Aṇguttara Nikāya
IV. Catukka Nipāta
I. Bhaṇḍagāma Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
IV. The Book of the Fours
I: At Bhaṇḍagāma
Sutta 10
Yoga Sutta
Bonds
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
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[1][than][olds][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 theExalted One. The Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these four bonds. What four?
The bond of passions,
that of becoming,[2]
that of view and
the bond of ignorance.
And of what sort, monks, is the bond of passions?
Herein a certain one understands not, as they really are, the arising, the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape from the passions.
In him who understands not these things as they really are, the passionate lust, the passionate delight, the passionate affection, the passionate greed, the passionate thirst, the passionate fever, cleaving and craving that is in the passions, which occupies his mind, - this, monks, is called "the bond of passions."
So much for the bond of passions.
And how is it with the bond of becoming?
Herein, monks, a certain one understands not, as they really are, the arising, the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape from becomings.
[12] In him who understands not these things, as they really are, the lust for becomings, the delight in becomings, the affection for becomings, the greed for becomings, the thirst, fever, clinging, the craving for becoming that is becomings, which occupies his mind, - this, monks, is called "the bond of becoming."
So much for the bond of passions and the bond of becoming.
And how is it with the bond of view?[ed1]
Herein, monks, a certain one understands not, as they really are, the arising, the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape from view.
In him who understands not these things, as they really are, the lust for view, the delight in view, the affection for view, the greed for view, the thirst, fever, clinging, the craving for view that is in view, which occupies his mind, - this, monks, is called "the bond of view."
So much for the bonds of passions, becoming and view.
And what of the bond of ignorance?
Herein, monks, a certain one understands not, as they really are, the arising of the six spheres of sense, the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape therefrom. In him who understands not (these things) as they really are, the ignorance, the nescience of the six spheres of sense which occupies his mind, - this, monks, is called "the bond of ignorance."
In bondage to evil, unprofitable things which defile, which lead to again-becoming, which are distressing and have sorrow for their result, which are concerned with birth and decay, he is therefore called "one who rests not from bondage."
These, monks, are the four bonds.
Monks, there are these four releases from the bonds.
What four?[ed1]
The release from the bond of passions,
the release from that of becoming,
the release from that of view and
the release from the bond of ignorance.
Herein, monks, a certain one understands, as they really are, the arising the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape from the passions.
In him who understands these things as they really are, the passionate lust, the passionate delight, the passionate affection, the passionate greed, the passionate thirst, the passionate fever, cleaving and craving that is in the passions, do not occupy his mind, - this, monks, is called "release from the bond of passions."
So much for the release from the bond of passions.
And how is it with the bond of becoming?
Herein, monks, a certain one understands, as they really are, the arising, the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape from becomings.
In him who understands these things, as they really are, the lust for becomings, the delight in becomings, the affection for becomings, the greed for becomings, the thirst, fever, clinging, the craving for becoming that is becomings, do not occupy his mind, - this, monks, is called "release from the bond of becoming."
So much for the release from the bond of passions and the bond of becoming.
And how is it with the bond of view?
Herein, monks, a certain one understands, as they really are, the arising, the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape from view.
In him who understands these things, as they really are, the lust for view, the delight in view, the affection for view, the greed for view, the thirst, fever, clinging, the craving for view that is in view, do not occupy his mind, - this, monks, is called "the release from thebond of view."
So much for the release from the bonds of passions, becoming and view.
And what of the bond of ignorance?
Herein, monks, a certain one understands, as they really are, the arising of the six spheres of sense, the passing away, the satisfaction, the disadvantage of and the escape therefrom.
In him who understands (these things) as they really are, the ignorance, the nescience of the six spheres of sense which occupies his mind, - this, monks, is called "the release from the bond of ignorance."
Set free from evil, unprofitable things which defile, which lead to again-becoming, which are distressing and have sorrow for their result, which are concerned with birth and decay, he is therefore called "one who rests from bondage."
These, monks, are the four releases from the bonds.
Bound by the bond of passions and becoming,[3]
Bound by the bond of view, by ignorance
Circled about,[4] to birth and death returning
Creatures go faring on saṇsāra's round.
[13] But they who, passions fully comprehending,
Have learned becoming's bond and have thrown off
The bond of view and ignorance abandoned,[5]
Freed from all bonds have surely bonds transcended.'
[1] [Ed.: note 1 from the first of this group of suttas from which this Nidana was reproduced; it is not in Woodward's version of this sutta.] ... The village seems not to be named elsewhere.
[2] 'Passionate desire for becoming in the form-and-formlees worlds.' Comy. Bond = yoga.
[3] The first half of these gāthas is at Itiv. 95.
[4] Purakkhatā = purato katā pārivāritā vā. Comy.
[5] Virājayaṃ (part. of virājeti, where the gerund should be used: prob. for virājiya, as at S. i, 15, where Comy. expl. as virājitvā) = virājento vā virājetvā vā. Comy.
[ed1] Woodward abbreviates.
