MN108 — Majjhima Nikāya 108 Gopakamoggallānasutta

Thus have I heard: on one occasion, the Venerable Ānanda was dwelling in Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary, shortly after the Blessed One had attained final Nibbāna. At that time, King Ajātasattu, the son of Queen Videhi, was having Rājagaha fortified, fearing an attack from King Pajjota.

Then, the Venerable Ānanda, having dressed in the morning, took his bowl and robe and entered Rājagaha for alms. At that time, it occurred to the Venerable Ānanda, It is too early to wander for alms in Rājagaha. What if I were to go to the work site of the brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna? So, the Venerable Ānanda went to the work site of the brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna.

The brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna saw the Venerable Ānanda coming from afar. Seeing him, he said, Let Master Ānanda come. Welcome to Master Ānanda. It has been a long time since Master Ānanda has made this visit. Let Master Ānanda be seated; this seat is prepared. The Venerable Ānanda sat down on the prepared seat. The brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna also took a low seat and sat down to one side.

Sitting to one side, the brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna said to the Venerable Ānanda, Is there, Master Ānanda, even one disciple who possesses all those qualities with which the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was endowed?

There is not, brahmin, even one disciple who possesses all those qualities with which the Blessed One was endowed. For, brahmin, the Blessed One was the discoverer of the path not previously arisen, the producer of the path not previously produced, the declarer of the path not previously declared, the knower of the path, the expert in the path, the skilled in the path; and now his disciples live following that path, having become endowed with it afterward.

This conversation between the Venerable Ānanda and the brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna was left unfinished. Then, the brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, while overseeing the work in Rājagaha, approached the work site of the brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna, where the Venerable Ānanda was. Having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Venerable Ānanda. After exchanging greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, said to the Venerable Ānanda...

What were you discussing just now, Ananda, and what was the topic of your conversation? Here, Brahmin, Gopaka Moggallana the Brahmin asked me, Is there any disciple who possesses all the qualities that the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, possessed? When he said this, I replied to Gopaka Moggallana the Brahmin, There is no disciple who possesses all the qualities that the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, possessed. For the Blessed One, Brahmin, was the discoverer of the path that had not been discovered, the producer of the path that had not been produced, the declarer of the path that had not been declared, the knower of the path, the expert in the path, the skilled in the path; and now his disciples live following the path, having come after him. This was the topic of our conversation with Gopaka Moggallana the Brahmin. And then you arrived.

Is there any disciple, Ananda, appointed by the Blessed One as a refuge after his passing, whom you now follow? There is no disciple, Brahmin, appointed by the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, as a refuge after his passing, whom we now follow.

Is there any disciple, Ananda, approved by the Sangha, appointed by many senior disciples as a refuge after the Blessed One's passing, whom you now follow? There is no disciple, Brahmin, approved by the Sangha, appointed by many senior disciples as a refuge after the Blessed One's passing, whom we now follow.

Then, Ananda, what is the reason for your unity without a refuge? We are not without a refuge, Brahmin; we have a refuge, Brahmin; we have the Dhamma as our refuge.

Is there any disciple, Ananda, appointed by the Blessed One as a refuge after his passing, whom you now follow? When asked this, I replied, There is no disciple, Brahmin, appointed by the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, as a refuge after his passing, whom we now follow.

Is there, friend Ānanda, even one disciple appointed by the Saṅgha, established by many elder disciples, who will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing, whom you would now follow? When asked this, he replied, There is not, brahmin, even one disciple appointed by the Saṅgha, established by many elder disciples, who will be our refuge after the Blessed One's passing, whom we would now follow.

In the absence of such a refuge, friend Ānanda, what is the reason for unity? When asked this, he replied, We are not without refuge, brahmin; we have a refuge, brahmin; we have the Dhamma as our refuge.

How should the meaning of this statement be understood, friend Ānanda? There is, brahmin, a training rule laid down by the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who knows and sees, for the disciples. The Pātimokkha has been recited. On the Uposatha day, as many of us as are dwelling in dependence on a village boundary, we all gather together in one place. Having gathered, we ask the one who is reciting it. If, while it is being recited, there is an offense, a transgression by a disciple, we deal with it according to the Dhamma, as instructed. It is not that the venerable ones make us do it; the Dhamma makes us do it.

Is there, friend Ānanda, even one disciple whom you now honor, respect, revere, and venerate, whom you dwell in dependence on, having honored and respected him? There is not, brahmin, even one disciple whom we now honor, respect, revere, and venerate, whom we dwell in dependence on, having honored and respected him.

Is there, friend Ānanda, even one disciple appointed by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who will be your refuge after my passing, whom you would now follow? When asked this, he replied, There is not, brahmin, even one disciple appointed by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who will be your refuge after my passing, whom we would now follow.

Is there, friend Ānanda, even one disciple whom you now honor, respect, revere, and venerate, and on whom you rely? When asked this, he replied, There is not, brahmin, even one disciple whom we now honor, respect, revere, and venerate, and on whom we rely. How should the meaning of this statement be understood, friend Ānanda?

There are, brahmin, ten qualities that were taught by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, which inspire confidence. In whomever these qualities are found, we now honor, respect, revere, and venerate them, and we rely on them. What are the ten?

Here, brahmin, a disciple is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, is accomplished in conduct and resort, sees danger in the slightest faults, and trains in the training rules he has undertaken. He is learned, bears in mind what he has learned, and accumulates what he has learned. Those teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing, which proclaim the perfectly complete and pure spiritual life, such teachings he has learned much of, retained, recited verbally, investigated mentally, and penetrated well by view.

He is content with robes, alms food, lodgings, and medicinal requisites for the sick. He easily attains the four jhānas, which are the higher mental states that bring about a pleasant abiding in the here and now, without difficulty or trouble. He experiences various kinds of supernormal powers: being one, he becomes many; being many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unimpeded through walls, enclosures, and mountains as if through space; he dives in and out of the earth as if it were water; he walks on water without sinking as if it were earth; he flies cross-legged through the sky like a bird; he touches and strokes with his hand the sun and moon, so powerful and mighty; and he travels in the body as far as the Brahma world.

With the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, he hears both kinds of sounds, the divine and human, whether near or far. He understands the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with his own mind. He understands a mind with lust as a mind with lust, and a mind without lust as a mind without lust. He understands a mind with hatred as a mind with hatred, and a mind without hatred as a mind without hatred.

He knows a deluded mind as deluded mind, and a non-deluded mind as non-deluded mind. He knows a contracted mind as contracted mind, and a distracted mind as distracted mind. He knows an exalted mind as exalted mind, and an unexalted mind as unexalted mind. He knows a surpassed mind as surpassed mind, and an unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed mind. He knows a concentrated mind as concentrated mind, and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated mind. He knows a liberated mind as liberated mind, and an unliberated mind as unliberated mind.

He recalls his manifold past lives, such as one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of world contraction, many eons of world expansion, many eons of world contraction and expansion. With the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings pass on according to their actions.

With the destruction of the taints, he realizes the taintless liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom, having realized it for himself with direct knowing, and he dwells in it. These, indeed, are the ten inspiring qualities that the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One, has declared. In whom these qualities are found, we honor, revere, esteem, and venerate them; having honored, revered, esteemed, and venerated them, we live in dependence on them.

When this was said, Vassakara the Brahmin, the chief minister of Magadha, addressed the general Upananda, What do you think, General, should these venerable ones be honored, revered, esteemed, and venerated? Indeed, these venerable ones should be honored, revered, esteemed, and venerated. If these venerable ones were not honored, revered, esteemed, and venerated, then who else should be honored, revered, esteemed, and venerated, having been honored, revered, esteemed, and venerated, and living in dependence on them?

Then Vassakara the Brahmin, the chief minister of Magadha, spoke to the Venerable Ananda.

Where is the venerable Ananda residing now? I am residing in the Bamboo Grove, brahmin. Is the Bamboo Grove delightful, quiet, with little noise, secluded, suitable for seclusion? Indeed, brahmin, the Bamboo Grove is delightful, quiet, with little noise, secluded, suitable for seclusion, as it is protected by guardians like you. Indeed, venerable Ananda, the Bamboo Grove is delightful, quiet, with little noise, secluded, suitable for seclusion, as it is inhabited by those who meditate and are inclined to meditation. You are meditators and inclined to meditation.

Once, venerable Ananda, the venerable Gotama was residing in Vesali, in the Great Forest at the Hall with the Peaked Roof. Then, venerable Ananda, I approached the Great Forest at the Hall with the Peaked Roof where the venerable Gotama was. There, the venerable Gotama gave a discourse on meditation in various ways. The venerable Gotama was a meditator and inclined to meditation. The venerable Gotama praised meditation.

But, brahmin, the Blessed One did not praise all meditation, nor did he not praise all meditation. How did the Blessed One not praise meditation, brahmin? Here, brahmin, someone dwells with a mind obsessed by sensual desire, overcome by sensual desire, and does not understand as it really is the escape from arisen sensual desire. He meditates, ponders, reflects, and does not reflect, making sensual desire an obstacle. He dwells with a mind obsessed by ill-will, overcome by ill-will, and does not understand as it really is the escape from arisen ill-will. He meditates, ponders, reflects, and does not reflect, making ill-will an obstacle. He dwells with a mind obsessed by sloth and torpor, overcome by sloth and torpor, and does not understand as it really is the escape from arisen sloth and torpor. He meditates, ponders, reflects, and does not reflect, making sloth and torpor an obstacle. He dwells with a mind obsessed by restlessness and remorse, overcome by restlessness and remorse, and does not understand as it really is the escape from arisen restlessness and remorse. He meditates, ponders, reflects, and does not reflect, making restlessness and remorse an obstacle. He dwells with a mind obsessed by doubt, overcome by doubt, and does not understand as it really is the escape from arisen doubt.

He meditates, reflects, considers, and ponders, having made doubt the barrier. Such, O Brahmin, is the meditation that the Blessed One did not praise. How, O Brahmin, did the Blessed One praise meditation? Here, O Brahmin, a disciple, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. With the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied and sustained thought, and has rapture and pleasure born of concentration. He enters and dwells in the third jhāna... the fourth jhāna. Such, O Brahmin, is the meditation that the Blessed One praised.

It seems, friend Ānanda, that the venerable Gotama criticized the meditation that is blameworthy and praised the meditation that is praiseworthy. Now, friend Ānanda, let us go; we have much to do and much to accomplish.

Now, Brahmin, you may go as you think fit.

Then the Brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, having approved and agreed with the words of the venerable Ānanda, rose from his seat and departed. Then the Brahmin Gopaka Moggallāna, shortly after the departure of the Brahmin Vassakāra, the chief minister of Magadha, said to the venerable Ānanda, What we asked you, venerable Ānanda, you did not explain to us.

Did I not tell you, Brahmin, There is not a single disciple endowed with all those qualities, in every way, in every respect, with which the Blessed One was endowed, who was an Arahant, a perfectly enlightened Buddha. For the Blessed One, O Brahmin, was the discoverer of the path that had not been discovered, the producer of the path that had not been produced, the declarer of the path that had not been declared, the knower of the path, the expert in the path, the skilled in the path. And now, O Brahmin, his disciples live following that path, having become endowed with it afterward.

The discourse of Gopaka Moggallāna is finished.