Evaṁ me sutaṁ—ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā bārāṇasiyaṁ viharati isipatane migadāye.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was staying in the Deer Park at Isipatana near Varanasi.
Tena kho pana samayena sambahulānaṁ therānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi: “vuttamidaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā pārāyane metteyyapañhe:
Now at that time, a number of elder bhikkhus, having returned from their alms round after the meal, were seated and assembled together in the round pavilion. Then this conversation arose among them: “Friends, this was said by the Blessed One to ‘Metteyya’s Questions’ in the Way to the Far Shore [SnP 5]:
‘Yo ubhonte viditvāna,
majjhe mantā na lippati;
Taṁ brūmi mahāpurisoti,
sodha sibbinimaccagā’”ti.
‘Having known both ends,
through wisdom, he does not get entangled in the middle;
I call him a great man—
he has gone beyond stitching [existence].’”
“Katamo nu kho, āvuso, eko anto, katamo dutiyo anto, kiṁ majjhe, kā sibbinī”ti? Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
“Friends, what is the first end? What is the second end? What is the middle? And what is meant by stitching?” When this was said, one of the elder bhikkhus said to the other bhikkhus:
“phasso kho, āvuso, eko anto, phassasamudayo dutiyo anto, phassanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī; taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā. Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
“Contact, friends is the first end, the arising of contact is the second end, and the ending of contact is the middle. Stitching is a metaphor for craving, for craving stitches into production this or that state of existence. It is in this way that a bhikkhu directly knows what should be directly known, completely comprehends what should be completely comprehended; and by doing so, in this very life, he makes an end of suffering.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, another elder bhikkhu said to the other bhikkhus:
“atītaṁ kho, āvuso, eko anto, anāgataṁ dutiyo anto, paccuppannaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī; taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā. Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto, pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
“The past, friends, is the first end; the future is the second end, and the present is the middle. Stitching is a metaphor for craving, for craving stitches into production this or that state of existence. It is in this way that a bhikkhu directly knows what should be directly known, completely comprehends what should be completely comprehended; and by doing so, in this very life, he makes an end of suffering.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, another elder bhikkhu said to the other bhikkhus:
“sukhā, āvuso, vedanā eko anto, dukkhā vedanā dutiyo anto, adukkhamasukhā vedanā majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī; taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā. Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto, pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
“Pleasant feeling, friends, is the first end; painful feeling is the second end, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is the middle. Stitching is a metaphor for craving, for craving stitches into production this or that state of existence. It is in this way that a bhikkhu directly knows what should be directly known, completely comprehends what should be completely comprehended; and by doing so, in this very life, he makes an end of suffering.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, another elder bhikkhu said to the other bhikkhus:
“nāmaṁ kho, āvuso, eko anto, rūpaṁ dutiyo anto, viññāṇaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī; taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā. Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
“Name, friends, is the first end, form is the second end, and consciousness is the middle. Stitching is a metaphor for craving, for craving stitches into production this or that state of existence. It is in this way that a bhikkhu directly knows what should be directly known, completely comprehends what should be completely comprehended; and by doing so, in this very life, he makes an end of suffering.”
Evaṁ vutte aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, another elder bhikkhu said to the other bhikkhus:
“cha kho, āvuso, ajjhattikāni āyatanāni eko anto, cha bāhirāni āyatanāni dutiyo anto, viññāṇaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī; taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā. Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
“The six internal sense bases, friends, are the first end, the six external sense bases are the second end, and consciousness is the middle. Stitching is a metaphor for craving, for craving stitches into production this or that state of existence. It is in this way that a bhikkhu directly knows what should be directly known, completely comprehends what should be completely comprehended; and by doing so, in this very life, he makes an end of suffering.”
Evaṁ vutte aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, another elder bhikkhu said to the other bhikkhus:
“sakkāyo kho, āvuso, eko anto, sakkāyasamudayo dutiyo anto, sakkāyanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī; taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā. Ettāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
“Personal existence, friends, is the first end, the arising of personal existence is the second end, and the ending of personal existence is the middle. Stitching is a metaphor for craving, for craving stitches into production this or that state of existence. It is in this way that a bhikkhu directly knows what should be directly known, completely comprehends what should be completely comprehended; and by doing so, in this very life, he makes an end of suffering.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:
When this was said, another elder bhikkhu said to the other bhikkhus:
“byākataṁ kho, āvuso, amhehi sabbeheva yathāsakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ. Āyāmāvuso, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocessāma. Yathā no bhagavā byākarissati tathā naṁ dhāressāmā”ti.
“Friends, we have each given an explanation according to our own intuition. Let us go to the Blessed One and present this matter to him. In whatever way the Blessed One will explain it, that is how we should remember it.”
“Evamāvuso”ti kho therā bhikkhū tassa bhikkhuno paccassosuṁ. Atha kho therā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho therā bhikkhū yāvatako ahosi sabbeheva saddhiṁ kathāsallāpo, taṁ sabbaṁ bhagavato ārocesuṁ. “Kassa nu kho, bhante, subhāsitan”ti?
“Yes, friend,” the elder bhikkhus replied in agreement to that bhikkhu. Then the elder bhikkhus approached the Blessed One, and having drawn near, they paid homage and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the elder bhikkhus reported to the Blessed One the entire conversation they had shared together. “Venerable sir, whose words were well-spoken?”
“Sabbesaṁ vo, bhikkhave, subhāsitaṁ pariyāyena, api ca yaṁ mayā sandhāya bhāsitaṁ pārāyane metteyyapañhe:
“All of you have spoken well in your own way. However, it was this that I had in mind when I spoke in the Pārāyana, in ‘Metteyya’s Questions’:
‘Yo ubhonte viditvāna,
majjhe mantā na lippati;
Taṁ brūmi mahāpurisoti,
sodha sibbinimaccagā’ti.
‘Being wise and having known both ends,
he does not get entangled in the middle;
I call him a great man—
he has gone beyond stitching [existence].’
Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.
Listen to this and pay close attention; I will speak.”
“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho therā bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
“Yes, venerable sir,” the elder bhikkhus replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“phasso kho, bhikkhave, eko anto, phassasamudayo dutiyo anto, phassanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī; taṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā. Ettāvatā kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.
“Contact is the first end; the arising of contact is the second end, and the ending of contact is the middle. Stitching is a metaphor for craving, for craving stitches into production this or that state of existence. It is in this way that a bhikkhu directly knows what should be directly known, completely comprehends what should be completely comprehended; and by doing so, in this very life, he makes an end of suffering.”