Bhāradvāja Sutta: Discourse of Venerable Pindola Bhāradvāja
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
All of the discourses delivered by the Lord Gautama Buddha, who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5th century BC, were grouped into five collections at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the passing away of the Buddha in 483 BC.
- Collection of long discourses (digha nikāya)
- Collection of middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya)
- Collection of connected discourses (samyutta nikāya)
- Collection of numerical discourses (anguttara nikāya)
- Collection of minor discourses (khuddaka nikāya)
The collection of the connected discourses (samyutta nikāya), consist of the Buddha’s discourses on related topics grouped into five sections called Vaggas. They are named Sagātā Vagga, Nidhāna Vagga, Khanda Vagga, Salāyatana Vagga and Mahā Vagga. Each Vagga is further sub-divided into groups called samyuttas, containing a number of discourses on related topics. Each samyutta is again sub-divided into smaller units called vaggas, each containing around ten discourses. Bhāradvāja sutta is included in the Gahapati vagga, of the Salāyatana samyutta of the Salāyatana Vagga (1).
Content of Bhāradvāja sutta
At one time, Venerable Pindola Bhāradvāja was staying at Ghosita’s monastery near Kosambi. Then King Udena went up to Ven. Pindola Bhāradvāja, exchanged courteous greetings with him and sat to one side. As he was sitting to one side, he said to Ven. Pindola Bhāradvāja:
“Master Bhāradvāja, what is the cause, what is the reason, for there are these young monks, black haired, endowed with and blessed with youth, in the prime of life, never having enjoyed the pleasure of the senses, practise the full and pure holy life all their lives and keep doing so?”
[Kosambi was an important city in ancient India. It was the capital of the Vatsa kingdom. The monastery named Ghosita’s monastery was built and donated by a wealthy citizen of Kosambi named Ghosita. The Buddha has visited the city of Kosambi on several occasions and spent the nineth rainy season at the Gosita’s monastery. Pindola was the son of the king’s chaplain and belonged to the Bhāradvāja clan. He is said to have become a monk after noticing the lavish gifts received by the monks and had been greedy with food until he was corrected by the Buddha. He soon became an Arahant and was one of the eighty foremost disciples of the Buddha. He was declared by the Buddha as the foremost monk in lion’s roar (Sīhanāda). He possessed great super normal powers and was once reprimanded by the Buddha for performing a cheap miracle in front of the lay people.]
“Great king, this has been said by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the fully Self-enlightened One: ‘Come monks, with regard to women who are old enough to be your mother, think of them as your mother; with regard to women who are old enough to be your sister, think of them as your sister; with regard to women who are young enough to be your daughter, think of them as your daughter’. This is the cause, this is the reason, great king, that these young monks, black haired, endowed with and blessed with youth, in the prime of life, never having enjoyed the pleasure of the senses, practise the full and pure holy life all their lives and keep doing so.”
“But, Master Bhāradvāja, the mind is unruly. Sometimes, lustful thoughts arise even towards women old enough to be your mother; towards women old enough to be your sister; towards women young enough to be your daughter. Is there, Master Bhāradvāja, any other cause, any other reason, that these young monks, black haired, endowed with and blessed with youth, in the prime of life, never having enjoyed the pleasure of the senses, practise the full and pure holy life all their lives and keep doing so?”
“Great king, this has been said by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the fully Self-enlightened One: ‘Come monks, reflect on this body, from the soles of the feet upwards and from the crown of the head downwards, surrounded by the skin, and full of various impurities. In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, membranes, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, stomach, faeces, brain, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine.’ This too is the cause, the reason, great king, that these young monks, black haired, endowed with and blessed with youth, in the prime of life, never having enjoyed the pleasure of the senses, practise the full and pure holy life all their lives and keep doing so.”
“That is easy, Master Bhāradvāja, for those monks who are developed in body, developed in moral conduct, developed in mind, developed in wisdom. But for those who are undeveloped in body, undeveloped in moral conduct, undeveloped in mind, undeveloped in wisdom, it is hard to do. Sometimes, when one thinks: ‘I will regard this body as foul’, he actually comes to think of it as attractive. Is there, Master Bhāradvāja, any other cause, any other reason, that these young monks, black haired, endowed with and blessed with youth, in the prime of life, never having enjoyed the pleasure of the senses, practise the full and pure holy life all their lives and keep doing so?”
“Great king, this has been said by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the fully Self-enlightened One:
‘Come monks, keep guarding the sense faculties. Having seen a form with the eye, do not grasp it’s general appearance or it’s details. If the eye faculty is unguarded, unwholesome qualities such as greed and aversion might assail you. Therefore, guard the eye faculty. Achieve restraint with regard to the eye faculty.’
‘Having heard a sound with the ear, do not grasp it’s general appearance or it’s datils. If the ear faculty is unguarded, unwholesome qualities such as greed and aversion might assail you. Therefore, guard the ear faculty. Achieve restraint with regard to the ear faculty.’
‘Having smelled a smell with the nose, do not grasp it’s general appearance or it’s details. If the nose faculty is unguarded, unwholesome qualities such as greed and aversion might assail you. Therefore, guard the nose faculty. Achieve restraint with regard to the nose faculty.’
‘Having tasted a taste with the tongue, do not grasp it’s general appearance or it’s details. If the tongue faculty is unguarded, unwholesome qualities such as greed and aversion might assail you. Therefore, guard the tongue faculty. Achieve restraint with regard to the tongue faculty.’
‘Having felt a touch with the body, do not grasp it’s general appearance or it’s details. If the body faculty is unguarded, unwholesome qualities such as greed and aversion might assail you. Therefore, guard the body faculty. Achieve restraint with regard to the body faculty.’
‘Having cognized a thought with the mind, do not grasp it’s general appearance or it’s details. If the mind faculty is unguarded, unwholesome qualities such as greed and aversion might assail you. Therefore, guard the mind faculty. Achieve restraint with regard to the mind faculty.’
This too is the cause, the reason, great king, that these young monks, black haired, endowed with and blessed with youth, in the prime of life, never having enjoyed the pleasure of the senses, practise the full and pure holy life all their lives and keep doing so.”
“Excellent, Master Bhāradvāja! Excellent Master Bhāradvaja! How well that has been said by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the fully Self-enlightened One! This is the cause, this is the reason, Master Bhāradvāja, that these young monks, black haired, endowed with and blessed with youth, in the prime of life, never having enjoyed the pleasure of the senses, practise the full and pure holy life all their lives and keep doing so. I myself, Master Bhāradvāja, when I enter the inner apartments of the palace, unguarded in body, unguarded in speech, unguarded in mind, with mindfulness unestablished, with sense faculties uncontrolled, I am overcome by lustful thoughts. But, when I enter the inner apartments of the palace, guarded in body, guarded in speech, guarded in mind, with mindfulness established, with sense faculties controlled, I am not overcome by lustful thoughts.”
“Excellent, Master Bhāradvāja! Excellent, Master Bhāradvāja! Just as if one were to place upright what had been overturned, or were to reveal what was hidden, or were to show the way to one who was lost, or were to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way, Master Bhāradvāja has made the Dhamma clear. Master Bhāradvaja, I go to the Blessed One for refuge, and to the Dhamma, and to the community of monks. May Master Bhāradvāja remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day, for life.”
In the Bhāradvāja sutta, King Udena of Kosambi, who it seems is not a disciple of the Buddha as yet, questions Venerable Pindola Bhāradvāja as to how young monks managed to observe a pure and spiritual holy life when they were still young and had given up the opportunity of enjoying the sensual pleasures. Venerable Pindola Bhāradvāja, instead of giving his own explanation, quotes a few of the instructions that the Buddha had given to the monks in order to overcome any lustful feelings. These include considering women of different ages as a mother, sister or a daughter, contemplation on the foul nature of the body and restraint of the six sense faculties. Following the Dhamma discussion with Venerable Pindola Bhāradvāja, King Udena became a lay disciple of the Buddha by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha. Along with Venerable Ānanda, Venerable Pindola Bhāradvāja is said to have preached to the women in the palace of King Udena at least on two occasions.
References
- Bhikkhu Bodhi 1999, Bhāradvāja Sutta, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Samyutta Nikāya, Wisdom Publications.
End.
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