Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
IV. Deva-Dūta Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
IV. Messengers of the Devas
Sutta 32
Ānanda Suttaṃ
(a) Ānanda
Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][bodh][upal][olds][than] Now the venerable Ānanda went to visit the Exalted One.
On coming to him he saluted him and sat down at one side.
As he thus sat the venerable Ānanda said this to the Exalted One:
"May it be, lord, that a monk can acquire such concentration
that in this body, together with its consciousness,[1]
he has no notion of 'I' or 'mine,'
or any tendency to vain conceit:
that likewise in all external objects
he has no such [116] notion or tendency:
may it be that he can so abide
in the attainment of release of the heart,
the release by insight,
that he has no such notion or tendency?"
"It may be so, Ānanda that a monk can acquire such concentration
that in this body, together with its consciousness,
he has no notion of 'I' or 'mine,'
or any tendency to vain conceit:
that likewise in all external objects
he has no such notion or tendency:
it may be that he can so abide
in the attainment of release of the heart,
the release by insight,
that he has no such notion or tendency."
"But, lord, by what process can it be
that a monk can acquire such concentration
that in this body, together with its consciousness,
he has no notion of 'I' or 'mine,'
or any tendency to vain conceit:
that likewise in all external objects
he has no such notion or tendency:
that it may be that he can so abide
in the attainment of release of the heart,
the release by insight,
that he has no such notion or tendency?"
In this matter, Ānanda, a monk has this idea:
'This is the calm,
this is the excellent state, to wit,
— rest from all activities,
the forsaking of all substrate (of rebirth),
the destruction of craving,
passionlessness,
making to cease,
Nibbāna.'
That is how a monk can acquire such concentration
that in this body, together with its consciousness,
he has no notion of 'I' or 'mine,'
or any tendency to vain conceit:
that likewise in all external objects
he has no such notion or tendency:
that it may be that he can so abide
in the attainment of release of the heart,
the release by insight,
that he has no such notion or tendency.
Moreover, Ānanda, in this connexion
I thus spoke in the Chapter on the Goal
in (the sutta called) The Questions of Puṇṇaka:[2]
'By searching in the world things high and low,[3]
He who hath nought[4] to stir him in the world,
Calm and unclouded, cheerful, freed of longing,
He hath crossed over birth and eld, I say.'"
(b) Sāriputta
[2][upal][olds][bodh][than] Now the venerable Sāriputta went to visit the Exalted One.
On coming to him he saluted him and sat down at one side.
As he sat at one side the Exalted One said this to him:
"Sāriputta, I may teach Dhamma in brief,
and again I may teach it in detail,
and I may teach it both in brief and in detail.[5]
It is those who understand that are hard to find."
"Now is the time, Exalted One!
Now is the time, O Wellfarer,
for the Exalted One to teach Dhamma in brief,
in detail
and in both ways!
There will be those who will understand Dhamma."[6]
"Then, Sāriputta, you must train yourself thus:
'In this body together with its consciousness,
there shall be no notion of "I" and "mine,"
no tendency to vain conceit.
Likewise in all external objects
there shall be no such notion or tendency.
We will so abide in the attainment of the heart's release,
the release by insight,
that we have no notion of "I" and "mine,"
no tendency to vain conceit.'
That is how you must train yourselves.
In so far as a monk has no notion of 'I' and 'mine,'
no tendency to vain conceit,
likewise in all external objects
has no such notion or tendency,
and he abides the attainment of the heart's release,
the release by insight,
he is called:
'A monk who has cut off craving,
broken the bond:
one who, by perfect comprehension of conceit,
has made an end of Ill.'[7]
Moreover, in this connexion, Sāriputta,
I spoke in the chapter on The Goal
in (the sutta called) The Questions of Udaya:[8]
'The abandoning of lust[9] and grief,
Both these, and sloth's destruction,
Restraint of mental restlessness
And pure tranquillity of mind
And lawful thoughts in equipoise, —
"Relese by knowledge" this I deem
And "breaking up of ignorance.'"
[1] Sa-viññānake ('co-minded'), cf. K.S. ii, 168; iii, 68.
[2] Pārāyana-Vagga, Sn. 1048; also at A. ii, 45 (where yas'iñjitaṇ and sato of the text should be corrected).
[3] Parovarāni — i.e., parāni ca ovarāni (? avarāni) ca. Comy.
[4] Kuhiñci, cf. A. ii, 177;[?] UdA. 429.
[5] See above, p. 49. Cf. Pts. of Contr. 325; K.S., i, 173.
[6] Cf. Dialogues ii, 32, etc.
[7] Cf. M. i, 122; S. i, 12 (K.S. i, 18); iv, 205; UdA. 363.
[9] Kāma-cchandānaṇ. So Sn., but Comy. has -saññānaṇ = kāme ārabbha uppanna-saññÑānaṇ.
