Aṇguttara Nikāya
XI. Ekā-Dasaka Nipāta
I. Nissāya Vagga
The Book of Elevens
Sutta 9
Saññā-Manasikārā Suttaṃ (c)
A Study in Perception (c)
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.[1]
There then Old-man[2] Ānanda came to Bhagava, drawing near.
Drawing near and giving salutation,
he took a seat to one side.
Having taken a seat to one side
he asked this of The Lucky Man:
"Now is it, then, bhante,
that a beggar acquires
such a form of focus
that he,
not thinking of the eye,
not thinking of form,
not thinking of the ear,
not thinking of sounds,
not thinking of the nose,
not thinking of scents
not thinking of the tongue,
not thinking of the tastes,
not thinking of the body,
not thinking of touch,
not thinking of earth,
not thinking of water,
not thinking of firelight,
not thinking of wind,
not thinking of The Realm Space,
not thinking of The Realm of Consciousness,
not thinking of The Realm of No-Things-to-be-Had-There,
not thinking of The Realm of Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception,
not thinking of this world,
not thinking of the world beyond,
that of the
seen,
heard,
sensed,
known,
that not pondering the attained,
the saught-after,
the explored in mind,
that of these he has no thought
and yet he does have thought?
"It is, Ānanda,
that a beggar acquires
such a form of focus
that he,
not thinking of the eye,
not thinking of form,
not thinking of the ear,
not thinking of sounds,
not thinking of the nose,
not thinking of scents
not thinking of the tongue,
not thinking of the tastes,
not thinking of the body,
not thinking of touch,
not thinking of earth,
not thinking of water,
not thinking of firelight,
not thinking of wind,
not thinking of The Realm Space,
not thinking of The Realm of Consciousness,
not thinking of The Realm of No-Things-to-be-Had-There,
not thinking of The Realm of Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception,
not thinking of this world,
not thinking of the world beyond,
that of the
seen,
heard,
sensed,
known,
that not pondering the attained,
the saught-after,
the explored in mind,
that of these he has no thought
and yet he does have thought?
"But just how, bhante, is it
that a beggar acquires
such a form of focus
that he,
not thinking of the eye,
not thinking of form,
not thinking of the ear,
not thinking of sounds,
not thinking of the nose,
not thinking of scents
not thinking of the tongue,
not thinking of the tastes,
not thinking of the body,
not thinking of touch,
not thinking of earth,
not thinking of water,
not thinking of firelight,
not thinking of wind,
not thinking of The Realm Space,
not thinking of The Realm of Consciousness,
not thinking of The Realm of No-Things-to-be-Had-There,
not thinking of The Realm of Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception,
not thinking of this world,
not thinking of the world beyond,
that of the
seen,
heard,
sensed,
known,
that not pondering the attained,
the saught-after,
the explored in mind,
that of these he has no thought
and yet he does have thought?
"Here Ānanda, a beggar has this perception:
'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.'
It is thus, Ānanda,
that a beggar acquires
such a form of focus
that he,
not thinking of the eye,
not thinking of form,
not thinking of the ear,
not thinking of sounds,
not thinking of the nose,
not thinking of scents
not thinking of the tongue,
not thinking of the tastes,
not thinking of the body,
not thinking of touch,
not thinking of earth,
not thinking of water,
not thinking of firelight,
not thinking of wind,
not thinking of The Realm Space,
not thinking of The Realm of Consciousness,
not thinking of The Realm of No-Things-to-be-Had-There,
not thinking of The Realm of Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception,
not thinking of this world,
not thinking of the world beyond,
that of the
seen,
heard,
sensed,
known,
that not pondering the attained,
the saught-after,
the explored in mind,
that of these he has no thought
and yet he does have thought?
[1] No Nidana in text, but text beginning "there then" I am taking the reference as pointing to the first sutta of this chapter.
[2] Āyasmā. PED: Āyasmant (adj.) ... lit. old, i.e. venerable; used, either as adj. or absolute as a respectful appellation of a bhikkhu of some standing (cp. the semantically identical thera). ... See also āvuso. [friend]
