Aṇguttara Nikāya
VIII. Navaka Nipāta
IV. Mahā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
VIII. The Book of the Nines
Chapter IV: The Great Chapter
Sutta 41
Tapussa-Gahapati Suttaṃ
Tapussa[1]
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1][than][olds] Thus have I heard:
Once, when the Exalted One dwelt among the Mallas[2] near their market-town called Uruvelakappa
and had one morning robed early,
taken bowl and cloak,
entered Uruvelakappa for alms,
gone his rounds,
returned and eaten his meal,
he called the venerable Ānanda and said:
"Prithee wait here, Ānanda,
while I am gone into Mahavana for the midday rest."
"Yes, lord," he rejoined;
and the Exalted One entered Mahavana for the midday rest
and sat down at the foot of a tree.
Now the goodman, Tapussa, visited the venerable Ānanda,
saluted him and sat down at one side;
and so seated, he said thus:
"We householders, reverend Ānanda,
are pleasure-seekers,
pleasure-fond,
pleasure-doting,
pleasure-mad
and, being so,
it seems a real precipice to us,
this giving up of all;[3]
yet I've heard, reverend sir,
that in this Dhamma-discipline
the heart of every young monk
leaps up at this giving up,
becomes [294] calm, steadfast and inclined[4] thereto,
seeing it is the peace.[5]
And just there, reverend sir,
is the difference in this Dhamma-discipline
'twixt monk and the many folk,
I mean in this giving up.'
'This, indeed, is a topic for a talk, goodman!
Let us go and see the Exalted One;
we will visit him
and tell him the matter,
and as the Exalted One explains,
so we will bear it in mind.'
'Very well, sir,'
replied the goodman to the venerable Ānanda.
And the venerable Ānanda went
with the goodman, Tapussa,
and visited the Exalted One,
saluted and sat down at one side;
and the venerable Ānanda told the Exalted One all the goodman had said ...
"It is verily so, Ānanda,
it is verily so!
When I was but a being awakening, Ānanda,
and not wholly awakened,
ere there was full awakenment,
I thought thus:
'Good is the giving up of all;
good it is to go apart[6] —
but my mind leapt not up,
became not calm,
steadfast,
nor inclined to this giving up
though I saw:
"It is the peace."'
And I thought:
'Now what's the cause, the reason my mind leaps not up,
becomes not calm,
steadfast,
nor inclined to this giving up
though I saw:
"It is the peace."'?
Then I thought:
'The peril of pleasures is not seen by me,
its not made much of by me;
the advantage of this giving up
is not won,
is not enjoyed[7] by me;
so my mind leaps not up,
becomes calm,
steadfast,
nor inclined to this giving up
though I see it is the peace.'
And I thought:
'If, seeing the peril of pleasures,
I were to make much of it;
if, winning the advantage of this giving up,
I were to enjoy it;
it would surely happen
that my mind would leap up,
become calm,
steadfast
and inclined to this giving up
on seeing it to be the peace.'
And presently, Ānanda,
on seeing the peril
I made much [295] of it;
on winning the advantage
I enjoyed it;
and my mind leapt up,
became calm,
steadfast
and inclined to this giving up
on seeing it was the peace.
And presently, Ānanda,
aloof from sense desires,
aloof from evil ideas,
I entered and abode in the first musing;
but as I abode in this abiding,
thoughts and distractions
of a sensuous kind beset me;
and it was for me a disease.
Just as some ill,
amounting to a disease,
might arise in some happy person, Ānanda,
even so such thoughts and distractions
of a sensuous kind beset me
and it was for me a disease.
Then I thought:
'Now what's the cause,
the reason my mind leaps not up,
becomes not calm,
steadfast,
nor inclined to this giving up of thoughts and distractions
of a sensuous kind,
though I saw:
"It is the peace."'?
■
Then I thought:
What if I were to suppress applied and sustained thought ... and enter and abide in the second musing ...
the third ...
the fourth musing ...
the sphere of infinite space ...
of infinite consciousness ...
of nothingness ...
of neither perception nor non-perception[8] ... in the ending of perception and feeling?
And presently, Ānanda,
passing wholly beyond the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception,
I entered and abode in the ending of perception and feeling
and I saw by wisdom
that the cankers were completely destroyed.
And so long, Ānanda,
as I attained not to,
emerged not from
these nine attainments of gradual abidings,
both forwards and backwards,
I realized not completely,
as one wholly awakened,
the full perfect awakening,
unsurpassed in the world
with its gods,
Maras and Brahmas,
on earth with its recluses,
godly men,
devas and men;
but when I attained to
and emerged from
these abidings,
both forwards and backwards,
then, wholly awakened,
I realized completely
the full perfect awakening
unsurpassed in the world
with its gods,
Maras and Brahmas,
on earth with its recluses,
godly men,
devas and men.
Then knowledge and vision[9] rose up within me:
'Mind's release for me is unshakable,
this birth is final,
there is now no becoming again.'"
[1] See Vin. i, 4; A. i, 26; Chwang. i, 112.
[2] Comy. (with S.e. and v.l.) Malatesu, observing Malataratthe.
[3] Nekkhammaṇ. Comy. pabbajjā
[4] This is stock; cf. D. ii, 239; M. i, 186; S. iii, 134; A. ii, 165; It. 43. Our text reads vimuccati with D., S. and A.; M. and It. adhi-; MA. adhi-mokkhaṇ labhati; Dial. trsls. as adhi-; K.S. as vi-.
[5] Santaṇ. see S. iv, 370
[6] The text misprints pavineko for paviveko.
[7] Anāsevito and āseveyyaṇ. Comy. na pkassito, no sacchikato and bhajeyyaṇ.
[8] The text repeats nearly in full, in the historic present.
[9] Dassana.
