Aṅguttara Nikāya
IV. Catukka Nipāta
II. Cara Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
Chapter II: Deportment
Sutta 14
Samādhibhāvanā Sutta
Restraint
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
Once the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these four efforts.
What four?
The effort to restrain,
the effort to abandon,
the effort to make become,
and the effort to watch over.
And of what sort, monks,
is the effort to restrain?
Herein[1] a monk, seeing an object with the eye,
is not entranced by its general features
or by its details.
Inasmuch as coveting and dejection,
evil,
unprofitable states,
might flow in upon one
who dwells with this eye-faculty uncontrolled,
he applies himself to such control,
sets a guard over the eye-faculty,
wins the restraint thereof.
Hearing a sound with the [16] ear,
is not entranced by its general features
or by its details.
Inasmuch as coveting and dejection,
evil,
unprofitable states,
might flow in upon one
who dwells with this ear-faculty uncontrolled,
he applies himself to such control,
sets a guard over the ear-faculty,
wins the restraint thereof.
Or with the nose smelling an odour,
is not entranced by its general features
or by its details.
Inasmuch as coveting and dejection,
evil,
unprofitable states,
might flow in upon one
who dwells with this nose-faculty uncontrolled,
he applies himself to such control,
sets a guard over the nose-faculty,
wins the restraint thereof.
Or with the tongue tasting a savour,
is not entranced by its general features
or by its details.
Inasmuch as coveting and dejection,
evil,
unprofitable states,
might flow in upon one
who dwells with this tongue-faculty uncontrolled,
he applies himself to such control,
sets a guard over the tongue-faculty,
wins the restraint thereof.
Or with body contacting tangibles,
is not entranced by its general features
or by its details.
Inasmuch as coveting and dejection,
evil,
unprofitable states,
might flow in upon one
who dwells with this body-faculty uncontrolled,
he applies himself to such control,
sets a guard over the body-faculty,
wins the restraint thereof.
Or with mind cognizing mental states,
is not entranced by its general features
or by its details.
Inasmuch as coveting and dejection,
evil,
unprofitable states,
might flow in upon one
who dwells with this mind-faculty uncontrolled,
he applies himself to such control,
sets a guard over the mind-faculty,
wins the restraint thereof.
This, monks, is called
"the effort to restrain."
And of what sort, monks,
is the effort to abandon?
Herein a monk does not admit sensual thought that has arisen,
but abandons it,
expels it,
makes an end of it,
drives it out of renewed existence.
Herein a monk does not admit malign and cruel thought that has arisen,
but abandons it,
expels it,
makes an end of it,
drives it out of renewed existence.
He does not admit evil, unprofitable states that arise from time to time,
but abandons them,
expels them,
makes an end of them,
drives them out of renewed existence
This, monks, is called
"the effort to abandon."
And of what sort is
the effort to make become?
Herein a monk makes to become
the limb of wisdom[2] that is mindfulness,
that is based on seclusion,
on dispassion,
on ending,
that ends in self-surrender.
He makes to become
the limb of wisdom that is investigation of Dhamma,
that is based on seclusion,
on dispassion,
on ending,
that ends in self-surrender.
He makes to become
the limb of wisdom that is energy,
that is based on seclusion,
on dispassion,
on ending,
that ends in self-surrender.
He makes to become
the limb of wisdom that is zest,
that is based on seclusion,
on dispassion,
on ending,
that ends in self-surrender.
He makes to become
the limb of wisdom that is tranquillity,
that is based on seclusion,
on dispassion,
on ending,
that ends in self-surrender.
He makes to become
the limb of wisdom that is concentration,
that is based on seclusion,
on dispassion,
on ending,
that ends in self-surrender.
He makes to become
the limb of wisdom that is equanimity,
that is based on seclusion,
on dispassion,
on ending,
that ends in self-surrender.
This, monks, is called
"the effort to make become."
And of what sort, monks,
is the effort to watch over?
Herein a monk watches over the favourable concentration-mark,[3]
the idea of the skeleton,[4]
the idea of the worm-eaten [17] corpse,
of the discoloured corpse,
of the fissured corpse,
the idea of the inflated corpse.
This is called "the effort to watch over."
These then, monks, are the four efforts.
Restraint, abandoning, making-become, watching o'er,
These are the four (best) efforts taught by him,
The Kinsman of the Sun.[5] Herein a monk,
Ardently striving, makes an end of ill.'
[1] Cf. D. i, 70; Pts. of Contr. 264; K.S. iv, 63; SnA. 7 ff.
[2] Cf. K.S. v, 51 ff. The limbs of wisdom (where in my trans. that of 'zest' is by error omitted).
[3] Bhaddakaɱ samādhi-nimittaɱ. Cf. A. i, 115; G.S. i, 100; VM. i, 123; Compendium, 54 (the dasa asubhāni). This is the reflex image of the object of his exercise. Comy. calls it bhaddakaɱ and refers to the meditation on the repulsive things, VM. i, 173. Presumably, by concentrating on the unlovely, he realizes the lovely by contrast. See Path of Purity, ii, 147: 'To him who guards the sign there is no loss of what has been obtained. Whoso neglects to guard it loses all that he obtained.'
[4] Aṭṭhika-saññā. Cf. S. v, 129; K.S. v, 110. To meditate on these ideas is said to lead to sukha vihāraɱ.
