Channovāda Sutta: Discourse on advice to Venerable Channa
By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara
Introduction
Lord Gautama Buddha who lived and preached in India during the 6th and 5th century BC, delivered a vast number of discourses during the ministry of forty five years from enlightenment to passing away at the age of eighty years. Those discourses have been divided into five collections.
- Collection of long discourses (dīgha 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 middle length discourses (majjhima nikāya) contain 152 discourses delivered by the Buddha and the Buddha’s chief disciples. The 152 discourses are divided into three parts consisting of 50, 50 and 52 discourses respectively. Channovāda sutta is the 144th discourse included in the third part. (1)
Content of Channovāda sutta
Thus have I heard.
[All the discourses of the Buddha contained in the five collections were narrated by Venerable Arahant Ānanda from memory at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the Buddha’s passing away. He was the chief attendant of the Buddha and was known as the “guardian of the Dhamma” due to his excellent skill in remembering the Buddha’s discourse. At the Buddhist council, each discourse was begun by him with the same phrase found at the beginning of this discourse too, “evaṁ me sutaṁ” meaning “Thus have I heard”.]
At one time the Buddha was staying at Rajagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel’s Sanctuary. At that time Venerable Sāriputta, Venerable Mahā Cunda and Venerable Channa were staying on Vulture’s Peak. At that time, Venerable Channa was suffering, seriously ill. In the evening, Venerable Sāriputta emerging from his seclusion, went to Venerable Mahā Cunda and said to him: “Friend Cunda, let us go to Venerable Channa and inquire about his illness”. “Yes, friend”, Venerable Mahā Cunda replied to Venerable Sāriputta.
[Venerable Sāriputta was one of the two chief disciples of the Buddha, the other chief disciple being Venerable Mahā Moggallāna. Venerable Sāriputta was generally considered as the first chief disciple and was always seen to be sitting on the right side of the Buddha while Venerable Mahā Moggallāna sat on the left side of the Buddha. Venerable Sāriputta was perhaps the wisest person among the Buddha’s disciples second only to the Buddha Himself in his knowledge of the Buddha’s teaching and it’s application. Hence, the Buddha had declared him to be the foremost in wisdom among all the disciple monks.
Venerable Mahā Cunda happened to be a younger brother of Venerable Sāriputta in their lay life. Venerable Mahā Cunda ordained as a monk under Venerable Sāriputta and gained enlightenment as an Arahant. He was one of the eighty great elders. As recorded in the third Gilāna sutta of the Samyutta Nikāya, once Venerable Maha Cunda visited the Buddha who was ill at the Veluvana monastery near Rajagaha. At the request of the Buddha, Venerable Mahā Cunda discussed the seven factors of enlightenment (sapta bhojjanga) after which the Buddha is said to have promptly recovered from the illness.
This Venerable Channa is not Venerable Channa who in his lay life accompanied Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha aspirant (Bodhisatta) while departing the palace during the night to become a homeless ascetic.]
Then Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahā Cunda went to Venerable Channa, exchanged friendly greetings with him and sat to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Sāriputta said: “How are you, friend Channa? I hope you are bearing up, and getting better. I hope your pains are subsiding and not increasing, and that their subsiding, not their increasing is apparent?”
“Friend Sāriputta, I cannot bear it; I am not getting better; my pains are not subsiding, but increasing; their increasing is evident, not their subsiding. Violent winds are cutting through my head like a strong man tightening my head with a strong head band.”
“I cannot bear it; I am not getting better; my pains are not subsiding, but increasing; their increasing is evident, not their subsiding. The wind slicing my belly are so severe, I feel as if a clever butcher or his apprentice was carving my belly with a sharp butcher’s knife.”
“I cannot bear it; I am not getting better; my pains are not subsiding, but increasing; their increasing is evident, not their subsiding. The burning in my body is so severe, it feels like two strong men grabbing a weaker man by the arms to burn and scorch him in a pit of glowing coals.”
“I cannot bear it; I am not getting better; my pains are not subsiding, but increasing; their increasing is evident, not their subsiding. Friend Sāriputta, I will use a knife to end my life. I don’t wish to live.”
[Here, Venerable Channa has expressed his wish to take his own life with a knife due to his unbearable pain and worsening illness.]
“Friend Channa, do not take a knife to end your life. We wish Venerable Channa to live. If Venerable does not have suitable food, I will go in search of suitable food for Venerable Channa. If Venerable Channa lacks suitable medicine, I will go in search of suitable medicine for Venerable Channa. If Venerable Channa lacks a proper attendant, I will attend to Venerable Channa. Do not take a knife to end your life. We wish Venerable Channa to live.”
“Friend Sāriputta, it is not that I don’t have suitable food, nor that I lack a suitable medicine, or lack a suitable attendant. But rather, friend Sāriputta, my duties to the teacher have been done long ago with pleasure and not with displeasure. Friend Sāriputta, please remember this, having done his duties to the teacher with pleasure, it is without blame that the monk Channa will use the knife to end his life.”
“If friend Channa grants leave to do so, we would like to ask certain questions regarding some point to clarify a problem.”
“Friend Sāriputta, when I have heard the questions, I shall know.”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things cognised through eye consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the ear, ear consciousness, and things cognised through ear consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the nose, nose consciousness, and things cognised through nose consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the tongue, tongue consciousness, and things cognised through tongue consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the body, body consciousness, and things cognised through body consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the mind, mind consciousness, and things cognised through mind consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?”
“Friend Sāriputta, I regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things cognised through eye consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, I regard the ear, ear consciousness, and things cognised through ear consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, I regard the nose, nose consciousness, and things cognised through nose consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, I regard the tongue, tongue consciousness, and things cognised through tongue consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, I regard the body, body consciousness, and things cognised through body consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, I regard the mind, mind consciousness, and things cognised through mind consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Channa, what have you seen and directly known in the eye, eye consciousness and things cognised through eye consciousness, that you regard them thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the ear, ear consciousness and things cognised through ear consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the nose, nose consciousness and things cognised through nose consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the tongue, tongue consciousness and things cognised through tongue consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the body, body consciousness and things cognised through body consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’?”
“Friend Channa, do you regard the mind, mind consciousness and things cognised through mind consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’?”
“Friend Sāriputta, it is through seeing, and through directly knowing cessation in the eye, eye consciousness and things cognised through eye consciousness, that I regard thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, it is through seeing, and through directly knowing cessation in the ear, ear consciousness and things cognised through ear consciousness, that I regard thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, it is through seeing, and through directly knowing cessation in the nose, nose consciousness and things cognised through nose consciousness, that I regard thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, it is through seeing, and through directly knowing cessation in the tongue, tongue consciousness and things cognised through tongue consciousness, that I regard thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, it is through seeing, and through directly knowing cessation in the body, body consciousness and things cognised through body consciousness, that I regard thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
“Friend Sāriputta, it is through seeing, and through directly knowing cessation in the mind, mind consciousness and things cognised through mind consciousness, that I regard thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.”
When this was said, Venerable Mahā Cunda said to Venerable Channa: “Therefore, friend Channa, this teaching of the Blessed One should be constantly considered: ‘There is wavering in who is dependent, there is no wavering in who is independent. When there is no wavering, there is tranquillity. When there is tranquillity, there is no inclination. When there is no inclination, there is no coming and going. When there is no coming and going, there is no passing away and reappearing. When there is no passing away and reappearing, there is no here nor beyond nor in between. This is the end of suffering’.”
Then when Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahā Cunda had advised Venerable Channa, they rose from their seats and departed. Then, soon after they had departed, Venerable Channa used the knife to end his life.
Then Venerable Sāriputta went to the Buddha and having paid homage to the Buddha, sat to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Sāriputta said this to the Buddha. “Venerable Sir, Venerable Channa has used the knife. What is his destination, what is his future course?”
“Sāriputta, didn’t the monk Channa declare to you his blamelessness?”
“Venerable Sir, there is a Vajjan village called Pubbajira. There Venerable Channa had friendly families, close families, approachable families.”
“True, Sāriputta, Channa had friendly families, close families, approachable families. But Sāriputta, I do not say that he was blameworthy on that account. Sāriputta, when one lays down this body and takes up a new body, then I say one is blameworthy. This did not happen with the monk Channa; he used the knife blamelessly.”
This is what the Buddha said. Venerable Sāriputta satisfied and delighted in the Buddha’s words.
In the Channovāda sutta, Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahā Cunda visited Venerable Channa who was seriously ill and was suffering from severe pains. When Venerable Channa stated that due to his condition he will use a knife to end his life, Venerable Sāriputta discouraged him from doing so and offered various kinds of support to cope with his illness. Then both Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahā Cunda involved him in a Dhamma discussion, but soon after they left, Venerable Channa ended his life using a knife. When Venerable Sāriputta informed the Buddha about what happened, the Buddha has stated that Venerable Channa’s death was blameless as he has defeated death, meaning that Venerable Channa has died as an Arahant. In the days of the Buddha, two other monks named Venerable Godhika and Venerable Vakkali too died in a similar way and in those events too the Buddha stated that they died as Arahants. Unsurprisingly, there is much discussion and debate in the Buddhist literature as to whether Venerable Channa was really an Arahant when he ended his life with a knife and whether it is possible for an Arahant to end one’s own life in such a way.
References
- Bhikkhu Nānamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi 1995, Channovāda sutta, Translation of the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publications.
End.
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