A Translation of Bahiya Sutta and Kalaka Sutta
Bāhiya Sutta & Kāḷakārāma Sutta
Revised English translations checked against their Pāli originals.
Bāhiya Sutta
Udāna 1.10 · Pāli original
Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. At that time Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth was living at Suppāraka on the seashore, honored, respected, esteemed, revered, and venerated, and receiving robes, almsfood, lodging, and medicinal requisites for the sick. While he was alone in seclusion, this thought arose in his mind: “Of those in this world who are arahants or have entered the path to arahantship, I am one of them.”
Then a deity who had formerly been a blood relative of Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth, compassionate and desiring his welfare, knew the thought in Bāhiya’s mind through its own mind. The deity approached him and said: “Bāhiya, you are neither an arahant nor one who has entered the path to arahantship. Nor do you have the practice by which you could become an arahant or enter the path to arahantship.”
“Then who, in this world with its devas, are arahants or have entered the path to arahantship?”
“Bāhiya, in the northern regions there is a city called Sāvatthī. There the Blessed One, an arahant, a perfectly awakened Buddha, is now dwelling. That Blessed One is indeed an arahant, and he teaches the Dhamma for the attainment of arahantship.”
Stirred by that deity, Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth immediately set out from Suppāraka. Staying only one night at each stopping place, he reached Sāvatthī, Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. At that time several monks were walking back and forth in the open air. Bāhiya approached them and said: “Venerable sirs, where is the Blessed One—the arahant, the perfectly awakened Buddha—now staying? We wish to see that Blessed One, the arahant, the perfectly awakened Buddha.”
“Bāhiya, the Blessed One has entered the town for alms.”
Then Bāhiya hurried out of Jeta’s Grove and entered Sāvatthī. He saw the Blessed One walking for alms: graceful in appearance and inspiring confidence, with faculties at peace and mind at peace, having attained the highest taming and tranquility; tamed, guarded, with faculties restrained—a great one (nāga). Seeing him, Bāhiya approached, fell at the Blessed One’s feet with his head, and said: “Let the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma; let the Well-Gone One teach me the Dhamma, for my long-term welfare and happiness.”
When this was said, the Blessed One replied: “Bāhiya, this is not the time. We have entered the town for alms.”
A second time Bāhiya said: “Bhante, it is hard to know what dangers to life may befall the Blessed One or me. Let the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma; let the Well-Gone One teach me the Dhamma, for my long-term welfare and happiness.”
A second time the Blessed One replied: “Bāhiya, this is not the time. We have entered the town for alms.”
A third time Bāhiya said: “Bhante, it is hard to know what dangers to life may befall the Blessed One or me. Let the Blessed One teach me the Dhamma; let the Well-Gone One teach me the Dhamma, for my long-term welfare and happiness.”
“Then, Bāhiya, you should train yourself thus: ‘In the seen there will be merely the seen; in the heard, merely the heard; in the sensed, merely the sensed; in the cognized, merely the cognized.’ In this way, Bāhiya, you should train yourself.
“When, for you, in the seen there will be merely the seen; in the heard, merely the heard; in the sensed, merely the sensed; in the cognized, merely the cognized—then, Bāhiya, there will be no you in connection with that. When there is no you in connection with that, there is no you there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the two. Just this is the end of suffering.”
Then, through this brief teaching of the Dhamma by the Blessed One, Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth’s mind was immediately liberated from the taints without clinging.
Having given Bāhiya this brief instruction, the Blessed One went on his way. Not long after the Blessed One had departed, a cow with a young calf attacked Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth and killed him.
After walking for alms in Sāvatthī, when the Blessed One had finished his meal and returned from his almsround, he went out of the city with several monks and saw that Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth had died. Seeing this, he addressed the monks: “Monks, take Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth’s body, place it on a bier, carry it away, cremate it, and make a memorial mound for him. Your companion in the holy life has died.”
“Yes, Bhante,” the monks replied. They placed Bāhiya’s body on a bier, carried it away, cremated it, and made a memorial mound for him. Then they approached the Blessed One, bowed, and sat to one side. Seated there, they said: “Bhante, Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth’s body has been cremated, and his memorial mound has been made. What is his destination? What is his future state?”
“Monks, Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth was wise. He practiced the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma, and he did not trouble me over matters of the Dhamma. Monks, Bāhiya of the Bark-cloth has attained final Nibbāna.”
Then, understanding the meaning of this, on that occasion the Blessed One uttered this inspired utterance:
“Where water and earth,fire and wind find no footing;there the stars do not shine,the sun gives no light;there the moon does not glow,and darkness is not found.
And when a sage, a brahmin,knows this for himself through wisdom,then from form and the formless,from pleasure and pain, he is freed.”
The tenth.
This inspired utterance, too, was spoken by the Blessed One—thus have I heard.
The first chapter: the Awakening Chapter.
Chapter summary: The three Awakening discourses; Huṃhuṅka; the Brahmin; Kassapa; Ajakalāpaka; Saṅgāmajī; the Matted-Hair Ascetics; and Bāhiya—these are the ten.
Kāḷakārāma Sutta
Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.24 · Pāli original
At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāketa, in Kāḷaka’s Park. There he addressed the monks: “Monks.”
“Bhante,” they replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Monks, whatever in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and examined by the mind—that I know.
“Whatever in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and examined by the mind—that I have directly known. That is known to the Tathāgata, yet the Tathāgata did not become bound to it.
“If I were to say, ‘I do not know whatever in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and examined by the mind,’ that would be false on my part. If I were to say, ‘I both know and do not know those things,’ that would be just the same. If I were to say, ‘I neither know nor do not know those things,’ that would be a fault on my part.
“Thus, monks, having seen what is to be seen, the Tathāgata does not conceive of the seen; he does not conceive of the unseen; he does not conceive of what is to be seen; he does not conceive of a seer.
“Having heard what is to be heard, he does not conceive of the heard; he does not conceive of the unheard; he does not conceive of what is to be heard; he does not conceive of a hearer.
“Having sensed what is to be sensed, he does not conceive of the sensed; he does not conceive of the unsensed; he does not conceive of what is to be sensed; he does not conceive of one who senses.
“Having cognized what is to be cognized, he does not conceive of the cognized; he does not conceive of the uncognized; he does not conceive of what is to be cognized; he does not conceive of a cognizer.
“Thus, monks, with regard to what is seen, heard, sensed, or to be cognized, the Tathāgata is ‘such,’ simply ‘such.’ And I say that there is no other such one higher or more excellent than the one who is thus.”
“Whatever is seen, heard, or sensedand clung to as true by others—one who is thus, among those enclosed in their own views,would not take up any of their claims as true or false.
Having seen beforehand that dartto which people cling and become entangled—‘I know, I see; that is just how it is!’—the Tathāgatas have no such clinging.”
The fourth.
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