MN 37 Culatanhasankhaya Sutta: The Shorter Discourse on the Destruction of Craving
Thus have i heard.
On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in the Eastern Park, in the Palace of Migara's Mother. Then Sakka, ruler of gods, went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he stood at one side and asked: "Venerable sir, how in brief is a bhikkhu liberated by the destruction of craving, one who has reached the ultimate end, the ultimate security from bondage, the ultimate holy life, the ultimate goal, one who is foremost among gods and humans?"
Buddha replied:"Here, ruler of gods, a bhikkhu has heard that nothing is worth adhering to. Then he directly knows everything; he fully understands everything; having fully understood everything, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he abides contemplating impermanence in those feelings, contemplating fading away, contemplating cessation, contemplating relinquishment. Contemplating thus, he does not cling to anything in the world. When he does not cling, he is not agitated. When he is not agitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being. Briefly it is in this way that a bhikkhu is liberated by the destruction of craving, one who has reached the ultimate end, the ultimate security from bondage, the ultimate holy life, the ultimate goal, one who is foremost among gods and humans." Then Sakka, ruler of gods, delighting and rejoicing in the Blessed One's words, paid homage to the Blessed One, and keeping him on his right, he vanished at once.
Now on that occasion, Venerable Maha Moggallana was sitting not far from the Blessed One. Then he considered: "Did Sakka penetrate to the meaning of the Blessed One's words when he rejoiced, or did he not? Suppose I found out whether he did or not." Then, just as quickly as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm, venerable Maha Moggallana vanished from the Palace of Migara's Mother in the Eastern Park and appeared among the gods of the Thirty-three.
At that time, Sakka (ruler of gods) was furnished and endowed a hundredfold with the five kinds of heavenly music, and he was enjoying it in the Pleasure Park of the Single Lotus. When he saw venerable Maha Moggallana coming in the distance, he dismissed the music, went to the venerable Maha Moggallana, and said to him: "Come, good sir Moggallana! Welcome, good sir Moggallana! It is long, good sir Moggallana, since you found an opportunity to come here. Sit down, good sir Moggallana; this seat is ready." Venerable Maha Moggallana sat down on the seat made ready, and Sakka took a low seat and sat down at one side.
Then venerable Maha Moggallana asked him: 8. "Kosiya, how did the Blessed One state to you in brief deliverance through the destruction of craving? It would be good if we might also get to hear that statement." Sakka: "Good sir Moggallana, we are so busy, we have so much to do, not only with our own business, but also with the business of the gods of the Thirty-three. Besides, what is well heard, well learned, well attended to, well remembered, does not vanish all of a sudden. Good sir Moggallana, it once happened that war broke out between the gods and the titans. In that war the gods won and the titans were defeated. When I had won that war and returned from it as a conqueror, I had the Vejayanta Palace built. The Vejayanta Palace has 100 towers, and each tower has 700 upper chambers, and each upper chamber has 7 nymphs, and each nymph has 7 maids. Would you like to see the loveliness of the Vejayanta Palace, good sir Moggallana?" The venerable Maha Moggallana consented in silence.
Then Sakka and the divine King Vessavana went to the Vejayanta Palace, giving precedence to the venerable Maha Moggallana. When the maids of Sakka saw the venerable Maha Moggallana coming in the distance, they were embarrassed and ashamed and they went each into their own rooms. Just as a daughter-in-law is embarrassed and ashamed on seeing her father-in-law, so too, when the maids of Sakka embarrassed and ashamed and they went each into their own rooms. Then Sakka and the divine King Vessavana had the venerable Maha Moggallana walk all over and explore the Vejayanta Palace: "See, good sir Moggallana, this loveliness of the Vejayanta Palace! " "It does the venerable Kosiya credit as one who has formerly made merit; and whenever human beings see anything lovely, they say: 'Sirs, it does credit to the gods of the Thirty-three!' It does the venerable Kosiya credit as one who has formerly made merit."
Then the venerable Maha Moggallana considered thus: "This sakka is living much too negligently. What if I stirred up a sense of urgency in him?" Then venerable Maha Moggallana performed such a feat of super-normal power that with the point of his toe he made the Vejayanta Palace shake and quake and tremble. Sakka and the divine King Vessavana and the gods of the Thirty-three were filled with wonder and amazement, and they said: "Sirs, it is wonderful, it is marvellous, what power and might the recluse has, that with the point of his toe he makes the heavenly region shake and quake and tremble!"
When venerable Maha Moggallana knew that Sakka was stirred to a sense of urgency with his hair standing on end, he asked him: "Kosiya, how did the Blessed One state to you in brief deliverance through the destruction of craving? It would be good if we might also get to hear that statement." Then Sakka repeated the conversation between him and the Buddha as per first paragraph to Venerable Maha Moggallana. Then venerable Maha Moggallana delighted and rejoiced in the words of Sakka, ruler of gods. Then quickly, he vanished from among the gods of the Thirty three and appeared in the Eastern Park in the Palace of Migara's Mother.
Soon after venerable Maha Moggallana had gone, the attendants of Sakka asked him: "Good sir, was that your teacher, the Blessed One?" Sakka replied:"No, good sirs, that was not my teacher, the Blessed One. That was one of my companions in the holy life, the venerable Maha Moggallana." The attendants replied: "Good sir, it is a gain for you that your companion in the holy life has such power and might. Oh, how much more so that the Blessed One is your teacher!"
Then the venerable Maha Moggallana went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side and asked him: "Venerable sir, does the Blessed One recall stating in brief - to a certain one of the renowned spirits with a great following - deliverance through the destruction of craving?" Buddha: "I do recall doing so, Moggallana. Here Sakka, ruler of gods, came to me, and after paying homage to me, he stood at one side and asked: 'Venerable sir, how in brief is a bhikkhu liberated by the destruction of craving, one who has reached the ultimate end, the ultimate security from bondage, the ultimate holy life, the ultimate goal, one who is foremost among gods and humans?' When this was said, I told him: 'Here, ruler of gods, a bhikkhu has heard that nothing is worth adhering to. When a bhikkhu has heard that nothing is worth adhering to, he directly knows everything; he fully understands everything; having fully understood everything, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant or painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant, he abides contemplating impermanence in those feelings, contemplating fading away, contemplating cessation, contemplating relinquishment. Contemplating thus, he does not cling to anything in the world. When he does not cling, he is not agitated. When he is not agitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He understands: "Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being." Briefly, it is in this way, ruler of gods, that a bhikkhu is liberated by the destruction of craving.. .one who is foremost among gods and humans.' That is how I recall stating in brief to Sakka, ruler of gods, deliverance through the destruction of craving."
That is what the Blessed One said. The venerable Maha Moggallana was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
In summary, Venerable Maha Moggallana overheard the Buddha give a brief explanation to Sakka, ruler of gods, as to how a bhikkhu is liberated through the destruction of craving. Buddha explained how one should stop clinging, understand the impermanent nature of all phenomenon and how that leads to liberation. Wishing to know if Sakka understood the meaning, he makes a trip to the heaven of the Thirty-three to find out.
References: 1. www.accesstoinsight.org 2. https://suttacentral.net/ 3. The middle length discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)