{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn32/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn32","id":"suttacentral_mn32","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn32/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the sal forest park at Gosi\u1e45ga, together with several well-known senior disciples, such as the venerables S\u0101riputta, Mah\u0101moggall\u0101na, Mah\u0101kassapa, Anuruddha, Revata, \u0100nanda, and others. Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Mah\u0101moggall\u0101na came out of retreat, went to Venerable Mah\u0101kassapa, and said, \u201cCome, Reverend Kassapa, let\u2019s go to Venerable S\u0101riputta to hear the teaching.\u201d \u201cYes, reverend,\u201d Mah\u0101kassapa replied. Then, together with Venerable Anuruddha, they went to S\u0101riputta to hear the teaching. Seeing them, Venerable \u0100nanda went to Venerable Revata, told him what was happening, and invited him also. S\u0101riputta saw them coming off in the distance and said to \u0100nanda, \u201cCome, Venerable \u0100nanda. Welcome to \u0100nanda, the Buddha\u2019s attendant, who is so close to the Buddha. Reverend \u0100nanda, the sal forest park at Gosi\u1e45ga is lovely, the night is bright, the sal trees are in full blossom, and heavenly scents seem to float on the air. What kind of mendicant would grace this park?\u201d \u201cReverend S\u0101riputta, it\u2019s a mendicant who is very learned, remembering and keeping what they\u2019ve learned. These teachings are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased, describing a spiritual practice that\u2019s entirely full and pure. They are very learned in such teachings, remembering them, rehearsing them, mentally scrutinizing them, and penetrating them theoretically. And they teach the four assemblies in order to uproot the underlying tendencies with well-rounded and coherent words and phrases. That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u201d When he had spoken, S\u0101riputta said to Revata, \u201cReverend Revata, \u0100nanda has answered according to his own inspiration. And now we ask you the same question.\u201d \u201cReverend S\u0101riputta, it\u2019s a mendicant who enjoys retreat and loves retreat. They\u2019re committed to inner serenity of the heart, they don\u2019t neglect absorption, they\u2019re endowed with discernment, and they frequent empty huts. That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u201d When he had spoken, S\u0101riputta said to Anuruddha, \u201cReverend Anuruddha, Revata has answered according to his own inspiration. And now we ask you the same question.\u201d \u201cReverend S\u0101riputta, it\u2019s a mendicant who surveys a thousandfold galaxy with clairvoyance that is purified and surpasses the human, just as a person with clear eyes could survey a thousand orbits from the upper floor of a royal longhouse. That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u201d When he had spoken, S\u0101riputta said to Mah\u0101kassapa, \u201cReverend Kassapa, Anuruddha has answered according to his own inspiration. And now we ask you the same question.\u201d \u201cReverend S\u0101riputta, it\u2019s a mendicant who lives in the wilderness, eats only almsfood, wears rag robes, and owns just three robes; and they praise these things. They are of few wishes, content, secluded, aloof, and energetic; and they praise these things. They are accomplished in ethics, immersion, wisdom, freedom, and the knowledge and vision of freedom; and they praise these things. That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u201d When he had spoken, S\u0101riputta said to Mah\u0101moggall\u0101na, \u201cReverend Moggall\u0101na, Mah\u0101kassapa has answered according to his own inspiration. And now we ask you the same question.\u201d \u201cReverend S\u0101riputta, it\u2019s when two mendicants engage in discussion about the teaching. They question each other and answer each other\u2019s questions without faltering, and their discussion on the teaching flows on. That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u201d Then Mah\u0101moggall\u0101na said to S\u0101riputta, \u201cEach of us has spoken from our heart. And now we ask you: Reverend S\u0101riputta, the sal forest park at Gosi\u1e45ga is lovely, the night is bright, the sal trees are in full blossom, and heavenly scents seem to float on the air. What kind of mendicant would grace this park?\u201d \u201cReverend Moggall\u0101na, it\u2019s when a mendicant masters their mind and is not mastered by it. In the morning, they abide in whatever meditation or attainment they want. At midday, and in the evening, they abide in whatever meditation or attainment they want. Suppose that a ruler or their chief minister had a chest full of garments of different colors. In the morning, they\u2019d don whatever pair of garments they wanted. At midday, and in the evening, they\u2019d don whatever pair of garments they wanted. In the same way, a mendicant masters their mind and is not mastered by it. In the morning, they abide in whatever meditation or attainment they want. At midday, and in the evening, they abide in whatever meditation or attainment they want. That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u201d Then S\u0101riputta said to those venerables, \u201cEach of us has spoken from the heart. Come, reverends, let\u2019s go to the Buddha, and inform him about this. As he answers, so we\u2019ll remember it.\u201d \u201cYes, reverend,\u201d they replied. Then those venerables went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. Venerable S\u0101riputta told the Buddha of how the mendicants had come to see him, and how he had asked \u0100nanda: \u201c\u2018\u0100nanda, the sal forest park at Gosi\u1e45ga is lovely, the night is bright, the sal trees are in full blossom, and heavenly scents seem to float on the air. What kind of mendicant would grace this park?\u2019 When I had spoken, \u0100nanda said to me: \u2018Reverend S\u0101riputta, it\u2019s a mendicant who is very learned \u2026 That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u2019\u201d \u201cGood, good, S\u0101riputta! \u0100nanda answered in the right way for him. For \u0100nanda is very learned \u2026\u201d \u201cNext I asked Revata the same question. He said: \u2018It\u2019s a mendicant who enjoys retreat \u2026 That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u2019\u201d \u201cGood, good, S\u0101riputta! Revata answered in the right way for him. For Revata enjoys retreat \u2026\u201d \u201cNext I asked Anuruddha the same question. He said: \u2018It\u2019s a mendicant who surveys the thousandfold galaxy with clairvoyance that is purified and surpasses the human \u2026 That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u2019\u201d \u201cGood, good, S\u0101riputta! Anuruddha answered in the right way for him. For Anuruddha surveys the thousandfold galaxy with clairvoyance that is purified and surpasses the human.\u201d \u201cNext I asked Mah\u0101kassapa the same question. He said: \u2018It\u2019s a mendicant who lives in the wilderness \u2026 and is accomplished in the knowledge and vision of freedom; and they praise these things. That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u2019\u201d \u201cGood, good, S\u0101riputta! Kassapa answered in the right way for him. For Kassapa lives in the wilderness \u2026 and is accomplished in the knowledge and vision of freedom; and he praises these things.\u201d \u201cNext I asked Mah\u0101moggall\u0101na the same question. He said: \u2018It\u2019s when two mendicants engage in discussion about the teaching \u2026 That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u2019\u201d \u201cGood, good, S\u0101riputta! Moggall\u0101na answered in the right way for him. For Moggall\u0101na is a Dhamma speaker.\u201d When he had spoken, Moggall\u0101na said to the Buddha, \u201cNext, I asked S\u0101riputta: \u2018Each of us has spoken according to our own inspiration. And now we ask you: Reverend S\u0101riputta, the sal forest park at Gosi\u1e45ga is lovely, the night is bright, the sal trees are in full blossom, and heavenly scents seem to float on the air. What kind of mendicant would grace this park?\u2019 When I had spoken, S\u0101riputta said to me: \u2018Reverend Moggall\u0101na, it\u2019s when a mendicant masters their mind and is not mastered by it \u2026 That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u2019\u201d \u201cGood, good, Moggall\u0101na! S\u0101riputta answered in the right way for him. For S\u0101riputta masters his mind and is not mastered by it \u2026\u201d When he had spoken, S\u0101riputta asked the Buddha, \u201cSir, who has spoken well?\u201d \u201cYou\u2019ve all spoken well in your own way. However, listen to me also as to what kind of mendicant would grace this sal forest park at Gosi\u1e45ga. It\u2019s a mendicant who, after the meal, returns from almsround, sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present, thinking: \u2018I will not break this sitting posture until my mind is freed from the defilements by not grasping!\u2019 That\u2019s the kind of mendicant who would grace this park.\u201d That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, those venerables approved what the Buddha said.","title":"The Longer Discourse at Gosi\u1e45ga","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1365}