Raṭṭhapālasutta untranslated

Raṭṭhapālasutta. The eighty-second Sutta of the Majjhimanikāya. It contains an account of Raṭṭhapāla’s admission into the Saṅgha, his visits to his parents after attaining Arahant-ship, and his conversation with the Kuru king in the latter’s Deer Park. This last conversation forms the chief theme. The king asks Raṭṭhapāla why he has left his home when he suffers neither from old age, failing health, poverty, nor death of kinsfolk. Raṭṭhapāla answers that his reason for leaving it was his conviction of the truth of the four propositions enunciated by the Buddha that the world (1) is in a state of continual flux and change; (2) there is no protector or preserver; (3) in it, we own nothing, but must leave all behind us; (4) it lacks and hankers, being enslaved by craving. These four propositions are referred to as Cattāro Dhammuddesā (MN­a.i.361).

He explains the meaning of these statements to the satisfaction of the king and summarizes his statements in a series of stanzas. MN.ii.54-74. The stanzas included in the Sutta are found in Thag.769-75 (those preached to Raṭṭhapāla’s father), and 776-93.

The Raṭṭhapālasutta is mentioned as an example of a discourse in which the rūpakammaṭṭhāna is given first, leading on through vedanā to the arūpakammaṭṭhāna (Vibh-a.267; MN-a.i.225; what this means is not quite clear; this Sutta makes no mention of kammaṭṭhāna; another Sutta of the same name is probably meant).