411 LESSON 21 10 2011 Ganakamoggallana Sutta
The Discourse to Ganaka Moggallana
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Madhyamaka Philosophical Tradition: Not Even a Middle
MN 107
PTS: M iii 1
Ganakamoggallana Sutta: The Discourse to Ganaka-Moggallana
translated from the Pali by
I.B. Horner
Thus I have heard: At one
time the Lord was staying near Savatthi in the
palace of Migara’s mother in the Eastern
Monastery. Then the brahman Ganaka-Moggallana
approached the Lord; having approached he exchanged greetings with the Lord;
having conversed in a friendly and courteous way, he sat down at a respectful
distance. As he was sitting down at a respectful distance, Ganaka-Moggallana
the brahman spoke thus to the Lord: “Just as, good Gotama, in this palace
of Migara’s mother there can be seen a gradual training, a gradual doing, a
gradual practice, that is to say as far as the last flight of stairs,[1]
so, too, good Gotama, for these brahmans there can be seen a gradual training,
a gradual doing, a gradual practice, that is to say in the study [of the Vedas];[2]
so too, good Gotama, for these archers there can be seen a gradual… practice,
that is to say in archery; so too, good Gotama, for us whose livelihood is
calculation[3]
there can be seen a gradual training, a gradual practice, that is to say in
accountancy. For when we get a pupil, good Gotama, we first of all make him
calculate: ‘One one, two twos, three threes, four fours, five fives, six sixes,
seven sevens, eight eights, nine nines, ten tens,’ and we, good Gotama, also
make him calculate a hundred. Is it not possible, good Gotama, to lay down a
similar gradual training, gradual doing, gradual practice in respect of this dhamma
and discipline?”
“It is possible,
brahman, to lay down a gradual training, a gradual doing, a gradual practice in
respect of this dhamma and discipline, Brahman, even a skilled trainer
of horses, having taken on a beautiful thoroughbred first of all gets it used
to the training in respect of wearing the bit. Then he gets it used to further
training β even so brahman, the Tathagata, having taken on a man to be tamed,
first of all disciplines him thus:
“‘Come you, monk, be of
moral habit, live controlled by the control of the Obligations, endowed with
[right] behavior and posture, seeing peril in the slightest fault and,
undertaking them, train yourself in the rules of training.’ As soon, brahman,
as the monk is of moral habit, controlled by the control of the Obligations,
endowed with [right] behavior and posture; seeing peril in the slightest fault
and, undertaking them, trains himself in the rules of training, the Tathagata
disciplines him further saying:
“‘Come you monk, be
guarded as to the doors of the sense-organs; having seen a material shape with
the eye, do not be entranced with the general appearance, do not be entranced
with the detail; for if one dwells with the organ of sight uncontrolled,
covetousness and dejection, evil, unskillful states of mind, may flow in. So
fare along controlling it, guard the organ of sight, achieve control over the
organ of sight. Having heard a sound with the ear… Having smelt a smell with
the nose… Having savored a taste with the tongue… Having felt a touch with
the body… Having cognized a mental state with the mind, do not be entranced
with the detail. For if one dwells with the organ of mind uncontrolled,
covetousness and dejection, evil, unskillful states of mind, may flow in. So
fare along controlling it; guard the organ of mind, achieve control over the
organ of mind.’
“As soon, brahman, as a
monk is guarded as to the doors of the sense-organs, the Tathagata disciplines
him further, saying: ‘Come you, monk, be moderate in eating; you should take
food reflecting carefully, not for fun or indulgence or personal charm or
beautification, but taking just enough for maintaining this body and keeping it
going, for keeping it unharmed, for furthering the Brahma-faring,[4]
with the thought: Thus will I crush out an old feeling, and I will not allow a
new feeling to arise, and then there will be for me subsistence and
blamelessness and abiding in comfort.’
“As soon, brahman, as a
monk is moderate in eating, the Tathagata disciplines him further, saying:
‘Come you, monk, dwell intent on vigilance; during the day while pacing up and
down, while sitting down, cleanse the mind of obstructive mental states; during
the middle watch of the night, lie down on the right side in the lion posture,
foot resting on foot, mindful, clearly conscious, reflecting on the thought of
getting up again; during the last watch of the night, when you have arisen,
while pacing up and down, while sitting down, cleanse the mind of obstructive
mental states.’
“As soon, brahman, as a
monk is intent on vigilance, the Tathagata disciplines him further, saying:
‘Come you, monk, be possessed of mindfulness and clear consciousness, acting
with clear consciousness whether you are approaching or departing, acting with
clear consciousness whether you are looking ahead or looking round, acting with
clear consciousness whether you are bending in or stretching out [the arms],
acting with clear consciousness whether you are carrying the outer cloak, the
bowl or robe, acting with clear consciousness whether you are eating, drinking,
munching, savoring, acting with clear consciousness whether you are obeying the
calls of nature, acting with clear consciousness whether you are walking, standing,
sitting, asleep, awake, talking or being silent.’
“As soon, brahman, as he
is possessed of mindfulness and clear consciousness, the Tathagata disciplines
him further, saying: ‘Come you, monk, choose a remote lodging in a forest, at
the root of a tree, on a mountain slope, in a glen, a hill cave, a cemetery, a
woodland grove, in the open, or on a heap of straw.’ On returning from
alms-gathering after the meal, the monk sits down crosslegged, holding the back
erect, having made mindfulness rise up in front of him. He, getting rid of
covetousness for the world, dwells with a mind devoid of covetousness, he
cleanses the mind of covetousness. Getting rid of the taint of ill-will, he
dwells benevolent in mind; compassionate and merciful towards all creatures and
beings, he cleanses the mind of ill-will. Getting rid of sloth and torpor, he
dwells without sloth or torpor; perceiving the light, mindful and clearly
conscious he cleanses the mind of sloth and torpor. Getting rid of restlessness
and worry, he dwells calmly; the mind inward tranquil, he cleanses the mind of
restlessness and worry. Getting rid of doubt, he dwells doubt-crossed;
unperplexed as to the states that are skilled,[5]
he cleanses his mind of doubt.
“He, by getting rid of
these five hindrances,[6]
which are defilements of the mind and deleterious to intuitive wisdom, aloof
from pleasures of the senses, aloof from unskilled states of mind, enters and
abides in the first meditation which is accompanied by initial thought and
discursive thought, is born of aloofness and is rapturous and joyful. By
allaying initial thought and discursive thought, his mind subjectively
tranquilized and fixed on one point, he enters and abides in the second
meditation which is devoid of initial thought and discursive thought, is born
of concentration and is rapturous and joyful. By the fading out of rapture, he
dwells with equanimity, attentive and clearly conscious, and experiences in his
person that joy of which the ariyans[7]
say: ‘Joyful lives he who has equanimity and is mindful,’ and he enters and
abides in the third meditation. By getting rid of anguish, by the going down of
his former pleasures and sorrows, he enters and abides in the fourth meditation
which has neither anguish nor joy, and which is entirely purified by equanimity
and mindfulness.
“Brahman, such is my
instruction for those monks who are learners who, perfection being not yet
attained, dwell longing for the incomparable security from the bonds. But as for
those monks who are perfected ones, the cankers destroyed, who have lived the
life, done what was to be done, shed the burden, attained to their own goal,
the fetters of becoming utterly destroyed, and who are freed by perfect
profound knowledge β these things conduce both to their abiding in ease here
and now as well as to their mindfulness and clear consciousness.”
When this had been said, the
brahman Ganaka-Moggallana spoke thus to the Lord:
“Now, on being exhorted
thus and instructed thus by the good Gotama, do all the good Gotama’s disciples
attain the unchanging goal[8]
β nibbana or do some not attain it?”
“Some of my disciples,
brahman, on being exhorted and instructed thus by me, attain the unchanging
goal β nibbana; some do not attain it.”
“What is the cause, good
Gotama, what the reason that; since nibbana does exist, since the way leading
to nibbana exists, since the good Gotama exists as adviser, some of the good
Gotama’s disciples on being exhorted thus and instructed thus by the good
Gotama, attain the unchanging goal β nibbana, but some do not attain it?”
“Well then, brahman, I
will question you on this point in reply. As it is pleasing to you, so you may
answer me. What do you think about this, brahman? Are you skilled in the way
leading to Rajagaha?”
“Yes, sir, skilled am I
in the way leading to Rajagaha.”
“What do you think about
this? A man might come along here wanting to go to Rajagaha. Having approached
you, he might speak thus: ‘I want to go to Rajagaha, sir; show me the way to
this Rajagaha.’ You might speak thus to him: “Yes, my good man, this road
goes to Rajagaha; go along it for a while. When you have gone along it for a
while you will see a village; go along for a while; when you have gone along
for a while you will see a market town; go for a while. When you have gone
along for a while you will see Rajagaha with its delightful parks, delightful
forests, delightful fields, delightful ponds. But although he has been exhorted
and instructed thus by you, he might take the wrong road and go westwards. Then
a second man might come along wanting to go to Rajagaha…(as above)…
you will see Rajagaha with its delightful… ponds.’ Exhorted and instructed
thus by you he might get to Rajagaha safely. What is the cause, brahman, what
the reason that, since Rajagaha does exist, since the way leading to Rajagaha
exists, since you exist as adviser, the one man, although being exhorted and
instructed thus by you, may take the wrong road and go westwards while the
other may get to Rajagaha safely?”
“What can I, good
Gotama, do in this matter? A shower of the way, good Gotama, am I.”
“Even so, brahman, nibbana does exist, the way leading to nibbana
exists and I exist as adviser. But some of my disciples, on being exhorted and
instructed thus by me attain the unchanging goal β nibbana, some do not attain
it. What can I, brahman, do in this matter? A shower of the way, brahman, is a
Tathagata.”
When this had been said, the
brahman Ganaka-Moggallana spoke thus to the Lord:
“Good Gotama, as for
those persons who, in want of a way of living, having gone forth from home into
homelessness without faith, who are crafty, fraudulent, deceitful, who are
unbalanced and puffed up, who are shifty, scurrilous and of loose talk, the
doors of whose sense-organs are not guarded, who do not know moderation in
eating, who are not intent on vigilance, indifferent to recluseship, not of
keen respect for the training, who are ones for abundance, lax, taking the lead
in backsliding, shirking the burden of seclusion, who are indolent, of feeble
energy, of confused mindfulness, not clearly conscious, not concentrated but of
wandering minds, who are weak in wisdom, drivelers β the good Gotama is not in
communion with them. But as for those young men of respectable families
who have gone forth from home into homelessness from faith, who are not crafty,
fraudulent or deceitful, who are not unbalanced or puffed up, who are not
shifty, scurrilous or of loose talk, the doors of whose sense-organs are
guarded, who know moderation in eating, who are intent on vigilance, longing
for recluseship, of keen respect for the training, who are not ones for
abundance, not lax, shirking, backsliding, taking the lead in seclusion, who
are of stirred up energy, self-resolute, with mindfulness aroused, clearly
conscious, concentrated, their minds one-pointed, who have wisdom, are not
drivelers β the good Gotama is in communion with them. As, good Gotama,
black gum is pointed to as chief of root-scents, as red sandalwood is pointed
to as chief of the pith-scents, as jasmine is pointed to as chief of the flower
scents β even so is the exhortation of the good Gotama highest among the
teachings of today. Excellent, good Gotama,
excellent, good Gotama. As, good Gotama, one might set upright what had been
upset, or disclose what had been covered, or show the way to one who had gone
astray, or bring an oil-lamp into the darkness so that those with vision might
see material shapes β even so in many a figure is dhamma made clear by
the good Gotama. I am going to the revered Gotama for refuge and to dhamma
and to the Order of monks May the good Gotama accept me as a lay-follower going
for refuge from today forth for as long as life lasts.”
1.
A seven-storied palace is not to be built in one day
[Commentary].
2.
It is not possible to learn the three Vedas by heart in one day
[Commentary].
3.
Ganana. From this profession of his, the distinguishing addition to the
brahman’s name is derived [Ed., The Wheel].
4.
Brahmacariyam. This refers to the pure life of a celibate recluse [Ed., The
Wheel].
5.
Kusala. Sometimes translated by “salutary, profitable, karmically
wholesome.” [Ed., The Wheel].
6.
On these, see The Wheel No. 26.
7.
Ariya refers here, according to the Visuddhimagga, to the
Enlightened Ones.
8.
Accantanittha. Accanta can also mean “utmost, culminating,
supreme.”
ΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒΒUD 610 Madhyamaka Philosophical Tradition: Not Even
a Middle - 2 credits
Delivery Mode: Residential &
Online
Course Description:
This course is an overview of the
final view of the Buddhist philosophy - the
Madhyamaka, or the
Middle Way tradition of MahΔyΔna, which propounds the view of
shΕ«nyatΔ, the
emptiness of all phenomena, the transcendence of all views, freedom from
elaborations. We will study the
presentation of the two truths, their union, and the five
great madhyamaka reasonings.
Prerequisite: DOB 601