Aṅguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
XX. Brāhmaṇa Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XX: The Brāman

Sutta 200

Nissāraṇīya Suttaɱ

The Escape

Translated by E. M. Hare

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[179]

[1][than] Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, there are these five elements of escape.

What five?

Monks,^[1] take the case of a monk
who thinks on lust
and whose heart leaps^[2] not up
at lustful thoughts,
yet becomes not calm,
nor firm,
nor inclined^[3] thereunto;
but whose heart
at the thought of giving up all
leaps up,
becomes calm,^[4]
becomes firm
and inclined thereunto —
that heart of his is well gone,^[5]
well become,
well lifted up,
well unyoked from lustful thoughts;
and he is freed
from the cankers that surge —
lust-caused,
painful
and burning —
nor feels he that feeling.

This is declared to be the escape from lusts.

■

Again, monks, take the case of a monk who thinks on ill-will
and whose heart leaps not up
at thoughts of ill-will,
yet becomes not calm,
nor firm,
nor inclined thereunto;
but whose heart
at the thought of non-ill-will^[ed1]
leaps up,
becomes calm,
becomes firm
and inclined thereunto —
that heart of his is well gone,
well become,
well lifted up,
well unyoked from thoughts of ill-will;
and he is freed
from the cankers that surge —
ill-will-caused,
painful
and burning —
nor feels he that feeling.

This is declared to be the escape from ill-will.

■

Again, monks, take the case of a monk who thinks on hurt
and whose heart leaps not up
at thoughts of hurt,
yet becomes not calm,
nor firm,
nor inclined thereunto;
but whose heart
at the thought of non-hurt
leaps up,
becomes calm,
becomes firm
and inclined thereunto —
that heart of his is well gone,
well become,
well lifted up,
well unyoked from thoughts of hurt;
and he is freed
from the cankers that surge —
hurt-caused,
painful
and burning —
nor feels he that feeling.

This is declared to be the escape from hurt.

■

Again, monks, take the case of a monk who thinks on form
and whose heart leaps not up
at thoughts of form,
yet becomes not calm,
nor firm,
nor inclined thereunto;
but whose heart
at the thought of formlessness
leaps up,
becomes calm,
becomes firm
and inclined thereunto —
that heart of his is well gone,
well become,
well lifted up,
well unyoked from thoughts of form;
and he is freed
from the cankers that surge —
form-caused,
painful
and burning —
nor feels he that feeling.

This is declared to be the escape from form.

■

Again, monks, take the case of a monk who thinks on his bundle of life^[6]
and whose heart leaps not up
at the thought of his bundle of life;
yet becomes not calm,
nor firm,
nor inclined thereunto;
[180] but whose heart
at the thought of the ending of his bundle of life
leaps up,
becomes calm,
becomes firm,
and inclined thereunto —
that heart of his is well gone,
well become,
well lifted up,
well unyoked from the thought of his bundle of life;
and he is freed
from the cankers that surge —
caused by the bundle of life,
painful
and burning —
nor feels he that feeling.

This is declared to be the escape
from one's bundle of life.

 

§

 

Lust-delights
obsess^[7] him not,
delight in thoughts of ill-will
obsess him not,
delight in thoughts of hurt
obsess him not,
delight in thoughts of form
obsess him not,
delight in his bundle of life obsess him not.

He is free of obsession with lust-delight,
he is free of obsession with thoughts of ill-will,
he is free of obsession with thoughts of hurt,
he is free of obsession with thoughts of form,
he is free of obsession with thoughts of his bundle of life.

This monk is said to be obsession-free;
he has cut off craving,
rolled back the bolts,
and, mastering pride completely,
has made an end of Ill.^[8]

Verily, monks, these are the five elements of escape.'

 

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^[1] Cf. the whole sutta with D. iii, 239; below VI, § 13.

^[2] This is stock; M. i, 186; S. iii, 134; It. 43, etc.

^[3] Na vimuccati. Comy. nāddhimuccati.

^[4] We find this traditional phrase used in Mil. p. 325 f.

^[5] S.e. and Comy. with v.l. sugataɱ.

^[6] Sakkāya; Cf. 1 Samuel xxv, 29; from √ci, to heap (? the khandhas).

^[7] Nānuseti. Comy. na nibbattati.

^[8] Cf. M. i, 122; It. 47; A. iv, 8.

 

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^[ed1] Hare abbreviates with (at the thought of the opposites). The opposites here, except for the first case, are in the Pali, the negatives of the initial terms. In the case of form, 'a-rupa' is almost always translated 'formlessness' or 'the formless'.