Harmless

SN 7.5 · Ahiṁsakasutta

A broad lotus leaf shedding small beads of water.

At Sāvatthī.

Then the brahmin Bhāradvāja the Harmless went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him.

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said, “I am Harmless, worthy Gotama, I am Harmless!”

“If you were really like your name, then you’d be Harmless. But a truly harmless person does no harm by way of body, speech, or mind; they don’t harm anyone else.”

When he had spoken, the brahmin Bhāradvāja the Harmless said to the Buddha, “Excellent, worthy Gotama! …” … And Venerable Bhāradvāja the Harmless became one of the perfected.

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

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.