At Sedaka

At one time the BuddhaBuddhaEl nombre dado a quien redescubre por sí mismo el sendero liberador del Dhamma, tras un largo período de haber sido olvidado por el mundo. Según la tradición, una larga línea de Buddhas se extiende hasta el pasado distante. El Buddha más reciente nació como Siddhattha Gotama en la India alrededor del año 500 a.e.c. Un joven bien educado y acomodado, renunció a su familia y su herencia principesca en la flor de la vida para buscar la verdadera libertad y el fin del sufrimiento (dukkha). Después de siete años de austeridades en el bosque, redescubrió el «camino medio» y alcanzó su meta, convirtiéndose en el Buddha.Ver en el glosario was staying in the land of the Sumbhas, near the town of the Sumbhas named Sedaka.*This may be modern Sambalpur in Odisha, near the bay of Bengal on India’s east coast. This Sutta is the earliest description of Indian pole acrobatics or mallakambha. Further east lies Chandraketugarh in West Bengal, where the earliest physical evidence for mallakambha has been found. One pot from around 200 BCE shows, in detailed and graceful style, three acrobats using a T-shaped pole. One man kneels, holding the pole in his hands with great strength and balance, while a man and a woman perform acrobatics on opposite bars of the T. A crowd of women and men look on in amazement.There the Buddha addressed the mendicants:

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sumbhesu viharati sedakaṁ nāma sumbhānaṁ nigamo. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sumbhas, near the town of the Sumbhas named Sedaka.*This may be modern Sambalpur in Odisha, near the bay of Bengal on India’s east coast. This Sutta is the earliest description of Indian pole acrobatics or mallakambha. Further east lies Chandraketugarh in West Bengal, where the earliest physical evidence for mallakambha has been found. One pot from around 200 BCE shows, in detailed and graceful style, three acrobats using a T-shaped pole. One man kneels, holding the pole in his hands with great strength and balance, while a man and a woman perform acrobatics on opposite bars of the T. A crowd of women and men look on in amazement.Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sumbhesu viharati sedakaṁ nāma sumbhānaṁ nigamo. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants: Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

“Once upon a time, mendicants, a pole acrobat of the corpse-workers set up the bamboo pole of his tribe and said to his apprentice Medakathālikā,*While the terms are not easy to interpret, it appears that it was a practice of the “corpse-workers” (caṇḍāla), the most despised caste (see SN 3.21:2.2 and note). Perhaps it originated as a tribal ritual or sport. Further references to this practice are found in DN 1:1.13.2 (see note there) and Ja 498, which is set near the opposite coast in Ujjeni.‘Come now, dear Medakathālikā, climb up the bamboo pole and stand above my shoulders.’*Medakathālikā (“frying pan”) is a feminine form. The commentary says the name is declined “according to the feminine gender”, which suggests they were male (else no explanation would be needed). However, the text does not support this, and the depiction on the Chandraketugarh pottery clearly shows an adult woman. There are a number of cases where the commentary apparently finds it difficult to imagine a woman in a prominent role (see also SN 55.23:1.2).

“bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, caṇḍālavaṁsiko caṇḍālavaṁsaṁ ussāpetvā medakathālikaṁ antevāsiṁ āmantesi: ‘ehi tvaṁ, samma medakathālike, caṇḍālavaṁsaṁ abhiruhitvā mama uparikhandhe tiṭṭhāhī’ti.

“Once upon a time, mendicants, a pole acrobat of the corpse-workers set up the bamboo pole of his tribe and said to his apprentice Medakathālikā,*While the terms are not easy to interpret, it appears that it was a practice of the “corpse-workers” (caṇḍāla), the most despised caste (see SN 3.21:2.2 and note). Perhaps it originated as a tribal ritual or sport. Further references to this practice are found in DN 1:1.13.2 (see note there) and Ja 498, which is set near the opposite coast in Ujjeni.“bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, caṇḍālavaṁsiko caṇḍālavaṁsaṁ ussāpetvā medakathālikaṁ antevāsiṁ āmantesi: ‘Come now, dear Medakathālikā, climb up the bamboo pole and stand above my shoulders.’*Medakathālikā (“frying pan”) is a feminine form. The commentary says the name is declined “according to the feminine gender”, which suggests they were male (else no explanation would be needed). However, the text does not support this, and the depiction on the Chandraketugarh pottery clearly shows an adult woman. There are a number of cases where the commentary apparently finds it difficult to imagine a woman in a prominent role (see also SN 55.23:1.2).‘ehi tvaṁ, samma medakathālike, caṇḍālavaṁsaṁ abhiruhitvā mama uparikhandhe tiṭṭhāhī’ti.

Then the pole acrobat of the corpse-workers said to Medakathālikā, ‘You look after me, dear Medakathālikā, and I shall look after you. That’s how, guarding and looking after each other, we’ll display our skill, collect our fee, and get down safely from the bamboo pole.’*The text implies that both acrobats were up the pole. Perhaps the plural is just a figure of speech, but in the pottery depiction there are indeed two suspended acrobats. I think the pole is planted on the ground, with the master half-way up, and Medakathālikā above him.

Atha kho, bhikkhave, caṇḍālavaṁsiko medakathālikaṁ antevāsiṁ etadavoca: ‘tvaṁ, samma medakathālike, mamaṁ rakkha, ahaṁ taṁ rakkhissāmi. Evaṁ mayaṁ aññamaññaṁ guttā aññamaññaṁ rakkhitā sippāni ceva dassessāma, lābhañca lacchāma, sotthinā ca caṇḍālavaṁsā orohissāmā’ti.*lābhañca → lābhe ca (bj)

Then the pole acrobat of the corpse-workers said to Medakathālikā, Atha kho, bhikkhave, caṇḍālavaṁsiko medakathālikaṁ antevāsiṁ etadavoca: ‘You look after me, dear Medakathālikā, and I shall look after you. ‘tvaṁ, samma medakathālike, mamaṁ rakkha, ahaṁ taṁ rakkhissāmi. That’s how, guarding and looking after each other, we’ll display our skill, collect our fee, and get down safely from the bamboo pole.’*The text implies that both acrobats were up the pole. Perhaps the plural is just a figure of speech, but in the pottery depiction there are indeed two suspended acrobats. I think the pole is planted on the ground, with the master half-way up, and Medakathālikā above him.Evaṁ mayaṁ aññamaññaṁ guttā aññamaññaṁ rakkhitā sippāni ceva dassessāma, lābhañca lacchāma, sotthinā ca caṇḍālavaṁsā orohissāmā’ti.*lābhañca → lābhe ca (bj)

When he said this, Medakathālikā said to her teacher, ‘That’s not how it will be, tutor! You look after yourself, and I shall look after myself. That’s how, guarding and looking after ourselves, we’ll display our skill, collect our fee, and get down safely from the bamboo pole.’

Evaṁ vutte, bhikkhave, medakathālikā antevāsī caṇḍālavaṁsikaṁ etadavoca: ‘na kho panetaṁ, ācariya, evaṁ bhavissati. Tvaṁ, ācariya, attānaṁ rakkha, ahaṁ attānaṁ rakkhissāmi. Evaṁ mayaṁ attaguttā attarakkhitā sippāni ceva dassessāma, lābhañca lacchāma, sotthinā ca caṇḍālavaṁsā orohissāmā’”ti.

When he said this, Medakathālikā said to her teacher, Evaṁ vutte, bhikkhave, medakathālikā antevāsī caṇḍālavaṁsikaṁ etadavoca: ‘That’s not how it will be, tutor! ‘na kho panetaṁ, ācariya, evaṁ bhavissati. You look after yourself, and I shall look after myself. Tvaṁ, ācariya, attānaṁ rakkha, ahaṁ attānaṁ rakkhissāmi. That’s how, guarding and looking after ourselves, we’ll display our skill, collect our fee, and get down safely from the bamboo pole.’ Evaṁ mayaṁ attaguttā attarakkhitā sippāni ceva dassessāma, lābhañca lacchāma, sotthinā ca caṇḍālavaṁsā orohissāmā’”ti.

That’s the way,” said the Buddha. “It’s just as Medakathālikā said to her tutor.*The text is a little unclear, but it seems that Medakathālikā was pointing out that by looking after oneself we are also looking after the other. It is remarkable how the Buddha is adopting the wisdom of a woman from such a despised caste.Thinking ‘I’ll look after myself,’ you should cultivate mindfulnesssatiAtención plena, memoria, poderes de referencia y retención. En algunos contextos, la palabra sati cuando se usa sola cubre también la alerta (sampajañña).Ver en el glosario meditation. Thinking ‘I’ll look after others,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. Looking after yourself, you look after others; and looking after others, you look after yourself.

“So tattha ñāyo”ti bhagavā etadavoca, “yathā medakathālikā antevāsī ācariyaṁ avoca. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ; paraṁ rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati.

That’s the way,” said the Buddha. “It’s just as Medakathālikā said to her tutor.*The text is a little unclear, but it seems that Medakathālikā was pointing out that by looking after oneself we are also looking after the other. It is remarkable how the Buddha is adopting the wisdom of a woman from such a despised caste.“So tattha ñāyo”ti bhagavā etadavoca, “yathā medakathālikā antevāsī ācariyaṁ avoca. Thinking ‘I’ll look after myself,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ; Thinking ‘I’ll look after others,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. paraṁ rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ. Looking after yourself, you look after others; and looking after others, you look after yourself. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati.

And how do you look after others by looking after yourself? By development, cultivation, and practice of meditation. And how do you look after yourself by looking after others? By acceptance, harmlessness, love, and sympathy.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, attānaṁ rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati? Āsevanāya, bhāvanāya, bahulīkammena—evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, attānaṁ rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati. Kathañca, bhikkhave, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati? Khantiyā, avihiṁsāya, mettacittatāya, anudayatāya—evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati.

And how do you look after others by looking after yourself? Kathañca, bhikkhave, attānaṁ rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati? By development, cultivation, and practice of meditation. Āsevanāya, bhāvanāya, bahulīkammena—evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, attānaṁ rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati. And how do you look after yourself by looking after others? Kathañca, bhikkhave, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati? By acceptance, harmlessness, love, and sympathy. Khantiyā, avihiṁsāya, mettacittatāya, anudayatāya—evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhati.

Thinking ‘I’ll look after myself,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. Thinking ‘I’ll look after others,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. Looking after yourself, you look after others; and looking after others, you look after yourself.”

Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ; paraṁ rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhatī”ti.

Thinking ‘I’ll look after myself,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ; Thinking ‘I’ll look after others,’ you should cultivate mindfulness meditation. paraṁ rakkhissāmīti satipaṭṭhānaṁ sevitabbaṁ. Looking after yourself, you look after others; and looking after others, you look after yourself.” Attānaṁ, bhikkhave, rakkhanto paraṁ rakkhati, paraṁ rakkhanto attānaṁ rakkhatī”ti.