Isigili Sutta
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The Isigili Sutta (MN 116, "At Isigili") is a discourse of the Majjhima Nikāya in the Pāli Canon. The sutta takes place at Isigili, a mountain near Rājagaha (modern Rajgir, India), and records the Buddha recounting the many paccekabuddha sages who had lived there in past ages.[1]
Content
[edit]The Buddha begins by explaining the name "Isigili," which literally means "the haunt of seers," and lists a long succession of paccekabuddha rishis (isi in Pāli) who attained nibbana on the mountain. These include hermit-seers such as Isigili, Uddaka, Kakusandha, and many others, whose names have otherwise largely faded from record.[2]
The text emphasizes that even though these past sages are now gone, their spiritual attainments were genuine, and the place remains sanctified by their memory. The Buddha uses this as a reminder of the continuity of the path across time and the permanence of liberation (nibbāna).[3]
Doctrinal insights
[edit]Scholars and commentators highlight several key doctrinal insights in the Isigili Sutta:
- Enlightenment across traditions: The sutta situates nibbana attainment not as a unique occurrence of the Buddha’s dispensation, but as a recurring across ages, showing that liberation is accessible beyond one era or teacher.[4]
- The timelessness of the path: By recounting the lives of past sages, the Buddha underscores that the Noble Eightfold Path is not bound to a single time or place but is the timeless Dhamma discovered and rediscovered by awakened ones.[5]
- Commemoration as instruction: Unlike suttas focused on direct doctrinal exposition, the Isigili Sutta functions as a narrative remembrance, offering inspiration by demonstrating continuity in spiritual achievement. It thereby situates the Buddha’s sangha within a lineage of awakened practitioners stretching back into the distant past.[6]
Parallels
[edit]Parallels to the Isigili Sutta appear in other early Buddhist canons, such as the Chinese Buddhist canon's Madhyama Āgama, which preserves lists of past sages associated with sacred sites, reinforcing the theme of continuity in liberation.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2009). The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications, p. 938–941.
- ^ Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1999). "Isigili Sutta: At Isigili (MN 116)". Access to Insight. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ Piya Tan (2010). "Isigili Sutta (MN 116): The Discourse at Isigili." Dharmafarer 16.1, p. 4–6.
- ^ Piya Tan (2010). Isigili Sutta (MN 116), Dharmafarer, p. 12–13.
- ^ Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2009). The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, p. 940.
- ^ Analayo, Bhikkhu (2011). A Comparative Study of the Majjhima Nikāya. Taipei: Dharma Drum Publishing, p. 432–433.
- ^ Analayo, Bhikkhu (2011). A Comparative Study of the Majjhima Nikāya, p. 430–435.