4: The Book of the Fours
XVI. Faculties — AN 4.159: Nun
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
1-2So I have heard. At one time Venerable Ānanda was staying near Kosambi, in Ghosita’s Monastery.
And then a certain nun addressed a man: “Please, mister, go to Venerable Ānanda, and in my name bow with your head to his feet. Say to him: ‘Sir, the nun named so-and-so is sick, suffering, and gravely ill. She bows with her head to your feet.’ And then say: ‘Sir, please go to the nuns’ quarters to visit that nun out of compassion.’”
“Yes, ma’am,” that man replied. He did as the nun asked. Ānanda consented in silence.
3Then Ānanda robed up and went to the nuns’ quarters to visit that nun, taking his bowl and robe. That nun saw Ānanda coming off in the distance. She wrapped herself up from head to foot and laid down on her cot. Then Venerable Ānanda went up to her, and sat down on the seat spread out. Then Ānanda said to the nun:
4“Sister, this body is produced by food. Relying on food, you should give up food. This body is produced by craving. Relying on craving, you should give up craving. This body is produced by conceit. Relying on conceit, you should give up conceit. This body is produced by sex. The Buddha spoke of breaking off everything to do with sex.
5‘This body is produced by food. Relying on food, you should give up food.’ This is what I said, but why did I say it? Take a mendicant who reflects properly on the food that they eat: ‘Not for fun, indulgence, adornment, or decoration, but only to sustain this body, to avoid harm, and to support spiritual practice. In this way, I shall put an end to old discomfort and not give rise to new discomfort, and I will live blamelessly and at ease.’ After some time, relying on food, they give up food. That’s why I said what I said.
6‘This body is produced by craving. Relying on craving, you should give up craving.’ This is what I said, but why did I say it? Take a mendicant who hears this: ‘They say that the mendicant named so-and-so has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.’ They think: ‘Oh, when will I too realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. …’ After some time, relying on craving, they give up craving. That's why I said what I said.
7‘This body is produced by conceit. Relying on conceit, you should give up conceit.’ This is what I said, but why did I say it? Take a mendicant who hears this: ‘They say that the mendicant named so-and-so has realized the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.’ They think: ‘Well, that venerable can realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. … Why can’t I?’ After some time, relying on conceit, they give up conceit. That’s why I said what I said.
8‘This body is produced by sex. The Buddha spoke of breaking off everything to do with sex.’”
9Then that nun rose from her cot, placed her robe over one shoulder, bowed with her head at Ānanda’s feet, and said: “I have made a mistake, sir. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of me to act in that way. Please, sir, accept my mistake for what it is, so I can restrain myself in future.”
“Indeed, sister, you made a mistake. It was foolish, stupid, and unskillful of you to act in that way. But since you have recognized your mistake for what it is, and have dealt with it properly, I accept it. For it is growth in the training of the noble one to recognize a mistake for what it is, deal with it properly, and commit to restraint in the future.”
1Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ānando kosambiyaṁ viharati ghositārāme.
Atha kho aññatarā bhikkhunī aññataraṁ purisaṁ āmantesi: "ehi tvaṁ, ambho purisa, yenayyo ānando tenupasaṅkama; upasaṅkamitvā mama vacanena ayyassa ānandassa pāde sirasā vanda: ‘Itthannāmā, bhante, bhikkhunī ābādhikinī dukkhitā bāḷhagilānā. Sā ayyassa ānandassa pāde sirasā vandatī’ti. Evañca vadehi: ‘sādhu kira, bhante, ayyo ānando yena bhikkhunupassayo yena sā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā’"ti.
"Evaṁ, ayye"ti kho so puriso tassā bhikkhuniyā paṭissutvā yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so puriso āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:
2"Itthannāmā, bhante, bhikkhunī ābādhikinī dukkhitā bāḷhagilānā. Sā āyasmato ānandassa pāde sirasā vandati, evañca vadeti: ‘sādhu kira, bhante, āyasmā ānando yena bhikkhunupassayo yena sā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā’"ti. Adhivāsesi kho āyasmā ānando tuṇhībhāvena.
3Atha kho āyasmā ānando nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena bhikkhunupassayo yena sā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho sā bhikkhunī āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvā sasīsaṁ pārupitvā mañcake nipajji. Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena sā bhikkhunī tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho āyasmā ānando taṁ bhikkhuniṁ etadavoca:
4"Āhārasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo āhāraṁ nissāya. Āhāro pahātabbo. Taṇhāsambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo taṇhaṁ nissāya. Taṇhā pahātabbā. Mānasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo mānaṁ nissāya. Māno pahātabbo. Methunasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo. Methune ca setughāto vutto bhagavatā.
5‘Āhārasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo āhāraṁ nissāya. Āhāro pahātabbo’ti, iti kho panetaṁ vuttaṁ. Kiñcetaṁ paṭicca vuttaṁ? Idha, bhagini, bhikkhu paṭisaṅkhā yoniso āhāraṁ āhāreti: ‘neva davāya na madāya na maṇḍanāya na vibhūsanāya, yāvadeva imassa kāyassa ṭhitiyā yāpanāya vihiṁsūparatiyā brahmacariyānuggahāya. Iti purāṇañca vedanaṁ paṭihaṅkhāmi, navañca vedanaṁ na uppādessāmi. Yātrā ca me bhavissati anavajjatā ca phāsuvihāro cā’ti. So aparena samayena āhāraṁ nissāya āhāraṁ pajahati. ‘Āhārasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo āhāraṁ nissāya āhāro pahātabbo’ti, iti yaṁ taṁ vuttaṁ idametaṁ paṭicca vuttaṁ.
6‘Taṇhāsambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo taṇhaṁ nissāya. Taṇhā pahātabbā’ti, iti kho panetaṁ vuttaṁ. Kiñcetaṁ paṭicca vuttaṁ? Idha, bhagini, bhikkhu suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī’ti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘kudāssu nāma ahampi āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharissāmī’ti. So aparena samayena taṇhaṁ nissāya taṇhaṁ pajahati. ‘Taṇhāsambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo taṇhaṁ nissāya taṇhā pahātabbā’ti, iti yaṁ taṁ vuttaṁ idametaṁ paṭicca vuttaṁ.
7‘Mānasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo mānaṁ nissāya. Māno pahātabbo’ti, iti kho panetaṁ vuttaṁ. Kiñcetaṁ paṭicca vuttaṁ? Idha, bhagini, bhikkhu suṇāti: ‘itthannāmo kira bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī’ti. Tassa evaṁ hoti: ‘so hi nāma āyasmā āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharissati; kimaṅgaṁ panāhan’ti. So aparena samayena mānaṁ nissāya mānaṁ pajahati. ‘Mānasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo, mānaṁ nissāya māno pahātabbo’ti, iti yaṁ taṁ vuttaṁ idametaṁ paṭicca vuttaṁ.
8Methunasambhūto ayaṁ, bhagini, kāyo. Methune ca setughāto vutto bhagavatā"ti.
9Atha kho sā bhikkhunī mañcakā vuṭṭhahitvā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā āyasmato ānandassa pādesu sirasā nipatitvā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca: "Accayo maṁ, bhante, accagamā, yathābālaṁ yathāmūḷhaṁ yathāakusalaṁ, yāhaṁ evamakāsiṁ. Tassā me, bhante, ayyo ānando accayaṁ accayato paṭiggaṇhātu, āyatiṁ saṁvarāyā"ti.
"Taggha taṁ, bhagini, accayo accagamā, yathābālaṁ yathāmūḷhaṁ yathāakusalaṁ, yā tvaṁ evamakāsi. Yato ca kho tvaṁ, bhagini, accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikarosi, taṁ te mayaṁ paṭiggaṇhāma. Vuddhi hesā, bhagini, ariyassa vinaye yo accayaṁ accayato disvā yathādhammaṁ paṭikaroti āyatiṁ saṁvaraṁ āpajjatī"ti.
Navamaṁ.