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At Kosambฤซ (`Kosambisutta`)

12S2/1.7.8 Kosambisutta

This is an important sutta that shows insight into the dhamma (phenomenal nature of experience) does not necessarily result in liberation - further work needs to be done in accordance to the Buddhaโ€™s teaching (reflective thinking, memory reconsolidation, etc.). Liberation is based on direct experience and personal knowledge, not by

  • saddha (faith),
  • ruci (preference),
  • anussava (hearsay),
  • ฤkฤraparivitakka (reasoning),
  • diแนญแนญhinijjhฤnakkhanti (acceptance of a view after consideration).

It is interesting that this sutta does not include the presence of the Buddha, so unlikely to be a teaching originated by him but an explanation created by a disciple.

This may be an indication of the declining efficacy of the Buddhaโ€™s teaching after the Buddhaโ€™s death. It is strongly implied that during the Buddhaโ€™s lifetime, all of his 1250 disciples with the exception of ฤ€nanda were awakened. This shows that after his death, some disciples only gained the insight into the dhamma but were unable to reach liberation.

500. At one time, ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla, ฤyasmฤ Paviแนญแนญha, ฤyasmฤ Nฤrada, and ฤyasmฤ ฤ€nanda were staying at Kosambฤซ, in Ghositฤrฤma. Then ฤyasmฤ Paviแนญแนญha said to ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla:

โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” does ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla have paccattameva รฑฤแน‡aแนƒ (direct personal knowledge): โ€˜Caused by birth is old age and deathโ€™?โ€

โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” I know this, I see this: โ€˜Caused by birth is old age and deathโ€™,โ€ he replied.

501. โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” does ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla have direct personal knowledge:

  • โ€˜Caused by bhavo (existence) is jฤti (birth)โ€ฆ
  • caused by upฤdฤnaแนƒ (fuel, representing clinging) is existenceโ€ฆ
  • caused by taแน‡hฤ (craving, or desire) is fuelโ€ฆ
  • caused by vedanฤ (feeling) is cravingโ€ฆ
  • caused by phasso (contact - or interfaces between the six senses and our minds, referring to the sensing and cognitive process) is feelingโ€ฆ
  • caused by saแธทฤyatanaแนƒ (the six sense bases) is contactโ€ฆ
  • caused by nฤmarลซpaแนƒ (phenomenal objects - having physical form and given names) is the six sense basesโ€ฆ
  • caused by viรฑรฑฤแน‡aแนƒ (consciousness) is phenomenal objectsโ€ฆ
  • caused by saแน…khฤrฤ (mental constructions) is consciousnessโ€ฆ
  • caused by avijjฤ (ignorance) are mental constructionsโ€™?โ€

โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” I know this, I see this: โ€˜Caused by ignorance are mental constructionsโ€™,โ€ he replied.

502. โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” does ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla have direct personal knowledge: โ€˜With the cessation of birth, old age and death ceaseโ€™?โ€

โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” I know this, I see this: โ€˜With the cessation of birth, old age and death ceaseโ€™,โ€ he replied.

503. โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” does ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla have direct personal knowledge:

  • โ€˜With the cessation of existence, birth ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of fuel, existence ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of craving, fuel ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of feeling, craving ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of contact, feeling ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of the six sense bases, contact ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of phenomenal objects, the six sense bases ceaseโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of consciousness, phenomenal objects ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of mental constructions, consciousness ceasesโ€ฆ
  • with the cessation of ignorance, mental constructions ceaseโ€™?โ€

โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” I know this, I see this: โ€˜With the cessation of ignorance, mental constructions ceaseโ€™,โ€ he replied.

504. โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” does ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla have direct personal knowledge: โ€˜The cessation of existence is Nibbฤnaโ€™?โ€

โ€œApart from faith, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration โ€” I know this, I see this: โ€˜The cessation of existence is Nibbฤnaโ€™,โ€ he replied.

505. โ€œThen ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla is an Arahant, khฤซแน‡ฤsavo (whose mind is free from mental obsessions), right?โ€

When this was said, ฤyasmฤ Musฤซla was silent [indicating he does believe he is an Arahant, but does not wish to say this out loud].

506. Then ฤyasmฤ Nฤrada said to ฤyasmฤ Paviแนญแนญha:

โ€œGood, friend Paviแนญแนญha, may I take up this question? Ask me this question. I will answer it for you.โ€

โ€œฤ€yasmฤ Nฤrada may take up this question. I will ask ฤyasmฤ Nฤrada this question. May ฤyasmฤ Nฤrada answer this question for me.โ€

[Paviแนญแนญha asks the same questions as before but directed to Nฤrada, and Nฤrada gives exactly the same answers as Musฤซla]

512. โ€œThen ฤyasmฤ Nฤrada is an Arahant, whose mind is free from mental obsessions, right?โ€

โ€œโ€˜The cessation of existence is Nibbฤnaโ€™ โ€” this, friend, I have seen well with right wisdom as it actually is, but I am not an Arahant whose mind is free from mental obsessions. Just as, friend, there might be a well by a wilderness road, but it has no rope or bucket. Then a man would come, overcome by heat, oppressed by heat, weary, thirsty, parched. He would look at that well. He would know that itโ€™s water, but he couldnโ€™t touch it with his body and stay there. In the same way, friend, โ€˜the cessation of existence is Nibbฤnaโ€™ โ€” this I have seen well with right wisdom as it actually is, but I am not an Arahant whose mind is free from mental obsessions.โ€

513. When this was said, ฤyasmฤ ฤ€nanda said to ฤyasmฤ Paviแนญแนญha:

โ€œWhen ฤyasmฤ Nฤrada says this, what do you say to him, friend Paviแนญแนญha?โ€

โ€œWhen ฤyasmฤ Nฤrada says this, friend ฤ€nanda, I say nothing to him except what is wholesome and good.โ€

[Note that Nฤrada explicitly denies that he is an Arahant, so the question whether Musฤซla is truly an Arahant or not is left open.]