Majjhima Nikāya
III. Upari Paṇṇāsa
4. Vibhaṅga Vagga
The Middle Length Sayings
III. The Final Fifty Discourses
4. The Division on Analysis
Sutta 132
Ānanda Bhadd'Eka-Ratta Suttaɱ
Ānanda's Discourse on the Auspicious
Translated from the Pali by I.B. Horner, O.B.E., M.A.
Associate of Newham College, Cambridge
First Published in 1954
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][chlm][upal] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
At one time the Lord was staying near Sāvatthī
in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery.
Now at that time the venerable Ānanda gladdened,
roused,
incited
and delighted the monks
with talk on Dhamma
in an assembly hall;
and he spoke the exposition
and the analysis
of the Auspicious.
Then the Lord, emerging from solitary meditation towards evening,
approached that assembly hall;
having approached,
he sat down on the seat made ready.
As he was sitting down,
the Lord addressed the monks,
saying:
"Now, who, monks, gladdened,
roused,
incited,
and delighted the monks
with talk on Dhamma
in the assembly hall?
And did he speak the exposition
and the analysis
of the Auspicious?"
"The venerable Ānanda, revered sir,
gladdened,
roused,
incited,
and delighted the monks
with talk on Dhamma
in the assembly hall;
and he spoke the exposition
and the analysis
of the Auspicious."
[236] Then the Lord addressed the venerable Ānanda, saying:
"But how is it that you, Ānanda,
gladdened,
roused,
incited,
and delighted the monks
with talk on Dhamma?[1]
Did you speak the exposition
and the analysis
of the Auspicious?"
"I, revered sir, gladdened,
roused,
incited,
and delighted the monks
with talk on Dhamma thus.
I spoke the exposition
and the analysis
of the Auspicious:
"The past should not be followed after, the future not desired.
What is past is got rid of and the future has not come.
But whoever has vision now here, now there, of a present thing,
Knowing that it is immovable, unshakable, let him cultivate it.
Swelter at the task this very day. Who knows whether he will die tomorrow?
There is no bargaining with the great hosts of Death.
Thus abiding ardently, unwearied day and night,
He indeed is 'Auspicious' called, described as a sage at peace."
And how, monks, does one follow after the past?
He thinks: 'Such was my material shape in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my feeling in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my my perception in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such were my habitual tendencies in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my consciousness in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
Even so, monks, does one follow after the past.
And how, monks, does one not follow after the past?
He thinks: 'Such was my material shape in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my feeling in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my perception in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such were my habitual tendencies in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my consciousness in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
Even so, monks, does one not follow after the past.
And how, monks, does one desire the future?
He thinks: 'May my material shape be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my feeling be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my perception be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my habitual tendencies be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my consciousness be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
Even so, monks, does one desire the future.
And how, monks, does one not desire the future?
He thinks: 'May my material shape be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my feeling be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my perception be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my habitual tendencies be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my consciousness be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
Even so, monks, does one not desire the future.
And how, monks, is one drawn away among present things?
As to this, monks, an uninstructed ordinary person,
taking no count of the pure ones,
unskilled in the Dhamma of the pure ones,
untrained in the Dhamma of the pure ones,
taking no count of the true men,
unskilled in the Dhamma of the true men,
untrained in the Dhamma of the true men,
regards material shape as self
or self as having material shape
or material shape as in self
or self as in material shape;
or he regards feeling as self
or self as having feeling
or feeling as in self
or self as in feeling;
or he regards perception as self
or self as having perception
or perception as in self
or self as in perception;
or he regards the habitual tendencies as self
or self as having habitual tendencies
or habitual tendencies as in self
or self as in habitual tendencies;
or he regards consciousness [189] as self
or self as having consciousness
or consciousness as in self
or self as in consciousness.
Even so, monks, is one drawn away among present things.
And how, monks, is one not drawn away among present things?
As to this, monks, an instructed disciple of the pure ones,
taking count of the pure ones,
skilled in the dhamma of the pure ones,
trained in the dhamma of the pure ones,
taking count of the true men,
skilled in the dhamma of the true men,
trained in the dhamma of the true men,
does not regard material shape as self
or self as having material shape
or material shape as in self
or self as in material shape;
and he does not regard feeling as self
or self as having feeling
or feeling as in self
or self as in feeling;
and he does not regard perception as self
or self as having perception
or perception as in self
or self as in perception;
and he does not regard the habitual tendencies as self
or self as having the habitual tendencies
or the habitual tendencies as in self
or self as in the habitual tendencies;
and he does not regard consciousness as self
or self as having consciousness
or consciousness as in self
or self as in consciousness.
Even so, monks, is one not drawn away among present things.
The past should not be followed after, the future not desired.
What is past is got rid of and the future has not come.
But whoever has vision now here, now there, of a present thing,
Knowing that it is immovable, unshakable, let him cultivate it.
Swelter at the task this very day. Who knows whether he will die tomorrow?
There is no bargaining with the great hosts of Death.
Thus abiding ardently, unwearied day and night,
He indeed is 'Auspicious' called, described as a sage at peace."
It was thus, revered sir,
that I gladdened,
roused,
incited,
delighted the monks
with talk on Dhamma
and spoke the exposition
and analysis
of the Auspicious."
"It is good, Ānanda,
it is good;
it is good that you, Ānanda, gladdened,
roused,
incited,
delighted the monks
with talk on Dhamma
and spoke the exposition
and analysis
of the Auspicious:
"The past should not be followed after, the future not desired.[2]
What is past is got rid of and the future has not come.
But whoever has vision now here, now there, of a present thing,
Knowing that it is immovable, unshakable, let him cultivate it.
Swelter at the task this very day. Who knows whether he will die tomorrow?
There is no bargaining with the great hosts of Death.
Thus abiding ardently, unwearied day and night,
He indeed is 'Auspicious' called, described as a sage at peace."
And how, Ānanda, does one follow after the past?
He thinks: 'Such was my material shape in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my feeling in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my my perception in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such were my habitual tendencies in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my consciousness in the distant past'
and finds delight therein.
Even so, Ānanda, does one follow after the past.
And how, Ānanda, does one not follow after the past?
He thinks: 'Such was my material shape in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my feeling in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my perception in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such were my habitual tendencies in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'Such was my consciousness in the distant past'
but does not find delight therein.
Even so, Ānanda, does one not follow after the past.
And how, Ānanda, does one desire the future?
He thinks: 'May my material shape be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my feeling be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my perception be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my habitual tendencies be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my consciousness be thus in the distant future'
and finds delight therein.
Even so, Ānanda, does one desire the future.
And how, Ānanda, does one not desire the future?
He thinks: 'May my material shape be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my feeling be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my perception be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my habitual tendencies be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
He thinks: 'May my consciousness be thus in the distant future'
but does not find delight therein.
Even so, Ānanda, does one not desire the future.
And how, Ānanda, is one drawn [237]away among present things?
As to this, Ānanda, an uninstructed ordinary person,
taking no count of the pure ones,
unskilled in the Dhamma of the pure ones,
untrained in the Dhamma of the pure ones,
taking no count of the true men,
unskilled in the Dhamma of the true men,
untrained in the Dhamma of the true men,
regards material shape as self
or self as having material shape
or material shape as in self
or self as in material shape;
or he regards feeling as self
or self as having feeling
or feeling as in self
or self as in feeling;
or he regards perception as self
or self as having perception
or perception as in self
or self as in perception;
or he regards the habitual tendencies as self
or self as having habitual tendencies
or habitual tendencies as in self
or self as in habitual tendencies;
or he regards consciousness [189] as self
or self as having consciousness
or consciousness as in self
or self as in consciousness.
Even so, Ānanda, is one drawn away among present things.
And how, Ānanda, is one not drawn away among present things?
As to this, Ānanda, an instructed disciple of the pure ones,
taking count of the pure ones,
skilled in the dhamma of the pure ones,
trained in the dhamma of the pure ones,
taking count of the true men,
skilled in the dhamma of the true men,
trained in the dhamma of the true men,
does not regard material shape as self
or self as having material shape
or material shape as in self
or self as in material shape;
and he does not regard feeling as self
or self as having feeling
or feeling as in self
or self as in feeling;
and he does not regard perception as self
or self as having perception
or perception as in self
or self as in perception;
and he does not regard the habitual tendencies as self
or self as having the habitual tendencies
or the habitual tendencies as in self
or self as in the habitual tendencies;
and he does not regard consciousness as self
or self as having consciousness
or consciousness as in self
or self as in consciousness.
Even so, Ānanda, is one not drawn away among present things.
The past should not be followed after, the future not desired.
What is past is got rid of and the future has not come.
But whoever has vision now here, now there, of a present thing,
Knowing that it is immovable, unshakable, let him cultivate it.
Swelter at the task this very day. Who knows whether he will die tomorrow?
There is no bargaining with the great hosts of Death.
Thus abiding ardently, unwearied day and night,
He indeed is 'Auspicious' called, described as a sage at peace."
Thus spoke the Lord.
Delighted, the venerable Ānanda rejoiced in what the Lord had said.
Ānanda's Discourse on the Auspicious:
The Second
[1] See p. 245, n. 3 below.
[2] The whole of Discourse No. 131 from the first line of the verse to the last line of its second occurrence is here supposed to be repeated. [Ed.: Included in this version.]
