MN 136 Mahakammavibhanga Sutta - The Greater Exposition of Action

In this talk, Ektaji explains the 'MN 136 Mahakammavibhanga Sutta - The Greater Exposition of Action' from Majjhima Nikaya (The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi). These suttas are at the heart of Buddha's teachings which were originally in Pali language. Ektaji uses some Pali words to make sure the meaning and importance of the sutta are not lost in translation and interpretation. Please visit her website for more information. Please Note: This track was recorded live and may contain background noises.

Transcript

Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām The Great Exposition on Action Mahakamma Vidanga Sutta,

Madhyamānikaiah 1.

36 Thus have I heard,

On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Rajapahā in the bamboo grove,

The squirrel sanctuary.

Now on that occasion the venerable Sammithi was living in a forest hut.

Then the wanderer Putaliputta,

While wandering and walking for exercise,

Went to the venerable Sammithi and exchanged greetings with him.

When this courteous and amiable talk was finished,

He sat down at one side and said to the venerable Sammithi,

Friend Sammithi,

I heard and learned this from the recluse Gautama's own lips.

Bodily action is being.

Verbal action is being.

Only mental action is real.

And there is that attainment on entering which one does not feel anything at all.

Do not say so,

Friend Putaliputta.

Do not say so.

Do not misrepresent the Blessed One.

It is not good to misrepresent the Blessed One.

The Blessed One would not speak thus.

Bodily action is being.

Verbal action is being.

Only mental action is real.

But friend,

There is that attainment on entering which one does not feel anything at all.

Did you get it?

Yeah?

There were two statements made by him.

The first is wrong.

The second is right.

Very clear?

How long is it since you went forth,

Friend Sammithi?

Not long,

Friend.

Three years.

There now.

What shall we say to the elder bhikkhus when a young bhikkhu thinks the teacher is to be defended thus?

Friend Sammithi,

Having done an intentional action by way of body,

Speech or mind,

What does one feel?

Having done an intentional action by way of body,

Speech or mind,

One feels suffering friend Putaliputta.

Then,

Neither approving nor disapproving of the Venerable Sammithi's words,

The Wanderer Putaliputta rose from his seat and departed.

Soon after the Wanderer Putaliputta had left,

The Venerable Sammithi went to the Venerable Ananda and exchanged greetings with him.

When the courteous and amiable talk was finished,

He sat down at one side and reported to the Venerable Ananda his entire conversation with the Wanderer Putaliputta.

After he had spoken,

The Venerable Ananda told him,

Friend Sammithi,

This conversation should be told to the Blessed One.

Come,

Let us approach the Blessed One and tell him this.

As the Blessed One explains to us,

So we shall bear it in mind.

Yes,

Friend,

The Venerable Sammithi replied.

Got it?

Sammithi went and told Ananda what he and Putaliputta had discussed.

So Ananda says,

Let's go to Buddha and talk about this.

What is wrong in the first statement?

Only mental action creates karma.

He is saying only mental action creates karma,

Body action will not create karma,

Speech action will not create karma.

Is that correct?

Okay.

Next page.

Then the Venerable Ananda and the Venerable Sammithi went together to the Blessed One and after paying homage to him,

They sat down at one side.

The Venerable Ananda reported to the Blessed One the entire conversation between the Venerable Sammithi and the Wanderer Putaliputta.

When he had finished,

The Blessed One told the Venerable Ananda,

Ananda,

I do not even recall ever having seen the Wanderer Putaliputta.

So how could there have been this conversation?

Though the Wanderer Putaliputta's question should have been analysed before being answered,

This misguided man Sammithi answered it one-sidedly.

When this was said,

The Venerable Udayan said to the Blessed One,

Venerable sir,

Perhaps the Venerable Sammithi spooked us referring to the principle whatever is felt is included in suffering.

Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda,

See Ananda how this misguided man Udayan interferes.

I knew Ananda that this misguided man Udayan would unduly interfere right now.

From the start,

The Wanderer Putaliputta had asked about the three kinds of feeling.

This misguided man Sammithi would have answered the Wanderer Putaliputta rightly if when asked thus,

He would have explained,

Friend Putaliputta,

Having done an intentional action by way of body,

Speech or mind whose result is to be felt as pleasant,

One feels pleasure.

When you do some action from body,

Speech or mind which is good and which is obviously going to bring pleasure,

You feel the pleasure.

The feeling is important in this paragraph.

Having done an intentional action by way of body,

Speech or mind whose result is to be felt as painful,

One feels pain.

And having done an intentional action by way of body,

Speech or mind whose result is to be felt as neither pain nor pleasure,

One feels neither pain nor pleasure.

But who are these foolish,

Thoughtless wanderers of other sects that they could understand the Tathagata's great exposition of action?

Here action means karma or kamma.

You should listen Ananda to the Tathagata as he expounds the great exposition of action.

This is the time blessed one.

This is the time sublime one.

For the blessed one to expound the great exposition of action.

Having heard it from the blessed one,

The bhikkhus will remember it.

Then listen Ananda and attend closely to what I shall say.

Yes,

Venerable sir.

The venerable Ananda replied,

The blessed one said this,

Ananda,

There are four kinds of persons to be found existing in the world.

What four?

Here some person kills living beings,

Aches what is not given,

Misconducts himself in sensual pleasures,

Speaks falsehood,

Speaks maliciously,

Speaks harshly,

Gossips his covetous,

Has a mind of ill will and holds wrong view.

On dissolution of the body after death,

He reappears in a state of deprivation,

In an unhappy destination,

In perdition,

Even in hell.

Again,

Don't imagine hell is some other place somewhere else.

Here only,

Here only when you are born with a very disturbed agitated mind,

You're constantly an agitated person.

You are in hell.

This is where you live really.

Have you realized that now?

Yeah.

So if you do unwholesome acts like this,

You're going to land up with the mind which is really debilitated.

Yeah,

With the suffering kind of mind.

So this is direct.

He's not very nicely telling you if you do bad Sanchita Karma,

So then that will lead to bad Rarabdha and bad Akali.

He's directly telling you you're going to hell.

Yeah,

Again,

Please don't take this as hell and heaven.

Buddha's way of explaining things is different from the way you have been understanding.

Yeah,

It's just hell is here.

Heaven is here.

It's in my own mind.

But here some person kills living beings.

Yeah,

Dot dot dot means you have to go back up.

Takes what is not given.

Misconducts himself in sensual pleasures.

Speaks falsehood.

Speaks maliciously.

Speaks harshly.

He's a man of gossip.

He's has a mind of ill will and holds wrong view.

Come back down on this solution of the body after death.

He reappears in a happy destination.

Even in the heavenly world.

Some people do lots of bad,

But still they are born with a calm and quiet and happy mind.

Next,

Here some person abstains from killing living beings.

From taking what is not given.

From misconduct in sensual pleasures.

From false speech.

From malicious speech.

From harsh speech.

From gossip.

He's not covetous.

His mind is without ill will and he holds right view.

On this solution of the body after death.

He reappears in a happy destination.

Even in the heavenly world.

You agree with this?

Now again,

But here some person abstains from killing living beings.

Go back up.

From taking what is not given.

From misconduct in sensual pleasures.

From false speech.

From malicious speech.

From harsh speech.

From gossip.

He's not covetous.

His mind is without ill will and he holds right view.

Come back down on this solution of the body after death.

He reappears in a state of deprivation.

In an unhappy destination.

In perdition.

Even in hell.

These are the four kinds of people.

Here Ananda,

By means of ardor,

Endeavour,

Devotion,

Diligence and right attention,

Some recluse or Brahman attains such collectedness of mind that when his mind is collected with the divine eye which is purified and surpasses the human,

He sees that person here who kills living beings,

Takes what is not given,

Misconducts himself in sensual pleasures,

Speaks falsehood,

Speaks maliciously,

Speaks harshly,

Gossips.

He's covetous,

Has a mind of ill will and holds wrong view.

And he sees that on the dissolution of the body,

After death he has reappeared in a state of deprivation.

In an unhappy destination.

In perdition.

Even in hell.

He says to us,

Indeed these are evil actions.

There is result of misconduct.

For I saw a person here who killed living beings,

Yes taken what is not given,

Misconduct himself in sensual pleasures,

Speaks falsehood,

Speaks maliciously,

Speaks harshly,

Gossips,

Is covetous,

Has a mind of ill will,

Holds wrong view.

And I see that on the dissolution of the body,

After death he has reappeared in a state of deprivation.

In an unhappy destination.

In perdition.

Even in hell.

Those who know thus,

Know rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken.

Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered insisting,

Only this is true,

Anything else is wrong.

He is talking about mind view that sometimes thought and then adhered to.

Yeah.

What?

Incorrect.

He is adhering to his view and he is saying only this is true,

Anything else is wrong.

Just because he has the divine eye.

But let astrologer type person,

Divine eye,

Do you understand divine eye,

Who can see things.

Yeah.

So such a person has seen that one who did all these bad things comes back with a mind which is hell like and he says that everyone,

Everyone who does all these bad things,

They will be born in hell.

And he sticks to that view.

So he is wrong.

Because he already gave the ardor to others.

Four types.

But here Ananda,

By means of ardor,

Comes back to paragraph 9.

Endeavor,

Devotion,

Diligence and right attention.

Go back to 10.

Some recluse or Brahman attains such a collectiveness of mind that when his mind is collected with the divine eye,

Which is purified and surpasses the human,

He sees that person here who kills living beings and does all the bad things.

Okay.

And who's wrong view and he sees that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world.

What does this guy say now?

He says thus,

Indeed there are no evil actions.

Are you understanding where this is going?

No?

Even though he's done all that,

But he is born in a happy place.

Not evil.

Yeah,

They all do.

Look,

It's a layer.

Indeed there are no evil actions.

There's no result of misconduct.

For I saw a person who has killed living beings and done all the bad bad things and held wrong view and I see that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He reappeared in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world.

He says thus,

On the dissolution of the body after death,

Everyone who kills and everyone who does bad things,

Everyone who has ill will,

Everyone who holds a wrong view reappears in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world.

Those who know thus rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken,

Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered,

Insisting only this is true,

Anything else is wrong.

Number 11.

Hear Ananda by means of ardor.

Go back to 9.

Endeavour,

Devotion,

Diligence and right intention.

Come back to 11.

Some recluse or Brahman attains such a collectedness of mind that when his mind is collected with the divine eye which is purified and surpasses the human,

He sees that person here who abstains from killing living beings.

Come to the second type of person then.

From taking what is not given,

From misconduct in sensual pleasures,

From false speech,

From malicious speech,

From harsh speech,

From gossip,

He is not covetous.

His mind is without ill will and he holds right view.

Come back to 11.

Endeavour says that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world.

He says thus,

Indeed there are good actions,

There is result of good conduct,

For I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings,

From taking what is not given,

From misconduct in sensual pleasures,

From false speech,

Malicious speech,

Harsh speech,

Gossip,

Covetousness,

Without ill will and he holds right view.

And I say that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world.

He says thus,

On the dissolution of the body after death,

Everyone who abstains from killing living beings and everything and holds a right view,

Reappears in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world.

Those who know thus,

Know rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken.

Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered,

Insisting only this is true,

Anything else is wrong.

Now,

Again,

But here ananda,

By means of ardour,

Go back,

Endeavour,

Devotion,

Diligence and right attention.

Come back to 12.

Some recluse or Brahmin attain such a collectedness of mind that when his mind is collected with the divine eye which is purified and surpasses the human,

He sees that person here who abstains from killing living beings and all the good things and holds right view.

And he sees that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He reappears in a state of deprivation in an unhappy destination,

In perdition,

Even in hell.

He says thus,

Indeed there are no good actions.

There is no result of good conduct.

For I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings and held right view and I see that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a state of deprivation,

Even in hell.

He says thus,

On the dissolution of body after death,

Everyone who abstains from killing living beings and holds right view reappears in a state of deprivation,

Even in hell.

Those who know thus know rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken.

Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered,

Insisting only this is true,

Anything else is wrong.

There in Ananda,

When a recluse or Brahman says indeed there are evil actions,

There is a result of misconduct,

I grant him this.

When he says I saw a person here who killed living beings and did all the wrong things and held wrong view and I see that on dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a state of deprivation,

Even in hell.

I also grant him this.

But when he says on the dissolution of the body after death,

Everyone who kills living beings and holds wrong view reappears in a state of deprivation,

Even in hell,

I do not grant him this.

Got it?

That everyone valla statement is just holding tenaciously to a particular view.

Yeah because karma is always,

It's mixed,

It's grey and you don't know which will sprout when.

And when he says those who know thus know rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken,

I also do not grant him this.

And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered,

Insisting only this is true,

Anything else is wrong,

I also do not grant him this.

Why is that?

Because ananda,

The tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of action is otherwise.

There in ananda,

When a recluse or brahmin says,

Indeed there are no evil actions,

There is no result of misconduct,

I do not grant him this.

When he says I saw a person here who killed living beings and held wrong view and I see that on dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world,

I grant him this.

But when he says on the dissolution of the body after death,

Everyone who kills living beings and holds wrong view reappears in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world,

I do not grant him this.

And when he says those who know thus know rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken,

I also do not grant him this.

And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered,

Insisting only this is true,

Anything else is wrong,

I also do not grant him this.

Why is that?

Because ananda,

The tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of action is otherwise.

Very very clear,

No?

I don't need to explain this.

There in ananda,

When a recluse or brahman says indeed there are good actions,

There is result of good conduct,

I grant him this.

And when he says I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings and held right view and I see that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world,

I also grant him this.

But when he says on the dissolution of the body after death,

Everyone who abstains from killing living beings and holds right view,

Reappears in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world,

I do not grant him this.

And when he says those who know thus know rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken,

I also do not grant him this.

And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered,

Insisting only this is true,

Anything else is wrong,

I also do not grant him this.

Why is that?

Because ananda,

The tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of action is otherwise.

There in ananda,

When a recluse or brahman says indeed there are no good actions,

There is no result of good conduct,

I do not grant him this.

When he says I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings and held right view and I see that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a state of deprivation,

Even in hell,

I grant him this.

But when he says on the dissolution of the body after death,

Everyone who abstains from killing living beings and holds right view,

Reappears in a state of deprivation,

Even in hell,

I do not grant him this.

And when he says those who know thus know rightly,

Those who think otherwise are mistaken,

I also do not grant him this.

And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known,

Seen and discovered,

Insisting only this is true,

Anything else is wrong,

I also do not grant him this.

Why is that?

Because ananda,

The tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of action is otherwise.

There in ananda,

As to the person here who kills living beings and holds wrong view and on the dissolution of the body after death,

Reappears in the state of deprivation,

Even in hell,

Either earlier he did an evil action to be felt as painful or later he did an evil action to be felt as painful.

Or at the time of death,

He acquired and undertook wrong view.

Three possibilities?

Not in this genre,

But previously he's done an evil action or later he has done or right at the time of death,

There has been some kind of a wrong view.

Because of that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a state of deprivation,

Even in hell.

And since he has here killed living beings and held wrong view,

He will experience the result of that either here and now or in his next rebirth or in some subsequent existence.

There in ananda,

As to the person here who kills living beings and holds wrong view and on the dissolution of the body after death,

Reappears in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world,

Either earlier he did a good action to be felt as pleasant or later he did a good action to be felt as pleasant or at the time of death he acquired and undertook wrong view.

Because of that on the dissolution of the body after death,

He has reappeared in a happy destination,

Even in the heavenly world,

But since he has here killed living beings and held wrong view,

He will experience the result of that either here and now or in his next rebirth or in his next rebirth or in his next rebirth.

He will experience the result of that either here and now or in the next rebirth or in some subsequent existence.

Got it?

Just because you do good and bad,

It will never cancel out each other.

This good will sprout in its time,

This bad will sprout in its time and you will have to experience both in their time.

People when they do bad then they try to go back and then do good and that's what this this thing of charity came up.

Go do charity,

Go give this to the feed the hungry,

Feed the animals and your bad karma will be gone.

Will it be gone?

No,

No,

No,

No.

Understand what was the reason they made you do that just so that that guilt that you were carrying you let go,

You you've learned to forgive yourself,

You be kind to yourself,

You take a vow that I will not do this again,

I will not repeat the bad thing.

That was the reason for these little things,

You know,

Little solutions they came up with.

It's not going to cancel your bad karma.

That's coming.

Be ready.

If you take an exam in history,

You write a miserable paper.

Geography will give you study wealth.

It doesn't mean.

.

.

Geography cancels history.

It does not.

Very good example.

There in Ananda as to the person here who abstains from killing living beings and holds right view and on the dissolution of the body after death,

He appears in a happy destination even in the heavenly world.

Either earlier he did a good action to be felt as pleasant or later he did a good action to be felt as pleasant or at the time of death he acquired and undertook right view.

Because of that on the dissolution of the body after death he has reappeared in a happy destination even in the heavenly world and since he has here abstained from killing living beings and held right view he will experience the result of that either here and now or in his next rebirth or in some subsequent existence.

20.

There in Ananda as to the person here who abstains from killing living beings and holds right view and on the dissolution of the body after death reappears in a state of deprivation even in hell.

Either earlier he did an evil action to be felt as painful or later he did an evil action to be felt as painful or at the time of death he acquired and undertook wrong view.

Because of that on dissolution of the body after death he has reappeared in a state of deprivation even in hell but since he has here abstained from killing living beings and held right view he will experience the result of that either here and now or in his next rebirth or in some subsequent existence.

Thus,

Ananda,

There is action that is incapable and appears incapable.

There is action that is incapable and appears capable.

There is action that is capable and appears capable.

And there is action that is capable and appears incapable.

This is what the Blessed One said the Venerable Ananda was satisfied and delighted with the Blessed One's words.

The Venerable Ananda was satisfied and delighted with the Blessed One's words.