Mahāsaccaka Sutta

Saccaka visits the Buddha at the Kūtāgārasālā and questions him on the disciplining of the body and the mind. The Buddha describes to him the training he underwent from the time of leaving the world to that of his Enlightenment, stopping at no exertion, avoiding no austerities till, in the end, wisdom came to him, and he realized that bliss could not be experienced with an emaciated body.

The Pañcavaggiyas, who had been with him till then, left him in disgust. But he persevered, and, in the end, destroyed the āsavas.

Saccaka, addressed in the sutta as Aggivessana, expresses great admiration for the Buddha and acknowledges his superiority over other teachers.

M.i.237 51; see Thomas: op. cit., 58.

Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, G P Malalasekera (1899-1973), which is available as printed version from