1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus:

"Bhikkhus, once in the past a certain man set out from Rājagaha and went to the Sumagadha Lotus Pond, thinking: ‘I will reflect about the world.’ [n.400] Lokacintaṁ cintessāmi. Spk gives as an example: "Who created the sun and moon? The great earth? The ocean? Who begot beings? The mountains? Mangoes, palms, and coconuts?" sn.v.447 He then sat down on the bank of the Sumagadha Lotus Pond reflecting about the world. Then, bhikkhus, the man saw a four-division army entering a lotus stalk on the bank of the pond. Having seen this, he thought: ‘I must be mad! I must be insane! I’ve seen something that doesn’t exist in the world.’

2The man returned to the city and informed a great crowd of people: ‘I must be mad, sirs! I must be insane! I’ve seen something that doesn’t exist in the world.’

"They said to him: ‘But how is it, good man, that you are mad? How are you insane? And what have you seen that doesn’t exist in the world?’

"‘Here, sirs, I left Rājagaha and approached the Sumagadha Lotus Pond … as above … I saw a four-division army entering a lotus stalk on the bank of the pond. That's why I’m mad, that's why I’m insane, and that's what I’ve seen that doesn’t exist in the world.’

"‘Surely you’re mad, good man! Surely you’re insane! And what you have seen doesn’t exist in the world.’

3"Nevertheless, bhikkhus, what that man saw was actually real, not unreal. [n.401] Spk: It is said that the asuras had applied the Sambari magic (see SN11.23) and resolved that the man would see them mounted on their elephants and horses entering through slits in the lotus stalks. At AN II 80,22–24 it is said that speculating about the world leads to madness, yet here, strangely, it turns out that the man is not really mad after all. Once in the past the devas and the asuras were arrayed for battle. In that battle the devas won and the asuras were defeated. In their defeat, sn.v.448 the asuras were frightened and entered the asura city through the lotus stalk, to the bewilderment of the devas.

4"Therefore, bhikkhus, do not reflect about the world, thinking: ‘The world is eternal’ or ‘The world is not eternal’; or ‘The world is finite’ or ‘The world is infinite’; or ‘The soul and the body are the same’ or ‘The soul is one thing, the body is another’; or ‘The Tathāgata exists after death,’ or ‘The Tathāgata does not exist after death,’ or ‘The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death,’ or ‘The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death.’ For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, this reflection is unbeneficial, irrelevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and does not lead to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna.

5"When you reflect, bhikkhus, you should reflect: ‘This is suffering’; you should reflect: ‘This is the origin of suffering’; you should reflect: ‘This is the cessation of suffering’; you should reflect: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’ For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, this reflection is beneficial, relevant to the fundamentals of the holy life, and leads to revulsion, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna.

6"Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is suffering.’ … An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’"

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

"Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, aññataro puriso rājagahā nikkhamitvā ‘lokacintaṁ cintessāmī’ti yena sumāgadhā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre nisīdi lokacintaṁ cintento. Addasā kho, bhikkhave, so puriso sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre caturaṅginiṁ senaṁ bhisamuḷālaṁ pavisantaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: ‘ummattosmi nāmāhaṁ, vicetosmi nāmāhaṁ. Yaṁ loke natthi taṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti.

2Atha kho so, bhikkhave, puriso nagaraṁ pavisitvā mahājanakāyassa ārocesi: ‘ummattosmi nāmāhaṁ, bhante, vicetosmi nāmāhaṁ, bhante. Yaṁ loke natthi taṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti.

‘Kathaṁ pana tvaṁ, ambho purisa, ummatto kathaṁ viceto? Kiñca loke natthi yaṁ tayā diṭṭhan’ti?

‘Idhāhaṁ, bhante, rājagahā nikkhamitvā "lokacintaṁ cintessāmī"ti yena sumāgadhā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkamiṁ; upasaṅkamitvā sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre nisīdiṁ lokacintaṁ cintento. Addasaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, sumāgadhāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre caturaṅginiṁ senaṁ bhisamuḷālaṁ pavisantaṁ. Evaṁ khvāhaṁ, bhante, ummatto evaṁ viceto. Idañca loke natthi yaṁ mayā diṭṭhan’ti.

‘Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, ummatto taggha viceto. Idañca loke natthi yaṁ tayā diṭṭhan’ti.

3Taṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, so puriso bhūtaṁyeva addasa, no abhūtaṁ. Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, devāsurasaṅgāmo samupabyūḷho ahosi. Tasmiṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, saṅgāme devā jiniṁsu, asurā parājiniṁsu. Parājitā ca kho, bhikkhave, asurā bhītā bhisamuḷālena asurapuraṁ pavisiṁsu devānaṁyeva mohayamānā.

4Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, mā lokacintaṁ cintetha: ‘sassato loko’ti vā ‘asassato loko’ti vā, ‘antavā loko’ti vā ‘anantavā loko’ti vā, ‘taṁ jīvaṁ taṁ sarīran’ti vā ‘aññaṁ jīvaṁ aññaṁ sarīran’ti vā, ‘hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā ‘Na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘hoti ca na ca hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā, ‘neva hoti na na hoti tathāgato paraṁ maraṇā’ti vā. Taṁ kissa hetu? Nesā, bhikkhave, cintā atthasaṁhitā nādibrahmacariyakā na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati.

5Cintentā kho tumhe, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti cinteyyātha … pe … ‘Ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti cinteyyātha. Taṁ kissa hetu? Esā, bhikkhave, cintā atthasaṁhitā esā ādibrahmacariyakā esā nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati.

6Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo … pe … ‘Ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.