Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
48. Indriya Saṃyutta
1. Suddhika Vagga

The Book of the Kindred Sayings
5. The Great Chapter
48. Kindred Sayings on the Faculties
1. Purity

Sutta 10

Dutiya Vibhaṇga Suttaṃ

Analysis (b)

Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids

Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved

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[173]

[1][than] THUS have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.

Then the Exalted One addressed the monks,
saying:

"Monks."

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

The Exalted One said:

"Monks, there are these five controlling powers.

What five?

The controlling power of faith,
the controlling power of energy,
the controlling power of mindfulness,
the controlling power of concentration,
the controlling power of insight.

 

§

 

And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of faith?

Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple has faith.

He has faith in the wisdom of the Tathāgata, thus:

He it is, the Exalted One,
Arahant,
supremely Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One.

This is called
'the controlling power of faith.'

■

And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of energy?

Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple
dwells resolute in energy,
ever striving to abandon bad qualities,
to acquire good qualities,
strenuously exerting himself,
not throwing off the burden in good qualities.

He starts desire,^[1]
strives,
sets going energy,
lays hold of thought
and exerts effort
to prevent the arising of bad qualities not yet arisen.

He starts desire
strives,
sets going energy,
lays hold of thought
and exerts effort
to abandon bad qualities [174] that have arisen.

He starts desire
strives,
sets going energy,
lays hold of thought
and exerts effort
for the persistence of good qualities that have arisen,
for their non-confusion,
for their more-becoming,
for their increase and development,
for their perfecting.^[2]

This, monks, is called
'the controlling power of energy.'

■

And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of mindfulness?

Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple
is mindful,
possessed of supreme discrimination,
one who calls to mind and remembers
things said and done long ago.

He dwells in body contemplating body (as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
by restraining the dejection in the world
that arises from coveting.

He dwells in feelings contemplating feelings (as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
by restraining the dejection in the world
that arises from coveting.

He dwells in mind contemplating mind (as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
by restraining the dejection in the world
that arises from coveting.

He dwells in mind-states contemplating mind-states (as transient),
ardent,
composed
and mindful,
by restraining the dejection in the world
that arises from coveting.

This is called
'the controlling power of mindfulness.'

■

And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of concentration?

Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple,
making self-surrender the object of his thought,
lays hold of concentration,
lays hold of one-pointedness.

He, aloof from sensuality,
aloof from evil conditions,
enters on the first trance,
which is accompanied by thought directed and sustained,
which is born of solitude,
easeful and zestful,
and abides therein.

Then, by calming down thought directed and sustained,
he enters on
(that inward calm,
that single-minded purpose,
apart from thought directed and sustained,
born of mental balance,
zestful
and full of ease,
which is)^[3] the second trance,
and abides therein.

Then (by the fading out of zest
he becomes balanced
and remains mindful and composed,
and experiences with the body
that happiness of which the Ariyans aver:
The balanced thoughtful man
dwells happily; and)
he enters on the third trance
and abides therein.

Then, by rejecting pleasure and pain,
by the coming to an end
of the joy and sorrow which he had before,
he enters on
and abides in
the fourth trance,
which is free of pain
and free of pleasure,
a state of perfect purity of balance and equanimity.

This is called
'the controlling power of concentration.'

■

[175] And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of insight?

Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple
is possessed of insight thus:

He has insight
for tracing out the rise and fall of things,
insight which is Ariyan,
penetrating,
going on to the utter destruction of ill.

He understands, as it really is,

'Such is ill.'

He understands, as it really is,

'Such is the arising of ill.'

He understands, as it really is,

'This is the practice
that goes to the cessation of ill.'

This, monks, is called
'the controlling power of insight.'

Such, monks, are the five controlling powers."

 

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^[1] Cf. Dhp. v, 118: tamhi chandaṇ kayirātha.

^[2] Cf. D. iii, 221.

^[3] Text abridges parts bracketed.