Aṅguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
XVII: Paṭipadā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fours
Chapter XVII: Modes of Progress
Sutta 163
Tatiya Paṭipadā Suttaɱ
The Unlovely
Translated from the Pali by f. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these four modes of progress.
What four?
The painful mode of progress with sluggish intuition,
the painful mode with swift intuition,
the pleasant mode of progress with sluggish intuition,
the pleasant mode with swift intuition.
These are the four modes of progress.'
§
And of what sort, monks,
is the painful mode of progress
with sluggish intuition?
In this case a monk[1] lives contemplating the unloveliness in body,
aware of the repulsiveness of food,
aware of his distaste for all the world,
aware of impermanence in all the activities.
Thus awareness of death
is implanted in the very self.
He lives dependent
on these five powers of a pupil:
the power of faith,
the power of modesty,
that of self-restraint,
that of energy,
and the power of wisdom.
But in him these five controlling faculties
are dully manifested, to wit:
the controlling faculty of faith,
the controlling faculty of energy,
the controlling faculty of mindfulness,
the controlling faculty of concentration,
and the controlling faculty of wisdom.
Thus, owing to the dullness
of these five controlling faculties,
sluggish is his attainment
of the concentration that follows on
for the destruction of the āsavas.
This, monks, is called
"the mode of progress that is painful
with sluggish intuition."
■
[156] And of what sort, monks,
is the mode of progress that is painful,
but with swift intuition?
In this case a monk lives
contemplating the unloveliness in body,
aware of the repulsiveness of food,
aware of his distaste for all the world,
aware of impermanence in all the activities.
Thus awareness of death
is implanted in the very self.
He lives dependent
on these five powers of a pupil:
the power of faith,
the power of modesty,
that of self-restraint,
that of energy,
and the power of wisdom.
But in him these five controlling faculties are manifested in abundance, to wit:
the controlling faculty of faith,
the controlling faculty of energy,
the controlling faculty of mindfulness,
the controlling faculty of concentration,
and the controlling faculty of wisdom.
Thus, owing to the preponderance
of these five controlling faculties,
swift is his attainment
of the concentration that follows on
for the destruction of the āsavas.
This, monks, is called
"the mode of progress that is painful
but with swift intuition."
■
And of what sort, monks,
is the mode of progress that is pleasant
but with sluggish intuition?
In this case a monk,
aloof from sense-desires,
aloof from evil conditions,
enters upon the first musing,
which is accompanied by thought directed and sustained,
born of seclusion,
zestful and easeful,
and abides therein.
Then by the calming down
of thought directed and sustained,
enters upon the second musing,
that calming of the inner self,
that one-pointedness of mind
apart from thought directed and sustained,
that is born of mental balance,
zestful and easeful,
and having attained it
abides therein.
Then, by the fading out of zest,
disinterested,
mindful and composed,
experiences in his own person
that ease of which the Ariyans declare:
"He who is disinterested and alert dwells at ease."
So he attains and abides in the third musing.
Then, by abandoning both ease and discomfort,
by the ending of both happiness and unhappiness felt before,
he attains the fourth musing,
a state of neither ease nor discomfort,
an equanimity of utter purity,
and having attained it abides therein.
He lives dependent
on these five powers of a pupil:
the power of faith,
the power of modesty,
that of self-restraint,
that of energy,
and the power of wisdom.
But in him these five controlling faculties are dully manifested, to wit:
the controlling faculty of faith,
the controlling faculty of energy,
the controlling faculty of mindfulness,
the controlling faculty of concentration,
and the controlling faculty of wisdom.
Thus, owing to the dullness of these five,
sluggish is his attainment
of the concentration that follows on
for the destruction of the āsavas.
This, monks, is called [157]
"the mode of progress that is pleasant,
but with sluggish intuition."
■
And of what sort, monks,
is the mode of progress that is both pleasant
and accompanied by swift intuition?
In this case a monk,
aloof from sense-desires,
aloof from evil conditions,
enters upon the first musing,
which is accompanied by thought directed and sustained,
born of seclusion,
zestful and easeful,
and abides therein.
Then by the calming down
of thought directed and sustained,
enters upon the second musing,
that calming of the inner self,
that one-pointedness of mind
apart from thought directed and sustained,
that is born of mental balance,
zestful and easeful,
and having attained it
abides therein.
Then, by the fading out of zest,
disinterested,
mindful and composed,
experiences in his own person
that ease of which the Ariyans declare:
"He who is disinterested and alert dwells at ease."
So he attains and abides in the third musing.
Then, by abandoning both ease and discomfort,
by the ending of both happiness and unhappiness felt before,
he attains the fourth musing,
a state of neither ease nor discomfort,
an equanimity of utter purity,
and having attained it abides therein.
He lives dependent
on these five powers of a pupil:
the power of faith,
the power of modesty,
that of self-restraint,
that of energy,
and the power of wisdom.
But in him these five controlling faculties are manifested in abundance, to wit:
the controlling faculty of faith,
the controlling faculty of energy,
the controlling faculty of mindfulness,
the controlling faculty of concentration,
and the controlling faculty of wisdom.
Thus, owing to the preponderance
of these five controlling faculties,
swift is his attainment
of the concentration that follows on
for the destruction of the āsavas.
This, monks, is called
"the mode of progress that is both pleasant
and is accompanied by swift intuition."
So these are the four modes of progress.'
[1] In previous suttas any person, not necessarily a monk, is spoken of. Cf. Dhp. v. 8; Itiv. 80. For the 'foul things' see K.S. v, 111, [Ed. starts at §57] 112, 300.
