Aṅguttara Nikāya
Sattaka Nipāta
Mahā Vaggo
Sutta 67
Bhāvan-ā-nuyutta Suttaɱ
Making-Become[1]
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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[1] THUS have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, although a wish such as this may arise in the heart of a monk,
as he lives without applying himself to making-become:
"Oh that my heart might be freed of the cankers
and be without attachment!" -
yet his heart is not so freed.
And what is the reason?
Let it be said:
"It is lack of making-become."
■
Making what become?
The four arisings of mindfulness,
the four right efforts,
the four bases of psychic power,
the five controlling faculties,
the five powers,
the seven parts in awakening
and the eightfold Ariyan Way.[2]
§
Monks, it is just as if a sitting
of eight or ten or a dozen hen's[3] eggs
were not fully sat upon,
nor fully warmed,
nor fully made to become;
and although such a wish as this might come[4] to that hen:
"Oh that my chicks might break the eggshells
with the spiked claws of their feet
or with their beaks [83] and bills,
and hatch[5] out safely!" -
yet it is not possible for those chicks
to break the shells with their claws and beaks
and to hatch out safely.
■
And what is the reason?
It is because, monks, those hen's eggs have not been fully sat on,
nor fully warmed,
nor fully made to become.
§
In just the same way, monks,
although a wish such as this might arise in the heart of a monk,
as he lives without applying himself to making-become:
"Oh that my heart might be freed of the cankers
and be without attachment!" -
yet his heart is not so freed.
And what is the reason?
Let it be said:
"It is lack of making-become."
■
Making what become?
The four arisings of mindfulness,
the four right efforts,
the four bases of psychic power,
the five controlling faculties,
the five powers,
the seven parts in awakening
and the eightfold Ariyan Way.
§
Monks, although such a wish as this might not arise in the heart of a monk,
as he lives applying himself to making-become:
"Oh that my heart might be freed of the cankers
and be without attachment!" -
yet his heart is freed from the cankers and attachment.[6]
And why?
Let it be said:
"It is due to making-become."
■
Making what become?
The four arisings of mindfulness,
the four right efforts,
the four bases of psychic power,
the five controlling faculties,
the five powers,
the seven parts in awakening
and the eightfold Ariyan Way.
§
Monks, it is just as if eight or ten or a dozen hen's eggs
were fully sat upon,
fully warmed
and fully made to become;
although any such wish might not come to the hen:
"Oh that my chicks might break the eggshells
with the spiked claws of their feet
or with their beaks and bills,
and hatch out safely!" -
yet it is possible for those chicks
to break the shells with their claws and beaks
and to hatch out safely.
■
And what is the reason?
It is because, monks, those hen's eggs have been fully sat on,
fully warmed,
fully made to become.
§
In just the same way, monks, although a monk might not express such a wish,
as he lives applying himself to making-become:
"Oh that my heart might be freed of the cankers
and be without attachment!" -
yet his heart is freed from the cankers and attachment.
And why?
Let it be said:
"It is due to making-become."
■
Making what become?
The four arisings of mindfulness,
the four right efforts,
the four bases of psychic power,
the five controlling faculties,
the five powers,
the seven parts in awakening
and the eightfold Ariyan Way.
§
Monks, just as a carpenter or a carpenters apprentice,
inspecting the handle of his adze,
sees thereon the marks of his fingers and thumb,
nor knows how much of the adze-handle
[84] was worn away that day,
nor the previous day,
nor at any time,
yet knows just when the wearing away
has reached the end of wearing away;
even so, monks, a monk intent upon making-become
knows not to what extent the cankers were worn away that day,
nor the previous day,
nor at any time,
yet knows just when the wearing away
has[7] reached the end of wearing away.
§
Monks,[8] just as in an ocean-going ship,
rigged with mast and stays,
after it has sailed the seas for six months
and is beached on the shore for the winter,
the stays, affected by wind and heat,
rained upon in the rainy season,
easily weaken and rot away;
even so, monks, in a monk, abiding intent upon making-become,
the fetters easily weaken and rot away.'
[1] Bhāvanā; see DhS. trsl. 261. This sutta recurs at S. iii, 152 (K.S. iii, 129).
[2] See Dial. ii, 128 f. for full details; also K.S. v; below, p. 139.
[3] The text reads kukhuṭiya for kukkuṭiyā.
[4] Reading uppajjeyya for uppajjheyya.
[5] The text reads abhinibbijjituɱ. Comy. -nibbhijjituɱ from √BHID, so at A. iv, 176; cf. M. i, 539. P.E.D. -nibbijjhituɱ from √VYADH. See S.B.E. xi, 234. The simile recurs at M. i, 104, 357; Vin. iii, 3; below, p. 120. See also Dial. ii, 86 n.
[6] This is quoted at Sn.A. 415.
[7] Atha khvāssa khīṇe khīṇante'va ñāṇaɱ hoti. At K.S. iii, loc. cit.: 'But he knows the wearing away of it just by its wearing away.' I take it as khīṇ'ante.
[8] This simile recurs at K.S. iii, loc. cit., and v, 40. Comy. explains thus: The ocean is the message; the ship the striver; the voyage the time spent by a monk going about with a preceptor; the thinness of the ship's stays, eaten away by the sea water, is like the reduced state of the monk's 'fetters' brought about by ordination, recitation, questioning and so forth. The time the ship is beached is like the time he dwells alone in the forest, practising musing. The daily drying of the stays by the wind and heat is like the withering of lust and craving by insight and knowledge; the nightly soaking by the winter rain is like the steeping of the heart in the joy and gladness of musing; the weakened state of the stays, dried by day and drenched by night, is like the weakened state of the 'fetters,' due to insight and knowledge. The storm of the rainy season is like the knowledge of the Way to arahantship; the ship's rottenness is like the attainment of the fruit of arahantship; the time and place of the rotting of the stays are like the destruction of the 'fetters' in the life of the arahant; the actual breaking up of the ship is like the passing away to the cool, without remainder, of the arahant.
