Aṇguttara Nikāya
IV. Catukka Nipāta
I. Bhaṇḍagāma Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
IV. The Book of the Fours
I: At Bhaṇḍagāma

Honour to that Exalted One, Arahant, the Fully Enlightened One

Sutta 1

Anubuddha Suttaṃ

Understanding

Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.

Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved

For details see Terms of Use.

 

---

[1] [1]

[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:

On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying among the Vajjians, at Bhaṇḍagāma.^[1]

Then the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, Lord," replied those monks to the Exalted One.

The Exalted One said:

"Monks, it is through not understanding,
through not penetrating four things
that we have thus gone on faring,
thus gone on running
this long time,
both you and I.

What four things?

It is through not understanding,
through not penetrating the Ariyan virtue, monks,
the Ariyan concentration,
the Ariyan wisdom:
it is through not understanding,
not penetrating the Ariyan release
that we have thus gone on faring,
thus gone on running
this long time,
both you and I.

Now, monks, when the Ariyan virtue,
the Ariyan concentration,
the Ariyan wisdom
and the Ariyan release
are understood and penetrated,
cut off is the craving for becoming,
[2] destroyed is the cord of becoming,^[2]
there is now no more again of becoming.'

Thus spake the Exalted One.

So saying the Wellfarer added this further as Teacher:

'Virtue and concentration, wisdom, release
Beyond compare, - these things by Gotama
Of famous name were fully understood.
Thus, fully comprehending them, the Buddha,
Ender of ill, Teacher with opened eyes,
Utterly calmed,^[3] taught Dhamma to the monks.'

 

---

^[1] Cf. D. ii, 122 (M. Parinibbdna Sutta). 'Becoming' stands at once for state, place and duration. The village seems not to be named elsewhere.

^[2] Bhava-netti = rajju, 'by which beings are, like cattle, tied together by the neck, led on to such and such becoming.' Comy. In the sutta at D. ii (Koṭigāma) it is the penetration of the Four Truths which leads to this result, the words of the gāthā there being similar to those of our last §.

^[3] Parinibbuto.