MN131: Bhaddekarattasutta - One Fine Night
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
mn131:1.1So I have heard.A favorite of meditators, this discourse takes a distinctive set of verses as a template for explaining the aspect of meditation called vipassanā, commonly rendered “insight”; for why I use “discernment” see DN14:1.37.3 and note. The next three discourses explain the same verses on different occasions, with MN133 offering a complementary explanation. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!”
mn131:1.5“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:
mn131:2.1“I shall teach you the summary recital and the analysis of the one who has one fine night. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”
mn131:2.3“Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:
mn131:3.1“Don’t run back to the past,
don’t anticipate the future.To “anticipate” (paṭikaṅkhe) is not always bad. A mendicant ought to “anticipate” dangers (pāṭikaṅkhitabba, AN4.122 verse 1 = MN67:14.2); Nālaka “anticipates” the arrival of the Buddha (patikkhaṁ, Snp3.11 verse 697); and an arahant “awaits their time” (kālaṁ kaṅkhati, SN2.29 verse15). The verse here has a specific application in meditation, which is explained below.
What’s past is left behind,
the future has not arrived;
mn131:3.5and any present phenomenonHere “phenomenon” (dhamma) means anything that is directly knowable (see MN133:17.1).
The two verses run on here, as indicated by the ca linking this line with the previous.
you clearly discern in every case.For tattha tattha as “in every case” see eg. DN30:2.1.1, and compare tato tattha vipassati at Snp5.15 verse 1115 - .
The unfaltering, the unshakable:At Theragatha 14 vese 649, this phrase refers to the mind developed in meditation on love and compassion, while at Snp5.15 verse 1115 it refers to Nibbana. In both cases, as here, it is the object of the verb, not an adverb.
having known that, foster it.
mn131:3.9Today’s the day to keenly work—
who knows, tomorrow may bring death!
For there is no bargain to be struck
with Death and his mighty horde.
mn131:3.13One who keenly meditates like this,
tireless all night and day:
that’s who has one fine night—
so declares the peaceful sage.The “peaceful sage” is the Buddha.
mn131:4.1And how do you run back to the past? You muster delight there, thinking: ‘I had such form in the past.’ … ‘I had such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the past.’Samanvāneti is unique in early Pali, but the similar samānayi is found at DN30:1.33.2 and Therigatha 12 verse 245 in the sense of “reunite, bring together”. “Muster” means both to bring together and to arouse. That’s how you run back to the past.
mn131:5.1And how do you not run back to the past? You don’t muster delight there, thinking: ‘I had such form in the past.’ … ‘I had such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the past.’ That’s how you don’t run back to the past.
mn131:6.1And how do you anticipate the future? You muster delight there, thinking: ‘May I have such form in the future.’ … ‘May I have such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the future.’ That’s how you anticipate the future.
mn131:7.1And how do you not anticipate the future? You don’t muster delight there, thinking: ‘May I have such form in the future.’ … ‘May I have such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the future.’ That’s how you don’t anticipate the future.
mn131:8.1And how do you falter amid presently arisen phenomena?Dhammesu (“phenomena”) is plural here, whereas in the verse it is singular. Sanskrit fragments, however, have plural in the verse as well. It’s when an unlearned ordinary person has not seen the noble ones, and is neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve not seen true persons, and are neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the true persons. They regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form. They regard feeling … perception … choices … consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness. That’s how you falter amid presently arisen phenomena.
mn131:9.1And how do you not falter amid presently arisen phenomena? It’s when a learned noble disciple has seen the noble ones, and is skilled and trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve seen true persons, and are skilled and trained in the teaching of the true persons. They don’t regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form. They don’t regard feeling … perception … choices … consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness. That’s how you don’t falter amid presently arisen phenomena.
mn131:10.1‘Don’t run back to the past,
don’t anticipate the future.
What’s past is left behind,
the future has not arrived;
mn131:10.5and any present phenomenon
you clearly discern in every case.
The unfaltering, the unshakable:
having known that, foster it.
mn131:10.9Today’s the day to keenly work—
who knows, tomorrow may bring death!
For there is no bargain to be struck
with Death and his mighty horde.
mn131:10.13One who keenly meditates like this,
tireless all night and day:
that’s who has one fine night—
so declares the peaceful sage.’
mn131:11.1And that’s what I meant when I said: ‘I shall teach you the summary recital and the analysis of the one who has one fine night.’”
mn131:11.3That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.
1Evaṁ me sutaṁ — ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "bhikkhavo"ti.
"Bhadante"ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
"bhaddekarattassa vo, bhikkhave, uddesañca vibhaṅgañca desessāmi. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
2
“Atītaṁ nānvāgameyya,
nappaṭikaṅkhe anāgataṁ;
Yadatītaṁ pahīnaṁ taṁ,
appattañca anāgataṁ.
3
Paccuppannañca yo dhammaṁ,
Tattha tattha vipassati;
Asaṁhīraṁ asaṁkuppaṁ,
Taṁ vidvā manubrūhaye.
4
Ajjeva kiccamātappaṁ,
ko jaññā maraṇaṁ suve;
Na hi no saṅgaraṁ tena,
mahāsenena maccunā.
5
Evaṁvihāriṁ ātāpiṁ,
ahorattamatanditaṁ;
Taṁ ve bhaddekarattoti,
santo ācikkhate muni.
6Kathañca, bhikkhave, atītaṁ anvāgameti? ‘Evaṁrūpo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁvedano ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsañño ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsaṅkhāro ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁviññāṇo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti — evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atītaṁ anvāgameti.
7Kathañca, bhikkhave, atītaṁ nānvāgameti? ‘Evaṁrūpo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁvedano ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsañño ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsaṅkhāro ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁviññāṇo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti — evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atītaṁ nānvāgameti.
8Kathañca, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ paṭikaṅkhati? ‘Evaṁrūpo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, evaṁvedano siyaṁ … pe … evaṁsañño siyaṁ … evaṁsaṅkhāro siyaṁ … evaṁviññāṇo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānanti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti — evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ paṭikaṅkhati.
9Kathañca, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ nappaṭikaṅkhati? ‘Evaṁrūpo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, evaṁvedano siyaṁ … evaṁsañño siyaṁ … evaṁsaṅkhāro siyaṁ … ‘evaṁviññāṇo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti — evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ nappaṭikaṅkhati.
10Kathañca, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu saṁhīrati? Idha, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano ariyānaṁ adassāvī ariyadhammassa akovido ariyadhamme avinīto sappurisānaṁ adassāvī sappurisadhammassa akovido sappurisadhamme avinīto rūpaṁ attato samanupassati, rūpavantaṁ vā attānaṁ, attani vā rūpaṁ, rūpasmiṁ vā attānaṁ; vedanaṁ … pe … saññaṁ … saṅkhāre … viññāṇaṁ attato samanupassati, viññāṇavantaṁ vā attānaṁ attani vā viññāṇaṁ, viññāṇasmiṁ vā attānaṁ — evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu saṁhīrati.
11Kathañca, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu na saṁhīrati? Idha, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako ariyānaṁ dassāvī ariyadhammassa kovido ariyadhamme suvinīto sappurisānaṁ dassāvī sappurisadhammassa kovido sappurisadhamme suvinīto na rūpaṁ attato samanupassati, na rūpavantaṁ vā attānaṁ, na attani vā rūpaṁ, na rūpasmiṁ vā attānaṁ; na vedanaṁ … na saññaṁ … na saṅkhāre … na viññāṇaṁ attato samanupassati, na viññāṇavantaṁ vā attānaṁ, na attani vā viññāṇaṁ, na viññāṇasmiṁ vā attānaṁ — evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu na saṁhīrati.
12
Atītaṁ nānvāgameyya,
nappaṭikaṅkhe anāgataṁ;
Yadatītaṁ pahīnaṁ taṁ,
appattañca anāgataṁ.
13
Paccuppannañca yo dhammaṁ,
tattha tattha vipassati;
Asaṁhīraṁ asaṅkuppaṁ,
taṁ vidvā manubrūhaye.
14
Ajjeva kiccamātappaṁ,
ko jaññā maraṇaṁ suve;
Na hi no saṅgaraṁ tena,
mahāsenena maccunā.
15
Evaṁvihāriṁ ātāpiṁ,
ahorattamatanditaṁ;
Taṁ ve bhaddekarattoti,
santo ācikkhate munīti.
16‘Bhaddekarattassa vo, bhikkhave, uddesañca vibhaṅgañca desessāmī’ti — iti yaṁ taṁ vuttaṁ idametaṁ paṭicca vuttan"ti.
17Idamavoca bhagavā. Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.
Bhaddekarattasuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ paṭhamaṁ.