The Discourse about the Courtesan

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.

Tena kho pana samayena rājagahe dve pūgā aññatarissā gaṇikāya sārattā honti paṭibaddhacittā;

bhaṇḍanajātā kalahajātā vivādāpannā aññamaññaṁ pāṇīhipi upakkamanti, leḍḍūhipi upakkamanti, daṇḍehipi upakkamanti, satthehipi upakkamanti.

Te tattha maraṇampi nigacchanti maraṇamattampi dukkhaṁ.

Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisiṁsu.

Rājagahe piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu.

Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:

“Idha, bhante, rājagahe dve pūgā aññatarissā gaṇikāya sārattā paṭibaddhacittā;

bhaṇḍanajātā kalahajātā vivādāpannā aññamaññaṁ pāṇīhipi upakkamanti, leḍḍūhipi upakkamanti, daṇḍehipi upakkamanti, satthehipi upakkamanti.

Te tattha maraṇampi nigacchanti maraṇamattampi dukkhan”ti.

Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:

“Yañca pattaṁ yañca pattabbaṁ, ubhayametaṁ rajānukiṇṇaṁ, āturassānusikkhato.

Ye ca sikkhāsārā sīlabbataṁ jīvitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ upaṭṭhānasārā, ayameko anto.

Ye ca evaṁvādino:

‘natthi kāmesu doso’ti, ayaṁ dutiyo anto.

Iccete ubho antā kaṭasivaḍḍhanā, kaṭasiyo diṭṭhiṁ vaḍḍhenti.

Etete ubho ante anabhiññāya olīyanti eke, atidhāvanti eke.

Ye ca kho te abhiññāya tatra ca nāhesuṁ, tena ca nāmaññiṁsu, vaṭṭaṁ tesaṁ natthi paññāpanāyā”ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.

SC 1Thus I heard: At one time the Gracious One was dwelling near Rājagaha, in Bamboo Wood, at the Squirrels’ Feeding Place. Then at that time in Rājagaha there were two gangs, who were impassioned with a certain courtesan, whose minds were bound. Contending, quarelling, and disputing, they attacked each other with their hands, attacked with clods of earth, attacked with sticks, attacked with swords, and there and then they underwent death, and pain like unto death.

SC 2Then many monks, having dressed in the morning time, after picking up their bowls and robes, entered Rājagaha for alms, and after walking for alms in Rājagaha, while returning from the alms-round after the meal, went to the Gracious One, and after going and worshipping the Gracious One, they sat down on one side.

SC 3While sat on one side those monks said this to the Gracious One: “Here, reverend Sir, in Rājagaha there are two gangs, who are impassioned with a certain courtesan, whose minds are bound. Contending, quarelling, and disputing, they attack each other with their hands, attack with clods of earth, attack with sticks, attack with swords, and there and then they undergo death, and pain like unto death.”

SC 4Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it, on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

SC 5“What has been attained, and what can be attained—
these two are strewn with dust, for that miserable one in wrong training.

SC 6Those who hold the training rules as the essence, or virtue and practices, right livelihood, celibacy, and attendance as the essence—
this is one end.

SC 7Those who say this: ‘There is no fault in sense pleasures”—
this is the second end.

SC 8Thus these two ends promote the cemetery grounds, and the cemetery grounds promote wrong view.
Not having understood these two ends, some get stuck, some go too far.

SC 9But for those who have understood these, who were not in that, and because of that do not conceive a conceit—
there is no Cycle of Saṁsāra to be assigned for them.”