Pāḷi English Dictionary
Sutta SearchAṅguttara Nikāya
VIII. Navaka Nipāta
III. Sattāvāsa Vagga
The Book of Nines
Sutta 36
Jhāna-Nisasaya Suttaṃ
Foundations of Knowing
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Translator's Note:
The Pāḷi abridges this sutta from the Second Knowing (jhāna) through the sphere where nothing is to be had without indicating that there is an abridgment. I have expanded these passages both here and in the Hare translation. As for the final paragraph, I think my translation just squeeks by, but the translations of both Hare and Bhikkhu Thanissaro don't sit right for me. It reads almost like the Buddha does not know about these realms. If my translation is shown to be wrong, then I have got to fall into the "This looks like editorial tampering" camp. I think nowhere else in the four Nikāyas does the Buddha shunt off the subject of a discourse like it is in these translations.
Once upon a time in
Sāvātthi-town.
I say that the First Knowing is just[1] a foundation[2] for the destruction of the corrupting influences.[3]
I say that the Second Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences.
I say that the Third Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences.
I say that the Fourth Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences.
I say that The Sphere of Space is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences.
I say that The Sphere of Consciousness is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences.
I say that The Sphere Where Nothing is to be Had There is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences.
I say that The Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception Sphere is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences.
§
'I say that the First Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
because of what was it said?
Here a beggar,
separating himself from sense pleasures,
separating himself from unskillful things,
still thinking and pondering
with the pleasurable enthusiasm
born of detachment
enters into and
makes a habitat of
the First Knowing;
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,[4]
from there not to return to
this world.
In the same way as an archer
or the archer's apprentice
might set up a straw man or
a pile of clay
to practice on
he at a later time becomes
a skilled archer
able to shoot
long distances,
rapidly,
with grea accuracy and
pierce objects of great mass.
In the same way, beggars,
a beggar,
separating himself from sense pleasures,
separating himself from unskillful things,
still thinking and pondering
with the pleasurable enthusiasm
born of detachment
enters into and
makes a habitat of
the First Knowing;
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
'I say that the First Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
it was for this reason that it was said.
■
'I say that the Second Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
because of what was it said?
With thinking and pondering
having calmed down,
attaining tranquillity,
becoming whole-heartedly single-minded,
without thinking and pondering,
with the pleasurable enthusiasm
born of serenity
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
the Second Knowing;
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
In the same way as an archer
or the archer's apprentice
might set up a straw man or
a pile of clay
to practice on
he at a later time becomes
a skilled archer
able to shoot
long distances,
rapidly,
with grea accuracy and
pierce objects of great mass.
In the same way, beggars,
a beggar,
with thinking and pondering
having calmed down,
attaining tranquillity,
becoming whole-heartedly single-minded,
without thinking and pondering,
with the pleasurable enthusiasm
born of serenity
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
the Second Knowing;
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
'I say that the Second Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
it was for this reason that it was said.
■
'I say that the Third Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
because of what was it said?
Dispassionate and
detached from enthusiasm,
living conscious and
aware of bodily sense-reactions
such as those described by the aristocrats
when they say
'Detached,
with satisfied mind,
he lives pleasantly,'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
the Third Knowing;
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
In the same way as an archer
or the archer's apprentice
might set up a straw man or
a pile of clay
to practice on
he at a later time becomes
a skilled archer
able to shoot
long distances,
rapidly,
with grea accuracy and
pierce objects of great mass.
In the same way, beggars,
a beggar,
dispassionate and
detached from enthusiasm,
living conscious and
aware of bodily sense-reactions
such as those described by the aristocrats
when they say
'Detached,
with satisfied mind,
he lives pleasantly,'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
the Third Knowing;
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
'I say that the Third Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
it was for this reason that it was said.
■
'I say that the Fourth Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
because of what was it said?
Letting go of his former experiences of
pleasure and pain,
allowing his experience of
mental ease and discomfort
to subside on their own,
without pleasure or pain,
with utterly pure
detachment of mind,
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
the Fourth Knowing.
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
In the same way as an archer
or the archer's apprentice
might set up a straw man or
a pile of clay
to practice on
he at a later time becomes
a skilled archer
able to shoot
long distances,
rapidly,
with grea accuracy and
pierce objects of great mass.
In the same way, beggars,
a beggar,
letting go of his former experiences of
pleasure and pain,
allowing his experience of
mental ease and discomfort
to subside on their own,
without pleasure or pain,
with utterly pure
detachment of mind,
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
the Fourth Knowing.
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
'I say that the Fourth Knowing is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
it was for this reason that it was said.
■
'I say that The Space Dimension is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
because of what was it said?
Elevating himself
above all perceptions of
form,
allowing perceptions of resistance
to subside, and
not scrutinizing
perceptions of diversity,
thinking:
'Un-ending is space'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
The Space Dimension.
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
In the same way as an archer
or the archer's apprentice
might set up a straw man or
a pile of clay
to practice on
he at a later time becomes
a skilled archer
able to shoot
long distances,
rapidly,
with grea accuracy and
pierce objects of great mass.
In the same way, beggars,
a beggar,
elevating himself
above all perceptions of
form,
allowing perceptions of resistance
to subside, and
not scrutinizing
perceptions of diversity,
thinking:
'Un-ending is space'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
The Space Dimension.
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
'I say that The Space Dimension is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
it was for this reason that it was said.
■
'I say that The Consciousness Dimension is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
because of what was it said?
Elevating himself
completely above The Space Dimension,
thinking:
'Un-ending is consciousness'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
The Consciousness Dimension.
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
In the same way as an archer
or the archer's apprentice
might set up a straw man or
a pile of clay
to practice on
he at a later time becomes
a skilled archer
able to shoot
long distances,
rapidly,
with grea accuracy and
pierce objects of great mass.
In the same way, beggars,
a beggar,
elevating himself
completely above The Space Dimension,
thinking:
'Un-ending is consciousness'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
The Consciousness Dimension.
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
'I say that The Consciousness Dimension is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
it was for this reason that it was said.
■
'I say that The No-Thing-To-Be-Had-There Dimension
is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
because of what was it said?
Elevating himself
completely above The Consciousness Dimension,
thinking:
'There is nothing to be had there'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
The No-Thing-To-Be-Had-There Dimension.
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
In the same way as an archer
or the archer's apprentice
might set up a straw man or
a pile of clay
to practice on
he at a later time becomes
a skilled archer
able to shoot
long distances,
rapidly,
with grea accuracy and
pierce objects of great mass.
In the same way, beggars,
a beggar,
elevating himself
completely above The Consciousness Dimension,
thinking:
'There is nothing to be had there'
he enters into and
makes a habitat of
The No-Thing-To-Be-Had-There Dimension
He, whatever there is there
that is
connected to form,
connected to sense-experience,
connected to perception,
connected to own-making,
connected to consciousness ...
these things he sees as
impermanent,
painful,
diseased,
a boil,
a sting,
as misery,
as oppression,
as barbaric,
as broken,
as empty,
as not-self.
He frees his heart from such things.
And having freed his heart
from such things
he focuses instead on
the components of
the deathless
thinking:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
He,
taking a stand there,
attains the destructin of
the corrupting influences.
Or if he does not then attain
the destruction of
the corrupting influences,
by that passion for the Dhamma,
by that delight in the Dhamma
he breaks the five lower fetters
and arises spontaneously,
from there not to return to
this world.
'I say that The No-Thing-To-Be-Had-There Dimension
is just a foundation for the destruction of the corrupting influences'
this is what was said, and
it was for this reason that it was said.
■
Thus then beggars,
as far as perception-attainment
so far goes understanding
leading to final knowledge.
And then, beggars, as to these
attainments:
the sphereS of
Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception and
The Ending-of-Perception-and-Experience,
I say they are best understood through
personal experience:
skill at attaining,
skill at attaining-emergence,
having attained and emerged.[5]
[1] pi that little "p'" in "p'ahaṃ". This sutta clearly shows that Arahantship can be obtained from the first jhāna,[2x1] but there are strings attached! One must turn the mind away from and keep it off form, sense-experience, perception, own-making and consciousness and bring into reality (it cannot be just an intellectual understanding) the thought:
This is it!
This is the culmination!
That is, the calming of all own-making,
the resolution of all involvements,
the withering away of thirst,
dispassion,
extinction,
Nibbāna.'
[2x1] This will also cause problems for those that wrongly hold that the Aristocratic Multi-dimensional Way (aka The Magga aka The Noble Eight-fold Path) states that attainment of the four jhānas is required for that path. It is no where in the suttas so stated. The jhānas are "signs" of samadhi, indications that serenity has been attained, they are not definitions of samadhi. And there is nothing where that is explained that states that all four must be attained ... it is just that there are these four signs.
[2] nissāya PED: 'that on which anything depends, support, help, protection; endowment, resource, requisite, supply; foundation, reliance on.'
[3] āsava PED: 1. spirit, the intoxicating extract or secretion of a tree or flower ... 3. in psychological technical term for certain specified ideas which intoxicate the mind (bemuddle it, befuddle it, so that it cannot rise to higher things).
[4] I suggest this does not mean immediately, but at some point from then on.
[5] In MN 111 The Buddha describes Sariputa's entering and emergence from these two spheres and his conclusions regarding them.
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