Mundika the Wandering Ascetic (sutra)

Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson (eds.), the Samana-Mundika Sutra (MN 78) based on Ven. Thanissaro (Mr. Geoffrey DeGraff) Access to Insight translation, Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha teaching in stone

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One [the Buddha] was staying near Savatthi at Jeta's Grove in Anathapindika's monastery.

On that occasion Uggahamana, a follower of Mundika the wandering ascetic [1] together with a large following of wanderers, had taken up residence in the debating hall near the tinduka tree in the pavilion park donated by Queen Mallika.

Then Pañcakanga the carpenter left Savatthi in the middle of the day to see the Blessed One. But the thought occurred to him, "Now is the wrong time to see the Blessed One, for he is in [meditative] seclusion. Nor is it the right time to see the mind-developing monastics [who are followers of the Buddha], for they too are in seclusion.

"Why don't I go to the debating hall near the tinduka tree in the pavilion park donated by Queen Mallika to see Uggahamana, a follower of Mundika the wandering ascetic?" So he headed there.

Uggahamana was sitting with his large following of wanderers, all making a great noise and racket, discussing many lowly topics of useless conversation about:

• kings
• robbers
• ministers of state
• armies
• alarms
• battles
• food and drink
• clothing
• furnishings
• garlands and scents
• relatives
• vehicles
• villages
• towns
• cities
• the countryside
• women and heroes
• the gossip of the street and well
• tales of the dead
• tales of diversity
• the creation of the world and the sea
• talk of whether things exist or not.

Then Uggahamana saw Pañcakanga the carpenter coming from afar, and seeing him hushed everyone: "Be quiet, good sirs! Make no noise. Here comes Pañcakanga the carpenter, a disciple of Gautama the wandering ascetic [the Buddha]. He is a disciple of his, clad in white [as a mark of his dedication to the Buddha's Dharma and Discipline], who lives in Savatthi. These people are fond of silence, trained in quiet, who speak in praise of quiet. Maybe, if he perceives our group as quiet, he will consider it worth his while to come our way." His followers fell silent.

Then Pañcakanga went to Uggahamana and greeted him courteously. After an exchange of friendly greetings and courtesies, he sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there, Uggahamana said to him, "I describe an individual endowed with four qualities as being consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible wandering ascetic attained to the highest attainments. What four qualities?

• "In one case, one does no harmful action [bad karma] with body,
• speaks no harmful speech,
• resolves on no harmful resolve, and
• maintains oneself with no harmful means of livelihood.

"An individual endowed with these four qualities I describe as being consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible contemplative attained to the highest attainments."

Pañcakanga neither delighted in Uggahamana's words nor did he scorn them. Expressing neither delight nor scorn, he got up from his seat and left, thinking, "I will learn the meaning of this statement in the presence of the Blessed One."

He went to the Blessed One, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there, he recounted the entire conversation he had had with Uggahamana.

The Blessed One then said to Pañcakanga: "In this case, carpenter, then according to Uggahamana's words a foolish baby, lying on its back, is consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible wandering ascetic attained to the highest attainments.

"For even the thought 'body' does not occur to a foolish baby lying on its back, so from where would it do any [intentionally] harmful action with its body, aside from a little kicking?

"Even the thought 'speech' does not occur to it, so from where would it speak any [intentionally] harmful speech, aside from a little crying?

"Even the thought 'resolve' does not occur to it, so from where would it resolve on any [intentionally] harmful volition, aside from a little bad temper?

"Even the thought 'livelihood' does not occur to it, so from where would it maintain itself with any [intentionally] harmful means of livelihood, aside from its mother's milk? So according to Uggahamana's words, a foolish baby lying on its back is consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible ascetic attained to the highest attainments.

"If an individual is endowed with these four qualities, I do not describe such a person as consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible ascetic attained to the highest attainments.

"Rather, such a person stands on the same level as a foolish baby lying on its back. What four [qualities do distinguish one as foremost in skillfulness]?

"In the case of one who does no harmful action with body, speaks no harmful speech, resolves on no harmful resolve, and maintains oneself with no harmful means of livelihood, such an individual endowed with these four qualities I do not describe as consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible ascetic attained to the highest attainments. Rather, that person stands on the same level as a foolish baby lying on its back.

Ten qualities

The consummate Buddha

"But an individual endowed with these ten qualities I describe as being consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible ascetic attained to the highest attainments.

"With regard to that point, one should know, 'These are unskillful habits,' I say. With regard to that point, one should know, 'That is the cause of unskillful habits...' 'Here unskillful habits cease without  a trace...' 'This sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of unskillful habits,' I say.

"With regard to that point, one should know, 'These are skillful habits...' 'This is the cause of skillful habits...' 'Here skillful habits cease without a trace...' 'This sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of skillful habits,' I say.

"With regard to that point, one should know, 'These are unskillful resolves [resolutions, intentions, motivations, volitions]...' 'That is the cause of unskillful resolves...' 'Here unskillful resolves cease without a trace...' 'This sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of unskillful resolves,' I say.

"With regard to that point, one should know, 'These are skillful resolves...' 'That is the cause of skillful resolves...' 'Here skillful resolves cease without a trace...' 'This sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of skillful resolves,' I say.

"Now what are unskillful habits?

• Unskillful bodily actions,
• unskillful verbal actions,
• harmful means of livelihood.

"These are called unskillful habits. What is the cause of unskillful habits? Their cause is stated, and they are said to be mind-caused. What mind? For mind has many modes and permutations. Any mind [beset] with passion, aversion, or delusion [greed, hatred/fear, ignorance] is the cause of unskillful habits.

"Now where do unskillful habits cease without a trace? Their cessation has been stated: There is the case where a meditator abandons wrong [harmful] bodily conduct and develops right bodily conduct, abandons wrong verbal conduct and develops right verbal conduct, abandons wrong livelihood and maintains life with right livelihood. This is where unskillful habits cease without a trace.

"And what sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of unskillful habits? There is the case where a meditator generates zeal, endeavors, arouses persistence, upholds and exerts intent:

1. for the sake of the non-arising of harmful, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen...
2. for the sake of the abandoning of harmful, unskillful qualities that have arisen...
3. for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen... [and]
4. for the maintenance, non-dilution, increase, surplus, development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have [already] arisen.

"This sort of practice is the practice leading to the cessation of unskillful habits.

"And what are skillful habits? They are skillful bodily actions, skillful verbal actions, and purity of livelihood. These are called skillful habits.

"What is the cause of skillful habits? Their cause, too, has been stated, and they are said to be mind-caused. What mind? For mind has many modes and permutations. Any mind free of passion, free of aversion, free of delusion, this is the cause of skillful habits.

"Now where do skillful habits cease without a trace? Their cessation, too, has been stated: There is the case where a meditator is virtuous but not fashioned of virtue [2]. One discerns, as it actually is, the release [freeing] of mind by awareness and discernment where skillful habits cease without a trace.

"And what sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of skillful habits? There is the case where a meditator generates zeal...

1. for the sake of the non-arising of harmful, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen...
2. for the sake of the abandoning of harmful, unskillful qualities that have already arisen...
3. for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen... [and]
4. for the... development and culmination of skillful qualities that have already arisen.

"This sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of skillful habits.

"And what are unskillful resolves? Resolving on sensuality, on ill will, on harmfulness, these are called unskillful resolves.

"What is the cause of unskillful resolves? Their cause, too, has been stated, and they are said to be perception-caused. What perception? For perception has many modes and permutations. Any sensual-perception, ill will-perception, or harmful-perception is the cause of unskillful resolves.

The meditative absorptions

"Now where do unskillful resolves cease without a trace? Their cessation, too, has been stated: There is the case where a meditator, quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental states, enters and remains in the first absorption (jhana) accompanied by rapture and bliss (piti, supersensual pleasure) born of withdrawal, accompanied by applied and sustained attention. This is where unskillful resolves cease without a trace.

"And what sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of unskillful resolves? There is the case where a meditator generates zeal...

1. for the sake of the non-arising of harmful, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen...
2. for the sake of the abandoning of harmful, unskillful qualities that have already arisen...
3. for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen... [and]
4. for the... development and culmination of skillful qualities that have already arisen.

"This sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of unskillful resolves.

"And what are skillful resolves? Being resolved on renunciation [letting go internally, freedom from sensuality], on non-ill will, on harmlessness, these are called skillful resolves.

"What is the cause of skillful resolves? Their cause, too, has been stated, and they are said to be perception-caused. What perception? For perception has many modes and permutations. Any renunciation-perception, non-ill will-perception, or harmlessness-perception is the cause of skillful resolves.

"Now where do skillful resolves cease without a trace? Their cessation, too, has been stated: There is the case where a meditator, with the stilling of applied and sustained attention, enters and abides in the second absorption with rapture and bliss born of mental composure, unification of mind free from applied and sustained attention with internal assurance. This is where skillful resolves cease without a trace.

"And what sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of skillful resolves? There is the case where a meditator generates zeal...

1. for the sake of the non-arising of harmful, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen...
2. for the sake of the abandoning of harmful, unskillful qualities that have  already arisen...
3. for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen... [and]
4. for the... development and culmination of skillful qualities that have already arisen.

"This sort of practice is the practice that leads to the cessation of skillful resolves.

"Now, an individual endowed with which ten qualities do I describe as being consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible ascetic attained to the highest attainments?

"I say it is one endowed with:

1. the right view of one [gone] beyond training,
2. the right resolve of one beyond training,
3. the right speech...
4. the right action...
5. the right livelihood...
6. the right effort...
7. the right mindfulness...
8. the right concentration...
9. the right knowledge...
10. the right liberation (release, freedom) of one [gone] beyond training

"is one whom I describe as being consummate in what is skillful, foremost in what is skillful, an invincible ascetic attained to the highest attainments."

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Pañcakanga the carpenter delighted in the Blessed One's words.

NOTES

1. This can also mean "the shaven-headed ascetic," in which case Uggahamana might have belonged to one of the Jain sects.
2. The Pali here is no ca sila-mayo. According to the Commentary, this means that one does not regard virtue (sila)  as the consummation of the path. It may also mean that one does not define oneself by one's virtue. This term is apparently related to the state called atammayata, or "non-fashioning." On this topic see my book The Wings to Awakening, particularly the introduction to section II/B and passage §179.