1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the mendicants: “Reverends, mendicants!”

“Reverend,” they replied.

2Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this:

“Just now, reverends, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind: ‘They speak of this thing called “noble silence”. What then is this noble silence?’

It occurred to me: ‘As the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, a mendicant enters and remains in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and confidence, and unified mind, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. This is called noble silence.’

And so, as the placing of the mind and keeping it connected were stilled, I was entering and remaining in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and confidence, and unified mind, without placing the mind and keeping it connected.

While I was in that meditation, perceptions and attentions accompanied by placing the mind beset me.

3Then the Buddha came up to me with his psychic power and said, ‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna! Don’t neglect noble silence, brahmin! Settle your mind in noble silence; unify your mind and bring it to immersion in noble silence.’

And so, after some time, as the placing of the mind and keeping it connected were stilled, I entered and remained in the second absorption …

So if anyone should be rightly called a disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.”

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ — ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi: "āvuso bhikkhave"ti.

"Āvuso"ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ.

2Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:

"idha mayhaṁ, āvuso, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘ariyo tuṇhībhāvo, ariyo tuṇhībhāvoti vuccati. Katamo nu kho ariyo tuṇhībhāvo’ti?

Tassa mayhaṁ āvuso, etadahosi: ‘idha bhikkhu vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihārati. Ayaṁ vuccati ariyo tuṇhībhāvo’ti.

So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihariṁ.

Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena vihārato vitakkasahagatā saññā manasikārā samudācaranti.

3Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: ‘moggallāna moggallāna, mā, brāhmaṇa, ariyaṁ tuṇhībhāvaṁ pamādo, ariye tuṇhībhāve cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, ariye tuṇhībhāve cittaṁ ekodibhāvaṁ karohi, ariye tuṇhībhāve cittaṁ samādahā’ti.

So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi.

Yañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘satthārā anuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’ti, mamaṁ taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘satthārā anuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.