An Exhortation to a Dog-practice Ascetic
Kukkurovāda Sutta1  (MN 57)

I have heard that once the Blessed One was dwelling among the Koliyans, near a Koliyan town named Haliddavasana.

Then Puṇṇa the Koliyan cow-practice ascetic, and Seniya, a naked dog-practice ascetic, went to the Blessed One. On arrival, Puṇṇa the Koliyan, bowing down to the Blessed One, sat to one side, while Seniya exchanged courteous greetings with the Blessed One and, after an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, sat to one side, curling up like a dog.

While he was sitting there, Puṇṇa the Koliyan cow-practice ascetic said to the Blessed One, “Lord, Seniya, this naked dog-practice ascetic, is a doer-of-hard-tasks. He eats food that is thrown on the ground. He has long undertaken & conformed to that dog practice. What is his future destination? What is his future course?”

“Enough, Puṇṇa, put that aside. Don’t ask me that.”

A second time… A third time, Puṇṇa the Koliyan cow-practice ascetic said to the Blessed One, “Lord, Seniya, this naked dog-practice ascetic, is a doer-of-hard-tasks. He eats food that is thrown on the ground. He has long undertaken & conformed to that dog practice. What is his future destination? What is his future course?”

“Apparently, Puṇṇa, I haven’t been able to get past you by saying, ‘Enough, Puṇṇa, put that aside. Don’t ask me that.’ So I will just answer you.

“There is the case where a person develops the dog practice fully & without lapse, develops a dog’s habits fully & without lapse, develops a dog’s mind fully & without lapse, develops a dog’s demeanor fully & without lapse. Having developed the dog practice fully & without lapse… a dog’s habits… a dog’s mind… a dog’s demeanor fully & without lapse, then on the break-up of the body, after death, he reappears in the company of dogs. But if he is of such a view as, ‘By this habit or practice or asceticism or holy life I will become a greater or lesser deva,’ that is his wrong view. Now, I tell you, Puṇṇa, there are two destinations for one with wrong view: hell or the animal womb. So the dog practice, if perfected, leads him to the company of dogs; if defective, to hell.”

When this was said, Seniya, the naked dog-practice ascetic cried out and burst into tears.

The Blessed One said to Puṇṇa the cow-practice ascetic, “That’s what I couldn’t get past you by saying, ‘Enough, Puṇṇa, put that aside. Don’t ask me that.’”

[Seniya said,] “I’m not crying, lord, because of what the Blessed One said about me, but simply because I have for a long time undertaken & conformed to this dog practice.

“Lord, Puṇṇa, here, is a cow-practice ascetic. He has long undertaken & conformed to that cow practice. What is his future destination? What is his future course?”

“Enough, Seniya, put that aside. Don’t ask me that.”

A second time… A third time, Seniya the naked dog-practice ascetic said to the Blessed One, “Lord, Puṇṇa, here, is a cow-practice ascetic. He has long undertaken & conformed to that cow practice. What is his future destination? What is his future course?”

“Apparently, Seniya, I haven’t been able to get past you by saying, ‘Enough, Seniya, put that aside. Don’t ask me that.’ So I will just answer you.

“There is the case where a person develops the cow practice fully & without lapse, develops a cow’s habits fully & without lapse, develops a cow’s mind fully & without lapse, develops a cow’s demeanor fully & without lapse. Having developed the cow practice fully & without lapse… a cow’s habits… a cow’s mind… a cow’s demeanor fully & without lapse, then on the break-up of the body, after death, he reappears in the company of cows. But if he is of such a view as, ‘By this habit or practice or asceticism or holy life I will become a greater or lesser deva,’ that is his wrong view. Now, I tell you, Seniya, there are two destinations for one with wrong view: hell or the animal womb. So the cow practice, if perfected, leads him to the company of cows; if defective, to hell.”

When this was said, Puṇṇa the Koliyan cow-practice ascetic cried out and burst into tears.

The Blessed One said to Seniya, the naked dog-practice ascetic, “That’s what I couldn’t get past you by saying, ‘Enough, Seniya, put that aside. Don’t ask me that.’”

[Puṇṇa said,] “I’m not crying, lord, because of what the Blessed One said about me, but simply because I have for a long time undertaken & conformed to this cow practice.

“Lord, I have confidence in the Blessed One that he can teach the Dhamma in such a way that I will abandon this cow practice and Seniya, this naked dog-practice ascetic, will abandon that dog practice.”

“In that case, Puṇṇa, listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”

“As you say, lord,” Puṇṇa responded to the Blessed One.

The Blessed One said, “Puṇṇa, these four types of kamma have been directly known, verified, & made known by me. Which four? There is kamma that is dark with dark result. There is kamma that is bright with bright result. There is kamma that is dark & bright with dark & bright result. There is kamma that is neither dark nor bright with neither dark nor bright result, leading to the ending of kamma.

“And what is kamma that is dark with dark result? There is the case where a certain person fabricates an injurious bodily fabrication, fabricates an injurious verbal fabrication, fabricates an injurious mental fabrication. Having fabricated an injurious bodily fabrication, having fabricated an injurious verbal fabrication, having fabricated an injurious mental fabrication, he rearises in an injurious world. On rearising in an injurious world, there he is touched by injurious contacts. Touched by injurious contacts, he experiences feelings that are exclusively painful, like those of the beings in hell.

“Thus a being’s rearising is from a being. One appears by means of what one does. Having arisen there, contacts touch one. Thus I tell you, Puṇṇa, that beings are the heirs to their actions.2

“This is called kamma that is dark with dark result.

“And what is kamma that is bright with bright result? There is the case where a certain person fabricates a non-injurious bodily fabrication… a non-injurious verbal fabrication… a non-injurious mental fabrication.… He rearises in a non-injurious world.… There he is touched by non-injurious contacts.… He experiences feelings that are exclusively pleasant, like those of the Beautiful Black Devas.3

“Thus a being’s rearising is from a being. One appears by means of what one does. Having arisen there, contacts touch one. Thus I tell you, Puṇṇa, that beings are the heirs to their actions.

“This is called kamma that is bright with bright result.

“And what is kamma that is dark & bright with dark & bright result? There is the case where a certain person fabricates a bodily fabrication that is injurious & non-injurious… a verbal fabrication that is injurious & non-injurious… a mental fabrication that is injurious & non-injurious.… He rearises in an injurious & non-injurious world.… There he is touched by injurious & non-injurious contacts.… He experiences injurious & non-injurious feelings, pleasure mingled with pain, like those of human beings, some devas, and some beings in the lower realms.

“Thus a being’s rearising is from a being. One appears by means of what one does. Having arisen there, contacts touch one. Thus I tell you, Puṇṇa, that beings are the heirs to their actions.

“This is called kamma that is dark & bright with dark & bright result.

“And what is kamma that is neither dark nor bright with neither dark nor bright result, leading to the ending of kamma? The intention right there to abandon this kamma that is dark with dark result, the intention right there to abandon this kamma that is bright with bright result, the intention right there to abandon this kamma that is dark & bright with dark & bright result.4

“This is called kamma that is neither dark nor bright with neither dark nor bright result, leading to the ending of kamma.

“These, Puṇṇa, are the four types of kamma directly known, verified, & made known by me.”

When this was said, Puṇṇa the Koliyan cow-practice ascetic said, “Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One—through many lines of reasoning—made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life.”

But Seniya, the naked dog-practice ascetic, said, “Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One—through many lines of reasoning—made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Saṅgha of monks. Let me obtain the going forth in the Blessed One’s presence, let me obtain the acceptance.”

“Anyone, Seniya, who has previously belonged to another sect and who desires the going forth & acceptance into this Dhamma & Vinaya must first undergo probation for four months. If, at the end of four months, the monks feel so moved, they give him the going forth & accept him into the monk’s state. But I know distinctions among individuals in this matter.”

“Lord, if that’s the case, I’m willing to undergo probation for four years. If, at the end of four years, the monks feel so moved, let them give me the going forth & accept me into the monk’s state.”

Then Seniya, the naked dog-practice ascetic obtained the going forth in the Blessed One’s presence, he obtained acceptance. Not long after his acceptance—dwelling alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, & resolute—he in no long time entered & remained in the supreme goal of the holy life, for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness, directly knowing & realizing it for himself in the here & now. He knew: “Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for the sake of this world.” And thus Ven. Seniya became another one of the arahants.

See also: MN 135; MN 136; AN 4:233; AN 4:235; AN 4:237; AN 4:238