Aṅguttara Nikāya
Chakka Nipāta
V. Dhammika Vagga
Sutta 50
Indriya Saṅvara Suttaṃ
Restraint of the Forces
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time The Lucky Man,
Sāvatthī-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There then the Lucky Man addressed the beggars:
"Beggars!"
And the beggars responding "Venerable!" the Lucky Man said this:
"There being no restraint of the forces,[1] beggars,
for those lacking in force-restraint-insight,[2]
the foundation for ethical culture,
is cut off.
There being no ethical culture,
ethical-culture-insight,
the foundation for consummate serenity,
is cut off.
There being no consummate serenity,
consummate-serenity-insight,
the foundation for knowing and seeing things the way they really are,
is cut off.
There being no knowing and seeing things as they really are,
knowing-and-seeing-insight,
the foundation for dispassionate distaste,
is cut off.
Their being no dispassionate-distaste
dispassionate-distaste-insight,
the foundation for knowing and seeing freedom,
is cut off.
In the same way, beggars, as with a tree,
bereft of branches and foliage —
its shoots cannot reach maturity,
its bark cannot reach maturity,
its sapwood cannot reach maturity,
its heartwood cannot reach maturity.
Even so, beggars, there being no restraint of the forces,
for those lacking in force-restraint-insight,
the foundation for ethical culture,
is cut off.
There being no ethical culture,
ethical-culture-insight,
the foundation for consummate serenity,
is cut off.
There being no consummate serenity,
consummate-serenity-insight,
the foundation for knowing and seeing things as they really are,
is cut off.
There being no knowing and seeing things the way they really are,
knowing-and-seeing-insight,
the foundation for dispassionate distaste,
is cut off.
Their being no dispassionate-distaste
dispassionate-distaste-insight,
the foundation for knowing and seeing freedom,
is cut off.
"There being restraint of the forces, beggars,
those possessing force-restraint
possess the foundation for ethical culture.
There being ethical culture,
those possessing ethical culture
possess the foundation for consummate serenity.
There being consummate serenity,
those possessing consummate serenity
possess the foundation for knowing and seeing things as they really are.
There being knowing and seeing things as they really are,
those possessing knowing and seeing things as they really are
possess the foundation for dispassionate distaste.
There being dispassionate distaste,
those possessing dispassionate distaste
possess the foundation for knowing and seeing freedom.
In the same way, beggars, as with a tree,
possessed of branches and foliage,
its shoots can reach maturity,
its bark can reach maturity,
its sapwood can reach maturity,
its heartwood can reach maturity.
Even so, beggars, there being restraint of the forces,
those possessing force-restraint
possess the foundation for ethical culture.
There being ethical culture,
those possessing ethical culture
possess the foundation for consummate serenity.
There being consummate serenity,
those possessing consummate serenity
possess the foundation for knowing and seeing things as they really are.
There being knowing and seeing things as they really are,
those possessing knowing and seeing things as they really are
possess the foundation for dispassionate distaste.
There being dispassionate distaste,
those possessing dispassionate distaste
possess the foundation for knowing and seeing freedom.
[1] Indriya-saṅvare. Not, as per Hare, 'Sense-control'. In fact 'sense-control' works here, and the majority of translators translate 'indriya' in some way indicating that it means 'the faculties of the senses' (Bhk. Bodhi: 'sense-faculties'), but the term is broader than is indicated by the term 'the senses'. See: Glossology: Indriyāni. The fivefold saṅvara (control, restraint): sīla-, sati-, ñāṇa-, khanti-, viriya-, i.e. by ethical culture, minding, knowledge, patience, and energy. Indriyas: the six senses, pleasure, pain, mental ease, mental pain, detachment, faith, energy, mind, serenity, wisdom, knowing the unknown, omniscience, attaining omniscience.
[2] Indriya-saṅvara-vipannassa. The insight that results from being in control of a force. In essence: 'having this force under control, I see there is no adverse consequence that can come to me as a result.' In the case of this sutta: "Having this force under control, I see there is no adverse consequence that can come to me as a result; let me apply this also to the restraint required for the development of ethical culture. Etc.
