be the same,' and they both
abandon that view and do not cling to another view.
"There are some brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of the opinion,
that 'All is pleasing to me.' There are some brahmans & contemplatives who are
of the view, of the opinion, that 'All is not pleasing to me.' There are some
brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of the opinion, that 'A part is
pleasing to me; a part is not pleasing to me.'
"With regard to those brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of the
opinion, that 'All is pleasing to me': That view of theirs is close to being
impassioned, close to bondage, close to delighting, close to holding, close to
clinging. With regard to those brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of
the opinion, that 'All is not pleasing to me': That view of theirs is close to
not being impassioned, close to non-bondage, close to not-delighting, close to
not-holding, close to not-clinging."
When this was said, LongNails the wanderer said to the Blessed One, "Master
Gotama commends my viewpoint. Master Gotama recommends my viewpoint."
"With regard to those brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of the
opinion that 'A part is pleasing to me; a part is not pleasing to me': Whatever
is pleasing to them, their view is close to being impassioned, close to bondage,
close to delighting, close to holding, close to clinging. Whatever is not
pleasing to them, their view is close to not being impassioned, close to
non-bondage, close to not-delighting, close to not-holding, close to
not-clinging.
"With regard to those brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of the
opinion, 'All is pleasing to me': A wise person among them considers that 'If I
were to grasp and insist firmly on this view of mine that "All is pleasing to
me," and to state that "Only this is true, all else is worthless," I would clash
with two — the brahman or contemplative who is of the view, of the opinion that
"All is not pleasing to me" and the brahman or contemplative who is of the view,
of the opinion that "A part is pleasing to me; a part is not pleasing to me." I
would clash with these two. Where there is a clash, there is dispute. Where
there is a dispute, quarreling. Where there is quarreling, annoyance. Where
there is annoyance, frustration.' Envisioning for himself clash, dispute,
quarreling, annoyance, frustration, he both abandons that view and does not
cling to another view. Thus there is the abandoning of these views; thus there
is the relinquishing of these views.
"With regard to those brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of the
opinion that 'All is not pleasing to me': A wise person among them considers
that 'If I were to grasp and insist firmly on this view of mine that "All is not
pleasing to me," and to state that "Only this is true, all else is worthless," I
would clash with two — the brahman or contemplative who is of the view, of the
opinion that "All is pleasing to me" and the brahman or contemplative who is of
the view, of the opinion that "A part is pleasing to me; a part is not pleasing
to me." I would clash with these two. Where there is a clash, there is dispute.
Where there is a dispute, quarreling. Where there is quarreling, annoyance.
Where there is annoyance, frustration.' Envisioning for himself clash, dispute,
quarreling, annoyance, frustration, he both abandons that view and does not
cling to another view. Thus there is the abandoning of these views; thus there
is the relinquishing of these views.
"With regard to those brahmans & contemplatives who are of the view, of the
opinion that 'A part is pleasing to me; a part is not pleasing to me': A wise
person among them considers that 'If I were to grasp and insist firmly on this
view of mine that "A part is pleasing to me; a part is not pleasing to me," and
to state that "Only this is true, all else is worthless," I would clash with two
— the brahman or contemplative who is of the view, of the opinion that "All is
pleasing to me" and the brahman or contemplative who is of the view, of the
opinion that "All is not pleasing to me." I would clash with these two. Where
there is a clash, there is dispute. Where there is a dispute, quarreling. Where
there is quarreling, annoyance. Where there is annoyance, frustration.'
Envisioning for himself clash, dispute, quarreling, annoyance, frustration, he
both abandons that view and does not cling to another view. Thus there is the
abandoning of these views; thus there is the relinquishing of these views.
"Now, Aggivessana, this body — endowed with form, composed of the four primary
elements, born from mother & father, nourished with rice & porridge, subject to
inconstancy, rubbing, pressing, dissolution, and dispersion — should be
envisioned as inconstant, stressful, a disease, a cancer, an arrow, painful, an
affliction, alien, a disintegration, an emptiness, not-self. In one who
envisions the body as inconstant, stressful, a disease, a cancer, an arrow,
painful, an affliction, alien, a disintegration, an emptiness, not-self, any
desire for the body, attraction to the body, following after the body is
abandoned.
"There are these three kinds of feeling: a pleasant feeling, a painful feeling,
and neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling. On the occasion when one feels a
pleasant feeling, one does not feel either a painful feeling or a
neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling. One feels only a pleasant feeling on that
occasion. On the occasion when one feels a painful feeling, one does not feel
either a pleasant feeling or a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling. One feels
only a painful feeling on that occasion. On the occasion when one feels a
neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling feeling, one does not feel either a
pleasant feeling or a painful feeling. One feels only a
neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling on that occasion.
"A pleasant feeling is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen, subject to
ending, subject to vanishing, fading, ceasing. A painful feeling is also
inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen, subject to ending, subject to
vanishing, fading, ceasing. A neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling is also
inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen, subject to ending, subject to
vanishing, fading, ceasing.
"Seeing this, an instructed disciple of the noble ones grows disenchanted with
pleasant feeling, disenchanted with painful feeling, disenchanted with
neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling. Disenchanted, he grows dispassionate. From
dispassion, he is released. With release, there is the knowledge, 'Released.' He
discerns, 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is
nothing further for this world.' A monk whose mind is thus released does not
take sides with anyone, does not dispute with anyone. He words things by means
of what is said in the world but without grasping at it."
Now at that time Ven. Sariputta was sitting2 behind the Blessed One, fanning
him. The thought occurred to him, "Indeed, it seems that the Blessed One speaks
to us of the abandoning of each of these mental qualities through direct
knowledge.3 Indeed, it seems that the One Well-gone speaks to us of the
relinquishing of each of these mental qualities through direct knowledge."4 As
Ven. Sariputta was reflecting thus, his mind was released from fermentations
through not-clinging. While in LongNails the wanderer there arose the dustless,
stainless Dhamma eye: "Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to
cessation."
Then LongNails the wanderer — having seen the Dhamma, having attained the
Dhamma, having known the Dhamma, having fathomed the Dhamma, having crossed over
and beyond uncertainty, having no more perplexity, having gained fearlessness,
having becoming independent of others with regard to the Teacher's message —
said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent! Just as if he
were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show
the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with
eyes could see forms, in the same way has Master Gotama — through many lines of
reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to Master Gotama for refuge, to the
Dhamma, and to the Community of monks. May Master Gotama remember me as a lay
follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."5



Notes
1 The Commentary states that LongNails (Dighanakha) was a nephew of Ven.
Sariputta.
2. Following the Thai edition of the Canon. The Burmese and PTS editions say
that Ven. Sariputta was standing.
3. The Pali word no in this sentence can mean either "indeed" or "to us."
4. Compare this account of Ven. Sariputta's awakening with the account given in
MN 111.
5. The Commentary states that after delivering this discourse the Buddha
returned to the Bamboo Grove outside of Rajagaha and met with 1,250 arahant
disciples to deliver the Ovada Patimokkha — the event commemorated every year on
Magha Puja.