Aṇguttara Nikāya
VIII. Navaka Nipāta
IV. Mahā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
VIII. The Book of the Nines
Chapter IV: The Great Chapter
Sutta 33
Anupubba-Vihāra-Samāpatti Suttaṃ
The Abidings (b)
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Savatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park
there the Exalted One addressed the Monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Lord" they replied.
And the Exalted One said:
"Monks, I will teach you these nine attainments of gradual abidings;
listen,
pay heed,
I will speak."
"Yes Lord" they replied.
And the Exalted One said:
[2][than] "And what, monks, are the nine attainments?
Where sense desires end
and those who have ended sense desires so abide[1] -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,[2]
have by that very fact[3] crossed over
and gone beyond,[4] I say.
'Where do sense desires end
and who,
having ended sense desires,
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
aloof from sense desires,
aloof from evil ideas,
enters and abides in the first musing,
wherein applied and sustained thought works,
which is born of solitude
and is full of zest and ease -
there sense desires end
and those who have ended sense desires so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
Where thought applied
and thought sustained end
and those who have ended such thoughts so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where do thought applied
and thought sustained end
and who,
having ended thought applied
and thought sustained,
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
suppressing applied and sustained thought,
enters and abides in the second musing,
which is self-evolved,
born of concentration,
full of zest and ease,
free from applied and sustained thought,
wherein the mind becomes calm and one-pointed.
There thought applied
and thought sustained end
and those who have ended thought applied
and thought sustained so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
[278] Where zest ends
and those who have ended zest so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where does zest end
and who,
having ended zest
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
free from the fervour of zest,
mindful and self-possessed,
enters and abides in the third musing,
and experiences in his being
that ease whereof the Ariyans declare:
"He that is tranquil and mindful dwells at ease."
There zest ends
and those who have ended zest so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
Where the ease of poise ends
and those who have ended the ease of poise so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where does the ease of poise end
and who,
having ended the ease of poise
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
by putting away ease and by putting away ill,
by the passing away of happiness and misery he was wont to feel,
enters and abides in the fourth musing,
which is utter purity of mindfulness and poise
and is free of ease and ill.
There the ease of poise ends
and those who have ended the ease of poise so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
Where perceptions of form end
and those who have ended the perceptions of form so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where do the perceptions of form end
and who,
having ended the perceptions of form
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
by passing wholly beyond perceptions of form,
by the passing away of the perceptions of sense-reactions,
unattentive to the perceptions of the manifold,
enters and abides in the sphere of infinite space, thinking:
"Space is infinite."
There perceptions of form end
and those who have ended the perceptions of form so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
Where perception of the sphere of infinite space ends
and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of infinite space so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where does the perception of the sphere of infinite space end
and who,
having ended the perception of the sphere of infinite space
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
passing wholly beyond the sphere of infinite space,
enters and abides in the sphere of infinite consciousness, thinking:
"Consciousness is infinite."
There perception of the sphere of infinite space ends
and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of infinite space so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
Where perception of the sphere of infinite consciousness ends
and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of infinite consciousness so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where does the perception of the sphere of infinite consciousness end
and who,
having ended the perception of the sphere of infinite consciousness
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
passing wholly beyond the sphere of infinite consciousness,
enters and abides in the sphere of nothingness, thinking:
"There is nothing."
There perception of the sphere of infinite consciousness ends
and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of infinite consciousness so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
Where perception of the sphere of nothingness ends
[279] and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of nothingness so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where does the perception of the sphere of nothingness end
and who,
having ended the perception of the sphere of nothingness
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
passing wholly beyond the sphere of nothingness,
enters and abides in the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception.
There perception of the sphere of nothingness ends
and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of nothingness so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
§
Where perception of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception ends
and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception so abide -
surely, those venerable men,
craving not and cool,
have by that very fact crossed over
and gone beyond, I say.
'Where does the perception of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception end
and who,
having ended the perception of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception
so abide?
I know not this,
I see not this.'
Who should speak thus,
to him this ought to be said:
'Consider, reverend sir, the monk who,
passing wholly beyond the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception,
enters and abides in the ending of perception and feeling.
There perception of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception ends
and those who have ended the perception of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception so abide.'
Surely, the guileless man
without deceit
would rejoice and be glad at this response and say:
'Well said!' and thereafter with joined hands honour and reverence him.
Verily, monks, these are the nine attainments of gradual abidings.'
[1] Ye ca kāme nirodhetva nirodhetvā viharanti.
[2] Nibbutā.
[3] Tadaṇgena. Comy. tena jhānaṇgena.
[4] Pāragatā. Comy. kāme pāram gatā.
