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Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

9: The Book of the Nines

VII. Mindfulness Meditation — AN 9.72: Emotional Shackles

1“Mendicants, there are these five emotional shackles. What five? Firstly, a mendicant isn’t free of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for sensual pleasures. This being so, their mind doesn’t incline toward keenness, commitment, persistence, and striving. This is the first emotional shackle.

2Furthermore, a mendicant isn’t free of greed for the body … They’re not free of greed for form … They eat as much as they like until their belly is full, then indulge in the pleasures of sleeping, lying, and drowsing … They live the spiritual life wishing to be reborn in one of the orders of gods: ‘By this precept or observance or mortification or spiritual life, may I become one of the gods!’ This being so, their mind doesn’t incline toward keenness, commitment, persistence, and striving. This is the fifth emotional shackle. These are the five emotional shackles.

3To give up these five emotional shackles you should develop the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. What four? It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. They meditate observing an aspect of feelings … They meditate observing an aspect of the mind … They meditate observing an aspect of principles — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. To give up these five emotional shackles you should develop these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.”


1"Pañcime, bhikkhave, cetasovinibandhā. Katame pañca?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāmesu avītarāgo hoti avigatacchando avigatapemo avigatapipāso avigatapariḷāho avigatataṇho. Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāmesu avītarāgo hoti avigatacchando avigatapemo avigatapipāso avigatapariḷāho avigatataṇho, tassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya. Yassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya, ayaṁ paṭhamo cetasovinibandho.

2Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye avītarāgo hoti … pe … rūpe avītarāgo hoti … yāvadatthaṁ udarāvadehakaṁ bhuñjitvā seyyasukhaṁ passasukhaṁ middhasukhaṁ anuyutto viharati … aññataraṁ devanikāyaṁ paṇidhāya brahmacariyaṁ carati:  ‘imināhaṁ sīlena vā vatena vā tapena vā brahmacariyena vā devo vā bhavissāmi devaññataro vā’ti. Yo so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu aññataraṁ devanikāyaṁ paṇidhāya brahmacariyaṁ carati:  ‘imināhaṁ sīlena vā vatena vā tapena vā brahmacariyena vā devo vā bhavissāmi devaññataro vā’ti, tassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya. Yassa cittaṁ na namati ātappāya anuyogāya sātaccāya padhānāya, ayaṁ pañcamo cetasovinibandho. Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca cetasovinibandhā.

3Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ cetasovinibandhānaṁ pahānāya cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvetabbā. Katame cattāro? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu … pe … citte … dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ cetasovinibandhānaṁ pahānāya ime cattāro satipaṭṭhānā bhāvetabbā"ti.


Dasamaṁ.

Satipaṭṭhānavaggo dutiyo.

4Sikkhā nīvaraṇākāmā,
Khandhā ca orambhāgiyā gati;
Maccheraṁ uddhambhāgiyā aṭṭhamaṁ,
Cetokhilā vinibandhāti.