5.7. Upasīva’s Questions

“Eko ahaṁ sakka mahantamoghaṁ,

(iccāyasmā upasīvo)

Anissito no visahāmi tārituṁ;

Ārammaṇaṁ brūhi samantacakkhu,

Yaṁ nissito oghamimaṁ tareyyaṁ”.

“Ākiñcaññaṁ pekkhamāno satimā,

(upasīvāti bhagavā)

Natthīti nissāya tarassu oghaṁ;

Kāme pahāya virato kathāhi,

Taṇhakkhayaṁ nattamahābhipassa”.

“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo,

(iccāyasmā upasīvo)

Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ;

Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto,

Tiṭṭhe nu so tattha anānuyāyī”.

“Sabbesu kāmesu yo vītarāgo,

(upasīvāti bhagavā)

Ākiñcaññaṁ nissito hitvā maññaṁ;

Saññāvimokkhe parame vimutto,

Tiṭṭheyya so tattha anānuyāyī”.

“Tiṭṭhe ce so tattha anānuyāyī,

Pūgampi vassānaṁ samantacakkhu;

Tattheva so sītisiyā vimutto,

Cavetha viññāṇaṁ tathāvidhassa”.

“Accī yathā vātavegena khittā,

(upasīvāti bhagavā)

Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ;

Evaṁ munī nāmakāyā vimutto,

Atthaṁ paleti na upeti saṅkhaṁ”.

“Atthaṅgato so uda vā so natthi,

Udāhu ve sassatiyā arogo;

Taṁ me munī sādhu viyākarohi,

Tathā hi te vidito esa dhammo”.

“Atthaṅgatassa na pamāṇamatthi,

(upasīvāti bhagavā)

Yena naṁ vajjuṁ taṁ tassa natthi;

Sabbesu dhammesu samohatesu,

Samūhatā vādapathāpi sabbe”ti.

Upasīvamāṇavapucchā chaṭṭhī.

SC 1SC Verse 1076Upasīva
Alone, O Sakya, unsupported too,
the mighty flood I do not dare to cross,
All-seeing One, please tell me of the means
using which I may overpass the flood.

SC 2SC Verse 1077Buddha
Mindfully do you no-thingness regard,
rely on “there-is-not” to go across the flood,
abandon conversation, let go of sense-desires,
See craving’s exhaustion by night and by day.

SC 3SC Verse 1078Upasīva
That one who’s unattached to sense-desires,
relying on no-thingness, left others aside,
freed in the highest of consciousness’s freedom,
will that one be established, or fall away from this?

SC 4SC Verse 1079Buddha
That one who’s unattached to sense-desires,
relying on no-thingness, left others aside,
freed in the highest of consciousness’s freedom,
that one will be established, not fall away from this.

SC 5SC Verse 1080Upasīva
Should that one remain even for a heap of years,
O all-Seeing One, but still not fall away?
Would that one liberated cool-become just there,
consciousness ceased in that very state?

SC 6SC Verse 1081Buddha
As flame blown out by force of wind
has gone to its “goal”, cannot be described,
likewise the Sage “in mind and body” freed:
gone to the Goal and cannot be described.

SC 7SC Verse 1082Upasīva
Does one not exist who’s reached the Goal?
Or does one dwell forever free?
O Sage, do well declare this to me now,
for certainly this dharma’s known by you.

SC 8SC Verse 1083Buddha
Of one who’s reached the Goal, no measure’s found,
there is not that by which one could be named,
when dharmas for that one are emptied out,
emptied are the ways of telling too.