sn.35.87 Saṁyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)

Channa

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rajagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Now on that occasion the Venerable Sāriputta, the Venerable Mahacunda, and the Venerable Channa were dwelling on Mount Vulture Peak, and the Venerable Channa was sick, afflicted, gravely ill. Then, in the evening, the Venerable Sāriputta emerged from seclusion, approached the Venerable Mahacunda, and said to him: “Come, friend Cunda, let us approach the Venerable Channa and ask about his illness.”

“Yes, friend,” the Venerable Mahacunda replied.

Then the Venerable Sāriputta and the Venerable Mahacunda approached the Venerable Channa and exchanged greetings with him, after which they sat down in the appointed seats. The Venerable Sāriputta then said to the Venerable Channa: “I hope you are bearing up, friend Channa, I hope you are getting better. I hope that your painful feelings are subsiding and not increasing, and that their subsiding, not their increase, is to be discerned.”

“Friend Sāriputta, I am not bearing up, I am not getting better. Strong painful feelings are increasing in me, not subsiding, and their increase, not their subsiding, is to be discerned. Just as if a strong man were to split my head open with a sharp sword, so too violent winds cut through my head. I am not bearing up…. Just as if a strong man were to tighten a tough leather strap around my head as a headband, so too there are violent pains in my head. I am not bearing up…. Just as if a skilled butcher or his apprentice were to carve up an ox’s belly with a sharp butcher’s knife, so too violent winds are carving up my belly. I am not bearing up…. Just as if two strong men were to seize a weaker man by both arms and roast him over a pit of hot coals, so too there is a violent burning in my body. I am not bearing up, I am not getting better. Strong painful feelings are increasing in me, not subsiding, and their increase, not their subsiding, is to be discerned. I will use the knife, friend Sāriputta, I have no desire to live.”

“Let the Venerable Channa not use the knife. Let the Venerable Channa live. We want the Venerable Channa to live. If the Venerable Channa lacks suitable food, I will go in search of suitable food for him; if he lacks suitable medicine, I will go in search of suitable medicine for him; if he lacks a proper attendant, I will attend on him. Let the Venerable Channa not use the knife. Let the Venerable Channa live. We want the Venerable Channa to live.”

“Friend Sāriputta, it is not that I lack suitable food; I have suitable food. It is not that I lack suitable medicine; I have suitable medicine. It is not that I lack proper attendants; I have proper attendants. Moreover, friend, for a long time the Teacher has been served by me in an agreeable way, not in a disagreeable way; for it is proper for a disciple to serve the Teacher in an agreeable way, not in a disagreeable way. Remember this, friend Sāriputta: the bhikkhu Channa will use the knife blamelessly.”

“We would ask the Venerable Channa about a certain point, if he would grant us the favour of answering our question.”

“Ask, friend Sāriputta. When I have heard I shall know.”

“Friend Channa, do you regard the eye, eye-consciousness, and things cognizable with eye-consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’? Do you regard the ear, ear-consciousness, and things cognizable with ear-consciousness thus…? Do you regard the mind, mind-consciousness, and things cognizable with mind-consciousness thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?

“Friend Sāriputta, I regard the eye, eye-consciousness, and things cognizable with eye-consciousness thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ I regard the ear, ear-consciousness, and things cognizable with ear-consciousness thus…I regard the mind, mind-consciousness, and things cognizable with 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, in eye-consciousness, and in things cognizable with eye-consciousness, that you regard them thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’? What have you seen and directly known in the ear … in the mind, in mind-consciousness, and in things cognizable with mind-consciousness, that you regard them thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’?”

“Friend Sāriputta, it is because I have seen and directly known cessation in the eye, in eye-consciousness, and in things cognizable with eye-consciousness, that I regard them thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ It is because I have seen and directly known cessation in the ear … … in the mind, in mind-consciousness, and in things cognizable with mind-consciousness, that I regard them thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’”

When this was said, the Venerable Mahacunda said to the Venerable Channa: “Therefore, friend Channa, this teaching of the Blessed One is to be constantly given close attention: ‘For one who is dependent there is wavering; for one who is independent there is no wavering. 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 being reborn; when there is no passing away and being reborn, there is neither here nor beyond nor in between the two. This itself is the end of suffering.’”

Then, when the Venerable Sāriputta and the Venerable Mahacunda had given the Venerable Channa this exhortation, they rose from their seats and departed. Then, soon after they had left, the Venerable Channa used the knife.

Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him: “Venerable sir, the Venerable Channa has used the knife. What is his destination, what is his future bourn?”

“Sāriputta, didn’t the bhikkhu Channa declare his blameless-ness right in your presence?”

“Venerable sir, there is a Vajjian village named Pubbavijjhana. There the Venerable Channa had friendly families, intimate families, hospitable families.”

“The Venerable Channa did indeed have these friendly families, Sāriputta, intimate families, hospitable families; but I do not say that to this extent one is blameworthy. Sāriputta, when one lays down this body and takes up another body, then I say one is blameworthy. This did not happen in the case of the bhikkhu Channa. The bhikkhu Channa used the knife blamelessly. Thus, Sāriputta, should you remember it.”

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

With Channa

Venerable Channa, keep going! We want you to keep going.”
At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.
Now at that time the venerables Sāriputta, Mahācunda, and Channa were staying on the Vulture’s Peak Mountain.
Now at that time Venerable Channa was sick, suffering, gravely ill.
Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Sāriputta came out of retreat, went to Venerable Mahācunda and said to him,
“Come, Reverend Cunda, let’s go to see Venerable Channa and ask about his illness.”
“Yes, reverend,” replied Mahācunda.
And then Sāriputta and Mahācunda went to see Channa and sat down on the seats spread out. Sāriputta said to Channa:
“I hope you’re keeping well, Reverend Channa; I hope you’re alright. I hope that your pain is fading, not growing, that its fading is evident, not its growing.”
“Reverend Sāriputta, I’m not keeping well, I’m not alright. The pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.
The winds piercing my head are so severe, it feels like a strong man drilling into my head with a sharp point.

The pain in my head is so severe, it feels like a strong man tightening a tough leather strap around my head.

The winds slicing my belly are so severe, like a deft butcher or their apprentice were slicing open a cows’s belly open with a meat cleaver.

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 on a pit of glowing coals.
I’m not keeping well, I’m not alright. The pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.
Reverend Sāriputta, I will slit my wrists. I don’t wish to live.”
“Please don’t slit your wrists!
Venerable Channa, keep going! We want you to keep going.
If you don’t have any suitable food, we’ll find it for you.
If you don’t have suitable medicine, we’ll find it for you.
If you don’t have a capable carer, we’ll find one for you.
Please don’t slit your wrists!
“Reverend Sāriputta, it’s not that I don’t have suitable food;
I do have suitable food.
It’s not that I don’t have suitable medicine;
I do have suitable medicine.
It’s not that I don’t have a capable carer;
I do have a capable carer.
Moreover, for a long time now I have served the Teacher with love, not without love.
For it is proper for a disciple to serve the Teacher with love, not without love.
You should remember this: ‘The mendicant Channa will slit his wrists blamelessly.’”
“I’d like to ask Venerable Channa about a certain point, if you’d take the time to answer.”
“Ask, Reverend Sāriputta. When I’ve heard it I’ll know.”
“Reverend Channa, do you regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things knowable by eye consciousness in this way: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?
Do you regard the ear … nose … tongue … body …
mind, mind consciousness, and things knowable by mind consciousness in this way: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”
“Reverend Sāriputta, I regard the eye, eye consciousness, and things knowable by eye consciousness in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’
I regard the ear … nose … tongue … body …
mind, mind consciousness, and things knowable by mind consciousness in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’.”
“Reverend Channa, what have you seen, what have you directly known in these things that you regard them in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’?”

“Reverend Sāriputta, after seeing cessation, after directly knowing cessation in these things I regard them in this way: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self’.”

When he said this, Venerable Mahācunda said to Venerable Channa,
“So, Reverend Channa, you should pay close attention to this instruction of the Buddha whenever you can:
‘For the dependent there is agitation. For the independent there’s no agitation.
When there’s no agitation there is tranquility.
When there’s tranquility there’s no inclination.
When there’s no inclination, there’s no coming and going.
When there’s no coming and going, there’s no passing away and reappearing.
When there’s no passing away and reappearing, there’s no this world or world beyond or between the two.
Just this is the end of suffering.’”
And when the venerables Sāriputta and Mahācunda had given Venerable Channa this advice they got up from their seat and left.
Not long after those venerables had left, Venerable Channa slit his wrists.
Then Sāriputta went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,
“Sir, Venerable Channa has slit his wrists.
Where has he been reborn in his next life?”
“Sāriputta, didn’t the mendicant Channa declare his blamelessness to you personally?”
“Sir, there is a Vajjian village named Pubbavijjhana
where Channa had families with whom he was friendly, intimate, and familiar.”
“The mendicant Channa did indeed have such families, Sāriputta.
But this is not enough for me to call someone ‘blameworthy’.
When someone lays down this body and takes up another body, I call them ‘blameworthy’.
But the mendicant Channa did no such thing.
You should remember this: ‘The mendicant Channa slit his wrists blamelessly.’”