Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Medium Discourses

Chapter 12: The Brahmins

(一五九) 中阿含 梵志品 阿伽羅訶那經 第八 (第四分別誦) 159. Agrahana
我聞如是: 一時,佛遊舍衛國,在勝林、給孤獨園。 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha traveled to the country of Śrāvastī and stayed at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove.
爾時,阿伽羅訶那梵志中後彷徉。 往詣佛所,共相問訊,却坐一面。 白曰: 「瞿曇,欲有所問,聽乃敢陳。」 2. It was then that the priest Agrahana2 went for a walkabout in the afternoon. He paid the Buddha a visit, exchanging greetings with him and withdrawing to sit at one side. He said, “Gautama, I have a question I would like to ask if you would permit me.”
世尊告曰: 「恣汝所問。」 The Bhagavān told him, “You may ask your question.”
梵志即便問曰: 「瞿曇,梵志經典何所依住?」 3. The priest asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the priestly scriptures?”
世尊答曰: 「梵志經典依於人住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the priestly scriptures is humanity.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,人何所依住?」 4. The priest also asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of humanity?”
世尊答曰: 「人依稻麥住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of humanity is grain.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,稻麥何所依住?」 5. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of grain?”
世尊答曰: 「稻麥依地住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of grain is the earth.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,地何所依住?」 6. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the earth?”
世尊答曰: 「地依水住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the earth is water.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,水何所依住?」 7. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of water?”
世尊答曰: 「水依風住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of water is air.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,風何所依住?」 8. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of air?”
世尊答曰: 「風依空住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of air is space.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,空何所依住?」 9. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of space?”
世尊答曰: 「空無所依。 但因日月故,有虛空。」 The Bhagavān replied, “Space has no basis. It’s only because of the sun and moon that there is space.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,日月何所依住?」 10. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the sun and moon?”3
世尊答曰: 「日月依於四王天住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the sun and moon is the Heaven of the Four Kings.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,四王天何所依住?」 11. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the Heaven of the Four Kings?”
世尊答曰: 「四王天依三十三天住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the Heaven of the Four Kings is the Trayastriṃśa Heaven.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,三十三天何所依住?」 12. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the Trayastriṃśa Heaven?”
世尊答曰: 「三十三天依㷿摩天住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the Trayastriṃśa Heaven is the Yama Heaven.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,㷿摩天何所依住?」 13. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the Yama Heaven?”
世尊答曰: 「㷿摩天依兜瑟哆天住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the Yama Heaven is the Tuṣita Heaven.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,兜瑟哆天何所依住?」 14. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the Tuṣita Heaven?”
世尊答曰: 「兜瑟哆天依化樂天住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the Tuṣita Heaven is the Nirmāṇarati Heaven.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,化樂天何所依住?」 15. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the Nirmāṇarati Heaven?”
世尊答曰: 「化樂天依他化樂天住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the Nirmāṇarati Heaven is the Paranirmāṇarati Heaven.”4
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,他化樂天何所依住?」 16. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the Paranirmāṇarati Heaven?”
世尊答曰: 「他化樂天依梵世住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the Paranirmāṇarati Heaven is the Brahma world.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,梵世何所依住?」 17. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of the Brahma world?”
世尊答曰: 「梵世依於大梵住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of the Brahma world is Mahābrahmā.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,大梵何所依住?」 18. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of Mahābrahmā?”
世尊答曰: 「大梵依於忍辱溫良住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of Mahābrahmā is patience and gentleness.”
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,忍辱溫良何所依住?」 19. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of patience and gentleness?”
世尊答曰: 「忍辱溫良依涅槃住。」 The Bhagavān replied, “The basis of patience and gentleness is 5irvāṇa.”5
梵志即復問曰: 「瞿曇,涅槃何所依住?」 20. The priest again asked, “Gautama, what is the basis of nirvāṇa?”
世尊告曰: 「梵志,意欲依無窮事。 汝今從我受問無邊,然涅槃者無所依住。 但涅槃滅訖。 涅槃為最。 梵志,以此義故,從我行梵行。」 The Bhagavān replied, “Priest, you want the basis of something that’s endless. Now, you could put limitless questions to me about it, but nirvāṇa has no basis.6 It’s only nirvāṇa that completely extinguishes [a person].7 Nirvāṇa is the highest. Priest, the religious life is practiced under me for this goal.”
梵志白曰: 「世尊,我已知!善逝,我已解! 世尊,我今自歸於佛、法及比丘眾。 唯願世尊受我為優婆塞。 從今日始,終身自歸,乃至命盡。」 21. The priest again asked, “I know, Bhagavān! I understand, Sugata! Bhagavān, I now devote myself to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha of monks. Please, Bhagavān, accept me as a layman. Starting today, I will devote myself to them for the rest of my life.”
佛說如是。 阿伽羅訶那梵志聞佛所說歡喜,奉行。 22. This is what the Buddha said. When the priest Agrahana heard what the Buddha taught, he rejoiced and approved.

Notes

  1. For the source text, cf. T26.1.681c25-2b9. It has no known parallel among Buddhist sources, nor have I found any occurrence of the priest who appears as the Buddha’s interlocutor. However, there is a very similar passage in the Br̥hadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (@ 3.6.1) in which Gargi questions Yajnavalkya in a very similar way as Agrahana questions the Buddha here in this sūtra. The similarity is difficult to dismiss, but it’s also difficult to determine which might be the original and which was the tradition influenced by it. It could certainly be viewed as a Buddhist response that places Nirvāṇa in the position of Yajnavalkya’s unknowable Brahma. See the notes below for more discussion of this parallel. [back]
  2. Agrahana. C. 阿伽羅訶那 (EMC. a-gɪă-la-ha-na = Pr. agrahana or agarahana). The only evidence of the meaning or original Indic word for this transliterated name is the EMC reconstruction and a gloss in the 翻梵語 (@ T2130.54.1014b11). The gloss says that the translit. should be amended to 阿他訶那 and that it meant 无熱 (“no burning”). This would indicate S. adāhana (“not reduced to ashes”). Unfortunately, this seems a case of the glossary compiler being ignorant of the Pr. readings in the original Āgama text and suggesting speculative corrections based on later S.
    Setting this suggestion aside, it also seems plausible that the name could have been S. Āgrahāyaṇa (the name of a month), Agṛhana (“without a house”), or Agarhana (“without reproach”), all of which might resolve to G. agrahana or agarahana. I have adopted Agrahana for this translation, but the exact name in the original remains unclear to me without an Indic parallel or a more plausible gloss of its meaning. [back]
  3. In the Upaniṣad parallel, the progression begins: “all this” is pervaded by water, which is pervaded by air, which is pervaded by the sky, which is pervaded by the world of gandharvas, which is pervaded by the world of the sun, which is pervaded by the world of the moon. [back]
  4. Paranirmāṇarati. C. 他化樂. The usual name for this heaven was S. paranirmita-vaśavartin. Here, the C. trans. clearly is para (他) nirmāṇa (化) rati (樂), which is the same as the previous heaven with “other” (para, 他) added as a prefix. The meaning would be “Heaven of Pleasures Created by Others.” [back]
  5. In the Upaniṣad parallel, the progression continues: The world of the moon is pervaded by the world of the stars, which is pervaded by the world of the gods, which is pervaded by the world of Indra, which is pervaded by the world of Prajāpati, which is pervaded by the world of Brahma.
    Thus, Nirvāṇa in this sūtra stands as the basis beyond Brahma, who is the unknowable deity to Yajnavalkya. Nirvāṇa itself was considered to be an unknowable state by Buddhists, so it also would serve as the parallel to Yajnavalkya’s Brahma in that way. [back]
  6. This conclusion is similar to Yajnavalkya’s chiding of Gargi: “Do not, O Gargi, question too much, lest your head should fall off. You are questioning too much about a deity about whom we should not ask too much. Do not ask too much, O Gargi.” [back]
  7. completely extinguishes [a person]. C. 滅訖. While this text has no parallels, the verb 滅訖 corresponds to P. parinibbāyati and nibbāyati in MĀ’s parallels to AN 4.23 and MN 140. The trouble is that in English it needs an object that’s being extinguished, so I have inserted “a person.” This is simply for grammatical reasons, not an attempt to draw any profound ontological conclusions about the passage. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 21 August 2024