SN 12.17

PTS: S ii 18

CDB i 545

Acela Sutta: Naked Kassapa

(excerpt)

translated from the Pali by

Maurice O'Connell Walshe

Alternate translation: Thanissaro

The Pali title of this sutta is based on the PTS (Feer) edition.

[ At Veluvana the wanderer Acela-Kassapa ( Naked Kassapa ) questioned the Buddha :]

"Well now, good Gotama, is suffering caused by oneself?"

"No indeed, Kassapa," said the Blessed One.

"Well then, good Gotama, is one's suffering caused by another?"

"No indeed, Kassapa."

"Well then, good Gotama, is suffering caused by both oneself and another?"

"No indeed, Kassapa."

"Well then, good Gotama, this suffering which is caused neither by oneself nor by another, is it the result of chance?" [1]

"No indeed, Kassapa."

"Well then, good Gotama, is suffering non-existent?"

"No Kassapa: suffering is not non-existent. Suffering exists."

"Then the good Gotama neither knows nor sees suffering."

"No, Kassapa, it is not that I neither know nor see suffering: I know suffering, I see suffering."

"Well now, good Gotama, when I asked you, 'Is suffering caused by oneself?' you answered 'No indeed' [ and so on for all the other questions. ] Would the Lord, the Blessed One [2] expound suffering to me! Would the Lord, the Blessed One teach me about suffering!"

"'He who performs the act also experiences [the result]' — what you, Kassapa, first called 'suffering caused by oneself' — this amounts to the Eternalist [3] theory. 'One person performs the act, another experiences,' — which to the person affected seems like "suffering caused by another" — this amounts to the Annihilationist [4] theory. Avoiding both extremes, Kassapa, the Tathaagata teaches a doctrine of the middle: Conditioned by ignorance are the (Kamma-) formations... [ as SN 12.15 ]... so there comes about the cessation of this entire mass of suffering."

[ Kassapa is converted and eventually becomes an Arahant. ]

Notes

1 .: Not caused by any conditions.
2 .: Kassapa here switches from the familiar bho Gotama to the more respectable form. He is now ready to accept instruction.
3 .: Sassatavaada ( SN 12.15, n. 2 ).
4 .: Ucchedavaada ( SN 12.15, n. 3 ).

You may copy, reformat, reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge and, in the case of reprinting, only in quantities of no more than 50 copies; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. From Samyutta Nikaya: An Anthology (WH 318-321) , by M. O'C. Walshe (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the print edition in 2007 by a volunteer, under the auspices of the Access to Insight Dhamma Transcription Project and by arrangement with the Buddhist Publication Society. Minor revisions were made in accordance with the ATI style sheet. Pali diacritics are represented using the Velthuis convention. Last revised for Access to Insight on 30 November 2013.

How to cite this document (a suggested style): "Acela Sutta: Naked Kassapa" (SN 12.17), translated from the Pali by Maurice O'Connell Walshe. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition) , 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.017x.wlsh.html .