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At Kosambī (`Kosambisutta`)

· 35 min read

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 with the Buddha's teaching (reflective thinking, memory reconsolidation, etc.).

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 with the Buddha’s teaching (reflective thinking, memory reconsolidation, etc.). Liberation is based on direct experience and personal knowledge, not on

  • saddhā (faith),
  • ruci (preference),
  • anussava (hearsay),
  • ākāraparivitakka (reasoning),
  • diṭṭhinijjhānakkhanti (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 Buddha’s teaching after the Buddha’s death. It is strongly implied that during the Buddha’s lifetime, all of his 1250 disciples with the exception of Ānanda 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 āyasmā Musīla, āyasmā Paviṭṭha, āyasmā Nārada, and āyasmā Ānanda were dwelling at Kosambī, in Ghositārāma. Then āyasmā Paviṭṭha said this to āyasmā Musīla:

“Apart from faith, Āvuso Musīla, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — does āyasmā Musīla have paccattameva ñāṇaṃ (direct personal knowledge): ‘With jāti (birth of suffering) as cause, jarāmaraṇaṃ (ageing and death) [arise]’?”

“Apart from faith, Āvuso Paviṭṭha, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — I know this, I see this: ‘With birth as cause, ageing and death [arise]’.”

501. “Apart from faith, Āvuso Musīla, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — does āyasmā Musīla have direct personal knowledge:

  • ‘With bhavo (existence of a false perception of an eternal independent “self” (atta)) as cause, birth [arises]…
  • with upādānaṃ (fuel for existence: the will to live) as cause, existence [arises]…
  • with taṇhā (craving) as cause, fuel [arises]…
  • with vedanā (feeling) as cause, craving [arises]…
  • with phasso (contact) as cause, feeling [arises]…
  • with saḷāyatanaṃ (the six sense bases) as cause, contact [arises]…
  • with nāmarūpaṃ (phenomenal objects) as cause, the six sense bases [arise]…
  • with viññāṇaṃ (consciousness) as cause, phenomenal objects [arise]…
  • with saṅkhārā (mental constructions) as cause, consciousness [arises]…
  • with avijjā (ignorance) as cause, mental constructions [arise]’?”

“Apart from faith, Āvuso Paviṭṭha, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — I know this, I see this: ‘With ignorance as cause, mental constructions [arise]’.”

502. “Apart from faith, Āvuso Musīla, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — does āyasmā Musīla have direct personal knowledge: ‘With the cessation of birth comes the cessation of ageing and death’?”

“Apart from faith, Āvuso Paviṭṭha, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — I know this, I see this: ‘With the cessation of birth comes the cessation of ageing and death’.”

503. “Apart from faith, Āvuso Musīla, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — does āyasmā Musīla have direct personal knowledge:

  • ‘With the cessation of existence comes the cessation of the birth (of suffering)…
  • with the cessation of fuel comes the cessation of existence (constructed self)…
  • with the cessation of craving comes the cessation of fuel for existence…
  • with the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving…
  • with the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling…
  • with the cessation of the six sense bases comes the cessation of contact…
  • with the cessation of phenomenal objects comes the cessation of the six sense bases…
  • with the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of phenomenal objects…
  • with the cessation of mental constructions comes the cessation of consciousness…
  • with the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of mental constructions’?”

“Apart from faith, Āvuso Paviṭṭha, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — I know this, I see this: ‘With the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of mental constructions’.”

504. “Apart from faith, Āvuso Musīla, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — does āyasmā Musīla have direct personal knowledge: ‘The cessation of existence is nibbāna (extinguishment)’?”

“Apart from faith, Āvuso Paviṭṭha, apart from preference, apart from hearsay, apart from reasoning, apart from acceptance of a view after consideration — I know this, I see this: ‘The cessation of existence is extinguishment’.”

505. “Then āyasmā Musīla is an arahant (liberated one), khīṇāsavo (with the defilements destroyed)?”

When this was said, āyasmā Musīla was silent [indicating he does believe he is a liberated one, but does not wish to say this out loud].

506. Then āyasmā Nārada said this to āyasmā Paviṭṭha:

“Good, Āvuso Paviṭṭha, may I have this question? Ask me this question. I will answer it for you.”

“May āyasmā Nārada have this question. I ask āyasmā Nārada this question. And may āyasmā Nārada answer this question for me.”

[Paviṭṭha asks the same questions as before but directed to Nārada, and Nārada gives exactly the same answers as Musīla]

512. “Then āyasmā Nārada is a liberated one with the defilements destroyed?”

“‘The cessation of existence is extinguishment’ — this indeed, Āvuso, I have seen well yathābhūtaṃ (as it really is) with sammappaññā (correct understanding), but I am not a liberated one with the defilements destroyed. Just as, Āvuso, there might be a well by a wilderness road, but there would be neither rope nor water bucket there. Then a man would come, overcome by heat, oppressed by heat, weary, thirsty, parched. He would look at that well. He would indeed know that it is water, but he could not touch it with his body and stay there. In the same way, Āvuso, ‘the cessation of existence is extinguishment’ — this I have seen well as it really is with correct understanding, but I am not a liberated one with the defilements destroyed.”

513. When this was said, āyasmā Ānanda said this to āyasmā Paviṭṭha:

“When āyasmā Nārada says this, what do you say to him, Āvuso Paviṭṭha?”

“When āyasmā Nārada says this, Āvuso Ānanda, I say nothing to him except what is good, except what is wholesome.”

[Note that Nārada explicitly denies that he is a liberated one, so the question whether Musīla is truly a liberated one or not is left open.]