Sutra: "I believe in nothing!" (MN 74)

Ven. Sujato (MN 74) "With Dīghanakha"; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hollywood star Ann-Margaret was a freewheeling motorcycle wanderer (historydaily.org).

.

What view do you cling to?

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Royal Hills (Rājagaha, modern Rajgir), on Vulture’s Peak, in Boar’s Cave.

The wanderer Dīghanakha [a nephew of Ven. Sariputra, who was at that time fanning the Buddha] came up to him and exchanged pleasant greetings.

When the pleasant courtesies were done, he stood respectfully to one side and said, “Master Gautama, this is my doctrine and view: ‘I believe in nothing!’”

I wander and don't believe in anything.

“This view of yours, Aggivessana, do you believe it?”

“If I believed in this view, Master Gautama, it wouldn’t make any difference, it wouldn’t make any difference!”

“Well, Aggivessana, there are many in the world who say, ‘It wouldn’t make any difference, it wouldn’t make any difference!’ Yet they do not give up that view, and they grasp another view.

“There are few in the world who say, ‘It wouldn’t make any difference, it wouldn’t make any difference!’ and they give up that view by not grasping another view.

• “There are some wandering ascetics and Brahmins who hold the doctrine and view, ‘I believe in everything.’
• “There are some wandering ascetics and Brahmins who hold the doctrine and view, ‘I believe in nothing.’
• “There are some wandering ascetics and Brahmins who hold the doctrine and view, ‘I believe in some things but not in others.’

“This view of wandering ascetics and Brahmins who believe in everything is close to greed, bondage, approving, attachment, and clinging, whereas the view of wandering ascetics and Brahmins who believe in nothing is far from greed, bondage, approving, attachment, and clinging.”

When the Buddha said so, the wanderer Dīghanakha exclaimed: “Master Gautama commends my conviction and recommends it!”

“Now, regarding wandering ascetics and Brahmins who believe in some things but not in others, their view of what they believe in is close to greed, bondage, approving, attachment, and clinging, whereas their view of what they do not believe in is far from greed, bondage, approving, attachment, and clinging.

“When it comes to the view of the wandering ascetics and Brahmins who believe in everything, a sensible person reflects in this way: ‘I hold the view that I believe in everything.

“‘Suppose I obstinately stick to this view and insist that, “This is the only truth, and all other ideas are silly.”

“Then I would argue with two people — the wandering ascetic or Brahmin who believes in nothing and the wandering ascetic or Brahmin who believes in some things but not in others.

“And when there’s arguing there’s quarreling. When there’s quarreling there’s anguish. And when there’s anguish there’s harm.’

“So considering in themselves the potential for arguing, quarreling, anguish, and harm, they give up that view by not grasping another view. That’s how those views are let go of and given up.

“When it comes to the view of wandering ascetics and Brahmins who believe in nothing, a sensible person reflects in this way: ‘I hold the view that I believe in nothing. Suppose I obstinately stick to this view and insist that, “This is the only truth, and all other ideas are silly”?”

“Then I would argue with two people — the wandering ascetic or Brahmin who believes in everything and the wandering ascetic or Brahmin who believes in some things but not in others.

“And when there’s arguing there’s quarreling. When there’s quarreling there’s anguish. And when there’s anguish there’s harm.’

“So considering in themselves the potential for arguing, quarreling, anguish, and harm, they give up that view by not grasping another view. That’s how those views are let go of and given up.

“When it comes to the view of wandering ascetics and Brahmins who believe in some things but not in others, a sensible person reflects in this way: ‘I hold the view that I believe in some things but not in others.’

“Suppose I obstinately stick to this view and insist that, “This is the only truth, and all other ideas are silly”? Then I would argue with two people — the wandering ascetic or Brahmin who believes in everything and the wandering ascetic or Brahmin who believes in nothing.

“And when there’s arguing there’s quarreling. When there’s quarreling there’s anguish. And when there’s anguish there’s harm.’

“So considering in themselves the potential for arguing, quarreling, anguish, and harm, they give up that view by not grasping another view. That is how those views are let go of and given up.

“Aggivessana, this body is physical. It is made up of the Four Primary Elements [qualities of amorphous matter consisting of kalapas], produced by mother and father, built up of [nutriments in] rice and porridge, liable to fading away (impermanence), to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and dissolution.

“One seeing it as impermanent, as disappointing (incapable of ever satisfying or fulfilling us), as diseased, as an abscess, as a dart, as misery, as an affliction, as suffering, as alien, as falling apart, as empty, as impersonal (not-self). Doing so, one will give up craving, affection, and subservience to the body.

“There are three feelings: pleasant, painful, and neutral. At a time when one feels a pleasant feeling, one does not feel a painful or neutral feeling. One only feels a pleasant feeling.

“At a time when one feels a painful feeling, one does not feel a pleasant or neutral feeling. One only feels a painful feeling.

“At a time when one feels a neutral feeling, one does not feel a pleasant or painful feeling. One only feels a neutral feeling.

“Pleasant, painful, and neutral feelings are fading (impermanent), conditioned, dependently originated, liable to fall apart, to vanish, to pass away, and cease.

“Seeing this, a well-instructed noble disciple grows disillusioned with painful, with neutral, and even with pleasant feelings.

“Being disillusioned, craving fades away. When craving fades away, one is freed. When one is freed, one knows it.

“One understands, ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, [one is utterly freed] and there is no returning to any rebirth state.’

“A wanderer whose mind is freed in this way does not side with anyone or oppose [neither favoring nor fighting with] anyone. One speaks the language of the world without misapprehending it.”

This is how Sariputra became fully enlightened.

Now at that time Ven. Sāriputra was standing behind the Buddha fanning him. He thought, “It seems the Buddha speaks of letting go and giving up all things through direct knowledge.” Reflecting in this way, Ven. Sāriputta’s heart/mind was freed from the defilements by not clinging.

In addition, the stainless, immaculate vision of the Dharma arose in the wanderer Dīghanakha: “Everything that comes to be also passes away [i.e., everything that has a beginning also has an end].”

Then Dīghanakha saw, attained, understood, and fathomed the Dharma [became a stream enterer]. He got beyond all doubt, rid himself of indecision, and became self-assured and independent of others regarding the Teaching. So he said to the Buddha:

Wow, enlightenment just by hearing?!

“Excellent, Master Gautama, excellent! It is as if one were to right the overturned, or reveal the hidden, or point out the way to the lost, or light a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes could see what was there. Master Gautama has made the Teaching (this Dharma) clear in many ways.

“I go for guidance to Master Gautama, to the Dharma, and to the [noble] Saṅgha. From this day forth, may Master Gautama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for guidance for as long as life shall last.” More