With Mahānāma (1st)

So I have heard.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 Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery.Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakkesu viharati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme. Atha kho mahānāmo sakko yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahānāmo sakko bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

So I have heard.Evaṁ me sutaṁ—At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery.ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sakkesu viharati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme. Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:Atha kho mahānāmo sakko yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahānāmo sakko bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, this Kapilavatthu is successful and prosperous, populous, full of people, with cramped cul-de-sacs.*Byūha (“cul-de-sac”) is defined in the Vinaya: “one departs the same way one enters” (Bi Pc 14:2.1.8).In the late afternoon, after paying homage to the Buddha or an esteemed mendicant, I enter Kapilavatthu.I encounter a stray elephant,horse,chariot,cart,or person.At that time I lose 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 regarding the Buddha, the teaching, and the SaṅghaSaṅghaEste término denota tanto: la «comunidad monástica» (comunidades de monjes y monjas budistas) en quienes los seguidores laicos toman refugio; como aquellos seguidores del Buddha, laicos u ordenados, que han alcanzado al menos la entrada en la corriente (ver sotāpanna), el primero de los senderos transcendentes (ver magga) que culmina en nibbāna. Recientemente en EE.UU., el término «sangha» se ha transformado para significar el sentido más amplio de «comunidad de seguidores en el sendero budista», aunque este uso no tiene base en el canon pali. El término parisā se usa en este sentido más amplio en los textos tempranos.Ver en el glosario.I think:‘If I were to die at this time, where would I be reborn in my next life?’”*This relates to the commonly-held idea in modern Theravada that rebirth is determined by one’s “last mind-moment” or “final thought”. This idea is incorrect on a number of grounds. First, there’s no such thing as “mind moments” in early Buddhism. Second, rebirth is determined not by “thought” (citta) but by “deed” (kamma). So it would only apply in the case of someone who was actually committing good or bad kamma at the time of death, which most people are not, like Mahānāma here; he is simply returning home. Finally, what normally prevails at the time of death is habitual kamma (like keeping precepts every day) or very strong kamma (such as attaining jhāna). In the Suttas, deathbed kamma prevails only in rare cases when someone is creating very good (MN 97:38.7) or very bad (SN 42.3:2.7) kamma at the time of death; see too the case of Sarakāni in SN 55.24:9.11 and SN 55.25:11.10.

“idaṁ, bhante, kapilavatthu iddhañceva phītañca bāhujaññaṁ ākiṇṇamanussaṁ sambādhabyūhaṁ. So khvāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ vā payirupāsitvā manobhāvanīye vā bhikkhū sāyanhasamayaṁ kapilavatthuṁ pavisanto; bhantenapi hatthinā samāgacchāmi; *bhantenapi → vibbhantenapi (sya2ed); bhamantenapi (mr)bhantenapi assena samāgacchāmi; bhantenapi rathena samāgacchāmi; bhantenapi sakaṭena samāgacchāmi; bhantenapi purisena samāgacchāmi. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, tasmiṁ samaye mussateva bhagavantaṁ ārabbha sati, mussati dhammaṁ ārabbha sati, mussati saṅghaṁ ārabbha sati. *mussateva → musateva (?) | mussati → musati (?)Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evaṁ hoti: ‘imamhi cāhaṁ samaye kālaṁ kareyyaṁ, kā mayhaṁ gati, ko abhisamparāyo’”ti?

“Sir, this Kapilavatthu is successful and prosperous, populous, full of people, with cramped cul-de-sacs.*Byūha (“cul-de-sac”) is defined in the Vinaya: “one departs the same way one enters” (Bi Pc 14:2.1.8).“idaṁ, bhante, kapilavatthu iddhañceva phītañca bāhujaññaṁ ākiṇṇamanussaṁ sambādhabyūhaṁ. In the late afternoon, after paying homage to the Buddha or an esteemed mendicant, I enter Kapilavatthu.So khvāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ vā payirupāsitvā manobhāvanīye vā bhikkhū sāyanhasamayaṁ kapilavatthuṁ pavisanto; I encounter a stray elephant,bhantenapi hatthinā samāgacchāmi; *bhantenapi → vibbhantenapi (sya2ed); bhamantenapi (mr)horse,bhantenapi assena samāgacchāmi; chariot,bhantenapi rathena samāgacchāmi; cart,bhantenapi sakaṭena samāgacchāmi; or person.bhantenapi purisena samāgacchāmi. At that time I lose mindfulness regarding the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha.Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, tasmiṁ samaye mussateva bhagavantaṁ ārabbha sati, mussati dhammaṁ ārabbha sati, mussati saṅghaṁ ārabbha sati. *mussateva → musateva (?) | mussati → musati (?)I think:Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evaṁ hoti: ‘If I were to die at this time, where would I be reborn in my next life?’”*This relates to the commonly-held idea in modern Theravada that rebirth is determined by one’s “last mind-moment” or “final thought”. This idea is incorrect on a number of grounds. First, there’s no such thing as “mind moments” in early Buddhism. Second, rebirth is determined not by “thought” (citta) but by “deed” (kamma). So it would only apply in the case of someone who was actually committing good or bad kamma at the time of death, which most people are not, like Mahānāma here; he is simply returning home. Finally, what normally prevails at the time of death is habitual kamma (like keeping precepts every day) or very strong kamma (such as attaining jhāna). In the Suttas, deathbed kamma prevails only in rare cases when someone is creating very good (MN 97:38.7) or very bad (SN 42.3:2.7) kamma at the time of death; see too the case of Sarakāni in SN 55.24:9.11 and SN 55.25:11.10.‘imamhi cāhaṁ samaye kālaṁ kareyyaṁ, kā mayhaṁ gati, ko abhisamparāyo’”ti?

“Do not fear, Mahānāma, do not fear!Your death will not be a bad one; your passing will not be a bad one.Take someone whose mind has for a long time been imbued with faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. Their body is formed, made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.Right here the crows, vultures, hawks, hounds, jackals, and many kinds of little creatures devour it.But their mind rises up, headed for a higher place.

“Mā bhāyi, mahānāma, mā bhāyi, mahānāma. Apāpakaṁ te maraṇaṁ bhavissati apāpikā kālaṅkiriyā. *kālaṅkiriyā → kālakiriyā (bj, sya-all, km)Yassa kassaci, mahānāma, dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ sīlaparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ sutaparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ cāgaparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ paññāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ, tassa yo hi khvāyaṁ kāyo rūpī cātumahābhūtiko mātāpettikasambhavo odanakummāsūpacayo aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammo. *cātumahābhūtiko → cātummahābhūtiko (bj, sya-all, km)Taṁ idheva kākā vā khādanti gijjhā vā khādanti kulalā vā khādanti sunakhā vā khādanti siṅgālā vā khādanti vividhā vā pāṇakajātā khādanti; *siṅgālā → sigālā (bj, sya-all, km, pts1ed)yañca khvassa cittaṁ dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ …pe… paññāparibhāvitaṁ taṁ uddhagāmi hoti visesagāmi.

“Do not fear, Mahānāma, do not fear!“Mā bhāyi, mahānāma, mā bhāyi, mahānāma. Your death will not be a bad one; your passing will not be a bad one.Apāpakaṁ te maraṇaṁ bhavissati apāpikā kālaṅkiriyā. *kālaṅkiriyā → kālakiriyā (bj, sya-all, km)Take someone whose mind has for a long time been imbued with faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. Their body is formed, made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.Yassa kassaci, mahānāma, dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ sīlaparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ sutaparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ cāgaparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ paññāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ, tassa yo hi khvāyaṁ kāyo rūpī cātumahābhūtiko mātāpettikasambhavo odanakummāsūpacayo aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammo. *cātumahābhūtiko → cātummahābhūtiko (bj, sya-all, km)Right here the crows, vultures, hawks, hounds, jackals, and many kinds of little creatures devour it.Taṁ idheva kākā vā khādanti gijjhā vā khādanti kulalā vā khādanti sunakhā vā khādanti siṅgālā vā khādanti vividhā vā pāṇakajātā khādanti; *siṅgālā → sigālā (bj, sya-all, km, pts1ed)But their mind rises up, headed for a higher place.yañca khvassa cittaṁ dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ …pe… paññāparibhāvitaṁ taṁ uddhagāmi hoti visesagāmi.

Suppose a person was to sink a pot of ghee or oil into a deep lake and break it open.Its shards and chips would sink down, while the ghee or oil in it would rise up, headed for a higher place.*There is a parallel for this simile at SN 42.6:7.1.

Seyyathāpi, mahānāma, puriso sappikumbhaṁ vā telakumbhaṁ vā gambhīraṁ udakarahadaṁ ogāhitvā bhindeyya. Tatra yā assa sakkharā vā kaṭhalā vā sā adhogāmī assa, yañca khvassa tatra sappi vā telaṁ vā taṁ uddhagāmi assa visesagāmi. *assa → yāssa (bj) | kaṭhalā → kathalā (pts1ed, mr)

Suppose a person was to sink a pot of ghee or oil into a deep lake and break it open.Seyyathāpi, mahānāma, puriso sappikumbhaṁ vā telakumbhaṁ vā gambhīraṁ udakarahadaṁ ogāhitvā bhindeyya. Its shards and chips would sink down, while the ghee or oil in it would rise up, headed for a higher place.*There is a parallel for this simile at SN 42.6:7.1.Tatra yā assa sakkharā vā kaṭhalā vā sā adhogāmī assa, yañca khvassa tatra sappi vā telaṁ vā taṁ uddhagāmi assa visesagāmi. *assa → yāssa (bj) | kaṭhalā → kathalā (pts1ed, mr)

In the same way, take someone whose mind has for a long time been imbued with faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. Their body consists of form, made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.Right here the crows, vultures, hawks, hounds, jackals, and many kinds of little creatures devour it.But their mind rises up, headed for a higher place.*Here citta (“mind”) continues from one life to the next, in the role that viññāṇa plays elsewhere (eg. DN 28:7.13).

Evameva kho, mahānāma, yassa kassaci dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ …pe… paññāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ tassa yo hi khvāyaṁ kāyo rūpī cātumahābhūtiko mātāpettikasambhavo odanakummāsūpacayo aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammo taṁ idheva kākā vā khādanti gijjhā vā khādanti kulalā vā khādanti sunakhā vā khādanti siṅgālā vā khādanti vividhā vā pāṇakajātā khādanti; yañca khvassa cittaṁ dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ …pe… paññāparibhāvitaṁ taṁ uddhagāmi hoti visesagāmi.

In the same way, take someone whose mind has for a long time been imbued with faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. Their body consists of form, made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.Evameva kho, mahānāma, yassa kassaci dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ …pe… Right here the crows, vultures, hawks, hounds, jackals, and many kinds of little creatures devour it.paññāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ tassa yo hi khvāyaṁ kāyo rūpī cātumahābhūtiko mātāpettikasambhavo odanakummāsūpacayo aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammo taṁ idheva kākā vā khādanti gijjhā vā khādanti kulalā vā khādanti sunakhā vā khādanti siṅgālā vā khādanti vividhā vā pāṇakajātā khādanti; But their mind rises up, headed for a higher place.*Here citta (“mind”) continues from one life to the next, in the role that viññāṇa plays elsewhere (eg. DN 28:7.13).yañca khvassa cittaṁ dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ …pe… paññāparibhāvitaṁ taṁ uddhagāmi hoti visesagāmi.

Your mind, Mahānāma, has for a long time been imbued with faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom.Do not fear, Mahānāma, do not fear!Your death will not be a bad one; your passing will not be a bad one.”

Tuyhaṁ kho pana, mahānāma, dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ …pe… paññāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ. Mā bhāyi, mahānāma, mā bhāyi, mahānāma. Apāpakaṁ te maraṇaṁ bhavissati, apāpikā kālaṅkiriyā”ti.

Your mind, Mahānāma, has for a long time been imbued with faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom.Tuyhaṁ kho pana, mahānāma, dīgharattaṁ saddhāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ …pe… paññāparibhāvitaṁ cittaṁ. Do not fear, Mahānāma, do not fear!Mā bhāyi, mahānāma, mā bhāyi, mahānāma. Your death will not be a bad one; your passing will not be a bad one.”Apāpakaṁ te maraṇaṁ bhavissati, apāpikā kālaṅkiriyā”ti.