Upacala Sutta: Upacala

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Samyutta Nikaya
SN 5

SN 5.7

CDB i 227

translated from the Pali by

Bhikkhu Bodhi

Alternate translation: Thanissaro

Setting at Savatthi. Then, in the morning, the bhikkhuni Upacala dressed... she sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.

Then Mara the Evil One approached the bhikkhuni Upacala and said to her: "Where do you wish to be reborn, bhikkhuni?"

"I do not wish to be reborn anywhere, friend."

[Mara:]

There are Tavatimsa and Yama devas, And devatas of the Tusita realm, Devas who take delight in creating, And devas who exercise control. Direct your mind there And you'll experience delight.

[Upacala:]

There are Tavatimsa and Yama devas, And devatas of the Tusita realm, Devas who take delight in creating, And devas who exercise control. They are still bound by sensual bondage, They come again under Mara's control. All the world is on fire, All the world is burning, All the world is ablaze, All the world is quaking. That which does not quake or blaze, That to which worldlings do not resort, Where there is no place for Mara: That is where my mind delights.

Then Mara the Evil One, realizing, "The bhikkhuni Upacala knows me," sad and disappointed, disappeared right there.

You may copy, reformat, reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge and, in the case of reprinting, only in quantities of no more than 50 copies; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. From Discourses of the Ancient Nuns (BL 143), translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1997). Copyright © 1997 Buddhist Publication Society. Used with permission. Last revised for Access to Insight on 13 June 2010.

How to cite this document (a suggested style): "Upacala Sutta: Upacala" (SN 5.7), translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 13 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn05/sn05.007.bodh.html .

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