Builder Pañcakaṅgaperson
2 discourses
The king's builder and chamberlain who could not leave the question of feeling alone: his debate over whether feeling is twofold or many reached the Buddha twice, and both times the Buddha reconciled the countings as teachings for different contexts (MN 59, SN 36.19). He asked Anuruddha to distinguish the attainment of cessation from mere non-perception (MN 127), and heard that a supreme ascetic is not made by what an infant can already do (MN 78).
Discourses
When a debate arises regarding the classification of feelings, the Buddha explains that different presentations can be valid in their context. True understanding, he explains, fosters concord rather than quarrel. He then charts a progressive hierarchy of happiness starting with worldly pleasures.
PTS 1.396–1.399The Buddha refutes the idea that merely refraining from bad deeds makes one a supreme ascetic, pointing out this would make infants enlightened. True awakening requires actively abandoning unwholesome states and cultivating the ten qualities of an adept.
PTS 2.22–2.28