Reading guide
A relocation request becomes a rehearsal
Several mendicants tell the Buddha they wish to take up residence in a western land. He does not simply approve or refuse — he asks whether they have taken leave of Sāriputta first. They have not, so he sends them to do so, praising Sāriputta as astute (paṇḍito) and a supporter of his fellow mendicants (anuggāhako sabrahmacārīnaṁ). The request for permission to travel quietly turns into a request for preparation.
Three rounds, each harder than the last
Sāriputta anticipates that astute questioners — aristocrats, brahmins, householders, and ascetics alike — will not stop at one question. Round one: “what does your teacher teach?” Answer: the removal of desire and lust (chandarāgavinaya). Round two: “regarding what?” Answer: regarding form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness — the five aggregates. Round three, doubled: “what drawback did he see” that makes him teach removal, and “what benefit” does he see in it. The drawback answer and the benefit answer are mirror images of each other, built from the same vocabulary run in opposite directions.
The drawback and the benefit, in the same words
The drawback: someone not free of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for an aggregate suffers sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress when that aggregate decays and perishes — because it certainly will. The benefit: someone who is free of that same list does not suffer that same list when the same decay happens. Nothing changes about the aggregates themselves between the two answers; what changes is whether the hearer's greed for them is still attached when they perish, which they perish regardless.
A closing argument that never mentions rebirth doctrine
The discourse ends on a short, deliberately practical argument, addressed to the traveling mendicants directly rather than staged as part of the rehearsed outsider dialogue: if living by unskillful qualities actually produced a happy, untroubled present life and a good rebirth, the Buddha would not praise giving them up; and if living by skillful qualities actually produced an unhappy present life and a bad rebirth, he would not praise taking them up. Since neither of those counterfactuals holds, the praise follows. It is an argument from consequences that a skeptical outsider could weigh without first accepting any of the Buddha's metaphysics.
Key terms
The text
§1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans, where they have a town named Devadaha. Then several mendicants who were heading for the west went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to go to a western land to take up residence there.” “But mendicants, have you taken leave of Sāriputta?” “No, sir, we haven’t.” “You should take leave of Sāriputta. He’s astute, and supports his spiritual companions, the mendicants.” “Yes, sir,” they replied.
§2Now at that time Venerable Sāriputta was sitting not far from the Buddha in a clump of golden shower trees. And then those mendicants approved and agreed with what the Buddha said. They got up from their seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on their right. Then they went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side and said to him, “Reverend Sāriputta, we wish to go to a western land to take up residence there. We have taken leave of the Teacher.”
§3“Reverends, there are those who question a mendicant who has gone abroad—astute aristocrats, brahmins, householders, and ascetics—for astute people are inquisitive: ‘But what does the venerables’ Teacher teach? What does he explain?’ I trust the venerables have properly heard, learned, applied the mind, and remembered the teachings, and penetrated them with wisdom. That way, when answering you will repeat what the Buddha has said and not misrepresent him with an untruth. You will explain in line with the teaching, with no legitimate grounds for rebuttal and criticism.”
§4“Reverend, we would travel a long way to learn the meaning of this statement in the presence of Venerable Sāriputta. May Venerable Sāriputta himself please clarify the meaning of this.” “Well then, reverends, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, reverend,” they replied. Sāriputta said this:
§5“Reverends, there are those who question a mendicant who has gone abroad—astute aristocrats, brahmins, householders, and ascetics—for astute people are inquisitive: ‘But what does the venerables’ Teacher teach? What does he explain?’ When questioned like this, reverends, you should answer: ‘Reverend, our Teacher explained the removal of desire and lust.’
§6When you answer like this, such astute people may inquire further: ‘But regarding what does the venerables’ teacher explain the removal of desire and lust?’ When questioned like this, reverends, you should answer: ‘Our teacher explains the removal of desire and lust for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness.’
§7When you answer like this, such astute people may inquire further: ‘But what drawback has he seen that he teaches the removal of desire and lust for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness?’ When questioned like this, reverends, you should answer: ‘If you’re not free of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for form, when that form decays and perishes it gives rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. If you’re not free of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for feeling … perception … choices … consciousness, when that consciousness decays and perishes it gives rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. This is the drawback our Teacher has seen that he teaches the removal of desire and lust for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness.’
§8When you answer like this, such astute people may inquire further: ‘But what benefit has he seen that he teaches the removal of desire and lust for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness?’ When questioned like this, reverends, you should answer: ‘If you are rid of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for form, when that form decays and perishes it doesn’t give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. If you are rid of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for feeling … perception … choices … consciousness, when that consciousness decays and perishes it doesn’t give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. This is the benefit our Teacher has seen that he teaches the removal of desire and lust for form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness.’
§9If those who acquired and kept unskillful qualities were to live happily in the present life, free of distress, anguish, and fever; and if, when their body breaks up, after death, they could expect to go to a good place, the Buddha would not praise giving up unskillful qualities. But since those who acquire and keep unskillful qualities live unhappily in the present life, full of distress, anguish, and fever; and since, when their body breaks up, after death, they can expect to go to a bad place, the Buddha praises giving up unskillful qualities. If those who embraced and kept skillful qualities were to live unhappily in the present life, full of distress, anguish, and fever; and if, when their body breaks up, after death, they could expect to go to a bad place, the Buddha would not praise embracing skillful qualities. But since those who embrace and keep skillful qualities live happily in the present life, free of distress, anguish, and fever; and since, when their body breaks up, after death, they can expect to go to a good place, the Buddha praises embracing skillful qualities.”
§10This is what Venerable Sāriputta said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what Sāriputta said.
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