Venerable Sāriputta describes to Ānanda his meditation on with sucimukhī in private retreat, showing the clarity and brightness that arise from deep collectedness.

SN 28.10 With Sucimukhī

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sāriputto rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahe piṇḍāya pāvisi. Rājagahe sapadānaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā taṁ piṇḍapātaṁ aññataraṁ kuṭṭamūlaṁ nissāya paribhuñjati.

Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

“Kiṁ nu kho, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“‘Kiṁ nu, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. ‘Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi. Kathañcarahi, samaṇa, bhuñjasī”ti?

“Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘adhomukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘ubbhamukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘disāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘vidisāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

So khvāhaṁ, bhagini, na vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi. Dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesāmi; dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesitvā bhuñjāmī”ti.

Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā rājagahe rathiyāya rathiyaṁ, siṅghāṭakena siṅghāṭakaṁ upasaṅkamitvā evamārocesi: “dhammikaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti; anavajjaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti. Detha samaṇānaṁ sakyaputtiyānaṁ piṇḍan”ti.

Dasamaṁ.

Sāriputtavaggo paṭhamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Vivekajaṁ avitakkaṁ,
pīti upekkhā catutthakaṁ;
Ākāsañceva viññāṇaṁ,
ākiñcaṁ nevasaññinā;
Nirodho navamo vutto,
dasamaṁ sūcimukhī cāti.

Sāriputtasaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sāriputto rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.

At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahe piṇḍāya pāvisi.

Then he robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Rājagaha for alms.

Rājagahe sapadānaṁ piṇḍāya caritvā taṁ piṇḍapātaṁ aññataraṁ kuṭṭamūlaṁ nissāya paribhuñjati.

After wandering indiscriminately for almsfood in Rājagaha, he ate his almsfood by a wall.

Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

Then the wanderer Sucimukhī went up to Venerable Sāriputta and said to him:

“Kiṁ nu kho, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Ascetic, do you eat facing downwards?”

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“No, sister.”

“Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Well then, do you eat facing upwards?”

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“No, sister.”

“Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Well then, do you eat facing the cardinal directions?”

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“No, sister.”

“Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī”ti?

“Well then, do you eat facing the intermediate directions?”

“Na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī”ti.

“No, sister.”

“‘Kiṁ nu, samaṇa, adhomukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, adhomukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi.

“When asked if you eat facing all these directions, you answer ‘no, sister’.

‘Tena hi, samaṇa, ubbhamukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, ubbhamukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi.

‘Tena hi, samaṇa, disāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, disāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi.

‘Tena hi, samaṇa, vidisāmukho bhuñjasī’ti iti puṭṭho samāno ‘na khvāhaṁ, bhagini, vidisāmukho bhuñjāmī’ti vadesi.

Kathañcarahi, samaṇa, bhuñjasī”ti?

How then do you eat, ascetic?”

“Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘adhomukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

“Sister, those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by geomancy—a low lore, a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing downwards.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘ubbhamukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by astrology—a low lore, a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing upwards.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘disāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by running errands and messages—a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing the cardinal directions.

Ye hi keci, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappenti, ime vuccanti, bhagini, samaṇabrāhmaṇā ‘vidisāmukhā bhuñjantī’ti.

Those ascetics and brahmins who earn a living by limb-reading—a low lore, a wrong livelihood—are said to eat facing the intermediate directions.

So khvāhaṁ, bhagini, na vatthuvijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na nakkhattavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na dūteyyapahiṇagamanānuyogāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi, na aṅgavijjātiracchānavijjāya micchājīvena jīvikaṁ kappemi.

I don’t earn a living by any of these means.

Dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesāmi;

I seek alms in a principled manner,

dhammena bhikkhaṁ pariyesitvā bhuñjāmī”ti.

and I eat it in a principled manner.”

Atha kho sucimukhī paribbājikā rājagahe rathiyāya rathiyaṁ, siṅghāṭakena siṅghāṭakaṁ upasaṅkamitvā evamārocesi:

Then Sucimukhī the wanderer went around Rājagaha from street to street and from square to square, and announced:

“dhammikaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti;

“The ascetics who follow the Sakyan eat food in a principled manner!

anavajjaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā āhāraṁ āhārenti.

The ascetics who follow the Sakyan eat food blamelessly!

Detha samaṇānaṁ sakyaputtiyānaṁ piṇḍan”ti.

Give almsfood to the ascetics who follow the Sakyan!”

Dasamaṁ.

Sāriputtavaggo paṭhamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Vivekajaṁ avitakkaṁ,

pīti upekkhā catutthakaṁ;

Ākāsañceva viññāṇaṁ,

ākiñcaṁ nevasaññinā;

Nirodho navamo vutto,

dasamaṁ sūcimukhī cāti.

Sāriputtasaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.

The Linked Discourses on Sāriputta are complete.

Qualities:

Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
View all discourses →
Wrong livelihood

Wrong livelihood

Sustaining oneself through deceit, exploitation, or manipulation for gain. It includes cheating, flattery, hinting for favors, belittling others, and pursuing gain by means of gain.

Also known as: unwholesome livelihood, wrong way of earning a living
Pāli: micchāājīva
View all discourses →

Last updated on July 27, 2026