Summary: Mahā-Kaccāyana is one of the Buddha's great disciples and the foremost in giving detailed explanations (sappada-byākaraṇa) of brief utterances. Several Majjhima Nikāya suttas record monks approaching him to expand on cryptic pronouncements the Buddha had made; his analyses became definitive expositions of key doctrinal points including perception-contact-proliferation and dependent origination.
(This page draws on canonical references; full ingest of cited sources pending.)
Life in the canon
Mahā-Kaccāyana was a brahmin from Ujjeni (Avanti) who came to the Buddha and went forth. His canonical distinctiveness is not biographical adventure but doctrinal precision: the etadaggaṁ declaration (AN 1.192 (cited; not yet ingested)) identifies him as foremost among those who analyse brief statements in detail.
Key canonical instances:
- MN 18 (cited; not yet ingested) — after the Buddha briefly spoke on how proliferation (papañca) arises from perception-contact, the monks asked Mahā-Kaccāyana to elaborate; his exposition became the definitive analysis of that teaching
- MN 133 (cited; not yet ingested) — he expands on the Bhaddekaratta verse in a way approved by the Buddha
- Sn 3.5 (cited; not yet ingested) (Māgha Sutta) — Kaccāyana analysis in Sutta Nipāta context
His Theragāthā verses (Thag 494–501 (cited; not yet ingested)) are eight in number.
The Arahantavagga vatthu (Dhp 94:0 — Mahākaccāyanattheravatthu) attributes Dhp 94 ("faculties serene like well-tamed horses…") to a story involving Mahā-Kaccāyana (commentary — not canonical).
Key teachings given or received
- MN 18 (cited; not yet ingested) — perception, contact, and papañca (proliferation) — his most famous exposition
- MN 133 (cited; not yet ingested) — the Bhaddekaratta verse expansion
- Thag 494–501 (cited; not yet ingested) — his Theragāthā verses
Relationships
- Disciple of the Buddha; arahant
- Fellow disciple of Sāriputta, Mahā-Moggallāna, and others among the great disciples
Related pages
- dhammapada 07 arahantavagga — Dhp 94 vatthu attribution
- arahant — his liberation
- sariputta — fellow great disciple foremost in wisdom