• Numbered Discourses 6.14 Aį¹…guttara Nikāya 6.14
  • 2. Warm-hearted 2. Sāraṇīyavagga

A Good Death Bhaddakasutta

There Sāriputta addressed the mendicants: Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhÅ« āmantesi: ā€œReverends, mendicants!ā€ ā€œÄvuso bhikkhaveā€ti.

ā€œReverend,ā€ they replied. ā€œÄ€vusoā€ti kho te bhikkhÅ« āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ. Sāriputta said this: Āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca:

ā€œA mendicant lives life so as to not have a good death. ā€œTathā tathā, āvuso, bhikkhu vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā. And how do they live life so as to not have a good death? KathaƱcāvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā?

Take a mendicant who relishes work, talk, sleep, company, closeness, and proliferation. They love these things and like to relish them. Idhāvuso, bhikkhu kammārāmo hoti kammarato kammārāmataṁ anuyutto, bhassārāmo hoti bhassarato bhassārāmataṁ anuyutto, niddārāmo hoti niddārato niddārāmataṁ anuyutto, saį¹…gaṇikārāmo hoti saį¹…gaṇikarato saį¹…gaṇikārāmataṁ anuyutto, saṁsaggārāmo hoti saṁsaggarato saṁsaggārāmataṁ anuyutto, papaƱcārāmo hoti papaƱcarato papaƱcārāmataṁ anuyutto. A mendicant who lives life like this does not have a good death. Evaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā. This is called Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso: a mendicant who enjoys substantial reality, who hasn’t given up substantial reality to rightly make an end of suffering. ā€˜bhikkhu sakkāyābhirato nappajahāsi sakkāyaṁ sammā dukkhassa antakiriyāya’.

A mendicant lives life so as to have a good death. Tathā tathāvuso, bhikkhu vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā. And how do they live life so as to have a good death? KathaƱcāvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā?

Take a mendicant who doesn’t relish work, talk, sleep, company, closeness, and proliferation. They don’t love these things or like to relish them. Idhāvuso, bhikkhu na kammārāmo hoti na kammarato na kammārāmataṁ anuyutto, na bhassārāmo hoti na bhassarato na bhassārāmataṁ anuyutto, na niddārāmo hoti na niddārato na niddārāmataṁ anuyutto, na saį¹…gaṇikārāmo hoti na saį¹…gaṇikarato na saį¹…gaṇikārāmataṁ anuyutto, na saṁsaggārāmo hoti na saṁsaggarato na saṁsaggārāmataṁ anuyutto, na papaƱcārāmo hoti na papaƱcarato na papaƱcārāmataṁ anuyutto. A mendicant who lives life like this has a good death. Evaṁ kho, āvuso, bhikkhu tathā tathā vihāraṁ kappeti yathā yathāssa vihāraṁ kappayato bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā. This is called Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso: a mendicant who delights in extinguishment, who has given up substantial reality to rightly make an end of suffering. ā€˜bhikkhu nibbānābhirato pajahāsi sakkāyaṁ sammā dukkhassa antakiriyāyā’ti.

A beast who likes to proliferate, Yo papañcamanuyutto, enjoying proliferation, papañcābhirato mago; fails to win extinguishment, Virādhayī so nibbānaṁ, the supreme sanctuary from the yoke. yogakkhemaṁ anuttaraṁ.

But one who gives up proliferation, Yo ca papaƱcaṁ hitvāna, enjoying the state of non-proliferation, nippapaƱcapade rato; wins extinguishment, ĀrādhayÄ« so nibbānaṁ, the supreme sanctuary from the yoke.ā€ yogakkhemaṁ anuttaranā€ti.

Catutthaṁ.