Aṇguttara Nikāya
Chakka-Nipāta
II: Sārāṇīya-Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sixes
Chapter II: Be Considerate
Sutta 13
Nissāraṇīya Suttaṃ
Amity
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these six factors
whereby should be escape.[1]
What six?
Monks, suppose a monk were to say this:
Of a truth, I have made mind-emancipation become by amity,
made an increase of it,
made a vehicle of it,
made a home of it,
dwelt with it,
gathered it together,
set it well going:
yet ill-will invades my heart and stays!"
Speak to him and say:
"Go to now,
speak not so, reverend sir,
distort not the word of the Exalted One!
Ill it is
to distort his word thus.[2]
Verily, the Exalted One would never speak so;
it is not possible, sir,
nor could it happen,
that when mind-emancipation is made become by amity,
made an increase of,
made a vehicle of,
made a home of,
dwelt with,
gathered together
and set well going,
ill-will can invade one's heart and stay.
It is not possible.
Indeed, sir,[3]
this is just the escape from ill-will,
I mean,
mind-emancipation by amity."
■
Or suppose a monk were to say this:
"Of a truth, I have made mind-emancipation become by pity,
made an increase of it,
made a vehicle of it,
made a home of it,
dwelt with it,
gathered it together,
set it well going:
yet fell thoughts invade my heart and stay!"
Speak to him and say:
"Go to now,
speak not so, reverend sir,
distort not the word of the Exalted One!
Ill it is
to distort his word thus.
Verily, the Exalted One would never speak so;
it is not possible, sir,
nor could it happen,
that when mind-emancipation is made become by pity,
made an increase of,
made a vehicle of,
made a home of,
dwelt with,
gathered together
and set well going,
fell thoughts can invade one's heart and stay.
It is not possible.
Indeed, sir
this is just the escape from fell thoughts,
I mean,
mind-emancipation by pity."
■
Or suppose a monk were to say this:
"Of a truth, I have made mind-emancipation become by (kindly) joy,
made an increase of it,
made a vehicle of it,
made a home of it,
dwelt with it,
gathered it together,
set it well going:
yet enmity invades my heart and stays!"
Speak to him and say:
"Go to now,
speak not so, reverend sir,
distort not the word of the Exalted One!
Ill it is
to distort his word thus.
Verily, the Exalted One would never speak so;
it is not possible, sir,
nor could it happen,
that when mind-emancipation is made become by (kindly) joy,
made an increase of,
made a vehicle of,
made a home of,
dwelt with,
gathered together
and set well going,
enmity can invade one's heart and stay.
It is not possible.
Indeed, sir
this is just the escape from enmity,
I mean,
mind-emancipation by (kindly) joy."
■
Or suppose a monk were to say this:
"Of a truth, I have made mind-emancipation become by poise,
made an increase of it,
made a vehicle of it,
made a home of it,
dwelt with it,
gathered it together,
set it well going:
yet passion invades my heart and stays!"
Speak to him and say:
"Go to now,
speak not so, reverend sir,
distort not the word of the Exalted One!
Ill it is
to distort his word thus.
Verily, the Exalted One would never speak so;
it is not possible, sir,
nor could it happen,
that when mind-emancipation is made become by poise,
made an increase of,
made a vehicle of,
made a home of,
dwelt with,
gathered together
and set well going,
passion can invade one's heart and stay.
It is not possible.
Indeed, sir
this is just the escape from passion,
I mean,
mind-emancipation by poise."
■
Or suppose a monk were to say this:
"Of a truth, I have made mind-emancipation become by the signless[4],
made an increase of it,
made a vehicle of it,
made a home of it,
dwelt with it,
gathered it together,
set it well going:
yet my thoughts run after [210] signs!"[5]
Speak to him and say:
"Go to now,
speak not so, reverend sir,
distort not the word of the Exalted One!
Ill it is
to distort his word thus.
Verily, the Exalted One would never speak so;
it is not possible, sir,
nor could it happen,
that when mind-emancipation is made become by the signless,
made an increase of,
made a vehicle of,
made a home of,
dwelt with,
gathered together
and set well going,
that one's thoughts can run after signs.
It is not possible.
Indeed, sir
this is just the escape from all signs,
I mean,
mind-emancipation by the signless."
■
Or suppose a monk were to say this:
"I am free[6] of the thought 'I am,'
nor do I perceive within me
the thought 'This I am'
yet the dart[7] of doubt and questioning
'How, how?'
invades my heart and stays!"
"Go to now,
speak not so, reverend sir,
distort not the word of the Exalted One!
Ill it is
to distort his word thus.
Verily, the Exalted One would never speak so;
it is not possible, sir,
nor could it happen,
that when one is free of the thought 'I am'
and sees not within one
the thought 'This I am,'
the dart of doubt and questioning
'How, how?'
can invade the heart and stay.
It is not possible.
Indeed, sir, this is just the escape
from the dart of doubt and questioning,
I mean,
the complete rooting out of the conceit
'I am'"
Verily, monks, these are the six factors
whereby should be escape.'
[1] Cf. D. iii, 247 for all this; Expos. 259.
[2] This passage is stock; cf. M. i, 130; iii, 207.
[3] Āvuso; so the monk is still addressing his fellow-monk, though -ti is omitted. However, D. iii reads āvuso throughout for our bhikkhave.
[4] A-nimitta. Comy. it is so called because the passion, form and permanence signs become not; see K.S. i, 239 n.; Cpd. 211, n.
[5] Me nimittānusāri viññāṇaṃ hoti.
[6] S.e. and Comy. read with the text vigataṃ; D. iii, vighātaṃ.
[7] Dial. iii, 233 accepts the variant sallāpaṃ, debating; but all our readings are sallaṃ; cf. also D. ii, 283.
