Majjhima Nikaya 26

This is what I heard.

At one time the Honored One was staying at Jeta’s grove in Savatthi, in the retreat given to the sangha by Anathapindika. That morning, the Honored One put on his robes and went into Savatthi for the alms round. While he was there, a number of bhikkhus went to Ananda and said, “Friend Ananda, it’s been a long time since we heard the Dhamma from the Honored One. It would be good if we could hear a discourse from the Honored One.”

“Then friends,” Ananda replied, “go this evening to the park at the home of the brahmin Rammaka. Perhaps you will there be able to hear a talk from the Honored One himself”

When the Honored One returned from the the alms round and the day’s meal was finished, he addressed venerable Ananda. “Let us go to the palace of Migara’s mother to spend the day.” So there they went and spent the day in meditation. Then, early in the evening, after they had bathed, the venerable Ananda said. “Venerable sir, the brahmin Rammaka’s dwelling is pleasant, shall we approach it out of compassion.”" The Buddha, by his silence, indicated his assent, and they set off.

The many bhikkhus gathered in the park of the brahmin Rammaka were engaged in a talk on the Teachings when the Honored One arrived. He stood outside the gate until the talk ended; then he cleared his throat to announce his presence. When the bhikkhus admitted him, he sat on the seat they’d prepared for them and asked them, “Bhikkhus, what were you talking about when we arrived?” When they told him, he praised them: “Good, bhikkhus. When those who have gone forth have gathered for discussion, there are just two things for each to do—speak of the Dhamma or preserve noble silence.”

Then he taught them, thus:

“Bhikkhus, there are two kinds of quest, one noble, and one ignoble. Now, what is the ignoble quest? That is when one who is himself subject to birth quests after what is also subject to birth. One who is himself subject to aging, subject to illness, subject to death, subject to grief, subject to corruption, quests after that which is also subject to aging, illness, death, grief and corruption.

“And what is subject to birth, aging, illness, death, grief and pollution? One’s sons and wives, male and female slaves, cattle, fowl, elephants and horses, even jewelry of gold and silver—all that is subject to birth, subject to aging, subject to illness, subject to death, subject to grief, subject to corruption. Questing after such things, attached to them, infatuated by them, addicted to them, one who is himself subject to birth, aging, illness, death, grief and corruption is thereby engaged in an ignoble quest.

“And what is the noble quest? That is when one who is himself subject to birth rightly understands the inevitable peril in birth and quests instead for the unborn: that unexcelled release from all peril, Nibbana. One engaged in the noble quest understands the inevitable perils of aging, illness, death, grief and corruption and quests instead for the unageing, the illness-free, the undying, the unsorrowing, the incorruptible: that unexcelled release from all perils, Nibbana.

“Before my Awakening, bhikkhus, when I was just trying to discover my purpose, I too, although I was myself subject to birth, to aging, to illness, to death, to grief, to corruption, looked for fulfillment in that which was also subject to birth, aging, illness, death, grief and corruption. But then I thought to myself, ‘Why am I doing this? Why am I looking for fulfillment in that which is subject to the same perils to which I myself am subject? What if, instead, I quest after that which is unborn, unageing, without illness, deathless, unsorrowing, incorruptible; what if I quest after that unexcelled release from all perils, Nibbana?’

“So, a little later, while I was still a black-haired youth, healthy and promising, although my parents wept and tried to stop me, I cut off my hair and beard, traded my fine clothes for the simple yellow robe, and went forth from home into the homeless life.

“The first teacher I approached was Alara Kalama. ‘Friend Kalama,’ I told him, ‘I wish to learn what you can teach me, to practice the discipline you have mastered.’

“‘You have found the right place, my friend,’ he answered. ‘The truth I teach is such that you will quickly grasp it, and the practice I teach will let you realize that truth for yourself, and you will find your fulfillment there.’

“I learned that doctrine quickly. I could feed it back without error, and I understood it thoroughly. But I thought, ‘It’s not just by knowing this that Alara Kalama has reached his goal. Surely he’s reached a higher level of experience.’ So I went to him and asked, ‘How far have you taken this understanding? What level of experience have you attained?’ And he answered, ‘As far as the realm of nothingness; I directly perceive the nothingness in phenomena.’

“I thought, ‘I can do that too.’ And with that conviction, by the persistent application of mindfulness, concentration, and discernment, I, too, took Alara Kalama’s doctrine and practice as far as the realm of nothingness; I, too, directly perceived the nothingness in phenomena.”

“Then I went to Alara Kalama and told him what I’d perceived. ‘Is this’, I asked him, ‘what you, also, have perceived?’

“‘What a wonderful thing,’ he answered, ‘that you have attained this; it is great good fortune for us to have such a skillful companion in this holy life we lead. The truth I have known through direct knowledge, you also have known through direct knowledge; what I have perceived, you also have perceived. You and I are just alike. Come, friend, now let us lead this community together.’

“In this way, Alara Kalama paid me great honor. But I came to understand that this truth I came to know and this perception I attained did not end my confusion, did not end my attachment to this world, did not still my longings, brought me to see things with perfect clarity or awaken to the true nature of the world; they did not bring me to Nibbana; they only allowed me to perceive the nothingness of phenomena. So, finding no fulfillment in Alara Kalama’s Dhamma, I took my leave.

“I then approached the teacher Uddaka Ramaputta. Uddaka taught the Dhamma he had received from his father Rama. Again, I asked to study his Dhamma and discipline, and again I was promised that I would be able to gain direct knowledge of the Dhamma and experience the fruits of the discipline.

“The Dhamma which Uddaka taught led one to experience phenomena directly, with neither perception nor non-perception. I quickly came to know the teachings and to understand them, and, by the persistent application of mindfulness, concentration, and discernment, I too came to experience phenomena directly, with neither perception nor non-perception.

“When I went to Uddaka and told him what I’d accomplished, he was amazed. ‘What you have accomplished is a great gain for our entire community,’ he told me. ‘The Dhamma that Rama realized for himself through direct knowledge; the experience he attained, is the same Dhamma that you have realized, the same experience you have attained. What Rama knew, you also know; what Rama experienced, you also have experienced. You and Rama are just alike. Come, friend, lead this community.’

“So Uddaka, my companion in Rama’s community, accepted me as his teacher and paid me great honor. But once again, I realized that the knowledge and experience Uddaka had helped me gain had not ended my confusion, had not ended my attachment to this world, stilled my longings, helped me see things with perfect clarity, led to my Awakening, brought me to the experience of Nibbana; they only allowed me to experience phenomena with neither perception nor non-perception. So, finding no fulfillment in Rama’s doctrine and practice, I took my leave.

“Wandering then with no particular destination, only trying to behave skillfully, still questing for the unexcelled state of perfect peace, I found myself near the town of Uruvela, looking out on a delightful countryside, with a beautiful forest grove, a clear, swiftly flowing river, and flourishing villages nearby from which one could gather alms.

“‘Here is where I will stay,’ I thought. ‘This is the perfect place to exert my most diligent effort.’

“In that place, bhikkhus, being myself subject to birth, to aging, to illness, to death, to grief and to corruption, and questing after what was itself not subject to those perils, I finally reached the unborn, unaging, illness-free, deathless, sorrowless, and incorruptible: the unexcelled release from all peril, Nibbana. Knowledge and vision arose within me: my release is complete; this is the final birth; there is nothing more I must become.

“But then I thought, ‘This Dhamma I have attained is deep, hard to see, hard to realize, peaceful and pure, beyond any analysis, subtle; it can only be experienced, and only by those who are very wise. But this society is stuck in one place, happy with that place, passionate about that place. For those who are stuck in one place, happy with that place, passionate about that place, it’s hard to see this state of contingency, how this experience emerges from those conditions. It’s hard for them to imagine a state in which complexities are untangled, acquisitions are dispersed, craving ends: dispassion, cessation, Nibbana. If I were to teach this Dhamma and they would not understand, that would be frustrating and troublesome for me.’

“And then these verses arose in my mind spontaneously, verses never before spoken, never before heard:

“With thoughts like those still echoing, my mind inclined to dwell in ease and not to teach the Dhamma.

“Then, bhikkhus, the Brahma Sahampati became aware of that thought in my mind, and he despaired. ‘The world is lost! The world will perish! The mind of theTathagata, the fully realized one, the one Awakened through his own right effort, now inclines to dwell at ease and not to teach the Dhamma.’ Then, as quickly as a strong man might extend his bended arm or bend his extended arm, the Brahma Sahampati vanished from the Brahma-world and appeared before me where I sat. Arranging his upper robe over one shoulder and holding his hands together before his heart, he knelt before me and said, ‘Venerable Sir, let the Honored One teach the Dhamma, let the Awakened One teach the Dhamma. There are beings with little dust in their eyes who will be lost unless they hear the Dhamma. There are those who will understand.’

“Then Brahma Sahampadi spoke these verses:

“So I listened to the Brahma’s pleading, and, out of compassion for all beings, I surveyed the world. With the Buddha eye I saw beings with little dust in their eyes, and those with much; those with keen faculties and those with dull, with good qualities and bad, easy to teach and hard to teach, and some I saw who lived in terror and dismay at any world beside the one they knew. Just as in a lotus pond, some lotuses never rise above the surface, others rest on the surface, and some few rise above and bloom, unwetted by the water in which they were born, so now, surveying the world with the Buddha eye, I saw beings with little dust in their eyes, and those with much; those with keen faculties and those with dull, with good qualities and bad, easy to teach and hard to teach, and some I saw who lived in terror and dismay at any world beside the one they knew. Then I replied to the Brahma Sahampati with these verses:

“Then the Brahma Sahampati knew, ‘The Honored One has heard my plea and acquiesced; he will teach the Dhamma.’ And after paying homage to me, he walked around me, keeping me on his right, and disappeared right there.

“Then I considered, ‘To whom should I teach this Dhamma? Who will understand it easily?’ First I thought of Alara Kalama, wise and intelligent, but the gods informed me, ‘Venerable Sir, Alara Kalama died seven days ago.’ That is a great loss, I thought, but there is still Uddaka Ramaputta; he is wise, intelligent, discerning, with little dust in his eyes. He will understand this Dhamma.’ But the gods again informed me, ‘Venerable Sir, Uddaka Ramaputta died last night.’ I thought, ‘Uddaka Ramaputta’s loss is a great one; if he had heard this Dhamma, he would have understood it quickly.’

“Then I thought of the group of five bhikkhus who attended me through my austerities and left when they thought I had surrendered to luxury. Suppose I teach the Dhamma to them?’ And with the Buddha eye, I saw where they were living now, near Benares in the Deer Park at Isipatana.

“So, bhikkhus, when I had stayed at Uruvela as long as I chose, I set off to wander, by stages, to the Deer Park at Isipatana. Before I’d even reached the village of Gaya, I met the Ajivaka Upaka on the road. ‘Friend,’ he said, ‘your color is healthy, your eyes are clear, you shine with purpose. Under whom have you gone forth? Who is your teacher? Whose Dhamma do you proclaim?’ I replied to the Ajivaka Upaka in verse:

“‘According to those claims, Friend,’ said the Ajivaka Upaka, ‘you must be the Universal Conquerer.’

“The Ajivaka Upaka said, ‘May it be so, Friend.’ And shaking his head, he went off another way.

“Wandering by stages, then, I reached Benares and approached the Deer Park at Isipatana. The five monks saw me coming from a long way off, and they made a pact among themselves. ‘Friends,’ they said to one another, ‘here comes the contemplative Gotama, who now lives luxuriously and has fallen into the way of sensual pleasure. He no longer deserves our respect, but we will prepare a seat for him, so that he can sit down after his journey.’ But the closer I came, the more difficult it was for them to keep their pact. One stood up to greet me and took my bowl and robe; another set out a seat; another brought water for me to wash my feet. But they addressed me by name and called me ‘Friend’.

“So I told them, ‘Don’t address the Tathagata by name and call him “Friend”. The Tathagata, friends, is a fully realized one, one who has Awakened through his own right effort. Hear me, friends: the Deathless has been attained. I will teach you the Dhamma. And if you practice as I instruct you, you too will in a short time reach and remain in the supreme goal of the holy life; you will know it and realize it for yourselves, here and now.’

“‘Come now, Friend,’ they said. ‘You did not achieve enlightenment through your most severe austerities. How can you now make that claim when you have fallen into luxurious living?’

“‘The Tathagata does not live luxuriously,’ I told them, ‘nor has he given up striving. The Tathagata is a fully realized one, one who has awakened through his own right effort. Hear me, friends: the Deathless has been attained. I will teach you the Dhamma. And if you practice as I instruct you, you too will in a short time reach and remain in the supreme goal of the holy life; you will know it and realize it for yourselves, here and now.’

“A second time they accused me of living luxuriously, and a second time I gave the same answer. And then they said, for the third time, ‘Come now, Friend, you did not achieve enlightenment through your most severe austerities. How can you now make that claim when you have fallen into luxurious living?’

“And I asked them, ‘Bhikkhus, have you ever known me to speak to you like this?’ They were silent for a moment, and then they answered, ‘No, venerable Sir.’

“‘Bhikkhus,’ I told them then, ‘the Tathagata is a fully realized one, one who has Awakened through his own right effort. Hear me, friends: the Deathless has been attained. I will teach you the Dhamma. And if you practice as I instruct you, you too will in a short time reach and remain in the supreme goal of the holy life; you will know it and realize it for yourselves, here and now.’

“Thus I was able to convince the five bhikkhus. I instructed them then, and taught the Dhamma to which I had awakened, and we lived as a sangha; I would instruct two bhikkhus while three went for alms, and then the six of us would share what the three brought back. Or I would instruct three while two went for alms, and the six of us would share what the two brought back.

“Thus taught and instructed by me, those bhikkhus, being themselves subject to birth, understanding the perils in what is subject to birth, seeking the unexcelled release from all peril, Nibbana, in no long time attained that unexcelled release from all peril, Nibbana. Seeing themselves subject to aging, illness, death, grief and corruption, seeing the perils in that condition, and committing themselves to quest after that which is not subject to those perils, they soon attained that unexcelled release from all peril, Nibbana. Then knowledge and vision arose within each one of those bhikkhus: ‘My release is complete; this is the final birth; there is nothing that I must become.’

At this point, the Ariyapariyesana Sutta shifts direction, and the Buddha switches to a discourse regarding the stages of meditative attainment that a bhikkhu goes through on his way to Enlightenment. There is no visible connection between that part of the discourse and the very coherent story that precedes it. The narrative arc is complete with the attainment of Enlightenment by the five bhikkhus, and these final few pages feel like they might have originally been part of another discourse and somehow, through the process of copying and rescention, got grafted onto this one. If you are interested in that part of the sutta, you can read the complete translations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu or I.B. Horner.