Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
XVII. Āghāta Vaggo
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XVII: Malice
Sutta 166
Nirodha Suttaṃ
Ending
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the venerable Sāriputta addressed the monks, saying:
'Reverend sirs.'
'Reverend sir,' they replied;
and Sāriputta said:
'Herein, sirs, a monk,
who has achieved virtue,
achieved concentration,
achieved insight,
may both completely[1] enter
the ending of perception and feeling
and may emerge therefrom —
this is so.
If here among visible things
he make[2] not the gain of gnosis,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on[3] solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured[4] body,
provided he enter
and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling —
this is so.'
■
When he had thus spoken,
the venerable Udāyin said
to the venerable Sāriputta:
'This is not so, venerable Sāriputta,
[142] nor happens it,
that should a monk enter and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body —
it is not so!'
■
A second time Sāriputta said:
'Herein, sirs, a monk,
who has achieved virtue,
achieved concentration,
achieved insight,
may both completely enter
the ending of perception and feeling
and may emerge therefrom —
this is so.
If here among visible things
he make not the gain of gnosis,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body,
provided he enter
and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling —
this is so.'
■
A second time, when he had thus spoken,
the venerable Udāyin said
to the venerable Sāriputta:
'This is not so, venerable Sāriputta,
nor happens it,
that should a monk enter and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body —
it is not so!'
■
A third time Sāriputta said:
'Herein, sirs, a monk,
who has achieved virtue,
achieved concentration,
achieved insight,
may both completely enter
the ending of perception and feeling
and may emerge therefrom —
this is so.
If here among visible things
he make not the gain of gnosis,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body,
provided he enter
and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling —
this is so.'
■
A third time, when he had thus spoken,
the venerable Udāyin said
to the venerable Sāriputta:
'This is not so, venerable Sāriputta,
nor happens it,
that should a monk enter and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body —
it is not so!'
§
Then thought the venerable Sāriputta:
"Even unto a third time the venerable Udāyin[5] cries against me
and no monk supports me;
what if I were to go to the Exalted One?"
And he went to where the Exalted One was and saluted him and sat down at one side.
So seated, the venerable Sāriputta addressed the monks:
'Herein, sirs, a monk,
who has achieved virtue,
achieved concentration,
achieved insight,
may both completely enter
the ending of perception and feeling
and may emerge therefrom —
this is so.
If here among visible things
he make not the gain of gnosis,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body,
provided he enter
and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling —
this is so.'
■
And when he had thus spoken, the venerable Udāyin replied:
'This is not so, venerable Sāriputta,
nor happens it,
that should a monk enter and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body[6] —
it is not so!'
■
A second time Sāriputta said:
'Herein, sirs, a monk,
who has achieved virtue,
achieved concentration,
achieved insight,
may both completely enter
the ending of perception and feeling
and may emerge therefrom —
this is so.
If here among visible things
he make not the gain of gnosis,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body,
provided he enter
and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling —
this is so.'
■
A second time, when he had thus spoken,
the venerable Udāyin said
to the venerable Sāriputta:
'This is not so, venerable Sāriputta,
nor happens it,
that should a monk enter and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body —
it is not so!'
■
A third time Sāriputta said:
'Herein, sirs, a monk,
who has achieved virtue,
achieved concentration,
achieved insight,
may both completely enter
the ending of perception and feeling
and may emerge therefrom —
this is so.
If here among visible things
he make not the gain of gnosis,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body,
provided he enter
and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling —
this is so.'
■
A third time, when he had thus spoken,
the venerable Udāyin said
to the venerable Sāriputta:
'This is not so, venerable Sāriputta,
nor happens it,
that should a monk enter and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body —
it is not so!'
§
Then thought the venerable Sāriputta:
'Verily, before the face of the Exalted One,
even unto a third time
the venerable Udāyin cries against me
and no monk supports me;
I had best be silent.'
And so the venerable Sāriputta was silent.
§
Then the Exalted One addressed the venerable Udāyin and said;
'But who, do you hold,[7] Udāyin, has a mind-pictured body?'
[143]'Those devas, lord, who are formless,
perception-made.'
'Why thinkest thou, Udāyin,
that the word of a witless fool like thee
is just the thing to declare?
Then the Exalted One addressed the Venerable Ānanda thus:
'Is it possible,[8] Ānanda,
that you can look on with indifference
at an elder monk being vexed?
Verily, Ānanda,
compassion grows not
from (suffering) an elder monk to be vexed.'
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
'Herein, monks, a monk,
who has achieved virtue,
achieved concentration,
achieved insight,
may both completely enter
the ending of perception and feeling
and may emerge therefrom —
this is so.
If here among visible things
he make not the gain of gnosis,
he will surely go beyond
the deva-community that feed on solid food
and arise in a mind-pictured body,
provided he enter
and emerge
from the ending of perception and feeling —
this is so.'
Thus spake the Exalted One;
and when he had thus spoken,
the Well-Gone arose and entered the dwelling.
§
Now not long after the departure of the Exalted One,
the venerable Ānanda went up to the venerable Upavāna[9] and said to him:
'Just now, venerable Upavāna,
some (monks) were vexing the elder monk
and we never protested unto them.
Therefore wonder not, venerable sir,
should the Exalted One,
after coming from seclusion,
bring[10] the matter up
and[11] relate the whole affair
to the venerable Upavāna.
Already even fearfulness[12] is come upon us.'
§
And in the evening,
after coming from seclusion,
the Exalted One went to the service hall,
and, when come, he sat down on [144] the seat that was ready.
So seated, he said to the venerable Upavāna:
'Having how many qualities, Upavāna,
does an elder among his fellows in the godly life
become pious,
loved,
respected
and what he ought to become?
'Lord, having five[13] qualities,
an elder among his fellows in the godly life
becomes pious,
loved,
respected
and what he ought to become.
What five?
Lord, herein he is virtuous,
abides restrained by the restraint of the Obligations,
is perfect in conduct and habit,
sees peril in the smallest fault,
accepts the training
and trains himself accordantly;
■
he is learned,
with mind retentive and well stored;
those things lovely in the beginning,
lovely in the middle,
lovely in the end,
which set forth in spirit and in letter
the godly life of purity,
perfect in its entirety —
those are fully learnt by him,
resolved upon,
made familiar by speech,
pondered over in the mind,
fully understood in theory.;
■
he has a pleasant voice,
a good enunciation,
is urbane in speech,
distinct,
free from hoarseness
and informative;
■
at will,
easily and without trouble,
he attains to the four states of musing,
which bring comfort
both here and now,
transcending thought;
■
by destroying the cankcrs
he enters and abides in the emancipation of the heart
and of insight,
which is free of the cankers,
and this state he knows and realizes for himself,
even in this life.
Verily, lord, having these five qualities
an elder among his fellows in the godly life
becomes pious,
loved,
respected
and what he oughtght to become.'
§
'Well (said), well (said), Upavāna!
It is even (as you say): having these five qualities
an elder among his fellows in the godly life
becomes pious,
loved,
respected
and what he oughtght to become.
If these five qualities are not completely found in an elder,
will his fellows in the godly life respect,
honour,
reverence
and venerate him
for his broken teeth,
his grey hairs,
his wrinkled skin?[14]
But verily, Upavāna, when these five things are found in an elder,
then his fellows in the godly life respect him,
honour,
reverence
and venerate him.'
[1] Sam-.
[2] Ārādheti, caus. of √rādh; Cf. S. v, 285; K.S. v, 254.
[3] Kabaliṇkārāhāra-bhakkha. Comy. kāmāvacara, as elsewhere.
[4] Manomayaṃ kāyaṃ. See above, § 44.
[5] Comy. Lāla or foolish Udāyin.
[6] See the Apaṇṇaka-sutta, M. i, 140 [Ed: But? the latter is neither the Apaṇṇaka-sutta, nor does it have anything like what follows]: there are these propositions: there are no formless conditions at all and mind-made devas have form; or, there are formless conditions and perception-made devas are formless. Then there is no ending of becoming entirely and perception-made devas are formless; or, there is ending of becoming entirely and Nibbāna here among these visible conditions (can be won). Our Comy. observes that Udāyin hearing 'Mind-pictured' disagreed, thinking 'It ought to be among the formless.'
[7] Paccesi; see Dial. i, 252 n. and above, § 144.
[8] Atthi nāma. Comy. amarisan'atthe nipāto. Ayaṃ h'ettha attho; Ānanda, tumhe theraṃ bhikkhuṃ vihesiyamānaṃ ajjhupekkhatha? Na vo 'etāṃ marisāmi,' na 'adhivāsemī' ti. (Think not 'I suffer this man,' nor 'I bear with him.') Marisati and a-marisana are rare words and not in our Pāli Dicts. The Skt. root must be √mrish. I cannot find any other derivatives used in Pāli.
[9] The B.'s personal attendant; see K.S. i, 220; Brethr. 140. The Comy. observes that the B. addressed Ānanda because he was, as it were, the store-keeper of Dhamma.
[10] Udāhareyya, from √hr.
[11] Yathā. Comy. kāraṇa-vacanaṃ.
[12] Sārajjaṃ; see above, § 101.
[13] See above, § 87, for details; the text here abbreviates.
[14] Cf. D. ii, 305; M. i, 49; S. ii, 2; DhS. trsl. 195 n.
