Aṇguttara Nikāya
XI. Ekā-Dasaka Nipāta
I. Nissāya

Sutta 2

Na Cetanā-Karaṇīya Suttaṃ

An Act of Will

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Proofed against and modified in accordance with the revised edition at dhammatalks.org
Provenance, terms and conditons

 

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[1][pts][olds] "For a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue, there is no need for an act of will, 'May freedom from remorse arise in me.'

It is in the nature of things that freedom from remorse arises in a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue.

"For a person free from remorse, there is no need for an act of will, 'May joy arise in me.'

It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.

"For a joyful person, there is no need for an act of will, 'May rapture arise in me.'

It is in the nature of things that rapture arises in a joyful person.

"For a rapturous person, there is no need for an act of will, 'May my body be calm.'

It is in the nature of things that a rapturous person grows calm in body.

"For a person calm in body, there is no need for an act of will, 'May I experience pleasure.'

It is in the nature of things that a person calm in body experiences pleasure.

"For a person experiencing pleasure, there is no need for an act of will, 'May my mind grow concentrated.'

It is in the nature of things that the mind of a person experiencing pleasure grows concentrated.

"For a person whose mind is concentrated, there is no need for an act of will, 'May I know and see things as they have come to be.'

It is in the nature of things that a person whose mind is concentrated knows and sees things as they have come to be.

"For a person who knows and sees things as they have come to be, there is no need for an act of will, 'May I feel disenchantment.'

It is in the nature of things that a person who knows and sees things as they have come to be feels disenchantment.

"For a person who feels disenchantment, there is no need for an act of will, 'May I grow dispassionate.'

It is in the nature of things that a person who feels disenchantment grows dispassionate.

"For a dispassionate person, there is no need for an act of will, 'May I realize the knowledge and vision of release.'

It is in the nature of things that a dispassionate person realizes the knowledge and vision of release.

"In this way, dispassion has knowledge and vision of release as its purpose, knowledge and vision of release as its reward.

Disenchantment has dispassion as its purpose, dispassion as its reward.

Knowledge and vision of things as they have come to be has disenchantment as its purpose, disenchantment as its reward.

Concentration has knowledge and vision of things as they have come to be as its purpose, knowledge and vision of things as they have come to be as its reward.

Pleasure has concentration as its purpose, concentration as its reward.

Calm has pleasure as its purpose, pleasure as its reward.

Rapture has calm as its purpose, calm as its reward.

Joy has rapture as its purpose, rapture as its reward.

Freedom from remorse has joy as its purpose, joy as its reward.

Skillful virtues have freedom from remorse as their purpose, freedom from remorse as their reward.

"In this way, mental qualities lead on to mental qualities, mental qualities bring mental qualities to their consummation, for the sake of going from the near to the Further Shore."