1Then the Venerable Mālunkyāputta approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said: [n.967] He is the monk who threatened to leave the Buddha if the latter would not answer his metaphysical questions. See MN 63, I 426–32, as well as MN 64.2–3, I 432–33; SN 35:95, IV 72–76.

2"Bhante, it would be good if the Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma in brief, so that, having heard the Dhamma from the Blessed One, I might dwell alone, withdrawn, heedful, ardent, and resolute."

"Here now, Mālunkyāputta, what should we say to the young bhikkhus when an old man like you, decrepit and advanced in years, asks for a brief exhortation from the Tathāgata?"

"Bhante, let the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma in brief! Let the Fortunate One teach me the Dhamma in brief! Perhaps I can understand the meaning of the Blessed One's statement; perhaps I can become an heir of the Blessed One's statement."

3"There are, Mālunkyāputta, these four sources of craving for a bhikkhu. What four? Craving arises in a bhikkhu because of robes, almsfood, lodgings, or for the sake of life here or elsewhere. [n.968] See AN4.9 above. These are the four sources of craving for a bhikkhu. When, Mālunkyāputta, a bhikkhu has abandoned craving, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising, he is called a bhikkhu who has cut off craving, stripped off the fetter, and by completely breaking through conceit, has made an end of suffering."

4Then the Venerable Mālunkyāputta, exhorted in this way by the Blessed One, rose from his seat, paid homage to the Blessed One, circumambulated him keeping the right side toward him, and departed.

Then, dwelling alone, withdrawn, heedful, ardent, and resolute, in no long time the Venerable Mālunkyāputta realized for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life, that unsurpassed consummation of the spiritual life for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the household life into homelessness, and having entered upon it, he dwelled in it. He directly knew: "Destroyed is birth, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being." And the Venerable Mālunkyāputta became one of the arahants.

1Atha kho āyasmā mālukyaputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mālukyaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

2"Sādhu me, bhante, bhagavā saṅkhittena dhammaṁ desetu, yamahaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ sutvā eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto vihareyyan"ti.

"Ettha idāni, mālukyaputta, kiṁ dahare bhikkhū vakkhāma; yatra hi nāma tvaṁ jiṇṇo vuddho mahallako tathāgatassa saṅkhittena ovādaṁ yācasī"ti.

"Desetu me, bhante, bhagavā saṅkhittena dhammaṁ; desetu sugato saṅkhittena dhammaṁ. Appeva nāmāhaṁ bhagavato bhāsitassa atthaṁ ājāneyyaṁ; appeva nāmāhaṁ bhagavato bhāsitassa dāyādo assan"ti.

3"Cattārome, mālukyaputta, taṇhuppādā yattha bhikkhuno taṇhā uppajjamānā uppajjati. Katame cattāro? Cīvarahetu vā, mālukyaputta, bhikkhuno taṇhā uppajjamānā uppajjati. Piṇḍapātahetu vā, mālukyaputta, bhikkhuno taṇhā uppajjamānā uppajjati. Senāsanahetu vā, mālukyaputta, bhikkhuno taṇhā uppajjamānā uppajjati. Itibhavābhavahetu vā, mālukyaputta, bhikkhuno taṇhā uppajjamānā uppajjati. Ime kho, mālukyaputta, cattāro taṇhuppādā yattha bhikkhuno taṇhā uppajjamānā uppajjati. Yato kho, mālukyaputta, bhikkhuno taṇhā pahīnā hoti ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā, ayaṁ vuccati, mālukyaputta, ‘bhikkhu acchecchi taṇhaṁ, vivattayi saṁyojanaṁ, sammā mānābhisamayā antamakāsi dukkhassā’"ti.

4Atha kho āyasmā mālukyaputto bhagavatā iminā ovādena ovadito uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi.

Atha kho āyasmā mālukyaputto eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto nacirasseva – yassatthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti, tadanuttaraṁ – brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāsi. "Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā"ti abbhaññāsi. Aññataro ca panāyasmā mālukyaputto arahataṁ ahosīti.

Catutthaṁ.