While the Buddha is in retreat, the divinity Suddhāvāsa speaks in verse on the folly of judging the immeasurable, referring to the mendicant Katamorakatissaka.

SN 6.8 About Katamorakatissaka

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā divāvihāragato hoti paṭisallīno. Atha kho subrahmā ca paccekabrahmā suddhāvāso ca paccekabrahmā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā paccekaṁ dvārabāhaṁ nissāya aṭṭhaṁsu.

Atha kho suddhāvāso paccekabrahmā katamodakatissakaṁ bhikkhuṁ ārabbha bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

“Appameyyaṁ paminanto,
Kodha vidvā vikappaye;
Appameyyaṁ pamāyinaṁ,
Nivutaṁ taṁ maññe akissavan”ti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā divāvihāragato hoti paṭisallīno.

Now at that time the Buddha had gone into retreat for the day’s meditation.

Atha kho subrahmā ca paccekabrahmā suddhāvāso ca paccekabrahmā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā paccekaṁ dvārabāhaṁ nissāya aṭṭhaṁsu.

Then the independent divinities Subrahmā and Suddhāvāsa went to the Buddha and stationed themselves one by each door-post.

Atha kho suddhāvāso paccekabrahmā katamodakatissakaṁ bhikkhuṁ ārabbha bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

Then Suddhāvāsa spoke this verse about the mendicant Katamorakatissaka in the Buddha’s presence:

“Appameyyaṁ paminanto,

“What wise person here would judge

Kodha vidvā vikappaye;

the immeasurable by measuring them?

Appameyyaṁ pamāyinaṁ,

I think anyone who’d do such a thing

Nivutaṁ taṁ maññe akissavan”ti.

is an ignoramus, shrouded.”

Topics & Qualities:

Cultivation

Cultivation

The active practice of 'bringing into being' wholesome states. It is the deliberate nurturing of the bright state of mind.

Also known as: development, improvement, meditation, nurturing, growth
Pāli: bhāvanā
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Jhana

Jhana

An abiding with a steady, collected awareness that is attained through seclusion from the five hindrances and unwholesome mental states. When supported by right view, a jhāna can be a basis for the wearing away of taints and directing the mind toward the vision of Nibbāna.

Also known as: meditation, undistracted awareness, absorption, mental absorption
Pāli: jhāna, samāhita, susamāhita, sammāsamādhi
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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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
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Last updated on July 27, 2026