Aṅguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
VI. Sa-Citta Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
VI: One's Own Thoughts

Sutta 60

Giri-m-Ānanda Suttaɱ

Giri-m-ānanda^[1]

Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.

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[108] [74]

[1][piya][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī
at Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

Now on that occasion the venerable Giri-m-ānanda was sick,
suffering,
stricken with a sore disease.

And the venerable Ānanda came to see the Exalted One
and on coming to him
saluted him
and sat down at one side.

So seated the venerable Ānanda said this to him:

"Sir, the venerable Giri-m-ānanda is sick,
suffering,
stricken with a sore disease.

It were well, sir,
if the Exalted One were to visit him,
out of compassion for him."

■

"If you, Ānanda, were to visit the monk Giri-m-ānanda
and recite to him the Ten Ideas,
there are grounds for supposing
that when he hears them
that sickness will be allayed there and then.^[2]

 

§

 

What are the Ten Ideas?^[3]

[109] [1] The idea of impermanence,^[ed1]
[2] of not-self,
[3] of the foul,
[4] of the disadvantage,
[5] abandoning,
[6] revulsion,
[7] fading,
[8] distaste for all the world,
[9] of impermanence in all compounds,
[10] of concentration on in-breathing and out-breathing.

 

§

 

[1] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of impermanence?

Herein a monk who has gone to the forest
or the root of a tree
or a lonely place
thus contemplates:

'Impermanent is objective form,
impermanent are feelings,
ideas,
compounded things,
impermanent is consciousness.'

Thus he abides seeing impermanence
in the five grasping-heaps.

This is called
'the idea of impermanence.'

■

[2] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of not-self?

Herein a monk who has gone to the forest
or the root of a tree
or a lonely place
thus contemplates:

'The eye is not the self,
objective form is not the self,
the ear is not the self,
sounds are not the self,
nose is not the self,
scents are not the self,
tongue is not the self,
tastes are not the self,
body is not the self,
tangibles are not the self,
mind is not the self,
mind-states are not the self.'

Thus he abides not seeing the self
in those six outer and inner spheres.

This, Ānanda, is called
'the idea of not-self.'^[4]

■

[75] [3] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of the foul?

Herein a monk examines just this body,^[5]
upwards from the soles of the feet,
downwards from the top of the head,
enclosed by skin,
full of manifold impurities
(and concludes):

'There are in this body
hair of the head,
hair of the body,
nails,
skin,
teeth,
flesh,
nerves,
bones,
marrow,
kidneys,
heart,
liver,
pleura,
spleen,
lungs,
intestines,
bowels,
stomach,
faeces,
bile,
phlegm,
pus,
blood,
sweat,
fat,
tears,
serum,
spittle,
mucus,
nose-mucus,
synovial fluid,
urine.'^[6]

Thus he abides observant of the foul in body.

This, Ānanda, is called
'the idea of the foul.'

■

[4] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of the disadvantage?

Herein a monk who has gone to the forest
or the root of a tree
or a lonely place
thus contemplates:

[110] 'This body has many ills, many disadvantages.

Thus, in this body arise divers diseases,
such as:^[7]
disease of eyesight and hearing,
of nose,
tongue,
trunk,
head,
ear,
mouth,
teeth;

-◦-

there is cough,
asthma,
catarrh,
fever,
decrepitude,
belly-ache,
swooning,
dysentery,
griping,
cholera,
leprosy,
imposthume,
eczema,
phthisis,
epilepsy;

-◦-

skin-disease,
itch,
scab,
tetter,^[8]
scabies;

-◦-

bile-in-the-blood (jaundice),^[9]
diabetes,
piles,
boils,
ulcers;

-◦-

diseases^[10] arising from bile,
from phlegm,
from wind,
from the union of bodily humours,
from changes of the seasons,
from stress of circumstances,^[11]
or from the ripeness of one's karma;

-◦-

also cold and heat,
hunger and thirst,
evacuation and urination.'

Thus he abides observant [76] of the disadvantages in this body.

This, Ānanda, is called
'the idea of the disadvantage.'

■

[5] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of abandoning?

Herein a monk admits not sensual thinking
that has arisen,^[12]
but abandons,
restrains,
makes an end of it,
forces it not to recur.

-◦-

He admits not malicious thinking
that has arisen,
but abandons,
restrains,
makes an end of it,
forces it not to recur.

-◦-

He admits not harmful thinking
that has arisen,
but abandons,
restrains,
makes an end of it,
forces it not to recur.

-◦-

He admits not evil,
unprofitable states
that arise from time to time,
but abandons,
restrains,
makes an end of them,
forces them not to recur.

This, Ānanda, is called
'the idea of abandoning.'

■

[6] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of revulsion?

Herein a monk who has gone to the forest
or the root of a tree
or a lonely place
thus contemplates:

'This is the real,
this is the excellent,
namely,
the calming of all the activities,
the casting off of every basis,
the destruction of craving,
revulsion,
Nibbāna.'

This, Ānanda, is called
'the idea of revulsion.'

■

[7] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of ending?

Herein a monk who has gone to the forest
or the root of a tree
or a lonely place
thus contemplates:

[111] 'This is the real,
this is the excellent,
namely,
the calming of all the activities,
the casting off of every basis,
the destruction of craving,
revulsion,
nibbāna.'

This, Ānanda, is called
'the idea of ending.'

■

[8] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of distaste?

Herein a monk, by abandoning,
by not clinging to
those graspings of systems,^[13]
those mental standpoints
and dogmatic bias
that are in the world,
delights not therein.

This is called
'the idea of distaste.'

■

[9] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of impermanence in all compounds?

Herein a monk is troubled by,
ashamed of
and disgusted^[14] with
all compounded things.

This is called
'the idea of impermanence in all compounds.'

■

[10] And what, Ānanda, is
the idea of concentration on in-breathing and out-breathing?

Herein a monk who has gone to the forest^[15]
or the root of [77] a tree
or a lonely place,
sits down cross-legged,
holding the body upright
and setting mindfulness in front of him.

■

He breathes in mindfully
and mindfully breathes out.

■

As he draws in a long breath he knows:

'A long breath I draw in.'

-◦-

As he breathes out a long breath he knows:

'A long breath I breathe out.'^[16]

-◦-

As he draws in a short breath he knows:

'A short breath I draw in.'

-◦-

As he breathes out a short breath he knows;

'A short breath I breathe out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'I shall breathe in,
feeling it go through the whole body.'

-◦-

'Feeling it go through the whole body
I shall breathe out.'

-◦-

'Calming down the body-aggregate
I shall breathe in.'

-◦-

'Calming down the body-aggregate
I shall breathe out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'Feeling the thrill of zest
I shall breathe in and out;
feeling the sense of ease
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

'Aware of all mental factors
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

'Calming down the mental factors
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

[112] He puts into practice the intention:

'Gladdening my mind
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'Composing my mind
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'Detaching my mind
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'Contemplating impermanence
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'Contemplating dispassion
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'Contemplating ending
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

He puts into practice the intention:

'Contemplating renunciation
I shall breathe in and out.'

-◦-

This, Ānanda, is called
'the idea of concentration on in-breathing and out-breathing.'

 

§

 

Now, Ānanda,
if you were to visit the monk Giri-m-ānanda
and recite to him these Ten Ideas,
there is ground for supposing
that on his hearing them
that sickness of his will straightway be allayed."

 

§

 

Thereupon the venerable Ānanda
having got by heart these Ten Ideas
in the presence of the Exalted One,
visited the venerable Giri-m-ānanda
and recited them.

On his hearing them
that sickness of the venerable Giri-m-ānanda
was straightway allayed,
and he rose up from that sickness.

And in this way
that sickness was banished
from the venerable Giri-m-ānanda.

 

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^[1] The prefix giri- is common and may refer to hillmen. This Giri-m-ānanda, or one of that name, has verses at Apadāna i, 330. There are several instances of sick men 'rising up' on hearing similar 'comfortable words' - e.g., Kassapa at K.S. v, 66; cf. ibid. 350.

^[2] Ṭhānaso, for this use cf. K.S. v, 40 ('on the spot').

^[3] Cf. those at § vi above and another ten at K.S. v, 112.

^[4] All these are not the self, but they do not constitute denial of its existence.

^[5] Cf. K.S. iv, 69. Explained at V.M., p. 241 ff. - Path of Purity, ii, 276.

^[6] So also at S. v, 279, but Khp. 3 has matthalungaɱ (brain in head) as the last item. A similar catalogue is at Maitr. Upan. i, 3; 3, 4; Atm. Upan. i.

^[7] Cf. Vin. ii, 271; Nidd.² 166.

^[8] Texts rakhasā (not in Dicts.). Comy. explains the v.l. nakhasā, as 'a disease at the place scratched by the nails.'

^[9] Lohita-pitta (not in Dicts.). Comy. has nothing. The conjecture is mine.

^[10] At S. iv, 230 = K.S. iv, 155 (quoted at Mil. Pañh. 134) and A. ii, 87 = G.S. ii, 97.

^[11] Visama-parihara-ja. Comy. (as on A. ii),' from sitting or standing too long.'

^[12] G.S. ii, 121.

^[13] At S. ii, 17 = K.S. ii, 13 (system and dogmas). Cf. Sn. 170 kissa loko upādāya? Katamaɱ taɱ upādānaɱ yattha loko vihaññati. The answer is pañca kāmaguṇā (with mind as sixth), things sensual which mislead the mind to form views.

^[14] Cf. K.S. iii, 128.

^[15] Cf. S. v, 309 [Ed.: sic 311] = K.S. v, 275 and notes.

^[16] Omitted in my translation referred to above.

 

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^[ed1] Woodward has 'permanance', an obvious error.