1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Then the wanderer Moḷiyasīvaka approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. [n.250] Spk: His name was Sīvaka, but because he had a topknot (cūḷā) he was called Moḷiyasīvaka (moḷi or moli being another word for topknot). When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to the Blessed One:

"Master Gotama, there are some ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this: ‘Whatever a person experiences, whether it be pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, all that is caused by what was done in the past.’ [n.251] This view is often referred to as pubbakatahetuvāda. At MN101 where it is ascribed to the Jains, the Buddha criticizes it from one angle, and at AN3.61 from still another angle. What does Master Gotama say about this?"

2"Some feelings, Sīvaka, arise here originating from bile disorders: that some feelings arise here originating from bile disorders one can know for oneself, and that is considered to be true in the world. Now when those ascetics and brahmins hold such a doctrine and view as this, ‘Whatever a person experiences, whether it be pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, all that is caused by what was done in the past,’ they overshoot what one knows by oneself and they overshoot what is considered to be true in the world. Therefore I say that this is wrong on the part of those ascetics and brahmins. [n.252] In the argument, vedanā is being used in the narrower sense of painful feeling. Bile (pitta), phlegm (semha), and wind (vīta) are the three bodily humours (dosa) of Indian Ayurveda medicine. It should be noted that the Buddha’s appeal to personal experience and common sense as the two criteria for rejecting the view that all feeling is caused by past kamma implies that the view against which he is arguing is the claim that past kamma is the sole and sufficient cause of all present feeling. However, the Buddha’s line of argument also implies that he is not denying kamma may induce the illnesses, etc., that serve as the immediate causes of the painful feelings; for this level of causality is not immediately perceptible to those who lack supernormal cognitive faculties. Thus kamma can still be an indirect cause for the painful feeling directly induced by the first seven causes. It is the sufficient cause only in the eighth case, though even then it must operate in conjunction with various other conditions.

3"Some feelings, Sīvaka, arise here originating from phlegm disorders … originating from wind disorders … originating from an imbalance of the three … produced by change of climate … produced by careless behaviour … caused by assault … sn.iv.231 produced as the result of kamma: that some feelings arise here produced as the result of kamma one can know for oneself, and that is considered to be true in the world. [n.253] I have translated sannipātikāni, visamaparihārajāni, and opakkamikāni in accordance with the explanations given by Spk. On kammavipākajāni vedayitāni, Spk says that these are produced solely (kevalaṁ) as a result of kamma. Feelings arisen directly from the other seven causes are not "feelings produced by kamma," even though kamma may function as an underlying cause of the illness, etc., responsible for the painful feelings. According to the Abhidhamma, all bodily painful feeling is the result of kamma (kammavipāka), but it is not necessarily produced exclusively by kamma; kamma usually operates through more tangible networks of causality to yield its result.
Spk says that this sutta is spoken from the standpoint of worldly convention (lokavohāra), on which Spk-pṭ comments: "Because it is generally accepted in the world that (feelings) originate from bile and so forth. Granted, feelings based on the physical body are actually produced by kamma, but this worldly convention is arrived at by way of the present condition (paccuppannapaccayavasena). Accepting what is said, the opponent's doctrine is refuted." Now when those ascetics and brahmins hold such a doctrine and view as this, ‘Whatever a person experiences, whether it be pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, all that is caused by what was done in the past,’ they overshoot what one knows by oneself and they overshoot what is considered to be true in the world. Therefore I say that this is wrong on the part of those ascetics and brahmins."

4When this was said, the wanderer Moḷiyasīvaka said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama! … From today let Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life."

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho moḷiyasīvako paribbājako yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho moḷiyasīvako paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

"santi, bho gotama, eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino: ‘Yaṁ kiñcāyaṁ purisapuggalo paṭisaṁvedeti sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā sabbaṁ taṁ pubbekatahetū’ti. Idha bhavaṁ gotamo kimāhā"ti?

2"Pittasamuṭṭhānānipi kho, sīvaka, idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Sāmampi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, veditabbaṁ yathā pittasamuṭṭhānānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Lokassapi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, saccasammataṁ yathā pittasamuṭṭhānānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Tatra, sīvaka, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino: ‘Yaṁ kiñcāyaṁ purisapuggalo paṭisaṁvedeti sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā sabbaṁ taṁ pubbekatahetū’ti. Yañca sāmaṁ ñātaṁ tañca atidhāvanti, yañca loke saccasammataṁ tañca atidhāvanti. Tasmā tesaṁ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ micchāti vadāmi.

3Semhasamuṭṭhānānipi kho, sīvaka … pe … vātasamuṭṭhānānipi kho, sīvaka … pe … sannipātikānipi kho, sīvaka … pe … utupariṇāmajānipi kho, sīvaka … pe … visamaparihārajānipi kho, sīvaka … pe … opakkamikānipi kho, sīvaka … pe … kammavipākajānipi kho, sīvaka, idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti. Sāmampi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, veditabbaṁ. Yathā kammavipākajānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti; lokassapi kho etaṁ, sīvaka, saccasammataṁ. Yathā kammavipākajānipi idhekaccāni vedayitāni uppajjanti; tatra, sīvaka, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā evaṁvādino evaṁdiṭṭhino: ‘Yaṁ kiñcāyaṁ purisapuggalo paṭisaṁvedeti sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā sabbaṁ taṁ pubbekatahetū’ti. Yañca sāmaṁ ñātaṁ tañca atidhāvanti yañca loke saccasammataṁ tañca atidhāvanti. Tasmā ‘tesaṁ samaṇabrāhmaṇānaṁ micchā’ti vadāmī"ti.

4Evaṁ vutte, moḷiyasīvako paribbājako bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama … pe … upāsakaṁ maṁ bhavaṁ gotamo dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.