133 Maha Kaccana
and One Excellent Night
§ 1. THUS HAVE I HEARD.
On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Rajagaha in the Park of the Hot Springs. Then, when it was near dawn, the venerable Samiddhi went to the hot springs to bathe. After bathing he came up out of the water and stood dressed in one robe, drying himself.
Then, when the night was well advanced, a certain deity of beautiful appearance who illuminated the whole of the Hot Springs, approached the venerable Samiddhi. Standing at one side, the deity said to him:
§2. “Bhikkhu, do you remember the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night’?”
“Friend, I do not remember the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night ; But, friend, do you remember the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One One Excellent Night?”
“Bhikkhu, I too do not remember the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night.’ But, bhikkhu, do you remember the stanza of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night‘?”
“Friend, I do not remember the stanza of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night.’ But, friend, do you remember the stanza of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night‘?”
“Bhikkhu, I too do not remember the stanza of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night.’
But, bhikkhu, learn the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night.’
Bhikkhu, master the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night.’
Bhikkhu, remember the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night.
Bhikkhu, the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night‘ is beneficial, it belongs to the fundamentals of the holy life.”
That is what was said by the deity, who thereupon vanished at once.
§ 3. Then, when the night was over, the venerable Samiddhi went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to him, he sat down at one side, [193] told the Blessed One all that had occurred, and said: “It would be good, venerable sir, if the Blessed One would teach me the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has One Excellent Night.'”
§ 4. “Then, bhikkhu, listen and attend closely to what I shall say.” – “Yes, venerable sir,” the venerable Samiddhi replied. The Blessed One said:
§ 5. “Let not a person revive the past
Or on the future build his hopes;
For the past has been left behind
And the future has not been reached.
Instead with insight let him see
Each presently arisen state;
Let him know that and be sure of it,
Invincibly, unshakeably.
Today the effort must be made;
Tomorrow Death may come, who knows?
No bargain with Mortality
Can keep him and his hordes away.
But one who dwells thus ardently,
Relentlessly, by day, by night –
It is he, the Peaceful Sage has said,
Who has one excellent Night.”
§ 6. That is what the Blessed One said.
Having said this, the Sublime One rose from his seat and went into his dwelling.
§ 7 . Then, soon after the Blessed One had gone, the bhikkhus considered:1219
“Now, friends, the Blessed One has risen from his seat and gone into his dwelling after giving a summary in brief without expounding the detailed meaning. Now who will expound this in detail?”
Then they considered:
“The venerable Maha Kaccana is praised by the Teacher and esteemed by his wise companions in the holy life.230 He is capable of expounding the detailed meaning. Suppose we went to him and asked him the meaning of this.”
[230:- Ven. Mahā Kaccāna was declared by the Buddha to be the most eminent disciple in expounding the detailed meaning of a brief saying. MN 133 and MN 138 were also spoken by him under similar circumstances]
§ 8 . Then the bhikkhus went to the venerable Maha Kaccana and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, they sat down to one side and told him what had taken place, [111] adding:
“Let the venerable Maha Kaccana expound it to us.”
§ 9 . [The venerable Maha Kaccana replied:]
“Friends, it is as though a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, thought that heartwood should be sought for among the branches and leaves of a great tree standing possessed of heartwood, after he had passed over the root and the trunk.
And so it is with you, venerable sirs, that you think that I should be asked about the meaning of this, after you passed the Blessed One by when you were face to face with the Teacher. For knowing, the Blessed One knows; seeing, he sees; he is vision, he is knowledge, he is the Dhamma, he is the holy one;231 he is the sayer, the proclaimer, the elucidator of meaning, the giver of the Deathless, the lord of the Dhamma, the Tathagata . That was the time when you should have asked the Blessed One the meaning. As he told you, so you should have remembered it.”
[231:- Cakkhubhūto ñāṇabhūto dhammabhūto brahmabhūto. MA: He is vision in the sense that he is the leader in vision; he is knowledge in the sense that he makes things known; he is the Dhamma in the sense that he consists of the Dhamma that he utters verbally after considering it in his heart; he is Brahmā, the holy one, in the sense of the best.]
§10. “Surely, friend Kaccana, knowing, the Blessed One knows;
seeing, he sees; he is vision.. .
the Tathagata. That was the time when we should have asked the Blessed One the meaning.
As he told us, so we should have remembered it.
Yet the venerable Maha Kaccana is praised by the Teacher and esteemed by his wise companions in the holy life. The venerable Maha Kaccana is capable of expounding the detailed meaning of this summary given in brief by the Blessed One without expounding the detailed meaning. Let the venerable Maha Kaccana expound it without finding it troublesome.”
§11. “Then listen, friends, and attend closely to what I shall say.” – “Yes, friend,” the bhikkhus replied. The venerable Maha Kaccana said this:
§12. “Friends, when the Blessed One rose from his seat and went into his dwelling after giving a summary in brief without expounding the detailed meaning, that is:
Let not a person revive the past…
Who has one fortunate attachment“
I understand the detailed meaning of it to be as follows.
§13. “How, friends, does one revive the past? [196]
Thinking,
‘My eye was thus in the past and forms were thus,’1220
[1220 :- MA: In the two previous suttas and in the one to follow the Buddha set up the outline and analysis by way of the five aggregates, but here he set it up in order for it to be analysed by way of the twelve sense bases. Understanding the Buddha’s intention, Ven. Maha Kaccana spoke as he did, and because of his skill in grasping the method even when it was not explicitly shown, the Buddha appointed him the foremost disciple in explaining in detail a teaching stated in brief]
one’s consciousness becomes bound up with desire and lust for that. Because one’s consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that. When one delights in that, one revives the past.
“Thinking, ‘My ear was thus in the past and sounds were thus…
My nose and odours…
My tongue and flavours…
My body and tangibles…
My mind was thus in the past and mind-objects were thus,’ one’s consciousness becomes bound up with desire and lust for that.
Because one’s consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that.
When one delights in that, one revives the past.
That is how one revives the past.
§14. “How does one not revive the past?
Thinking,
‘My eye was thus in the past and forms were thus,’ one’s consciousness does not become bound up with desire and lust for that.
Because one’s consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, one does not delight in that. When one does not delight in that, one does not revive the past.
“Thinking,
‘My ear was thus in the past and sounds were thus…
My nose and odours…
My tongue and flavours…
My body and tangibles…
My mind was thus in the past and mind-objects were thus,’
one’s consciousness does not become bound up with desire and lust for that. Because one’s consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, one does not delight in that.
When one does not delight in that, one does not revive the past.
That is how one does not revive the past.
§ 15. “How, friends, does one build up hope upon the future?
Thinking, ‘My eye may be thus in the future and forms may be thus,’ one sets one’s heart on obtaining what has not yet been obtained. Because one sets one’s heart thus, one delights in that.
When one delights in that, one builds up hope upon the future.
“Thinking,
‘My ear may be thus in the future and sounds may be thus…
My nose and odours…
My tongue and flavours…
My body and tangibles…
My mind may be thus in the future and [197] mind-objects may be thus,’
one sets one’s heart on obtaining what has not yet been obtained.
Because one sets one’s heart thus, one delights in that.
When one delights in that, one builds up hope upon the future.
That is how one builds up hope upon the future.
§16. “How, friends, does one not build up hope upon the future?
Thinking,
‘My eye may be thus in the future and forms may be thus,
‘ one does not set one’s heart on obtaining what has not yet been obtained.
Because one does not set one’s heart thus, one does not delight in that.
When one does not delight in that, one does not build up hope upon the future.
“Thinking,
‘My ear may be thus in the future and sounds may be thus…
My nose and odours…
My tongue and flavours…
My body and tangibles…
My mind may be thus in the future and mind-objects may be thus;
one does not set one’s heart on obtaining what has not yet been obtained.
Because one does not set one’s heart thus, one does not delight in that.
When one does not delight in that, one does not build up hope upon the future.
That is how one does not build up hope upon the future.
§17. “How is one vanquished in regard to presently arisen states?
In regard to the eye and forms that are presently arisen,
one’s consciousness is bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen. Because one’s consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that.
When one delights in that, one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states.
“In regard to the ear and sounds that are presently arisen…
the nose and odours…
the tongue and flavours…
the body and tangibles…
the mind and mind-objects that are presently arisen, one’s consciousness is bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen.
\Because one’s consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that.
When one delights in that, one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states.
That is how one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states.
§ 18. “How is one invincible in regard to presently arisen states?
In regard to the eye and forms that are presently arisen, one’s consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen. Because one’s consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, one does not delight in that.
When one does not delight in that, one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states.
“In regard to the ear and sounds that are presently arisen the
nose and odours…
the tongue and flavours…
the body and tangibles…
the mind and mind-objects that are presently arisen, [198] one’s consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen.
Because one’s consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, one does not delight in that.
When one does not delight in that, one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states. That is how one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states.
§ 19. “Friends, when the Blessed One rose from his seat and went into his dwelling after giving a summary in brief without expounding the detailed meaning, that is:
‘Let not a person revive the past…
Who has one fortunate attachment,’
I understand the detailed meaning of this summary to be thus.
Now, friends, if you wish, go to the Blessed One and ask him about the meaning of this. As the Blessed One explains it to you, so you should remember it.”
§ 20. Then the bhikkhus, having delighted and rejoiced in the venerable Maha Kaccana’s words, rose from their seats and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to him, they sat down at one side and told the Blessed One all that had taken place after he had left, adding: [199] “Then, venerable sir, we went to the venerable Maha Kaccana and asked him about the meaning. The venerable Maha Kaccana expounded the meaning to us with these terms, statements, and phrases.”
§ 21. “Maha Kaccana is wise, bhikkhus, Maha Kaccana has great wisdom. If you had asked me the meaning of this, I would have explained it to you in the same way that Maha Kaccana has explained it. Such is its meaning, and so you should remember it.””
That is what the Blessed One said.
The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
Majjima Nikaya 