AKÓLIKA IN THE BUDDHIST CANON 1

JOHANNES BRONKHORST

Akålika in the Buddhist canon*

The word akålika as it occurs in the early Buddhist scriptures is translated ‘immediate,
present, at hand’ (CPD), ‘immediate, not dependent on lapse of time’ (BHSD), ‘not delayed,
immediate, in this world’ (PTSD, s.v. kålika), ‘without delay, immediate’ (Childers), etc. The
Påli commentaries (e.g., Vism 216; Nidd II. 52, 267; Pj II. 456, 605; etc.) support this
interpretation. The present article is meant to investigate if this interpretation fits the contexts
in which the word occurs, and if a better interpretation may be possible.
The contexts of akålika in the early Buddhist scriptures are few. In the Påli texts it
occurs as a rule in apposition with the words dhamma, sandi††hika, ehipassika, or just
dhamma, ehipassika (PTC); also with sandi††hika, ehipassika (SN IV. 339; AN I. 221; II. 198).
Minor variations occur, such as brahmacariyaµ sandi††hikaµ akålikaµ (Sn 567 = MN II. 146
= Th 837), dhammena di††hena … akålikena (SN II. 58-59; IV. 328). Similarly in the Sanskrit
Mahåvastu (III. 200) akålika comes in a sequence with dharmavinaya, såµd®∑†ika, ehipaßyika.
Regarding the meanings of såµd®∑†ika / sandi††hika and ehipaßyika / ehipassika there is
little doubt. The former means ‘visible, of the present (life)’ and recalls the oft-recurring
phrase d®∑†e dharme / di††he va dhamme ‘in the present life’. The latter means ‘that invites
(every man) to come and see’ (BHSD). Both these terms therefore emphasize that the aim of
the teaching of the Buddha can be attained in this life.
Since akålika must be more or less synonymous with these two words,1 [188] the usual
interpretation does not fit well. I propose the translation ‘not connected with death’. kåla
carries the meaning ‘death’, and is often used in this sense in the Buddhist scriptures, esp.
together with the root k® and its derivatives.
There is a priori much to support this interpretation of the term akålika. We know that
Buddhism arose in surroundings where different ways of salvation competed with each other.
The Buddhist scriptures often criticize these alternative ways, and in particular dedicate much
space to the criticism of the Jainas (nigaˆ†ha). Of the Jainas we know that they expected
liberation — in the case of those who were qualified for it — to take place at the moment of
death (Schubring, 1935: 206-07), and there is reason to suppose that others too accepted this

*
I am indebted to the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research (Z.W.O.) for financial
assistance.
1
SN IV. 41 and AN I. 157 seem to give the phrase sandi††hiko dhammo akåliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko
paccattaµ veditabbo viññËhi as an extended version of just sandi††hiko dhammo, thus again suggesting that all
these adjectives are more or less synonymous. AN I. 158 has the same with nibbånaµ instead of dhammo.
Coomaraswamy’s (1939: 117 f.) proposal to understand the doctrine (dhamma) to be both ‘here and now’ (di††he
dhamme) and ‘not in time’ (akålika) is not convincing.
AKÓLIKA IN THE BUDDHIST CANON 2

position (Bronkhorst, 1986). Buddhism differed in preaching liberation in life, not at death;
the three attributes which we study, among them akålika, emphasize this.
There are tow, and as far as I know only two, passages in the Buddhist canon2 where
the context allows us to determine the meaning of akålika; in both these passages — which are
virtually identical in the parts which concern our problem — this word is understood in the
sense ‘not connected with death’. SN I. 8-12 (Samiddhi Sutta; no. 1.2.10) describes the
discussion between a god (devatå) and Samiddhi, a Buddhist monk; in SN I. 117-18
(Sambahulå Sutta; no. 4.3.1) the discussion takes place between Måra in the form of a
Brahman and a group of monks. The word kåla is often used in the discussion, in both its
senses ‘time’ and ‘death’, and there is consequently much play on words. I give the important
parts of the Samiddhi Sutta.
The god advises Samiddhi not to turn to begging until he has enjoyed life, in order that
kåla — here obviously ‘time’ — may not pass him by. Samiddhi replies: “I do not know your
kåla; kåla is hidden, is not seen. Therefore I beg without having enjoyed [life], in order that
kåla may not pass me by.” (kålaµ vo’haµ na jånåmi / channo kålo na dissati // tasmå abhutvå
bhikkhåmi / må maµ kålo upaccagå’ti.) Here kåla refers to ‘death’.3 The god then urges
Samiddhi: “Enjoy the human pleasures, do not pursue what is kålika, abandoning what is
sandi††hika.” (bhuñja bhikkhu månusake kåme [189] måsandi††hikaµ hitvå kålikam anudhåv¥
ti) Samiddhi replies: “Not indeed do I pursue what is kålika, abandoning what is sandi††hika.
Rather, I pursue what is sandi††hika, abandoning what is kålika. For pleasures have been said
to be kålika by the Exalted One, … This doctrine (dhamma) [on the other hand] is sandi††hika,
akålika, ehipassika.” (na khvåhaµ åvuso sandi††hikaµ hitvå kålikaµ anudhåvåmi / kålikaµ ca
khvåhaµ åvuso hitvå sandi††hikam anudhåvåmi / kålikå hi åvuso kåmå vuttå … / sandi††hiko
ayaµ dhammo akåliko ehipassiko … /.)
It seems clear that Samiddhi turns the tables on his opponent by taking kåla in the
sense ‘death’ rather than ‘time’. Pleasures now become kålika ‘connected with death’,4 and
the teaching of the Buddha is akålika ‘not connected with death’.

2
I exclude late works like the Niddesa.
3
This was recognized earlier, e.g. by Rhys Davids (1917: 15 n. 1), Geiger (1930: 15 n. 1), and indeed the Påli
commentary (Spk I. 40).
4
Later on in the same sutta the Buddha utters some obscure stanzas, the first of which may here have to be
interpreted in the light of this conversation. It reads: akkheyyasaññino sattå, akkheyyasmiµ pati††hitå /
akkheyyam apariññåya, yogam åyanti maccuno //. I tentatively propose the following translation: “Beings form
conceptions of what is to be expressed (by words like kåla), they base themselves on what is to be expressed (by
such words). When they do not understand what is to be expressed (by kåla etc.), they come under the yoke of
death (maccu).”
AKÓLIKA IN THE BUDDHIST CANON 3

REFERENCES

Bronkhorst, Johannes: 1986, The Two Traditions of Meditation in Ancient India. Stuttgart:
Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden. (Alt- und Neu-Indische Studien, 28.)
Coomaraswamy, Ananda K.: 1939, “Some Påli words.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 4,
116-90.
Geiger, Wilhelm (tr.): 1930, Saµyutta-Nikåya. Erster Band. München – Neubiberg: Benares-
Verlag.
Rhys Davids, C. A. F. (tr.): 1917, The Book of the Kindred Sayings (Saµyutta-Nikåya). Part
I. London – New York – Toronto – Melbourne – Bombay: Oxford University Press.
(Pali Text Society Translation Series, No. 7.)
Schubring, Walther: 1935, Die Lehre der Jainas, nach den alten Quellen dargestellt. Berlin –
Leipzig: Walter de Gruyter.

ABBREVIATIONS
(Abbreviations of Påli works as in CPD)
BHSD Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary, by Frankling Edgerton. New Haven:
Yale University Press. 1953.
Childers A Dictionary of the Pali Language, by Robert Caesar Childers. London:
Trübner & Co. 1875.
CPD A Critical Påli Dictionary, begun by V. Trenckner. Published by the Royal
Danish Academy. Copenhagen, 1924 f,
Mahåvastu Mahåvastu, ed. by É Senart. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale. 1882-97.
PTC Påli Tipi†akam Concordance, listed by F. L. Woodward, E. M. Hare and others.
London: Luzac. 1952 f.
PTSD The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary, edited by T. W. Rhys Davids
and William Stede. Chipstead, Surrey. 1925.