Aṅguttara Nikāya
VIII. Aṭṭhaka Nipāta
VIII. Yamaka-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
VIII. The Book of the Eights
Chapter VIII: The Pairs
Sutta 80
Kusita-Arambha-Vatthu Suttaɱ
The Bases of Indolence and Energy[1]
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One was staying in Sāvatthi.
There the Exalted One addressed the Monks saying:
"Monks, there are these eight bases of indolence.
What eight?
Herein, monks, a monk has to do some work and he thinks:
'There's some work for me to do,
but the doing of it will tire me physically.
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,[2]
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the first basis of indolence.
■
Or, he has done some work and he thinks:
'I have done some work,
but the doing of it has tired me physically.
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the second basis of indolence.
■
Or, he has to make a journey[3] and he thinks:
'I have to make a journey,
and that will tired me physically.
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the third basis of indolence.
■
Or, he has made a journey and he thinks:
'I have made a journey,
and that has tired me physically.
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the fourth basis of indolence.
■
Or, he has made a journey and he thinks:
'I have made a journey,
and that has tired me physically.
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the fourth basis of indolence.
■
[217] Or, wandering for alms through village or town
and not getting enough coarse or dainty fare for his needs,
he thinks:
'I've wandered for alms
through village and town
and have not gotten enough coarse or dainty fare for my needs;
my body is tired and unpliable.[4]
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the fifth basis of indolence.
■
Or, wandering for alms through village or town
and getting enough coarse or dainty fare for his needs,
he thinks:
'I've wandered for alms
through village and town
and have gotten enough coarse or dainty fare for my needs;
heavy and unpliable -
like a load of soaked beans![5].
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the sixth basis of indolence.
■
Or, there arises some slight illness in the monk, and he thinks:
'This slight illness has arisen;
there is good reason to lie down.
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the seventh basis of indolence.
■
Again, monks, a monk has recovered from some ailment,
has arisen recently from sickness,
and thinks:
'I'm recovered from that ailment,
I'm recently arisen from sickness,
and my body is weak and unpliable.
Well! I'll lie down.'
And he lies down
without putting forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This is the eighth basis of indolence.
Verily, monks, these are the eight bases of indolence.
§
Monks, there are these eight bases of energy.[6]
What eight?
Herein, monks, there is some work to be done by a monk,
and he thinks:
'There's some work for me to do,
but if I do it,
not easy will it be to fix my mind on the Buddhas' message.
Well! I'll provide[7] for that
and put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the [218] unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the first basis of energy.
■
Or, he has done some work,
and he thinks:
'I have done some work,
and I have been unable to fix my mind on the Buddhas' message.
Well! I'll provide for that
and put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the second basis of energy.
■
Or, he has to make a journey,
and he thinks:
'I have to make a journey,
and it will not be easy to fix my mind on the Buddhas' message.
Well! I'll provide for that
and put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the third basis of energy.
■
Or, he has made a journey,
and he thinks:
'I have made a journey,
and was unable to fix my mind on the Buddhas' message.
Well! I'll provide for that
and put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the fourth basis of energy.
■
Or, wandering for alms through village or town
and not getting enough coarse or dainty fare for his needs,
he thinks:
'I've wandered for alms
through village and town
and have not gotten enough coarse or dainty fare for my needs;
my body is bouyant and pliable,.
Well! I'll put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the fifth basis of energy.
■
Or, wandering for alms through village or town
and getting enough coarse or dainty fare for his needs,
he thinks:
'I've wandered for alms
through village and town
and have not gotten enough coarse or dainty fare for my needs;
my body is strong and pliable.
Well! I'll put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the sixth basis of energy.
■
Or, there arises some slight illness in him
and he thinks:
'There has arisen some slight illness in me,
it is possible that his illness may grow worse.
Well! I'll provide for that
and put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the seventh basis of energy.
■
Again, monks, a monk has recovered from some ailment,
has arisen recently from sickness, and thinks:
'I'm recovered from that ailment.
I'm recently arisen from sickness;
it is possible that that ailment may return to me.
Well! I'll provide for that
and put forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.'
And he puts forth energy
to attain the unattained,
to master the unmastered,
to realize the unrealized.
This, monks, is the eighth basis of energy.
Verily, monks, these are the eight bases of energy."
[1] This sutta recurs at D. iii, 266 [Ed.: sic, 255] f. (Dial. iii, 238).
[2] Comy. the states of Jhāna and insight.
[3] Maggo gantabbo.
[4] a-kammañña, lit. unworkable; Vism. trsl. unwieldy (p. 169).
[5] The Comy. is almost the same as Vbh.A. 510 (see P.E.D. s.v. Māsā-cita) reading: Ettha pana sammohacittaɱ nāma tintamāso viya, yathā taɱ māso garuko hoti evay garuko.
[6] The text reads ārabbha; the Comy. ārambha, observing: viriyakā-raṇāni. Both words contain the idea of making a start; see DhS. trsl., § 13; Mrs. Rhys Davids there: the mental inception of energy.
[7] paṭigacc'eva: as a preliminary.
