3.
The Shorter Discourse to Mālukya
122. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park. Then, when the Venerable Mālukyaputta had gone to a private place and was in seclusion, this reflection arose in his mind: "These wrong views that have been left undeclared by the Blessed One, set aside and rejected - 'The world is eternal,' 'the world is non-eternal,' 'the world is finite,' 'the world is infinite,' 'the soul is the same as the body,' 'the soul is one thing and the body another,' 'the Truth-finder exists after death,' 'the Truth-finder does not exist after death,' 'the Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death,' 'the Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death' - these the Blessed One does not declare to me. That the Blessed One does not declare these to me does not please me, that does not satisfy me. I shall approach the Blessed One and ask about this matter. If the Blessed One declares to me - 'The world is eternal' or 'the world is non-eternal'... etc. 'The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death' - then I shall live the holy life under the Blessed One; but if the Blessed One does not declare to me - 'The world is eternal' or 'the world is non-eternal'... etc. 'The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death' - then I shall reject the training and return to the lower life."
123. Then the Venerable Mālukyaputta, in the evening, having emerged from seclusion, approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the Venerable Mālukyaputta said this to the Blessed One -
124. "Here, venerable sir, when I had gone to a private place and was in seclusion, this reflection arose in my mind: 'These wrong views that have been left undeclared by the Blessed One, set aside and rejected - "The world is eternal," "the world is non-eternal"... etc. "The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death" - these the Blessed One does not declare to me. That the Blessed One does not declare these to me does not please me, that does not satisfy me. I shall approach the Blessed One and ask about this matter. If the Blessed One declares to me - 'The world is eternal' or 'the world is non-eternal'... etc. 'The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death' - then I shall live the holy life under the Blessed One. But if the Blessed One does not declare to me - 'The world is eternal' or 'the world is non-eternal'... etc. 'The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death' - then I shall reject the training and return to the lower life.' If the Blessed One knows - 'The world is eternal,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the world is eternal'; if the Blessed One knows - 'The world is non-eternal,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the world is non-eternal.' But if the Blessed One does not know - 'The world is eternal' or 'the world is non-eternal,' then for one who does not know, who does not see, this alone is straight, that is to say - 'I do not know, I do not see.' If the Blessed One knows - 'The world is finite,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the world is infinite'; if the Blessed One knows - 'The world is infinite,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the world is infinite.' But if the Blessed One does not know - 'The world is finite' or 'the world is infinite,' then for one who does not know, who does not see, this alone is straight, that is to say - 'I do not know, I do not see.' If the Blessed One knows - 'The soul is the same as the body,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the soul is the same as the body'; if the Blessed One knows - 'The soul is one thing and the body another,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the soul is one thing and the body another.' But if the Blessed One does not know - 'The soul is the same as the body' or 'the soul is one thing and the body another,' then for one who does not know, who does not see, this alone is straight, that is to say - 'I do not know, I do not see.' If the Blessed One knows - 'The Truth-finder exists after death,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the Truth-finder exists after death'; if the Blessed One knows - 'The Truth-finder does not exist after death,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the Truth-finder does not exist after death.' But if the Blessed One does not know - 'The Truth-finder exists after death' or 'the Truth-finder does not exist after death,' then for one who does not know, who does not see, this alone is straight, that is to say - 'I do not know, I do not see.' If the Blessed One knows - 'The Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death'; if the Blessed One knows - 'The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death,' let the Blessed One declare to me 'the Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death.' But if the Blessed One does not know - 'The Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death' or 'the Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death,' then for one who does not know, who does not see, this alone is straight, that is to say - 'I do not know, I do not see.'"
125. "Did I ever say thus to you, Mālukyaputta - 'Come, Mālukyaputta, live the holy life under me, I will declare to you - "The world is eternal" or "the world is non-eternal" or "the world is finite" or "the world is infinite" or "the soul is the same as the body" or "the soul is one thing and the body another" or "the Truth-finder exists after death" or "the Truth-finder does not exist after death" or "the Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death" or "the Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death"'?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Or did you say thus to me - 'I, Venerable Sir, will live the holy life under the Blessed One, the Blessed One will declare to me - "The world is eternal" or "the world is non-eternal" or "the world is finite" or "the world is infinite" or "the soul is the same as the body" or "the soul is one thing and the body another" or "the Truth-finder exists after death" or "the Truth-finder does not exist after death" or "the Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death" or "the Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death"'?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Thus indeed, Mālukyaputta, I did not say to you - 'Come, Mālukyaputta, live the holy life under me, I will declare to you - 'The world is eternal' or 'the world is non-eternal'... etc. "The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death"'; nor indeed did you say to me - 'I, Venerable Sir, will live the holy life under the Blessed One, the Blessed One will declare to me - 'The world is eternal' or 'the world is non-eternal'... etc. "The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death."' This being so, foolish man, being who, whom do you reject?
126. "Whoever, Mālukyaputta, were to speak thus - 'I will not live the holy life under the Blessed One until the Blessed One declares to me - "The world is eternal" or "the world is non-eternal"... etc. "The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death"' - that would remain undeclared by the Truth-finder, Mālukyaputta, and meanwhile that person would die. Just as, Mālukyaputta, a man might be pierced by a dart thickly smeared with poison. His friends and colleagues, relatives and blood-relations might set up a physician, a surgeon for him. He might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the man by whom I was pierced, whether he is a noble or a brahmin or a merchant or a worker'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the man by whom I was pierced, of such a name and such a clan'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the man by whom I was pierced, whether he is tall or short or of medium height'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the man by whom I was pierced, whether he is dark or brown or of golden complexion'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the man by whom I was pierced, in which village or town or city he lives'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the bow by which I was pierced, whether it is a long bow or a crossbow'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the bowstring by which I was pierced, whether it is of swallow-wort or bamboo or sinew or hemp or milky sap plant'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the shaft by which I was pierced, whether it is wild or cultivated'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the shaft by which I was pierced, with whose feathers it is fletched, whether of a vulture or a heron or a hawk or a peacock or a sithilahanu bird'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the shaft by which I was pierced, with whose sinew it is bound, whether of a cow or a buffalo or a black lion or a monkey'; he might speak thus - 'I will not have this dart removed until I know the dart by which I was pierced, whether it is a dart or a hoof-tipped arrow or a vekaṇḍa or an iron arrow or a calf-tooth arrow or an oleander-leaf arrow' - that would remain unknown by that man, Mālukyaputta, and meanwhile that man would die. Just so indeed, Mālukyaputta, whoever were to speak thus - 'I will not live the holy life under the Blessed One until the Blessed One declares to me - "The world is eternal" or "the world is non-eternal"... etc. "The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death"' - that would remain undeclared by the Truth-finder, Mālukyaputta, and meanwhile that person would die.
127. "'The world is eternal,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus it is not. 'The world is non-eternal,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus also it is not. 'The world is eternal' or, Mālukyaputta, if there is such a view, 'the world is non-eternal' or if there is such a view, there is indeed birth, there is ageing, there is death, there are sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and anguish; the destruction of which I declare in this very life. 'The world is finite,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus it is not. 'The world is infinite,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus also it is not. 'The world is finite' or, Mālukyaputta, if there is such a view, 'the world is infinite' or if there is such a view, there is indeed birth, there is ageing, there is death, there are sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and anguish; the destruction of which I declare in this very life. 'The soul is the same as the body,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus it is not. 'The soul is one thing and the body another,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus also it is not. 'The soul is the same as the body' or, Mālukyaputta, if there is such a view, 'the soul is one thing and the body another' or if there is such a view, there is indeed birth, etc. the destruction of which I declare. 'The Truth-finder exists after death,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus it is not. 'The Truth-finder does not exist after death,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus also it is not. 'The Truth-finder exists after death' or, Mālukyaputta, if there is such a view, 'the Truth-finder does not exist after death' or if there is such a view, there is indeed birth, etc. the destruction of which I declare in this very life. 'The Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus it is not. 'The Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death,' Mālukyaputta, if there were such a view, there would have been abiding by the holy life - thus also it is not. 'The Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death,' Mālukyaputta, if there is such a view, 'the Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death' or if there is such a view, there is indeed birth, etc. the destruction of which I declare in this very life.
128. "Therefore, Mālukyaputta, remember what is undeclared by me as undeclared; and remember what is declared by me as declared. And what, Mālukyaputta, has been left undeclared by me? 'The world is eternal' - Mālukyaputta, this has been left undeclared by me; 'the world is non-eternal' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the world is finite' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the world is infinite' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the soul is the same as the body' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the soul is one thing and the body another' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the Truth-finder exists after death' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the Truth-finder does not exist after death' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the Truth-finder both exists and does not exist after death' - this has been left undeclared by me; 'the Truth-finder neither exists nor does not exist after death' - this has been left undeclared by me. And why, Mālukyaputta, has this been left undeclared by me? Because, Mālukyaputta, this is not connected with the goal, not fundamental to the holy life, it does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. Therefore this has been left undeclared by me. And what, Mālukyaputta, has been declared by me? 'This is suffering' - Mālukyaputta, this has been declared by me; 'this is the origin of suffering' - this has been declared by me; 'this is the cessation of suffering' - this has been declared by me; 'this is the practice leading to the cessation of suffering' - this has been declared by me. And why, Mālukyaputta, has this been declared by me? Because, Mālukyaputta, this is connected with the goal, this is fundamental to the holy life, it leads to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. Therefore this has been declared by me. Therefore, Mālukyaputta, remember what is undeclared by me as undeclared; and remember what is declared by me as declared."
This is what the Blessed One said. Delighted, the Venerable Mālukyaputta rejoiced in what the Blessed One had said.
The Shorter Discourse on Mālukya is concluded as third.