SN 35-44 The Group of Connected Discourses Beginning With the Six Sense Fields – Saḷāyatanavaggasaṁyutta > SN 42 Connected Discourses with Chiefs – Gāmaṇisaṁyutta > SN 42.2 With Tāḷapuṭa

Linked Discourses 42.2 – Saṁyutta Nikāya 42.2

1. Chiefs – 1. Gāmaṇivagga

SN 42.2 With Tāḷapuṭa – Tālapuṭasutta

At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.

Then Tāḷapuṭa the dancing master came up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to the Buddha:

Atha kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, I have heard that the dancers of the past who were teachers of teachers said:

“sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ ācariyapācariyānaṁ naṭānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ:

‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’

‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti.

What does the Buddha say about this?”

Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?

“Enough, chief, let it be. Don’t ask me that.”

“Alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ. Mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī”ti.

For a second time …

Dutiyampi kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ ācariyapācariyānaṁ naṭānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ:

‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti.

Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?

“Alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ. Mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī”ti.

And for a third time Tāḷapuṭa said to the Buddha:

Tatiyampi kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, I have heard that the dancers of the past who were teachers of teachers said:

“sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ ācariyapācariyānaṁ naṭānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ:

‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’

‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti.

What does the Buddha say about this?”

Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?

“Clearly, chief, I’m not getting through to you when I say:

“Addhā kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, na labhāmi:

‘Enough, chief, let it be.

‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ,

Don’t ask me that.’

mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’ti.

Nevertheless, I will answer you.

Api ca tyāhaṁ byākarissāmi.

When sentient beings are still not free of greed, and are still bound by greed,

Pubbe kho, gāmaṇi, sattā avītarāgā rāgabandhanabaddhā.

a dancer in a stage or festival presents them with even more arousing things.

Tesaṁ naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe ye dhammā rajanīyā te upasaṁharati bhiyyoso mattāya.

When sentient beings are still not free of hate, and are still bound by hate,

Pubbe kho, gāmaṇi, sattā avītadosā dosabandhanabaddhā.

a dancer in a stage or festival presents them with even more hateful things.

Tesaṁ naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe ye dhammā dosanīyā te upasaṁharati bhiyyoso mattāya.

When sentient beings are still not free of delusion, and are still bound by delusion,

Pubbe kho, gāmaṇi, sattā avītamohā mohabandhanabaddhā.

a dancer in a stage or festival presents them with even more delusory things.

Tesaṁ naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe ye dhammā mohanīyā te upasaṁharati bhiyyoso mattāya.

And so, being heedless and negligent themselves, they’ve encouraged others to be heedless and negligent. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the hell called ‘Laughter’.

So attanā matto pamatto pare madetvā pamādetvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāso nāma nirayo tattha upapajjati.

But if you have such a view:

Sace kho panassa evaṁdiṭṭhi hoti:

‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’ This is your wrong view.

‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti, sāssa hoti micchādiṭṭhi.

An individual with wrong view is reborn in one of two places, I say:

Micchādiṭṭhikassa kho panāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, purisapuggalassa dvinnaṁ gatīnaṁ aññataraṁ gatiṁ vadāmi—

hell or the animal realm.”

nirayaṁ vā tiracchānayoniṁ vā”ti.

When he said this, Tāḷapuṭa cried and burst out in tears.

Evaṁ vutte, tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi parodi assūni pavattesi.

“This is what I didn’t get through to you when I said:

“Etaṁ kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, nālatthaṁ:

‘Enough, chief, let it be. Don’t ask me that.’”

‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’”ti.

“Sir, I’m not crying because of what the Buddha said.

“Nāhaṁ, bhante, etaṁ rodāmi yaṁ maṁ bhagavā evamāha;

But sir, for a long time I’ve been cheated, tricked, and deceived by the dancers of the past who were teachers of teachers, who said:

api cāhaṁ, bhante, pubbakehi ācariyapācariyehi naṭehi dīgharattaṁ nikato vañcito paluddho:

‘Suppose a dancer entertains and amuses people on a stage or at a festival with truth and lies. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in the company of laughing gods.’

‘yo so naṭo raṅgamajjhe samajjamajjhe saccālikena janaṁ hāseti rameti so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā pahāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’”ti.

Excellent, sir! Excellent!

“Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante.

As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes can see what’s there, the Buddha has made the teaching clear in many ways.

Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito.

I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the bhikkhu Saṅgha.

Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.

Sir, may I receive the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence?”

Labheyyāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, labheyyaṁ upasampadan”ti.

And the dancing master Tāḷapuṭa received the going forth, the ordination in the Buddha’s presence.

Alattha kho tālapuṭo naṭagāmaṇi bhagavato santike pabbajjaṁ, alattha upasampadaṁ.

Not long after his ordination, Venerable Tāḷapuṭa

Acirūpasampanno ca panāyasmā tālapuṭo …pe…

became one of the perfected.

arahataṁ ahosīti.