Anathapindikovada Sutta (Translated To English)

Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
This sutta tells the tale of a thorough teaching on non-clinging given to a dying layman by one of the Buddha's main disciples. It is compelling for the teaching itself, but particularly beautiful and poignant as it is a glimpse of an esoteric teaching being uncovered for non-monastics for the first time, thereby inspiring a compassionate plea from the dying man to share it with other laymen.

Transcript

I AM The Exhortation to Anathapindika Anadapindikovadasutta I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savati in Jetha's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. And on that occasion Anathapindika the householder was diseased, In pain, Severely ill. Then Anathapindika the householder said to one of his men, Come, My good man, Go to the Blessed One and on arrival pay homage to his feet with your head in my name and say, Lord, Anathapindika the householder is diseased, In pain, Severely ill. He pays homage with his head to the Blessed One's feet. Then go to Venerable Sariputta and on arrival pay homage to his feet with your head in my name and say, Venerable Sir, Anathapindika the householder is diseased, In pain, Severely ill. He pays homage with his head to your feet. Then say, It would be good if Venerable Sariputta would visit Anathapindika's home out of sympathy for him. Responding, As you say, Lord, To Anathapindika the householder, The man went to the Blessed One and on arrival, Having bowed down to him, Sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said, Lord, Anathapindika the householder is diseased, In pain, Severely ill. He pays homage with his head to the Blessed One's feet. Then he went to Venerable Sariputta and on arrival, Having bowed down to him, Sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said, Venerable Sir, Anathapindika the householder is diseased, In pain, Severely ill. He pays homage with his head to your feet. Then he said, It would be good if Venerable Sariputta would visit Anathapindika's home out of sympathy for him. Then Venerable Sariputta, Having adjusted his lower robe and taking his bowl and outer robe, Went to the home of Anathapindika the householder with Venerable Ananda as his attendant. On arrival he sat down on a seat made ready and said to Anathapindika the householder, I hope you are getting better, Householder. I hope you are comfortable. I hope that your pains are lessening and not increasing. I hope that there are signs of their lessening and not of their increasing. Anathapindika said, I am not getting better, Venerable Sir. I am not comfortable. My extreme pains are increasing, Not lessening. There are signs of their increasing and not of their lessening. Extreme forces slice through my head, Just as if a strong man were slicing my head open with a sharp sword. Extreme pains have arisen in my head, Just as if a strong man were tightening a turban made of tough leather straps around my head. Extreme forces carve up my stomach cavity, Just as if a butcher or his apprentice were to carve up the stomach cavity of an ox. There is an extreme burning in my body, Just as if two strong men grabbing a weaker man by the arms were to roast and broil him over a pit of hot embers. I am not getting better, Venerable Sir. I am not comfortable. My extreme pains are increasing, Not lessening. There are signs of their increasing and not of their lessening. Len Householder You should train yourself in this way. . . I won't cling to the I. My consciousness will not be dependent on the I. That's how you should train yourself. I won't cling to the ear, To the nose, Tongue to the body. My consciousness will not be dependent on the body. I won't cling to the intellect My consciousness will not be dependent on the intellect That's how you should train yourself. Then, Householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to forms, To sounds, Smells, Tastes, Tactile sensations. My consciousness will not be dependent on tactile sensations. I won't cling to ideas. My consciousness will not be dependent on ideas. That's how you should train yourself. Then, Householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to eye consciousness, To ear consciousness, To nose consciousness, Tongue consciousness, Body consciousness. My consciousness will not be dependent on body consciousness. I won't cling to intellect consciousness. My consciousness will not be dependent on intellect consciousness. That's how you should train yourselfchatral ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Then, Householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to contact at the eye, Contact at the ear, Contact at the nose, Contact at the tongue, Contact at the body. My consciousness will not be dependent on contact at the body. I won't cling to contact at the intellect. My consciousness will not be dependent on contact at the intellect. That's how you should train yourself. Then, Householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to feeling born of eye contact, Feeling born of contact at the ear, Feeling born of contact at the nose, Feeling born of contact at the tongue, Feeling born of contact at the body. My consciousness will not be dependent on feeling born of contact at the body. I won't cling to feeling born of contact at the intellect. My consciousness will not be dependent on feeling born of contact at the intellect. That's how you should train yourself. Then, Householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to the earth property, The liquid property, The fire property, The wind property, The space property. My consciousness will not be dependent on the space property. I won't cling to the consciousness property. My consciousness will not be dependent on the consciousness property. That's how you should train yourself. Then householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to form, To feeling, Perception, Fabrications. My consciousness will not be dependent on fabrications. I won't cling to consciousness. My consciousness will not be dependent on consciousness. That's how you should train yourself. Then householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to the dimension of the infinitude of space, The dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, The dimension of nothingness. My consciousness will not be dependent on rimension of nothingness. I won't cling to the rimension of neither perception nor non-perception. My consciousness will not be dependent on the dimension of neither perception nor non perception. That's how you should train yourself. Then householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to this world. My consciousness will not be dependent on this world. I won't cling to the world beyond. My consciousness will not be dependent on the world beyond. That's how you should train yourself. Then, Householder, You should train yourself in this way. I won't cling to what is seen, Heard, Sensed, Cognized, Attained, Sought after, Pondered by the intellect. My consciousness will not be dependent on that. That's how you should train yourself. When this was said, Anadapindika the householder wept and shed tears. Venerable Ananda said to him, Are you sinking, Householder? Are you foundering? No venerable sir, I am not sinking nor am I foundering. It's just that for a long time I have attended to the teacher and to the monks who inspire my heart but never before have I heard a talk on the Dhamma like this. This sort of talk on the Dhamma, Householder, Is not given to lay people clad in white. This sort of talk on the Dhamma is given to those gone forth. In that case, Venerable Sariputta, Please let this sort of talk on the Dhamma be given to lay people clad in white. There are clansmen with little dust in their eyes who are wasting away through not hearing this Dhamma. There will be those who will understand it. Then, Venerable Sariputta and venerable Ananda having given this instruction to Anadapindika the householder, Got up from their seats and left. Then not long after they left, Anadapindika the householder died and reappeared in the Tusita heaven. Then Anadapindika the deva's son, In the far extreme of the night, His extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jetha's Grove, Went to the Blessed One and, On arrival, Having bowed down to him, Stood to one side. As he was standing there, He addressed the Blessed One with this verse. This blessed Jetha's Grove, Home to the community of seers, Where there dwells the Dhamma King, The source of rapture for me, Action, Clear knowing, In mental qualities, Virtue, The highest way of life. Through this are mortals purified, Not through clan or wealth, Thus the wise, Seeing their own benefit, Investigating the Dhamma appropriately, Should purify themselves right there. As for Sariputta, Any monk who has gone beyond, At best, Can only equal him in discernment, Virtue and calm. That is what Anadapindika the deva's son said. The teacher approved. Then Anadapindika the deva's son, Knowing the teacher has approved of me, Bowed down to him, Circled him three times, Keeping him to his right, And then disappeared right there. Then when the night had passed, The Blessed One addressed the monks. Last night, Monks, A certain deva's son, In the far extreme of the night, His extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jeta's Grove, Came to me and, On arrival, Having bowed down to me, Stood to one side. As he was standing there, He addressed me with this verse. This blessed Jeta's Grove, Home to the community of seers, Where there dwells the Dhamma King, The source of rapture for me, Action, Clear knowing, In mental qualities, Virtue, The highest way of life. Through this are mortals purified, Not through clan or wealth. Thus the wise, Seeing their own benefit, Investigating the Dhamma appropriately, Should purify themselves right there. As for Sariputta, Any monk who has gone beyond, At best, Can only equal him in discernment, Virtue and calm. That is what the deva's son said, And thinking, The teacher has approved of me, He bowed down to me, Circled me three times, And then disappeared right there. When this was said, Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One, Lord, That must have been Anadapindika the deva's son. Anadapindika the householder had supreme confidence in Venerable Sariputta. Very good, Ananda. Very good, To the extent that you have deduced what can be arrived at through logic. That was Anadapindika the deva's son, And no one else. That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Venerable Ananda delighted in the Blessed One's words.

Reviews

today i lost a dear one. this has helped me with the pain and grief. it was difficult to make it through but i send my blessings to those who are also suffering.

Enjoyed this one in recording, almost as much as I did in the live 🙏🏼✨

More to work on. Thanks, Mark. It’s so enjoyable to hear you read. 🙏🏼🤍🌼