Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
VI: Nīvaraṇa Vagga
The Book of Fives
Sutta 51
Āvaraṇā-Nīvaraṇa Suttaṃ
Diversions
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time the Lucky Man,
Sāvatthi-town came a revisit'n
Anāthapiṇḍika's Jeta Grove.
There then, the Lucky Man addressed the beggars:
"Beggars!"
And the beggars responding "Elder!" the Lucky Man said:
"Beggars, there are these five distractions,
diversions[1] overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom.
What five?
Sensual-desire, beggars is a distraction,
a diversion overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom.
Deviance, beggars is a distraction,
a diversion overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom.
Sluggish-stupidity, beggars is a distraction,
a diversion overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom.
Anxious confusion, beggars is a distraction,
a diversion overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom.
Scatter-brained second-thoughts, beggars are a distraction,
a diversion overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom.
These, beggars, are the five distractions, diversions overpowering the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom.
Indeed, beggars, that a beggar,
not giving up these five distractions,
diversions overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom,
— being powerless,
wisdom-debilitated —
should know his own attainments,
or know another's attainments,
or know his own/another's attainments
or, beyond things human,
should witness a truly aristocratic excellence of knowing and seeing
such a thing does not stand to reason.
In just the same way, beggars, as a stream
springing from the mountains
headed far,
swift-flowing,
carrying all before it,
if some man were to plow a diversion across its mouth,
thus overpowered, beggars, that stream, diffused,
its main body
no longer heads far,
no longer swiftly-flows,
no longer carries all before it.
In the same way, beggars, a beggar,
not giving up these five distractions,
diversions overpowering the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom,
— being powerless,
wisdom-debilitated —
should know his own attainments,
or know another's attainments,
or know his own/another's attainments
or, beyond things human,
should witness a truly aristocratic excellence of knowing and seeing
such a thing does not stand to reason.
Indeed, beggars, that a beggar,
giving up these five distractions,
diversions overgrowing the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom,
— being empowered,
wise —
should know his own attainments,
or know another's attainments,
or know his own/another's attainments
or, beyond things human,
should witness a truly aristocratic excellence of knowing and seeing
such a thing stands to reason.
In just the same way, beggars, as a stream
springing from the mountains
headed far,
swift-flowing,
carrying all before it,
if no one were to plow a diversion across its mouth,
thus not overpowered, beggars, that stream, not diffused,
its main body
heads far,
swiftly-flows,
carries all before it.
In the same way, beggars, a beggar,
giving up these five distractions,
diversions overpowering the heart,
making for the debilitation of wisdom,
— being empowered,
wise —
should know his own attainments,
or know another's attainments,
or know his own/another's attainments
or, beyond things human,
should witness a truly aristocratic excellence of knowing and seeing
such a thing stands to reason.
[1] āvaraṇā and nīvaraṇā. Āvaraṇā: to weave (veer) or to open; and nīvaraṇā to 'down' (tear down, bring down, open up) a barrier. Most frequently translated in a way that indicates the making or encountering of a barrier, but the simile asks that this be understood in an inverse way as in the destruction of or distraction from a natural course.
