Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukkanipata
Sutta 62
Anana Sutta
Debtless
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.
[1][pts][bodh] Then Anāthapiṇḍika the householder went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side.
As he was sitting there the Blessed One said to him:
"There are these four kinds of bliss that can be attained in the proper season, on the proper occasions, by a householder enjoying the pleasures of the senses.
Which four?
The bliss of having,
the bliss of wealth,
the bliss of debtlessness,
the bliss of blamelessness.
■
"And what is the bliss of having?
There is the case where the son of a good family has wealth earned through his efforts and enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained.
When he thinks, 'I have wealth earned through my efforts and enterprise, amassed through the strength of my arm, and piled up through the sweat of my brow, righteous wealth righteously gained,' he experiences bliss, he experiences joy.
This is called the bliss of having.
■
"And what is the bliss of wealth?
There is the case where the son of a good family, using the wealth earned through his efforts and enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained, partakes of his wealth and makes merit.
When he thinks, 'Using the wealth earned through my efforts and enterprise, amassed through the strength of my arm, and piled up through the sweat of my brow, righteous wealth righteously gained, I partake of wealth and make merit,' he experiences bliss, he experiences joy.
This is called the bliss of wealth.
■
"And what is the bliss of debtlessness?
There is the case where the son of a good family owes no debt, great or small, to anyone at all. When he thinks, 'I owe no debt, great or small, to anyone at all,' he experiences bliss, he experiences joy.
This is called the bliss of debtlessness.
■
"And what is the bliss of blamelessness?
There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is endowed with blameless bodily kamma, blameless verbal kamma, blameless mental kamma.
When he thinks, 'I am endowed with blameless bodily kamma, blameless verbal kamma, blameless mental kamma,' he experiences bliss, he experiences joy.
This is called the bliss of blamelessness.
"These are the four kinds of bliss that can be attained in the proper season, on the proper occasions, by a householder partaking of sensuality."
Knowing the bliss of debtlessness,
and recollecting the bliss of having,
enjoying the bliss of wealth, the mortal
then sees clearly with discernment.
Seeing clearly — the wise one —
he knows both sides:
that these are not worth one sixteenth-sixteenth
of the bliss of blamelessness.
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