SN54:12 In Perplexity
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1On one occasion the Venerable Lomāsavāngisa was dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in Nigrodha's Park. Then Mahānāma the Sakyan approached the Venerable Lomāsavāngisa, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:
"Is it the case, venerable sir, that the dwelling of a trainee is itself the same as the Tathāgata's dwelling, or is it rather that the dwelling of a trainee is one thing and the Tathāgata's dwelling is another?"
2"It is not the case, friend Mahānāma, that the dwelling of a trainee is itself the same as the Tathāgata's dwelling; rather, the dwelling of a trainee is one thing and the Tathāgata's dwelling is another.
"Friend Mahānāma, those bhikkhus who are trainees, who have not attained their mind's ideal, who dwell aspiring for the unsurpassed security from bondage, dwell having abandoned the five hindrances.[n.314] Te ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya viharanti. All trainees have completely abandoned the hindrance of doubt; nonreturners have, in addition, eradicated ill will and remorse (as well as sensual desire in its more restricted sense). Trainees abandon the other hindrances only temporarily through jhāna and insight; see n. 7 on the five kinds of seclusion. The absolutive pahāya here should be construed in the light of these qualifications.
What five? They dwell having abandoned hindrances of sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and doubt.
3Those bhikkhus who are trainees … dwell having abandoned these five hindrances.
4"But, friend Mahānāma, for those bhikkhus who are arahants, whose taints are destroyed, who have lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached their own goal, utterly destroyed the fetters of existence, become completely liberated through final knowledge,
the five hindrances have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like palm stumps, obliterated so that they are no more subject to future arising.[n.315] Tesaṁ pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvakatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhamma. This emphasizes the final and complete abandonment of the five hindrances.
What five? The hindrances of sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and doubt … are no more subject to future arising. sn.v.328
5For those bhikkhus who are arahants … these five hindrances have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like palm stumps, obliterated so that they are no more subject to future arising.
"By the following method too, friend Mahānāma, it can be understood how the dwelling of a trainee is one thing and the Tathāgata's dwelling is another.
6"On this one occasion, friend Mahānāma, the Blessed One was dwelling at Icchanaṅgala in the Icchanaṅgala Wood. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: ‘Bhikkhus, I wish to go into seclusion for three months. I should not be approached by anyone except the one who brings me almsfood.’
"Yes, venerable sir," those bhikkhus replied, and no one approached the Blessed One except the one who brought him almsfood.
7Then, when those three months had passed, the Blessed One emerged from seclusion and addressed the bhikkhus thus:
"Bhikkhus, if wanderers of other sects ask you: ‘In what dwelling, friends, did the Blessed One generally dwell during the rains residence?’— being asked thus, you should answer those wanderers thus: ‘During the rains residence, friends, the Blessed One generally dwelt in the concentration by mindfulness of breathing.’
"Here, bhikkhus, mindful I breathe in, mindful I breathe out.
When breathing in long I know: ‘I breathe in long’;
when breathing out long I know: ‘I breathe out long.’
When breathing in short I know: ‘I breathe in short’;
when breathing out short I know: ‘I breathe out short.’
I know: ‘Experiencing the whole body I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Experiencing the whole body I will breathe out’.
I know: ‘Tranquillizing the bodily formation I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Tranquillizing the bodily formation I will breathe out’.
[n.312] In the Buddha’s description of his own practice of mindfulness of breathing, sato va ("just mindful") is replaced by simple sato, and sikkhati ("he trains") is entirely dropped. Spk explains that va is omitted to show the exceptional peacefulness of his practice, since the in-breaths and out-breaths are always clear to him; sikkhati is omitted because he has no need to train himself.
"I know: ‘Experiencing rapture, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Experiencing rapture, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Experiencing happiness, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Experiencing happiness, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Experiencing the mental formation, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Experiencing the mental formation, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Tranquillizing the mental formation, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Tranquillizing the mental formation, I will breathe out.’
"I know: ‘Experiencing the mind, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Experiencing the mind, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Gladdening the mind, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Gladdening the mind, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Concentrating the mind, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Concentrating the mind, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Liberating the mind, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Liberating the mind, I will breathe out.’
"I know: ‘Contemplating impermanence, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Contemplating impermanence, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Contemplating fading away, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Contemplating fading away, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Contemplating cessation, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Contemplating cessation, I will breathe out.’
I know: ‘Contemplating relinquishment, I will breathe in’;
I know: ‘Contemplating relinquishment, I will breathe out.’
8"If anyone, bhikkhus, speaking rightly could say of anything: ‘It is a noble dwelling, a divine dwelling, the Tathāgata's dwelling,’ it is of concentration by mindfulness of breathing that one could rightly say this.
9"Bhikkhus, those bhikkhus who are trainees, who have not attained their mind's ideal, who dwell aspiring for the unsurpassed security from bondage:
for them concentration by mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated, leads to the destruction of the taints.
10Those bhikkhus who are arahants, whose taints are destroyed, who have lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached their own goal, utterly destroyed the fetters of existence, those completely liberated through final knowledge:
for them concentration by mindfulness of breathing, when developed and cultivated, leads to a pleasant dwelling in this very life and to mindfulness and clear comprehension.[n.313] Cp. SN22.122 and II, n. 332.
11"‘If anyone, bhikkhus, speaking rightly could say of anything: "It is a noble dwelling, a divine dwelling, the Tathāgata's dwelling," it is of concentration by mindfulness of breathing that one could rightly say this.’
"By this method, friend Mahānāma, it can be understood how the dwelling of a trainee is one thing and the Tathāgata's dwelling is another."
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo sakkesu vihārati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme. Atha kho mahānāmo sakko yenāyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahānāmo sakko āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ etadavoca:
"So eva nu kho, bhante, sekho vihāro so tathāgatavihāro, udāhu aññova sekho vihāro añño tathāgatavihāro"ti?
2"Na kho, āvuso mahānāma, sveva sekho vihāro, so tathāgatavihāro. Añño kho, āvuso mahānāma, sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro.
Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā vihāranti, te pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya vihāranti.
Katame pañca? Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahāya vihāranti, byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ … pe … thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ … uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ … vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahāya vihāranti.
3Yepi te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā vihāranti, te ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya vihāranti.
4Ye ca kho te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā,
tesaṁ pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppāda dhammā.
Katame pañca? Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppāda dhammaṁ; byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ … pe … thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ … uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ … vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppāda dhammaṁ.
5Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ime pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppāda dhammā.
Tadamināpetaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā – aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro.
6Ekamidaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, samayaṁ bhagavā icchānaṅgale vihārati icchānaṅgalavanasaṇḍe. Tatra kho, āvuso mahānāma, bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: ‘icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, temāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ. Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā’ti.
‘Evaṁ, bhante’ti kho, āvuso mahānāma, te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.
7Atha kho, āvuso, bhagavā tassa temāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito bhikkhū āmantesi:
‘sace kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: "katamenāvuso, vihārena samaṇo gotamo vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī"ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha: "ānāpānassatisamādhinā kho, āvuso, bhagavā vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī"’ti.
Idhāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sato assasāmi, sato passasāmi.
Dīghaṁ assasanto dīghaṁ assasāmīti pajānāmi, dīghaṁ passasanto dīghaṁ passasāmīti pajānāmi … pe …
… pe … paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmīti pajānāmi, paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmīti pajānāmi.
8Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya – ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi. Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya – ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi.
9Ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā vihāranti,
tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato āsavānaṁ khayāya saṁvattati.
10Ye ca kho te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā,
tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārāya ceva saṁvattati satisampajaññāya ca.
11Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya – ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi. Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya – ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipīti.
Iminā kho etaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ, yathā – aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro"ti.
Dutiyaṁ.