Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
IV. Deva-Dūta Vagga

The Book of the Threes

Sutta 32 (a)

Ānanda Suttaṃ

(a) Ānanda

Translated from the Pāḷi by Michael M. Olds

 

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[1][pts][bodh][upal][than] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time Bhagava, Sāvatthi-town residing,
Anāthapiṇḍika's Jeta Grove.

There, then, Old-Man Ānanda came into the presence of the Lucky Man.

Having come into the presence of the Lucky Man,
he took a seat to one side.

Having taken a seat to one side,
Old-Man Ānanda said this to the Lucky Man:

"Now is it, bhante, that a beggar
can attain such focus^[1] that
with consciousness of body,^[2]
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,^[3]
is not?

That externally all signs of
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not?

That an inhabiting of the heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom may arise where
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not had?

Is there the arising of
and abiding in
such a heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom?"

■

"There is, Ānanda,
the attainment of such focus that
with consciousness of body,
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not;
that externally all signs of
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not;
that an inhabiting of the heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom may arise where
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not had.

And there is the arising of
and abiding in
such a heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom."

■

"But further, bhante, how is it that a beggar
can attain such focus that
with consciousness of body,
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not;
that externally all signs of
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not;
that an inhabiting of the heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom may arise where
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not had?

How is there the arising of
and abiding in
such a heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom?"

■

"Here Ānanda, a beggar has this thought:

'This is sanity,
this is the pinnacle,
that is, the calming of all own-making,
the forsaking of upkeep,
the destruction of thirst,
dispassion,
ending,
Nibbāna.'

Even so, Ānanda, is
the attainment of such focus that
with consciousness of body,
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not;
that externally all signs of
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not;
that an inhabiting of the heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom may arise where
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not had.

This is the arising of
and abiding in
such a heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom.

And further, Ānanda, this was fittingly said in 'The Questions of Pārāyaṇe Puṇṇaka'^[4]:

'Whoso, the world high and low has figured out,
By nothing anywhere made jittery,
Calm, clear, unshakable, desireless,
uprooted has he, birth and aging, so say I.'"

 

§

 

Sutta 32 (b)

Sāriputta Suttaṃ

(b) Sāriputta

[2][pts][upal][bodh][than] There, then, Old-Man Sāriputta came into the presence of the Lucky Man.

Having come into the presence of the Lucky Man, he took a seat to one side.

Having taken a seat to one side, the Lucky Man said this to Old-Man Sāriputta:

"In brief, do I, Sāriputta set forth Dhamma.

In detail, do I, Sāriputta, set forth Dhamma.

In brief and in detail, do I, Sāriputta, set forth Dhamma.

Yet those who understand are hard to find."

■

"Now is the time, Bhagava!

Now is the time, Welcome One,
for the Lucky Man to set forth Dhamma in brief,
to set forth Dhamma in detail,
to set forth Dhamma in brief and in detail —
there will be those who understand Dhamma."

■

"In that case, Sāriputta train yourselves thus:

'With this consciousness of body,
"I" making,
"Mine" making,
or the madness that follows,
shall not exist;
externally all signs of
"I" making,
"Mine" making,
or the madness that follows,
shall not exist;
and an habitat where the heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom shall arise where
"I" making,
"Mine" making,
or the madness that follows,
is not had.

And there shall be the arising of
and abiding in
such a heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom.'

This is how you must train yourselves, Sāriputta.

Whensoever, Sāriputta, in a beggar
with consciousness of body,
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
does not exist;
externally all signs of
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
does not exist;
and an habitat where the heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom arises where
'I' making,
'Mine' making,
or the madness that follows,
is not had,
and there is the arising of
and abiding in
such a heart's liberation,
liberation-by-wisdom,
I say, Sāriputta,
such a beggar has cut off thirst,
removed the yoke,
with consummate understanding of madness,
has made an end of pain.^[5]

And further, Sāriputta, this was fittingly said in 'The Questions of Udaya':^[6]

'Letting go of perception of pleasure^[7] and misery both,
and sloth and worry's obstructions dispelling,
with purified detachment lead by Dhamma-thought
liberation by knowing is declared and the breaking-up of blindness.'"

 

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^[1] Samādhi-paṭilābho.

^[2] Sa-viññāṇake kāye. Woodward has: 'in this body, together with its consciousness' and footnotes the term 'sa-viññāṇake' giving: 'co-minded'.
PED: Saviññāṇa possessed of consciousness, conscious, animate A I.83; -ka the same A I.132; DhA I.6. - See viññāṇaka.
Literally: sa = 'with' viññāṇa = consciousness.

^[3] Ahaṇ-kāra-mamaṇ-kāra-m-ānānusayā.

^[4] See: AN 4 41; SNP 5.3 where Bhk. Thanissaro has:

'He who has fathomed
the far and near in the world,
for whom there is nothing
perturbing in the world —
    his vices evaporated,
    undesiring, untroubled,
        at peace —
he, I tell you, has crossed over birth
            aging.'"

^[5] Cf. M. i, 122; S. i, 12 (K.S. i, 18); iv, 205; UdA. 363.

^[6] Sn. 1106.

^[7] Kāma-saññānaṃ. Pleasure-perception. Woodward changes to: 'Kāma-c-chandānaṇ.' Pleasure-wishing.