With Cālā

SN 5.6 · Cālāsutta

Cloud and mist reflected in a still mountain lake.

At Sāvatthī.

Then the nun Cālā robed up in the morning … and sat at the root of a tree for the day’s meditation.

Then Māra the Wicked went up to Cālā and said to her, “Nun, what don’t you approve of?”

“I don’t approve of rebirth, sir.”

“Why don’t you approve of rebirth? When you’re born, you get to enjoy sensual pleasures. Who put this idea in your head: ‘Nun, don’t approve of rebirth’?”
“Death comes to those who are born, when you’re born you undergo sufferings—killing, caging, misery—that’s why you shouldn’t approve of rebirth.
The Buddha taught me the Dhamma for transcending rebirth, for giving up all suffering; he settled me in the truth.
There are beings in the realm of luminous form, and others stuck in the formless. Not understanding cessation, they return in future lives.”

Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The nun Cālā knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.

Connections

Collection & context

Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition
Discourses of the Ancient Nuns: Bhikkhunī-saṃyuttaBhikkhu Bodhi · Translation & commentary
Handful of Leaves: an Anthology from the Sutta PiṭakaEarly Buddhist discourses; Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (translator and compiler) · Included in anthology

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.