1There Mahākaccāna addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!”

“Reverend,” they replied. Venerable Mahākaccāna said this:

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“It’s incredible, reverends, it’s amazing! How this Blessed One who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, has found an opening in a confined space; that is, the six topics for recollection. They are in order to purify sentient beings, to get past sorrow and crying, to make an end of pain and sadness, to end the cycle of suffering, and to realize extinguishment.

2What six? Firstly, a noble disciple recollects the Realized One: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ When a noble disciple recollects the Realized One their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. At that time their mind is unswerving. They’ve left behind greed; they’re free of it and have risen above it. ‘Greed’ is a term for the five kinds of sensual stimulation. That noble disciple meditates with a heart just like space, abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. Relying on this, some sentient beings have the factors for purity.

3Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the teaching: ‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha — visible in this very life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.’ When a noble disciple recollects the teaching their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. …

4Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the Saṅgha: ‘The Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, straightforward, methodical, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individuals. This is the Saṅgha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’ When a noble disciple recollects the Saṅgha their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. …

5Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects their own ethical precepts, which are unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by sensible people, not mistaken, and leading to immersion. When a noble disciple recollects their ethical precepts their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. …

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6Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects their own generosity: ‘I’m so fortunate, so very fortunate! Among people full of the stain of stinginess I live at home rid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share.’ When a noble disciple recollects their own generosity their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. …

7Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects the deities: ‘There are the Gods of the Four Great Kings, the Gods of the Thirty-Three, the Gods of Yama, the Joyful Gods, the Gods Who Love to Create, the Gods Who Control the Creations of Others, the Gods of Brahmā’s Host, and gods even higher than these. When those deities passed away from here, they were reborn there because of their faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom. I, too, have the same kind of faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom.’ When a noble disciple recollects the faith, ethics, learning, generosity, and wisdom of both themselves and the deities their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. At that time their mind is unswerving. They’ve left behind greed; they’re free of it and have risen above it. ‘Greed’ is a term for the five kinds of sensual stimulation. That noble disciple meditates with a heart just like space, abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. Relying on this, some sentient beings have the factors for purity.

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8It’s incredible, reverends, it’s amazing! How this Blessed One who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, has found an opening in a confined space; that is, the six topics for recollection. They are in order to purify sentient beings, to get past sorrow and crying, to make an end of pain and sadness, to end the cycle of suffering, and to realize extinguishment.”

1Tatra kho āyasmā mahākaccāno bhikkhū āmantesi:  "āvuso bhikkhave"ti.

"Āvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahākaccānassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā mahākaccāno etadavoca: 

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"acchariyaṁ, āvuso; abbhutaṁ, āvuso. Yāvañcidaṁ tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sambādhe okāsādhigamo anubuddho sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya, yadidaṁ cha anussatiṭṭhānāni.

2Katamāni cha? Idhāvuso, ariyasāvako tathāgataṁ anussarati:  ‘itipi so bhagavā … pe … satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā’ti. Yasmiṁ, āvuso, samaye ariyasāvako tathāgataṁ anussarati nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti; ujugatamevassa tasmiṁ samaye cittaṁ hoti, nikkhantaṁ muttaṁ vuṭṭhitaṁ gedhamhā. ‘Gedho’ti kho, āvuso, pañcannetaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sa kho so, āvuso, ariyasāvako sabbaso ākāsasamena cetasā viharati vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena. Idampi kho, āvuso, ārammaṇaṁ karitvā evamidhekacce sattā visuddhidhammā bhavanti. (1)

3Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, ariyasāvako dhammaṁ anussarati:  ‘svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo … pe … paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī’ti. Yasmiṁ, āvuso, samaye ariyasāvako dhammaṁ anussarati nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti; ujugatamevassa tasmiṁ samaye cittaṁ hoti, nikkhantaṁ muttaṁ vuṭṭhitaṁ gedhamhā. ‘Gedho’ti kho, āvuso, pañcannetaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sa kho so, āvuso, ariyasāvako sabbaso ākāsasamena cetasā viharati vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena. Idampi kho, āvuso, ārammaṇaṁ karitvā evamidhekacce sattā visuddhidhammā bhavanti. (2)

4Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, ariyasāvako saṅghaṁ anussarati:  ‘suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho … pe … anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā’ti. Yasmiṁ, āvuso, samaye ariyasāvako saṅghaṁ anussarati nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti; ujugatamevassa tasmiṁ samaye cittaṁ hoti, nikkhantaṁ muttaṁ vuṭṭhitaṁ gedhamhā. ‘Gedho’ti kho, āvuso, pañcannetaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sa kho so, āvuso, ariyasāvako sabbaso ākāsasamena cetasā viharati vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena. Idampi kho, āvuso, ārammaṇaṁ karitvā evamidhekacce sattā visuddhidhammā bhavanti. (3)

5Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, ariyasāvako attano sīlāni anussarati akhaṇḍāni … pe … samādhisaṁvattanikāni. Yasmiṁ, āvuso, samaye ariyasāvako attano sīlaṁ anussarati nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti; ujugatamevassa tasmiṁ samaye cittaṁ hoti, nikkhantaṁ muttaṁ vuṭṭhitaṁ gedhamhā. ‘Gedho’ti kho, āvuso, pañcannetaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sa kho so, āvuso, ariyasāvako sabbaso ākāsasamena cetasā viharati vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena. Idampi kho, āvuso, ārammaṇaṁ karitvā evamidhekacce sattā visuddhidhammā bhavanti. (4)

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6Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, ariyasāvako attano cāgaṁ anussarati:  ‘lābhā vata me, suladdhaṁ vata me … pe … yācayogo dānasaṁvibhāgarato’ti. Yasmiṁ, āvuso, samaye ariyasāvako attano cāgaṁ anussarati nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti; ujugatamevassa tasmiṁ samaye cittaṁ hoti, nikkhantaṁ muttaṁ vuṭṭhitaṁ gedhamhā. ‘Gedho’ti kho, āvuso, pañcannetaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sa kho so, āvuso, ariyasāvako sabbaso ākāsasamena cetasā viharati vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena. Idampi kho, āvuso, ārammaṇaṁ karitvā evamidhekacce sattā visuddhidhammā bhavanti. (5)

7Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, ariyasāvako devatā anussarati:  ‘santi devā cātumahārājikā, santi devā … pe … tatuttari. Yathārūpāya saddhāya samannāgatā tā devatā ito cutā tattha upapannā; mayhampi tathārūpā saddhā saṁvijjati. Yathārūpena sīlena … sutena … cāgena … paññāya samannāgatā tā devatā ito cutā tattha upapannā; mayhampi tathārūpā paññā saṁvijjatī’ti. Yasmiṁ, āvuso, samaye ariyasāvako attano ca tāsañca devatānaṁ saddhañca sīlañca sutañca cāgañca paññañca anussarati nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti; ujugatamevassa tasmiṁ samaye cittaṁ hoti, nikkhantaṁ muttaṁ vuṭṭhitaṁ gedhamhā. ‘Gedho’ti kho, āvuso, pañcannetaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sa kho so, āvuso, ariyasāvako sabbaso ākāsasamena cetasā viharati vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena. Idampi kho, āvuso, ārammaṇaṁ karitvā evamidhekacce sattā visuddhidhammā bhavanti. (6)

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8Acchariyaṁ, āvuso, abbhutaṁ, āvuso. Yāvañcidaṁ tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sambādhe okāsādhigamo anubuddho sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya, yadidaṁ cha anussatiṭṭhānānī"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.