Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena rājagahe suppabuddho nāma kuṭṭhī ahosi— manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā mahatiyā parisāya parivuto dhammaṁ desento nisinno hoti.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at |Rājagaha::name of a city; capital of Magadha; lit. king’s house [rājagaha]|, in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels’ feeding ground. At that time, there was a leper in Rājagaha named Suppabuddha—a poor, impoverished, and pitiful man. Now, on that occasion, the Blessed One was seated teaching the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]|, surrounded by a large assembly.
Addasā kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī taṁ mahājanakāyaṁ dūratova sannipatitaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: “nissaṁsayaṁ kho ettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā bhājīyati. Yannūnāhaṁ yena so mahājanakāyo tenupasaṅkameyyaṁ. Appeva nāmettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā labheyyan”ti.
Suppabuddha the leper saw the great crowd of people gathered in the distance. Seeing this, it occurred to him: “Undoubtedly, some fresh and cooked food is being distributed here. What if I were to approach that great crowd of people? Perhaps I might get some fresh and cooked food there.”
Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī yena so mahājanakāyo tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavantaṁ mahatiyā parisāya parivutaṁ dhammaṁ desentaṁ nisinnaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: “na kho ettha kiñci khādanīyaṁ vā bhojanīyaṁ vā bhājīyati. Samaṇo ayaṁ gotamo parisati dhammaṁ deseti. Yannūnāhampi dhammaṁ suṇeyyan”ti. Tattheva ekamantaṁ nisīdi: “ahampi dhammaṁ sossāmī”ti.
Then Suppabuddha the leper approached that great crowd of people. Suppabuddha the leper saw the Blessed One seated, teaching the Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly. Seeing this, it occurred to him: “No fresh or cooked food is being distributed here. This ascetic Gotama is teaching the Dhamma to an assembly. What if I were to listen to the Dhamma too?” Right there he sat down to one side, thinking, “I too will listen to the Dhamma.”
Atha kho bhagavā sabbāvantaṁ parisaṁ cetasā ceto paricca manasākāsi “ko nu kho idha bhabbo dhammaṁ viññātun”ti? Addasā kho bhagavā suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ tassaṁ parisāyaṁ nisinnaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: “ayaṁ kho idha bhabbo dhammaṁ viññātun”ti. Suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ ārabbha anupubbiṁ kathaṁ kathesi, seyyathidaṁ— dānakathaṁ sīlakathaṁ saggakathaṁ; kāmānaṁ ādīnavaṁ okāraṁ saṅkilesaṁ; nekkhamme ānisaṁsaṁ pakāsesi. Yadā bhagavā aññāsi suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ kallacittaṁ muducittaṁ vinīvaraṇacittaṁ udaggacittaṁ pasannacittaṁ, atha yā buddhānaṁ sāmukkaṁsikā dhammadesanā taṁ pakāsesi— dukkhaṁ, samudayaṁ, nirodhaṁ, maggaṁ. Seyyathāpi nāma suddhaṁ vatthaṁ apagatakāḷakaṁ sammadeva rajanaṁ paṭiggaṇheyya; evamevaṁ suppabuddhassa kuṭṭhissa tasmiṁyeva āsane virajaṁ vītamalaṁ dhammacakkhuṁ udapādi: “yaṁ kiñci samudayadhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodhadhamman”ti.
Then the Blessed One, encompassing the mind of the entire assembly with his own mind, considered: “Who here is capable of understanding the Dhamma?” The Blessed One saw Suppabuddha the leper seated in that assembly. Seeing him, it occurred to him: “This one here is capable of understanding the Dhamma.” For the sake of Suppabuddha the leper, he gave a progressive discourse, namely: first on giving, then on virtue, and then on the heavens. He explained the dangers, degradation, and defilement of sensual pleasures and the benefit of renunciation. When the Blessed One knew that Suppabuddha the leper’s mind was ready, receptive, free of hindrances, uplifted, and confident, he then expounded the distinctive teaching of the Buddhas: suffering, its arising, its cessation, and the path. Just as a clean cloth with no dark spots would perfectly absorb dye, so too, as Suppabuddha the leper was sitting there, the stainless, immaculate Dhamma eye arose in him: “Whatever is subject to arising, is subject to cessation.”
Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī diṭṭhadhammo pattadhammo viditadhammo pariyogāḷhadhammo tiṇṇavicikiccho vigatakathaṅkatho vesārajjappatto aparappaccayo satthu sāsane uṭṭhāyāsanā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then Suppabuddha the leper, having seen the Dhamma, having attained the Dhamma, having understood the Dhamma, having deeply penetrated the Dhamma, having crossed beyond doubt, with no more uncertainty, having become confident, self-assured, and independent of others in the Teacher’s instruction, rose from his seat and approached the Blessed One. Having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Suppabuddha the leper said to the Blessed One:
“Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante. Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsakaṁ maṁ bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.
“Excellent, venerable sir! Excellent, venerable sir! Just as if one were to set upright what had been overturned, reveal what had been concealed, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms—even so, the Dhamma has been explained by the Blessed One in many ways. I go for refuge to the Blessed One, to the Dhamma, and to the |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]| of bhikkhus. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forward for life.”
Atha kho suppabuddho kuṭṭhī bhagavatā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito bhagavatā bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi. Atha kho acirapakkantaṁ suppabuddhaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ gāvī taruṇavacchā adhipatitvā jīvitā voropesi.
Then Suppabuddha the leper, having been instructed, encouraged, inspired, and gladdened by the Blessed One with a talk on the Dhamma, delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words. He then rose from his seat, paid homage to the Blessed One, and, keeping him on his right, departed. Then, not long after Suppabuddha the leper had departed, a cow with a young calf charged at him and deprived him of life.
Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “yo so, bhante, suppabuddho nāma kuṭṭhī bhagavatā dhammiyā kathāya sandassito samādapito samuttejito sampahaṁsito, so kālaṅkato. Tassa kā gati, ko abhisamparāyo”ti?
Then several bhikkhus went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, they sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, those bhikkhus said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, that leper named Suppabuddha, who was instructed, encouraged, inspired, and gladdened by the Blessed One with a talk on the Dhamma, has passed away. What is his destination? What is his future state?”
“Paṇḍito, bhikkhave, suppabuddho kuṭṭhī; paccapādi dhammassānudhammaṁ; na ca maṁ dhammādhikaraṇaṁ vihesesi. Suppabuddho, bhikkhave, kuṭṭhī tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyaṇo”ti.
“Bhikkhus, Suppabuddha the leper was wise. He |practiced::followed [paccapādi]| |in accordance with the teaching::in line with the training guidelines of the Buddha’s teachings that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhammassānudhamma]| and did not |pester::annoy, trouble [vihesesi]| me with the |technical points of the teaching::reasons or basis of the teaching [dhammādhikaraṇa]|. Bhikkhus, Suppabuddha the leper, through the |complete exhaustion::gradual and complete wearing away [parikkhaya]| of the |three fetters::the three fetters of doubt, personal existence, and adherence to rules and observances|, is a |stream-enterer::A stream-enterer is an individual who has attained the first stage of awakening, having completely abandoned the three fetters: 1) personal existence view - identity view, belief in a self, 2) doubt or perplexity regarding suffering, its arising, its ending, and the way of practice leading to the end of suffering, and 3) adherence to rules and observances as a means of liberation [sotāpanna]|, not liable to states of suffering, assured of liberation and destined for full awakening.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ko nu kho, bhante, hetu, ko paccayo yena suppabuddho kuṭṭhī ahosi— manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko”ti?
When this was said, a certain bhikkhu asked the Blessed One: “What is the cause, venerable sir, what is the reason that Suppabuddha became a leper—a poor, impoverished, and pitiful man?”
“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, suppabuddho kuṭṭhī imasmiṁyeva rājagahe seṭṭhiputto ahosi. So uyyānabhūmiṁ niyyanto addasa tagarasikhiṁ paccekabuddhaṁ nagaraṁ piṇḍāya pavisantaṁ. Disvānassa etadahosi: ‘kvāyaṁ kuṭṭhī kuṭṭhicīvarena vicaratī’ti? Niṭṭhubhitvā apasabyato karitvā pakkāmi. So tassa kammassa vipākena bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni niraye paccittha. Tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena imasmiṁyeva rājagahe kuṭṭhī ahosi manussadaliddo, manussakapaṇo, manussavarāko. So tathāgatappaveditaṁ dhammavinayaṁ āgamma saddhaṁ samādiyi sīlaṁ samādiyi sutaṁ samādiyi cāgaṁ samādiyi paññaṁ samādiyi. So tathāgatappaveditaṁ dhammavinayaṁ āgamma saddhaṁ samādiyitvā sīlaṁ samādiyitvā sutaṁ samādiyitvā cāgaṁ samādiyitvā paññaṁ samādiyitvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapanno devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ sahabyataṁ. So tattha aññe deve atirocati vaṇṇena ceva yasasā cā”ti.
“Formerly, bhikkhus, Suppabuddha the leper was a merchant’s son in this very Rājagaha. While going out to the pleasure park, he saw the Paccekabuddha |Tagarasikhī::name of a privately awakened Buddha; lit. jasmine crest [tagarasikhī]| entering the city for alms. Seeing him, it occurred to him: ‘Who is this leper wandering about in a leper’s robe?’ Having spat and kept him on his left, he departed. As a result of that kamma, he boiled in hell for many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, many hundreds of thousands of years. Through the residue of that same kamma’s result, he became a leper in this very Rājagaha, a poor, impoverished, and pitiful man. Having encountered the Dhamma and |Vinaya::code of monastic discipline rules, training [vinaya]| proclaimed by the |Tathāgata::one who has arrived at the truth, an epithet of a perfectly Awakened One [tathāgata]|, he undertook |faith::confidence, conviction, trust [saddha]|, he undertook |virtue::moral conduct, ethical behavior [sīla]|, he undertook |learning::studying, understanding, acquiring knowledge [suta]|, he undertook |generosity::sharing, relinquishment [cāga]|, and he undertook |wisdom::distinctive knowledge, discernment [pañña]|. Having encountered the Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by the Tathāgata, and having undertaken faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and wisdom, upon the breakup of the body, after death, he arose in a good destination, in a heavenly world, in the company of the gods of the Thirty-Three. There, he outshines the other gods in beauty and fame.”
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“Cakkhumā visamānīva,
vijjamāne parakkame;
Paṇḍito jīvalokasmiṁ,
pāpāni parivajjaye”ti.
“As one with sight, while he is endeavoring,
would avoid dangerous paths;
So in this world, a wise person should shun
all evil and unwholesome deeds.”