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Brickwall Unlimited

The Man Struck by a Poisoned Arrow

MN 63, the Cūḷamālukya Sutta — set 1, Before Any Doctrine

Reading time: about 11 min · 1,801 words

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Before you read

What happens

While alone, Mālukyaputta becomes upset that the Buddha has not answered ten questions about the world, the soul and body, and the Tathāgata after death. He decides to leave the training unless the Buddha answers them.

Central question

Must you settle questions about the world, body and soul, and the Tathāgata after death before you practice?

Main point

The poisoned-arrow story shows the danger of delaying urgent treatment until someone answers every background question. The Buddha leaves the ten questions unanswered because answers to them do not help end dissatisfaction. Instead, he declares what dissatisfaction is, where it comes from, that it can end, and the way to its end.

Reading tip

The ten questions appear several times. Follow how the text moves: Mālukyaputta's demand, the Buddha's reply, and the poisoned arrow. Then notice what he leaves unanswered and what he does teach.

This text is not saying

The text is not rejecting every kind of question. It separates questions that do not help end dissatisfaction from the practical teaching that does.

Key words

These definitions are here so you do not need to know Pali or Buddhist vocabulary before reading.

undeclared
A question the Buddha deliberately left unanswered -- not because he didn't know, but because answering it wouldn't help anyone actually practice.
Tathāgata
A title for the Buddha, traditionally left untranslated. It means roughly "the one who has arrived at things as they truly are."
spiritual life
The Buddhist path of practice as a whole -- not just a set of beliefs, but a whole way of living.
dissatisfaction
This translation's rendering of "dukkha," the Buddhist term for the unsatisfying, unstable quality of ordinary experience. Often translated "suffering," but that can sound more dramatic than the everyday sense of things not quite being right.
cessation
The ending of dissatisfaction and its causes: what practice is finally for. Elsewhere on this site the same idea appears as "quenching". Both render the same Pali word, "nirodha", in different sentences.

Translation

The Setting

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī, in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Monastery.

Mālukyaputta's Reflection

Then, while Venerable Mālukyaputta was alone in seclusion, this reflection arose in his mind: "These points have been left undeclared by the Buddha. He has set them aside and rejected them: 'the world is eternal,' 'the world is not eternal,' 'the world is finite,' 'the world is infinite,' 'the soul and the body are the same,' 'the soul is one thing and the body another,' 'the Tathāgata exists after death,' 'the Tathāgata does not exist after death,' 'the Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death,' 'the Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death.' The Buddha does not declare these to me. I do not approve of this, and I do not accept it. I will go to the Buddha and ask him about this. If the Buddha declares to me that the world is eternal, or that the world is not eternal, or that the world is finite, or that the world is infinite, or that the soul and the body are the same, or that the soul is one thing and the body another, or that the Tathāgata exists after death, or that the Tathāgata does not exist after death, or that the Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death, or that the Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death — then I will continue to live the spiritual life under the Buddha. But if the Buddha does not declare these to me, then I will renounce the training and return to the lower life of a layperson."

Mālukyaputta's Challenge

Then, when it was evening, Venerable Mālukyaputta rose from seclusion and went to the Buddha. He bowed to the Buddha and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, Venerable Mālukyaputta said to the Buddha:

"Bhante, while I was alone in seclusion, this reflection arose in my mind: 'These points have been left undeclared by the Buddha. He has set them aside and rejected them: that the world is eternal, or not eternal; that the world is finite, or infinite; that the soul and the body are the same, or that the soul is one thing and the body another; that the Tathāgata exists after death, does not exist after death, both exists and does not exist after death, or neither exists nor does not exist after death. The Buddha does not declare these to me. I do not approve of this, and I do not accept it.'

If the Buddha knows that the world is eternal, let the Buddha declare to me that the world is eternal. If the Buddha knows that the world is not eternal, let the Buddha declare to me that the world is not eternal. If the Buddha does not know whether the world is eternal or not eternal, then, not knowing, not seeing, the honest thing for the Buddha to say is: 'I do not know, I do not see.'

[And so with each of the remaining points: whether the world is finite or infinite; whether the soul and the body are the same or different; and whether the Tathāgata exists after death, does not exist after death, both exists and does not exist after death, or neither exists nor does not exist after death — if the Buddha knows, let him declare it; if he does not know, let him say so.]"

Not Promised, Not Agreed

"What do you think, Mālukyaputta — did I ever say to you, 'Come, Mālukyaputta, live the spiritual life under me, and I will declare to you that the world is eternal, or that the world is not eternal, or that the world is finite, or infinite, or that the soul and the body are the same or different, or that the Tathāgata exists after death, does not exist after death, both exists and does not exist after death, or neither exists nor does not exist after death'?"

"No, Bhante."

"Or did you say to me, 'Bhante, I will live the spiritual life under the Buddha, and the Buddha will declare to me that the world is eternal...' and so on through all ten points?"

"No, Bhante."

"That being so, stupid man, who are you, and what promise are you accusing of being broken?

Mālukyaputta, if anyone were to say, 'I will not live the spiritual life under the Buddha until the Buddha declares to me that the world is eternal' — that would still be undeclared by the Tathāgata, and meanwhile that person would die.

The Poisoned Arrow

Suppose, Mālukyaputta, a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions, his relatives and family, brought a surgeon to treat him. But the man would say: 'I will not let this arrow be pulled out until I know the name and clan of the man who wounded me. I will not let it be pulled out until I know whether the man who wounded me was tall, short, or of middle height. I will not let it be pulled out until I know whether the man who wounded me was dark-skinned, brown-skinned, or golden-skinned. I will not let it be pulled out until I know which village, town, or city the man who wounded me comes from. I will not let it be pulled out until I know whether the bow that wounded me was a long bow or a crossbow. I will not let it be pulled out until I know whether the bowstring was made of fiber, reed, sinew, hemp, or bark. I will not let it be pulled out until I know whether the shaft was from a wild plant or a cultivated one. I will not let it be pulled out until I know what kind of feathers were bound to the shaft — vulture, heron, hawk, peacock, or some other bird. I will not let it be pulled out until I know what kind of sinew was used to wrap the shaft — ox, buffalo, deer, or monkey sinew. I will not let it be pulled out until I know what sort of arrow it was — an ordinary arrow, a curved one, a barbed one, one shaped like a calf's tooth, or one shaped like an oleander thorn.'

That man would die, Mālukyaputta, before he ever knew these things.

In the same way, if anyone were to say, 'I will not live the spiritual life under the Buddha until the Buddha declares to me that the world is eternal, or that the world is not eternal, or that the world is finite, or infinite, or that the soul and the body are the same or different, or that the Tathāgata exists after death, does not exist after death, both exists and does not exist after death, or neither exists nor does not exist after death' — that would still be undeclared by the Tathāgata, and meanwhile that person would die.

Not Dependent On These Views

Mālukyaputta, the spiritual life does not depend on the view that the world is eternal. Nor does the spiritual life depend on the view that the world is not eternal. Whether the view is held that the world is eternal, or that the world is not eternal, there is still birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair — and it is the ending of these, here and now, that I declare.

The spiritual life does not depend on the view that the world is finite, nor on the view that the world is infinite. Whether the view is held that the world is finite, or that the world is infinite, there is still birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair — and it is the ending of these, here and now, that I declare.

The spiritual life does not depend on the view that the soul and the body are the same, nor on the view that the soul is one thing and the body another. Whether the view is held that the soul and the body are the same, or that the soul is one thing and the body another, there is still birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair — and it is the ending of these, here and now, that I declare.

The spiritual life does not depend on the view that the Tathāgata exists after death, nor on the view that the Tathāgata does not exist after death, nor on the view that the Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death, nor on the view that the Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death. Whether any of these four views is held, there is still birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair — and it is the ending of these, here and now, that I declare.

Undeclared And Declared

So, Mālukyaputta, understand as undeclared what I have left undeclared, and understand as declared what I have declared.

And what have I left undeclared? 'The world is eternal' — this I have left undeclared. 'The world is not eternal' — this I have left undeclared. 'The world is finite' — this I have left undeclared. 'The world is infinite' — this I have left undeclared. 'The soul and the body are the same' — this I have left undeclared. 'The soul is one thing and the body another' — this I have left undeclared. 'The Tathāgata exists after death' — this I have left undeclared. 'The Tathāgata does not exist after death' — this I have left undeclared. 'The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death' — this I have left undeclared. 'The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death' — this I have left undeclared.

Why have I left this undeclared? Because it is not beneficial, it is not relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life, and it does not lead to disenchantment, fading, cessation, calming, higher knowing, awakening, or nibbāna. That is why I have left it undeclared.

And what have I declared? 'This is dissatisfaction' — this I have declared. 'This is the origin of dissatisfaction' — this I have declared. 'This is the cessation of dissatisfaction' — this I have declared. 'This is the way leading to the cessation of dissatisfaction' — this I have declared.

Why have I declared this? Because it is beneficial, it is relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life, and it leads to disenchantment, fading, cessation, calming, higher knowing, awakening, and nibbāna. That is why I have declared it.

So, Mālukyaputta, understand as undeclared what I have left undeclared, and understand as declared what I have declared."

That is what the Buddha said. Venerable Mālukyaputta was satisfied and welcomed what the Buddha had said.

The Cūḷamālukya Sutta, the third discourse, is finished.

Words used in this translation (19)
arrow
A recurring image with more than one meaning. In MN 63 it is a poisoned arrow: refusing treatment until you know every background fact about the wound. It warns against blocking practice with questions no one can answer. In SN 36.6 the image is different. An ordinary person's pain is one arrow, and the extra suffering they add on top is a second arrow they could avoid.
awakening
Coming fully awake to how things are. Sometimes translated "enlightenment," a word this project avoids as needlessly mystical.
Bhante
A respectful way of addressing a senior monastic, roughly "venerable sir." Left untranslated because English has no natural equivalent.
birth
This project's rendering of "jāti": birth, coming into being. In the dependent-arising sequence, ageing and dying depend on it. In MN 141 the word appears once in its everyday sense instead, in a simile about a mother.
body
The physical body, as distinct from speech and the mental side of experience.
calming
A settling and quieting of the mind on the way toward full release.
cessation
The ending of dissatisfaction and its causes: what practice is finally for. Elsewhere on this site the same idea appears as "quenching". Both render the same Pali word, "nirodha", in different sentences.
disenchantment
A cooling of fascination with ordinary experience -- not depression, but the natural next step once you see clearly how things actually work.
dissatisfaction
This translation's rendering of "dukkha," the Buddhist term for the unsatisfying, unstable quality of ordinary experience. Often translated "suffering," but that can sound more dramatic than the everyday sense of things not quite being right.
fading
The fading away of attraction and investment in experience, as passion cools.
higher knowing
Direct, personally realized understanding -- knowing something for yourself rather than taking it on faith. In some texts it also names the extraordinary knowings that arise from deep concentration.
knowing
This project's rendering of "viññāṇa" (often translated "consciousness") -- bare awareness of an object through one of the senses or the mind.
nibbāna
The end of greed, hatred, and confusion -- the traditional goal of Buddhist practice. Left untranslated because no single English word covers it; "quenching" is the closest one-word gloss.
seclusion
This project's rendering of "viveka" -- being apart from the usual pull of the senses and from unwholesome states. Physical solitude is one form of it, not the whole of it.
soul
This translation's rendering of "jīva" -- the felt sense of an inner self or life-essence. Whether it exists, and whether it's the same as the body, is one of the questions MN 63 leaves undeclared.
spiritual life
The Buddhist path of practice as a whole -- not just a set of beliefs, but a whole way of living.
Tathāgata
A title for the Buddha, traditionally left untranslated. It means roughly "the one who has arrived at things as they truly are."
undeclared
A question the Buddha deliberately left unanswered -- not because he didn't know, but because answering it wouldn't help anyone actually practice.
world
A word whose scope shifts with the teaching. It can mean the lived world we build through the senses and the mind, or the wider physical cosmos. The surrounding passage shows which sense it has.
Source and corrections