Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
54. Ānāpāna Saṃyutta
1. Eka-Dhamma Vagga
The Aspiration Collection
Book 1: One Thing
Sutta 5
Dutiya Phalā Suttaṃ
Fruit 2
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time Bhagava,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Anāthapiṇḍika's Jeta-forest park.
Then The Lucky Man addressed the Beggars there: "Bhikkhus!"
"Bhadante!" the beggars responded to Bhagava.
Bhagava said this to them:
"Recollecting aspiration, beggars,
developed,
made much of,
makes for great fruit,
great benefit.
And how, beggars, is recollecting aspiration developed,
made much of,
such as makes for great fruit,
great benefit?
Here beggars, a beggar
having gotten himself off to the forest
or to the root of some tree,
or to some empty hut,
and having taken up his seat there
sitting down,
setting the body upright,
legs bent-across-lapwise,
recollecting he attends to the mouth,
just so he recollects inspiration,
just so he recollects expiration.
If he inspires deeply, he knows:
'I am inspiring deeply.'
If he breaths out deeply, he knows:
'I am expiring deeply.'
If he inspires shallowly, he knows:
'I am inspiring shallowly.'
If he expires shallowly, he knows:
'I am expiring shallowly.'
'Reflecting on the totality of bodily experience,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the totality of bodily experience,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying own-body-making,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying own-body-making,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on enthusiasm,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on enthusiasm,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing pleasure,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Observing pleasure,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the own-making of the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the own-making of the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying the own-making of the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Pacifying the own-making of the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Reflecting on the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Abundantly content in heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Abundantly content in heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Composing the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Composing the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Liberating the heart,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'Liberating the heart,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for inconsistency,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for inconsistency,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for the end of lust,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for the end of lust,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for ending,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for ending,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for opportunities to let go,
I will inspire,'
this is the way he trains.
'On the look-out for opportunities to let go,
I will expire,'
this is the way he trains.
Suchwise 'developed', beggars,
suchwise 'made much of'
recollecting aspiration
makes for great fruit,
great benefit.
When developed suchwise, beggars,
when made much of suchwise,
recollecting aspiration
can be expected to have one of seven fruitions,
seven benefits.
What seven fruitions?
Benefits?
Complete omniscience in this seen thing.
If not complete omniscience in this seen thing,
then, complete omniscience at the time of death.
If not complete omniscience in this seen thing
nor complete omniscience at the time of death,
then he gets thorough Nibbāna midway[1]
by thoroughly extirpating the five yokes to the lower births.
Or he gets reduced-time thorough-Nibbāna.
Or he gets without-own-making thorough-Nibbāna.
Or he gets with-own-making thorough-Nibbāna.
Or he goes up-stream to the Akaniṭṭha Realm.
These, beggars are the seven fruitions,
seven benefits that can be expected
from developing
and making much of
recollecting aspiration."
[1]"Antarā" and "Upahacca" in the following line. In context with the next two these terms would indicate a state subsequent to the death of the body and prior to rebirth in another individuality. "Bardos" [Tibetan for 'between points'] come to mind. The text is abbreviated as I have indicated in my translation, although there is not present the usual "..." or "pe" or "la" that would indicate such an abbreviation. The next 'individuality' in this case would appear to be rebirth in the Akanittha Realm — a realm we are to understand is exclusively for Non-Returners who will attain Nibbāna there midway through the lifespan there.
There is another possibility: The meaning could be 'Omniscience' immediately upon hearing or putting into practice the method in this sutta; Omniscience at death; or omniscience at some point between hearing the sutta and death (midway, or by cutting down the remaining time). According to this understanding the difference between steps 3 and 4 and steps #5 and 6 would be that in #s 3 and 4 there was 'work still to be done' whereas in #s 5 and 6 there would be more to be experienced, but not more to be done. The difference between #s 5 and 6 would be that #5 would be a non-returner who had let it all go and just watched the remainder work itself out and #6 would be one who still had residual impulses to create and experience things 'for himself.' According to the more standard after-death interpretation these two steps would indicate one who had no residual experiences to be experienced in the interval [after death and before taking up a new individuality] and one who did have such experiences (for example sights remaining to be seen through the organ of sight, but not integrated with a body).
The two interpretations are not mutually exclusive: What is being spoken of here is the Non-returner; even the Streamwinner 'sees' the way to the end; the non-returner actually sees the end but has not yet got the end, so in a manner of speaking the non-returner is already 'dead' [in the sense that because he can see the end, he has experienced his own death ahead of time] and the 'interval' is the time between attaining non-returner state and the death of the body — and this interval could be one in which there were or were not episodes of 'own-making' or 'sankaraming'.
