Rattapāla Sutta

The eighty second sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya. It contains an account of Ratthapāla's admission into the Order, his visits to his parents after attaining arahantship, and his conversation with the Kuru king in the latter's Deer Park. This last conversation forms the chief theme. The king asks Ratthapāla why he has left his home when he suffers neither from old age, failing health, poverty, nor death of kinsfolk. Ratthapāla answers that his reason for leaving it was his conviction of the truth of the four propositions enunciated by the Buddha   that the world (1) is in a state of continual flux and change; (2) there is no protector or preserver; (3) in it, we own nothing, but must leave all behind us; (4) it lacks and bankers, being enslaved by craving. These four propositions are referred to as Cattāro dhammuddesā (MA.i.361).

He explains the meaning of these statements to the satisfaction of the king and summarizes his statements in a series of stanzas. M.ii.54 74. The stanzas included in the sutta are found in Thag.769 75 (those preached to Ratthapāla's father), and 776 93.

The Ratthapāla, Sutta (VibhA.267; MA.i.225; what this means is not quite clear; this sutta makes no mention of kammatthāna; another sutta of the same name is probably meant.) is mentioned as an example of a discourse in which the rūpa-kammatthāna is given first, leading on through vedanā to the arūpa-kammatthāna.

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