At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then Vassakāra the brahmin, a chief minister of Magadha, went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha:
“Worthy Gotama, this is my doctrine and view: There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve seen, saying: ‘So I have seen.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve heard, saying:
PL
“Ahañhi, bho gotama, evaṁvādī evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘yo koci diṭṭhaṁ bhāsati— evaṁ me diṭṭhanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci sutaṁ bhāsati—
EN
‘So I have heard.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve thought, saying: ‘So I have thought.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve known, saying:
PL
evaṁ me sutanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci mutaṁ bhāsati— evaṁ me mutanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci viññātaṁ bhāsati—
EN
‘So I have known.’” “Brahmin, I don’t say you should talk about everything you see, hear, think, and know. But I also don’t say you should talk about nothing you see, hear, think, and know.
PL
evaṁ me viññātanti, natthi tato doso’”ti. “Nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ diṭṭhaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ diṭṭhaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ sutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi;
PL
na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ sutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ mutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ mutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ viññātaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi;
EN
When talking about certain things you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known, unskillful qualities grow while skillful qualities decline. I say that you shouldn’t talk about those things. When talking about other things you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known, unskillful qualities decline while skillful qualities grow. I say that you should talk about those things.”
At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then Vassakāra the brahmin, a chief minister of Magadha, went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha:
“Worthy Gotama, this is my doctrine and view: There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve seen, saying: ‘So I have seen.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve heard, saying:
PL
“Ahañhi, bho gotama, evaṁvādī evaṁdiṭṭhi: ‘yo koci diṭṭhaṁ bhāsati— evaṁ me diṭṭhanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci sutaṁ bhāsati—
EN
‘So I have heard.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve thought, saying: ‘So I have thought.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve known, saying:
PL
evaṁ me sutanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci mutaṁ bhāsati— evaṁ me mutanti, natthi tato doso; yo koci viññātaṁ bhāsati—
EN
‘So I have known.’” “Brahmin, I don’t say you should talk about everything you see, hear, think, and know. But I also don’t say you should talk about nothing you see, hear, think, and know.
PL
evaṁ me viññātanti, natthi tato doso’”ti. “Nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ diṭṭhaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ diṭṭhaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ sutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi;
PL
na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ sutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ mutaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; na panāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ mutaṁ na bhāsitabbanti vadāmi; nāhaṁ, brāhmaṇa, sabbaṁ viññātaṁ bhāsitabbanti vadāmi;
EN
When talking about certain things you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known, unskillful qualities grow while skillful qualities decline. I say that you shouldn’t talk about those things. When talking about other things you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known, unskillful qualities decline while skillful qualities grow. I say that you should talk about those things.”
Sutraya