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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

3: The Book of the Threes


1“Mendicants, before my awakening — when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening — I thought: ‘What’s the gratification in the world? What’s the drawback? What’s the escape?’

Then it occurred to me: ‘The pleasure and happiness that arise from the world: this is its gratification.

That the world is impermanent, suffering, and perishable: this is its drawback.

Removing and giving up desire and greed for the world: this is its escape.’

As long as I didn’t truly understand the world’s gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I didn’t announce my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans.

But when I did truly understand the world’s gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I announced my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans.

Knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there are no more future lives.’”

1"Pubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi:  ‘ko nu kho loke assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇan’ti?

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi:  ‘Yaṁ kho lokaṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ loke assādo.

Yaṁ loko anicco dukkho vipariṇāmadhammo, ayaṁ loke ādīnavo.

Yo loke chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ loke nissaraṇan’ti.

Yāvakīvañcāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ lokassa assādañca assādato ādīnavañca ādīnavato nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ nābbhaññāsiṁ, neva tāvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ.

Yato ca khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ lokassa assādañca assādato ādīnavañca ādīnavato nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ, athāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ.

Ñāṇañca pana me dassanaṁ udapādi:  ‘akuppā me vimutti, ayamantimā jāti, natthi dāni punabbhavo’"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.