The Samyutta Nikaya
The Grouped Discourses
Samyutta
Nikaya
XII.48
Lokayatika
Sutta
The
Cosmologist
Translated
from
the
Pali
by
Thanissaro
Bhikkhu.
Staying
at
Savatthi.
Then
a
brahman
cosmologist
[1]
went
to
the
Blessed
One
and,
on
arrival,
exchanged
courteous
greetings
with
him.
After
an
exchange
of
friendly
greetings
&
courtesies,
he
sat
to
one
side.
As
he
was
sitting
there,
he
said
to
the
Blessed
One,
"Now,
then,
Master
Gotama,
does
everything
[2]
exist?"
"'Everything
exists'
is
the
senior
form
of
cosmology,
brahman."
"Then,
Master
Gotama,
does
everything
not
exist?"
"'Everything
does
not
exist'
is
the
second
form
of
cosmology,
brahman."
"Then
is
everything
a
Oneness?"
"'Everything
is
a
Oneness'
is
the
third
form
of
cosmology,
brahman."
"Then
is
everything
a
Manyness?"
"'Everything
is
a
Manyness'
is
the
fourth
form
of
cosmology,
brahman.
Avoiding
these
two
extremes,
the
Tathagata
teaches
the
Dhamma
via
the
middle:
From
ignorance
as
a
requisite
condition
come
fabrications.
From
fabrications
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
consciousness.
From
consciousness
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
name-&-form.
From
name-&-form
as
a
requisite
condition
come
the
six
sense
media.
From
the
six
sense
media
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
contact.
From
contact
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
feeling.
From
feeling
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
craving.
From
craving
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
clinging/sustenance.
From
clinging/sustenance
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
becoming.
From
becoming
as
a
requisite
condition
comes
birth.
From
birth
as
a
requisite
condition,
then
aging
&
death,
sorrow,
lamentation,
pain,
distress,
&
despair
come
into
play.
Such
is
the
origination
of
this
entire
mass
of
stress
&
suffering.
"Now
from
the
remainderless
fading
&
cessation
of
that
very
ignorance
comes
the
cessation
of
fabrications.
From
the
cessation
of
fabrications
comes
the
cessation
of
consciousness.
From
the
cessation
of
consciousness
comes
the
cessation
of
name-&-form.
From
the
cessation
of
name-&-form
comes
the
cessation
of
the
six
sense
media.
From
the
cessation
of
the
six
sense
media
comes
the
cessation
of
contact.
From
the
cessation
of
contact
comes
the
cessation
of
feeling.
From
the
cessation
of
feeling
comes
the
cessation
of
craving.
From
the
cessation
of
craving
comes
the
cessation
of
clinging/
sustenance.
From
the
cessation
of
clinging/sustenance
comes
the
cessation
of
becoming.
From
the
cessation
of
becoming
comes
the
cessation
of
birth.
From
the
cessation
of
birth,
then
aging
&
death,
sorrow,
lamentation,
pain,
distress,
&
despair
all
cease.
Such
is
the
cessation
of
this
entire
mass
of
stress
&
suffering."
"Magnificent,
Master
Gotama!
Magnificent!
Just
as
if
he
were
to
place
upright
what
was
overturned,
to
reveal
what
was
hidden,
to
show
the
way
to
one
who
was
lost,
or
to
carry
a
lamp
into
the
dark
so
that
those
with
eyes
could
see
forms,
in
the
same
way
has
Master
Gotama
--
through
many
lines
of
reasoning
--
made
the
Dhamma
clear.
I
go
to
Master
Gotama
for
refuge,
to
the
Dhamma,
and
to
the
Sangha
of
monks.
May
Master
Gotama
remember
me
as
a
lay
follower
who
has
gone
to
him
for
refuge,
from
this
day
forward,
for
life."
Notes
1.
The
cosmologist
(lokayata)
schools
of
thought
reasoned
from
what
they
saw
as
the
basic
principles
of
the
physical
cosmos
in
formulating
their
teachings
on
how
life
should
be
lived.
In
modern
times,
they
would
correspond
to
those
who
base
their
philosophies
on
principles
drawn
from
the
physical
sciences,
such
as
evolutionary
biology
or
quantum
physics.
Although
the
cosmologists
of
India
in
the
Buddha's
time
differed
on
first
principles,
they
tended
to
be
more
unanimous
in
using
their
first
principles
--
whatever
they
were
--
to
argue
for
hedonism
as
the
best
approach
to
life.
[Go
back]
2.
"Everything"
may
also
be
translated
as
"the
All."
Concerning
this
term,
SN
XXXV.23
says,
"What
is
the
All?
Simply
the
eye
&
forms,
ear
&
sounds,
nose
&
aromas,
tongue
&
flavors,
body
&
tactile
sensations,
intellect
&
ideas.
This
is
termed
the
All.
Anyone
who
would
say,
'Repudiating
this
All,
I
will
describe
another,'
if
questioned
on
what
exactly
might
be
the
grounds
for
his
assertion,
would
be
unable
to
explain,
and
furthermore
would
be
put
to
grief.
Why
is
that?
Because
it
lies
beyond
range."
For
more
on
this
topic,
see
The
Mind
Like
Fire
Unbound,
Chapter
1.
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back]
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