Saṃyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)

Whoever lives by the teaching in body, speech, and mind, is praised in this life and departs to rejoice in heaven.”

The Linked Discourses with the Kosalan are complete.

So I have heard. At one time, when he was first awakened, the Buddha was staying in Uruvelā at the root of the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River. Then as he was in private retreat this thought came to his mind, “I am truly freed from that grueling work! Thank goodness I’m freed from that pointless grueling work. Thank goodness I’m freed and have attained awakening.”

And then Māra the Wicked, knowing the Buddha’s train of thought, went up to him and addressed him in verse:

“You’ve left the practice of mortification by which sons of men purify themselves. You’re impure, but think yourself pure; you’ve strayed from the path of purity.”

Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:

“I realized that it’s pointless; all that endless mortification is as futile as oars and rudder on dry land.

Ethics, immersion, and wisdom: by developing this path to awakening I attained ultimate purity. You’re beaten, terminator!”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time, when he was first awakened, the Buddha was staying in Uruvelā at the root of the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River. Now at that time the Buddha was meditating in the open during the dark of night, while a gentle rain drizzled down. Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the Buddha feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, manifested in the form of a big elephant king and approached him. Its head was like a big block of soapstone. Its tusks were like pure silver. Its trunk was like a long plough pole. Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, addressed him in verse:

“Transmigrating for such a long time, you’ve made forms beautiful and ugly. Enough of this, Wicked One! You’re beaten, terminator!”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time, when he was first awakened, the Buddha was staying in Uruvelā at the root of the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River. Now at that time the Buddha was meditating in the open during the dark of night, while a gentle rain drizzled down. Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the Buddha feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, approached him, and while not far away, displayed a rainbow of bright colors, both beautiful and ugly. Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:

“Transmigrating for such a long time, you’ve made forms beautiful and ugly. Enough of this, Wicked One! You’re beaten, terminator.

Those who are well restrained in body, speech, and mind don’t fall under Māra’s sway, nor are they your footmen.”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Varanasi in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Mendicants, I have attained and realized supreme freedom through rational application of mind and rational right effort. You too should attain and realize supreme freedom through rational application of mind and rational right effort.” Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“You’re bound by Māra’s snares, both human and heavenly. You’re bound by Māra’s bonds: you won’t escape me, ascetic!”

“I’m freed from Māra’s snares, both human and heavenly. I’m freed from Māra’s bonds. You’re beaten, terminator!”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Varanasi in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Mendicants, I am freed from all snares, both human and heavenly. You are also freed from all snares, both human and heavenly. Wander forth, mendicants, for the welfare and happiness of the people, out of sympathy for the world, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans. Let not two go by one road. Teach the Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure. There are beings with little dust in their eyes. They’re in decline because they haven’t heard the teaching. There will be those who understand the teaching! I will travel to the town of Senā in Uruvelā in order to teach the Dhamma.” Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“You’re bound by all snares, both human and heavenly. You’re bound by the great bond: you won’t escape me, ascetic!”

“I’m freed from all snares, both human and heavenly. I’m freed from the great bonds; You’re beaten, terminator!”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time the Buddha was meditating in the open during the dark of night, while a gentle rain drizzled down.

Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the Buddha feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, manifested in the form of a big cobra king and approached him. Its body was like a big canoe carved from a single tree. Its hood was like a large brewer’s sieve. Its eyes were like big bronze cups from Kosala. Its tongue flickered from its mouth like lightning flashes in a thunderstorm. The sound of its breathing was like the puffing of a blacksmith’s bellows.

Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, replied to him in verse:

“One who frequents empty buildings for lodging—that sage is self-restrained. It’s appropriate for that sort to live there after relinquishing.

Though there are lots of creepy crawlies, and lots of flies and reptiles, they wouldn’t stir a hair of a great sage in that empty hut.

Though the firmament may split <j>and the earth may quake, and all creatures be stricken with fear; and even if an arrow’s aimed at their breast, the Buddhas take no shelter in attachments.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. He spent much of the night walking mindfully in the open. At the crack of dawn he washed his feet and entered his dwelling. He laid down in the lion’s posture—on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other—mindful and aware, and focused on the time of getting up. Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“What, you’re asleep? <j>Really, you’re asleep? You sleep like a loser—<j>what’s up with that? You sleep, thinking that the hut is empty. You sleep when the sun has come up—<j>what’s up with that?”

“For them there is no craving— the weaver, the clinger—<j>to track them anywhere. With the ending of all attachments <j>the awakened Buddha sleeps. What’s that got to do with you, Māra?”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

“Children bring you delight! Cattle also bring you delight! For attachments are a man’s delight; without attachments there’s no delight.”

“Your children bring you sorrow. Your cattle also bring you sorrow. For attachments are a man’s sorrow; without attachments there are no sorrows.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Mendicants, the lifespan of humans is short. We are headed for lives to come. So we must do what is skillful, we must practice the spiritual life. No one born is immortal. A long life is a hundred years or a little more.”

Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“The life of humans is long! A true person wouldn’t scorn it. Live like a suckling babe, for Death has not come for you.”

“The life of humans is short, and a true person scorns it. They should live as though their head was on fire, for Death comes for everyone.”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. There the Buddha … said:

“Mendicants, the lifespan of humans is short. We are headed for lives to come. We must do what is skillful, we must practice the spiritual life. No one born is immortal. A long life is a hundred years or a little more.”

Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“The days and nights don’t rush by, and life isn’t cut short. The life of mortals keeps rolling on, like a chariot’s rim around the hub.”

“The days and nights rush by, and then life is cut short. The life of mortals wastes away, like the water in tiny streams.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, on the Vulture’s Peak Mountain. Now at that time the Buddha was meditating in the open during the dark of night, while a gentle rain drizzled down. Then Māra the Wicked, wanting to make the Buddha feel fear, terror, and goosebumps, approached him, and crushed some large boulders close by him.

Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, addressed him in verse:

“Even if you shake this entire Vulture’s Peak, the rightly released, the awakened, are unshaken.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now, at that time the Buddha was teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly.

Then Māra thought, “The ascetic Gotama is teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly. Why don’t I go and pull the wool over their eyes?” Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“Why now do you roar like a lion? You’re so self-assured in the assembly! For there is someone who’ll wrestle with you, so why do you imagine you’re the victor?”

“The great heroes they roar, self-assured in the assemblies. The Realized One, attained to power, has crossed over clinging to the world.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Maddakucchi deer park. Now at that time the Buddha’s foot had been cut by a wooden splinter. The Buddha was stricken by harrowing pains; physical feelings that were painful, sharp, severe, acute, unpleasant, and disagreeable. But he endured unbothered, with mindfulness and situational awareness. And then he spread out his outer robe folded in four and laid down in the lion’s posture—on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other—mindful and aware. Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“Are you feeble that you lie down? <j>Or are you drunk on poetry? Are your goals not amply satisfied? Alone in a secluded lodging, why this sleeping, sleepyhead?”

“I’m not feeble that I lie down, <j>nor am I drunk on poetry. Having reached the goal, I’m rid of sorrow. Alone in a secluded lodging, I lie down full of sympathy for all living creatures.

Even those with a dart stuck in the breast, piercing the heart moment by moment, are able to get some sleep. So why not I, whose dart is drawn out?

I don’t lie awake tense, nor do I fear to sleep. The days and nights don’t disturb me, as I see no decline for myself in the world. That’s why I lie down full of sympathy for all living creatures.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Kosalans near the brahmin village of Ekasālā. Now, at that time the Buddha was teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly of laypeople.

Then Māra thought, “The ascetic Gotama is teaching Dhamma, surrounded by a large assembly of laypeople. Why don’t I go and pull the wool over their eyes?” Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“It’s not appropriate for you to instruct others. As you engage in this, don’t get caught up in favoring and opposing.”

“The Buddha instructs others out of compassion for their welfare. The Realized One is liberated from favoring and opposing.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“There’s a mental snare wandering in midair. I’ll bind you with it— you won’t escape me, ascetic!”

“Sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touches so delightful: desire for these is gone from me. You’re beaten, terminator!”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

At Sāvatthī. Now at that time the Buddha was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk on the topic of the five grasping aggregates. And those mendicants were paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening.

Then Māra thought, “This ascetic Gotama is educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk on the topic of the five grasping aggregates. And the mendicants are paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening. Why don’t I go and pull the wool over their eyes?”

At that time several alms bowls were placed in the open air. Then Māra the Wicked manifested in the form of an ox and approached those bowls. One of the mendicants said to another, “Mendicant, mendicant, that ox will break the bowls.” When this was said, the Buddha said to that mendicant, “Mendicant, that’s no ox. That’s Māra the Wicked come to pull the wool over your eyes!” Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, addressed him in verse:

“Form, what is felt, and perception, consciousness, and what is chosen: ‘I am not this’ and ‘this is not mine’; that’s how they become free of desire for them.

When you’re detached, secure, all fetters transcended, though Māra and his army chase everywhere they never find you.”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Now at that time the Buddha was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk on the topic of the six fields of contact. And those mendicants were paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening.

Then Māra thought, “This ascetic Gotama is educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk on the topic of the six fields of contact. And those mendicants are paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening. Why don’t I go and pull the wool over their eyes?” Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and made a terrifyingly loud noise close by him. It seemed as if the earth were shattering, so that one of the mendicants said to another, “Mendicant, mendicant, it seems like the earth is shattering!” When this was said, the Buddha said to that mendicant, “Mendicant, that’s not the earth shattering. That’s Māra the Wicked come to pull the wool over your eyes!” Then the Buddha, knowing that this was Māra the Wicked, addressed him in verse:

“Sights, sounds, tastes, smells, touches, and ideas, the lot of them— this is the terrible bait that the world’s infatuated by.

But a mindful disciple of the Buddha has transcended all that. Having slipped free of Māra’s dominion, they dazzle like the sun.”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Magadhans near the brahmin village of Pañcasālā. Now at that time in Pañcasālā the young maidens were occupied with guests. Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Pañcasālā for alms. Now at that time Māra had possessed the brahmins and householders of Pañcasālā, so that they thought, “Don’t let the ascetic Gotama get any alms!”

Then the Buddha left the village with his bowl as clean-washed as it was when he entered for alms. Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and said to him, “Well, ascetic, did you get any alms?” “Wicked One, did you make sure I didn’t get any alms?” “Well then, sir, let the Buddha enter Pañcasālā a second time for alms. I’ll make sure you get alms.”

“Māra has produced wickedness in attacking the Realized One. Wicked One, do you imagine that your wickedness won’t bear fruit?

Let us live so very happily, we who have nothing. We shall feed on rapture, like the gods of sublime luminosity.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

At Sāvatthī. Now at that time the Buddha was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk about extinguishment. And those mendicants were paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening.

Then Māra thought, “The ascetic Gotama is giving a Dhamma talk about extinguishment … and the mendicants are listening well. Why don’t I go and pull the wool over their eyes?” Then Māra the Wicked manifested in the form of a farmer carrying a large plough on his shoulder. He held a long goad, his hair was messy, he was clad in sunn hemp, and his feet were muddy. He went up to the Buddha and said to him, “So, ascetic, did you happen to see any oxen?” “But what have you to do with oxen, Wicked One?” “Mine alone, ascetic, is the eye, mine are sights, mine is the field of eye contact consciousness. Where can you escape me, ascetic? Mine alone is the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, mine are ideas, mine is the field of mind contact consciousness. Where can you escape me, ascetic?”

“Yours alone, Wicked One, is the eye, yours are sights, yours is the field of eye contact consciousness. Where there is no eye, no sights, no eye contact consciousness—you have no place there, Wicked One! Yours alone is the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, yours are ideas, yours is the field of mind contact consciousness. Where there is no mind, no ideas, no mind contact consciousness—you have no place there, Wicked One!”

“The things they call ‘mine’, and those who say ‘it’s mine’: if your mind remains there, you won’t escape me, ascetic!”

“The things they speak of aren’t mine; I’m not someone who speaks like that. So know this, Wicked One: you won’t even see the path I take.”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Kosalans, in a wilderness hut on the slopes of the Himalayas. Then as he was in private retreat this thought came to his mind, “I wonder if it’s possible to rule legitimately, without killing or having someone kill for you; without conquering or having someone conquer for you; without sorrowing or causing sorrow?”