Aṅguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
I. Ānisaṁsa Vagga

The Book of Tens

Sutta 7

Dutiya Samādhi Suttaṁ

Serenity, by Sāriputta

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 

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

Once upon a time, The Lucky man, Savatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Park.

Then there Old Man Ananda came to Old Man Sariputta.

Having come to Old Man Sariputta
and exchanging greetings and salutations,
he took a seat to one side.

Seated to one side then,
Old Man Ananda said this
to Old Man Sāriputta:

"Is it, then, friend,
that a bhikkhu's serenity
can result in sucha state as,
neither is there 'of earth',
earth-perception,
nor is there 'of water',
water-perception,
nor is there 'of fire',
fire-perception,
nor is there 'of wind',
wind-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-space',
sphere-of-space-perception,
nor is there, 'of the sphere-of-consciousness',
sphere-of-consciousness-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there',
sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception',
sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception-perception,
nor is there 'of this-world',
this-world-perception,
nor is there 'of the afterworld',
afterworld-perception,
and yet there is perception?"

"Indeed, Ānanda, it is the case
that a bhikkhu's serenity
can result in sucha state as,
neither is there 'of earth',
earth-perception,
nor is there 'of water',
water-perception,
nor is there 'of fire',
fire-perception,
nor is there 'of wind',
wind-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-space',
sphere-of-space-perception,
nor is there, 'of the sphere-of-consciousness',
sphere-of-consciousness-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there',
sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception',
sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception-perception,
nor is there 'of this-world',
this-world-perception,
nor is there 'of the afterworld',
afterworld-perception,
and yet there is perception."

"But how is it so, friend,
that a bhikkhu's serenity
can result in sucha state as,
neither is there 'of earth',
earth-perception,
nor is there 'of water',
water-perception,
nor is there 'of fire',
fire-perception,
nor is there 'of wind',
wind-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-space',
sphere-of-space-perception,
nor is there, 'of the sphere-of-consciousness',
sphere-of-consciousness-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there',
sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there-perception,
nor is there 'of the sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception',
sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception-perception,
nor is there 'of this-world',
this-world-perception,
nor is there 'of the afterworld',
afterworld-perception,
and yet there is perception?"

Once upon a time, friend Ānanda, I was living here in Sāvaṭṭhi, Blind-man's Woods
and at that time such was my serenity that
neither was there 'of earth',
earth-perception,
nor was there 'of water',
water-perception,
nor was there 'of fire',
fire-perception,
nor was there 'of wind',
wind-perception,
nor was there 'of the sphere-of-space',
sphere-of-space-perception,
nor was there, 'of the sphere-of-consciousness',
sphere-of-consciousness-perception,
nor was there 'of the sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there',
sphere-of-no-thing-is-had-there-perception,
nor was there 'of the sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception',
sphere-of-neither-perception-nor-non-perception-perception,
nor was there 'of this-world',
this-world-perception,
nor was there 'of the afterworld',
afterworld-perception,
but still I had perception."

"What, friend Sāriputta, was that perception that remained?"

"'The end of becoming^[1] is Nibbāna,
the end of becoming is Nibbāna.'

As one such perception arose,
another such perception faded away.

In the same way, friend,
as with sparks from a burning fire,
as one such spark arises,
another such spark fades away
even so, friend:

'The end of becoming is Nibbāna,
the end of becoming is Nibbāna.'

As one such perception arose,
another such perception faded away.

The end of becoming is Nibbāna
but still I had perception."

 

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^[1] Bhava: becoming, living, being, existing.