Aṅguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
VI. Sa-Citta Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
VI: One's Own Thoughts
Sutta 53
Ṭhiti Suttaɱ
Standing Still
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
2. 'Monks, I praise not standing still,
not to speak of waning.[1] in good conditions.
I praise growth in good conditions, monks,
not standing still,
not waning.
And how is there waning,
not standing still,
not growth?
Herein a monk is a striver[2] in faith,
virtue,
lore,
giving up,
[68] insight
and ready speech.[3]
Yet his conditions neither stand still
nor make growth.
This I call
'waning in good conditions,' monks,
not standing still,
not growth.
Thus there is waning in good conditions,
not standing still,
not growth.
■
And how is there standing still,
not waning,
not growth in good conditions?
Herein a monk is a striver in faith,
virtue,
lore,
giving up,
insight
and ready speech.
But his conditions wane not
nor wax.
This I call 'standing still,
not waning,
not growth in good conditions.'
Thus there is standing still,
not waning,
not growth in good conditions.
■
And how is there growth in good conditions,
not standing still,
not waning?
Herein a monk is a striver in faith,
virtue,
lore,
giving up,
insight
and ready speech.
But his conditions stand not still
nor wane.
This I call growth in good conditions.
Thus there is growth
not standing still,
not waning in good conditions.
§
Monks, though a monk be not skilled in the habit of others' thoughts,[4] at least he can resolve:[ed1]
'I will be skilled in the habit of my own thought.'[5]
Thus, monks, should ye train yourselves.
And how is a monk skilled in the habit of his own thought?
Just as if, monks, a woman or man or a young lad
fond of self-adornment,
examining the reflection of his own face
in a bright clean mirror
or bowl of clear water,
should see therein a stain
or speck
and strive for the removal of that stain
or speck;
and when he no longer sees it there
is pleased and satisfied thereat,[6] thinking:
'A gain it is to me that I am clean' -
even so a monk's introspection
is most fruitful in good conditions, thus:
'Do I or do I not generally live covetous?
Do I or do I not generally live malevolent in heart?
Do I or do I not generally live possessed by sloth-and-torpor?
Do I or do I not generally live excited in mind?[7]
Do I or do I not generally live in doubt-and-wavering, or have I crossed beyond it?
Do I or do I not generally live wrathful or not?
Do I or do I not generally live with soiled thoughts or clean thoughts?
Do I or do I not generally live with body passionate or not?
Do I or do I not generally live sluggish or full of energy?
Do I or do I not generally live uncontrolled or well-controlled?'
Monks, if on self-examination a monk finds thus:
'I generally live covetous,
malevolent in heart,
possessed by sloth-and-torpor,
excited in mind,
doubtful and wavering,
wrathful,
with soiled thoughts,
with body passionate,
sluggish
and uncontrolled' -
then that monk must put forth extra desire,
effort,
endeavour,
exertion,
impulse,
mindfulness
and attention
for the abandoning of those wicked,
unprofitable states.[8]
Just as, monks, when one's turban or head is ablaze,
for the extinguishing thereof
one must put forth extra desire,
effort,
endeavour,
exertion,
unflagging mindfulness
and attention,
even so for the abandoning of those wicked,
unprofitable states
one must put forth extra desire,
effort,
endeavour,
exertion,
impulse,
mindfulness
and attention
for the abandoning of those wicked,
unprofitable states.
But if on self-examination a monk finds thus:
'I do not generally live covetous,
malevolent in heart,
possessed by sloth-and-torpor,
excited in mind,
doubtful and wavering,
wrathful,
with soiled thoughts,
with body passionate,
sluggish
and uncontrolled,'
then that monk should make an effort[9]
to establish just those profitable states
and further to destroy the cankers."
[1] Text misprints as pārihāniɱ.
[2] Yattako, not in Indexes, Dicts. or Comy. It seems equal to yatta (yatati).
[3] Growth in the first five of these constitutes the Ariyan growth at S. iv, 250; A. iii, 80. The last (paṭibhāna) is explained by Comy. as vacana-santhana.
[4] Here text misprints as paricitta-.
[5] Sa-citta-pariyāya-kusalo, literally 'skilled in own-heart-habit'; but Comy. exp. attano citt'ovāda-kusalo (self-exhortation-skilled).
[6] Paripuṇṇa-sankappo, cf. M. iii, 276.
[7] At S. v, 112 = K.S. v, 95 the two extremes of a sluggish and elated mind are bars to tranquillity.
[8] As at S. v, 440 = K.S. v, 372.
[9] Yogo, cf. A. ii, 94 = G.S. ii, 104.
[ed1] The Last portion of this sutta is identical to the two previous and Woodward has included it only by the statement "(the rest is as in the previous sutta)" so for the convenience of readers of this file alone the footnotes from the previous versions have been retained.
