1At one time Venerable Ānanda was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time the householder Sirivaḍḍha was sick, suffering, gravely ill. Then he 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 householder Sirivaḍḍha is sick, suffering, gravely ill. He bows with his head to your feet.’ And then say: ‘Sir, please visit him at his home out of compassion.’”

“Yes, sir,” that man replied. He did as Sirivaḍḍha asked. Ānanda consented in silence.

2Then Venerable Ānanda robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, went to the home of the householder Sirivaḍḍha, sat down on the seat spread out, and said to him:

“Householder, I hope you’re coping; I hope you’re getting better. And I hope the pain is fading, not growing, that its fading is evident, not its growing.”

“Sir, I’m not keeping well, I’m not alright. The pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.”

3“So you should train like this: ‘I’ll meditate observing an aspect of the body — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. I’ll meditate on an aspect of feelings … mind … principles — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world.’ That’s how you should train.”

4“These four kinds of mindfulness meditation that were taught by the Buddha are found in me, and I am seen in them. For I meditate observing an aspect of the body — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. I meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. And of the five lower fetters taught by the Buddha, I don’t see any that I haven’t given up.”

“You’re fortunate, householder, so very fortunate! You have declared the fruit of non-return.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ānando rājagahe vihārati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena sirivaḍḍho gahapati ābādhiko hoti dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Atha kho sirivaḍḍho gahapati aññataraṁ purisaṁ āmantesi:

"Ehi tvaṁ, ambho purisa, yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkama; upasaṅkamitvā mama vacanena āyasmato ānandassa pāde sirasā vanda: ‘sirivaḍḍho, bhante, gahapati ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. So āyasmato ānandassa pāde sirasā vandatī’ti. Evañca vadehi: ‘sādhu kira, bhante, āyasmā ānando yena sirivaḍḍhassa gahapatissa nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkamatu anukampāṁ upādāyā’"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho so puriso sirivaḍḍhassa gahapatissa paṭissutvā yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ Ānandaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so puriso āyasmantaṁ Ānandaṁ etadavoca: "sirivaḍḍho, bhante, gahapati ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno, so āyasmato ānandassa pāde sirasā vandati. Evañca vadeti: ‘sādhu kira, bhante, āyasmā ānando yena sirivaḍḍhassa gahapatissa nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkamatu anukampāṁ upādāyā’"ti. Adhivāsesi kho āyasmā ānando tuṇhībhāvena.

2Atha kho āyasmā ānando pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yena sirivaḍḍhassa gahapatissa nivesanaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho āyasmā ānando sirivaḍḍhaṁ gahapatiṁ etadavoca:

"Kacci te, gahapati, khamanīyaṁ kacci yāpanīyaṁ, kacci dukkhā vedanā paṭikkamanti, no abhikkamanti; paṭikkamosānaṁ paññāyati, no abhikkamo"ti?

"Na me, bhante, khamanīyaṁ na yāpanīyaṁ. Bāḷhā me dukkhā vedanā abhikkamanti, no paṭikkamanti; abhikkamosānaṁ paññāyati, no paṭikkamo"ti.

3"Tasmātiha te, gahapati, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘kāye kāyānupassī viharissāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu … pe … citte … pe … dhammesu dhammānupassī viharissāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassan’ti. Evañhi te, gahapati, sikkhitabban"ti.

4"Yeme, bhante, bhagavatā cattāro satipaṭṭhānā desitā saṁvijjanti, te dhammā mayi, ahañca tesu dhammesu sandissāmi. Ahañhi, bhante, kāye kāyānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu … pe … citte … pe … dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Yāni cimāni, bhante, bhagavatā pañcorambhāgiyāni saṁyojanāni desitāni, nāhaṁ, bhante, tesaṁ kiñci attani appahīnaṁ samanupassāmī"ti.

"Lābhā te, gahapati, suladdhaṁ te, gahapati. Anāgāmiphalaṁ tayā, gahapati, byākatan"ti.

Navamaṁ.