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← Saṃyutta Nikāya

With Sīsupacālā

SN 5.8 · Sīsupacālāsutta

A mountain trail rising through grassy terraces.

At Sāvatthī.

Then the nun Sīsupacālā 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 Sīsupacālā and said to her, “Nun, whose creed do you approve of?”

“I don’t approve anyone’s creed, sir.”

“In whose name did you shave your head? You look like an ascetic, but you don’t approve any creed. Why do you wander as if lost?”

“Followers of other creeds are confident in their views. But I don’t approve their teaching, for they’re no experts in the Dhamma.

But there is one born in the Sakyan clan, the unrivaled Buddha, vanquisher of all, dispeller of Māra, everywhere undefeated,

everywhere freed, and unattached, the Clear-eyed One sees all. He has attained the end of all deeds, freed with the ending of attachments. That Blessed One is my Teacher, and I approve his instruction.”

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

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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.