Aṇguttara Nikāya
XI. Ekā-Dasaka Nipāta
I. Nissāya
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
XI. The Book of the Elevens
I. Dependence
Sutta 9
Saññā-Manasikārā Suttaṃ (c)
Conscious work-of-mind (c)
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.][olds] Now the venerable Ānanda came to see the Exalted One,
and on coming to him saluted him
and sat down at one side.
So seated at one side he said:
"Pray, sir, may it be
that a monk's winning of concentration
may be of such a sort that,
though he pay no heed to eye or object seen,
or to ear or sound,
to nose or scent,
to tongue or savour,
to body or tangibles;
though he heed not earth, water, fire, air,
the realm of unbounded space,
the realm of consciousness,
that of nothingness,
that of neither-perception-nor-not-perception,
though he heed not this world
nor the world beyond;
though whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized,
attained, sought after, thought out by mind
— to all that he pays no mental heed,
and yet does so?"
■
"It may be so, Ānanda
that a monk's winning of concentration
may be of such a sort that,
though he pay no heed to eye or object seen,
or to ear or sound,
to nose or scent,
to tongue or savour,
to body or tangibles;
though he heed not earth, water, fire, air,
the realm of unbounded space,
the realm of consciousness,
that of nothingness,
that of neither-perception-nor-not-perception,
though he heed not this world
nor the world beyond;
though whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized,
attained, sought after, thought out by mind
— to all that he pays no mental heed,
and yet does so."
■
[322] "Pray, sir, in what way is a monk's winning of concentration of such a sort that
though he pay no heed to eye or object seen,
or to ear or sound,
to nose or scent,
to tongue or savour,
to body or tangibles;
though he heed not earth, water, fire, air,
the realm of unbounded space,
the realm of consciousness,
that of nothingness,
that of neither-perception-nor-not-perception,
though he heed not this world
nor the world beyond;
though whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized,
attained, sought after, thought out by mind
— to all that he pays no mental heed,
and yet does so?"
■
'Herein, Ānanda,
a monk's work-of-mind is thus:
'This is the real, this is the best, namely:
the calming of all activities,
the rejection of every substrate,
the ending of craving,
the fading of interest,
stopping and Nibbana.'
In such a way, Ānanda,
a monk's winning of concentration is of such a sort that,
though he pay no heed to eye or object seen,
or to ear or sound,
to nose or scent,
to tongue or savour,
to body or tangibles;
though he heed not earth, water, fire, air,
the realm of unbounded space,
the realm of consciousness,
that of nothingness,
that of neither-perception-nor-not-perception,
though he heed not this world
nor the world beyond;
though whatever is seen, heard, sensed, cognized,
attained, sought after, thought out by mind
— to all that he pays no mental heed,
and yet does so."[1]
[1] Comy. paccāvekkhanā (contemplation) is spoken of here.
