MN 36 · Mahāsaccaka Sutta

Tokoh, tempat, dan gagasan utamanya

Dalam pertemuan kedua, Saccaka bertanya tentang pengembangan batin dan jasmani — Buddha menjawab panjang lebar dengan menceritakan kembali laku keras ekstrem yang pernah ia jalani sebelum menemukan jalan tengah menuju pencerahan. Inilah Mahāsaccaka Sutta.

TOKOH

Buddha

Guru yang menceritakan kembali laku keras ekstrem yang pernah dijalaninya sebelum tercerahkan.

TOKOH

Saccaka

Debater yang kembali menemui Buddha, kali ini bertanya tentang pengembangan batin dan jasmani.

TEMPAT

Vesālī (Hutan Besar)

Aula beratap lancip di Hutan Besar dekat Vesālī, tempat pertemuan kedua ini berlangsung.

KONSEP

Jalan tengah menuju pencerahan

Buddha menceritakan laku keras ekstrem yang pernah dijalaninya hingga hampir mati kelaparan, sebelum akhirnya menemukan bahwa jalan tengah — bukan siksa diri maupun kemewahan — yang membawa pada pencerahan.

Visual pengantar Tiga Keranjang · bukan bagian dari teks kanonik.

Sinopsis singkat

Saccaka kembali menemui Buddha dan mengangkat persoalan tentang pengembangan tubuh dan pengembangan batin. Percakapan itu membuat Buddha menceritakan pencarian-Nya sebelum pencerahan: belajar kepada Āḷāra Kālāma dan Uddaka Rāmaputta, meninggalkan pencapaian yang belum mengakhiri penderitaan, lalu menjalani pertapaan dan penyiksaan diri yang sangat keras. Setelah menyadari bahwa jalan ekstrem itu tidak membawa pada pencerahan, ia teringat pengalaman jhāna ketika masih muda dan memahami bahwa ketenangan seperti itulah jalan yang perlu dikembangkan. Ia menerima makanan kembali, memulihkan tubuh, memasuki jhāna, dan pada malam pencerahan memperoleh tiga pengetahuan hingga noda-noda batin berakhir. Kisah itu menjawab Saccaka dengan pengalaman langsung tentang batin yang tidak lagi dikuasai kesenangan maupun rasa sakit.

BAGIAN 15

mn36:15.1 I set out to discover what is skillful, seeking the supreme state of sublime peace. I approached Uddaka son of Rāma and said to him,

mn36:15.2 ‘Reverend, I wish to lead the spiritual life in this teaching and training.’

mn36:15.3 Uddaka replied,

mn36:15.4 ‘Stay, venerable.

mn36:15.5 This teaching is such that a sensible person can soon realize their own denomination with their own insight and live having achieved it.’

mn36:15.6 I quickly memorized that teaching.

mn36:15.7 As far as lip-recital and verbal repetition went, I spoke the doctrine of knowledge, the elder doctrine. I claimed to know and see, and so did others.

mn36:15.8 Then it occurred to me,

mn36:15.9 ‘It is not solely by mere faith that Rāma declared: “I realize this teaching with my own insight, and live having achieved it.”

mn36:15.10 Surely he meditated knowing and seeing this teaching.’

mn36:15.11 So I approached Uddaka son of Rāma and said to him,

mn36:15.12 ‘Reverend, to what extent did Rāma say he’d realized this teaching with his own insight?’

mn36:15.13 When I said this, Uddaka son of Rāma declared the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.

mn36:15.14 Then it occurred to me,

mn36:15.15 ‘It’s not just Rāma who had faith,

mn36:15.16 energy,

mn36:15.17 mindfulness,

mn36:15.18 immersion,

mn36:15.19 and wisdom; I too have these things.

mn36:15.20 Why don’t I make an effort to realize the same teaching that Rāma said he had realized with his own insight?’

mn36:15.21 I quickly realized that teaching with my own insight, and lived having achieved it.

mn36:15.22 So I approached Uddaka son of Rāma and said to him,

mn36:15.23 ‘Reverend, had Rāma realized this teaching with his own insight up to this point, and declared having achieved it?’

mn36:15.24 ‘He had, reverend.’

mn36:15.25 ‘I too have realized this teaching with my own insight up to this point, and live having achieved it.’

mn36:15.26 ‘We are fortunate, reverend, so very fortunate

mn36:15.27 to see a venerable such as yourself as one of our spiritual companions!

mn36:15.28 So the teaching that Rāma had realized with his own insight, and declared having achieved it, you’ve realized with your own insight, and dwell having achieved it. The teaching that you’ve realized with your own insight, and dwell having achieved it, Rāma had realized with his own insight, and declared having achieved it.

mn36:15.29 So the teaching that Rāma directly knew, you know, and the teaching you know, Rāma directly knew.

mn36:15.30 Rāma was like you and you are like Rāma.

mn36:15.31 Come now, reverend! You should lead this community.’

mn36:15.32 And that is how my spiritual companion Uddaka son of Rāma placed me in the position of a tutor and honored me with high praise.

mn36:15.33 Then it occurred to me,

mn36:15.34 ‘This teaching doesn’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment. It only leads as far as rebirth in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.’

mn36:15.35 Realizing that this teaching was inadequate, I left disappointed.