Majjhima Nikāya
Mūlapaṇṇāsapāḷi
Cūḷayamakavaggo
Cūḷavedallasuttaṃ
MN44
So I learned:
On one occasion the exalted one dwells at Bamboo's Grove, at the squirrels' feeding area, at Rājagaha. OK, then the lay follower Visākha went by there where almswoman Dhammadinnā was. Having gone up to the almswoman Dhammadinnā, having saluted, he sat down at one side. OK, at one side seated the lay follower Visākha said this to the almswoman Dhammadinnā:
''Embodiment, embodiment', lady, is said.
OK now which is, lady, by the exalted one the said embodiment?'
'OK, these five, friend Visākha, the masses-and-the-taking-up are the said embodiment by the exalted one, viz: the mass-of-form-and-the-taking-up, the mass-of-feeling-and-the-taking-up, the mass-of-perception-and-the-taking-up, the mass-of-inclinations-and-the-taking-up, the mass-of-cognition-and-the-taking-up. OK these, friend Visākha, the five masses-and-the-taking-up, are the said embodiment by the exalted one.'
'Good, lady.'
OK, the lay follower Visākha welcoming, appreciating, the talk of the almswoman Dhammadinnā, asked a question beyond.
''Rise of embodiment, rise of embodiment', lady, is said. OK now which, lady, is by the exalted one the said rise of embodiment?'
'This what is, friend Visākha, the longing, the gone together of joy and passion, the welcoming of this and that, it pertains to a following existence, viz: longing for lust, longing for existence, longing for non-existence. OK this, friend Visākha, is by the exalted one the said rise of embodiment.'
'Cessation of embodiment, cessation of embodiment', lady, it is said. OK now which is, lady, by the exalted one the said cessation of embodiment?'
'OK what is, friend Visākha, just from that longing the complete fading and cessation, the abandoning, the renunciation, the release, the unattachment. OK this, friend Visākha, is by the exalted one the said cessation of embodiment.'
'The path heading to the cessation of embodiment, the path heading to the cessation of embodiment', lady, is said. OK now which, lady, is by the exalted one the said path heading to the cessation of embodiment?'
'OK just this, friend Visākha, noble eightfold way is by the exalted one the said path heading to the cessation of embodiment, viz: right view, right attitude, right speech, right doing, right way of life, right effort, right recollection, right concentration.'
'OK now just that, lady, taking up; is it those five masses-and-the-taking-up, or is the taking up separate from the five masses-and-the-taking-up?'
'OK it is not, friend Visākha, just that the taking up is those five masses-and-the-taking-up, the taking up is also not separate from the five masses-and-the-taking-up. OK what, friend Visākha, amongst the five, amongst the masses-and-the-taking-up, the desire and passion is, that there the taking up.'
'Yet lady, view on embodiment is how?'
'Here friend Visākha, not having learned the commoner, is not one who sees nobleness, is not keen of the principle of nobleness, is uneducated in the principle of nobleness. Is not one who sees authentic men, is not keen of the principle of authentic men, is uneducated in the principle of authentic men. He sees form from self, or self having form, or in self form, or in form self ... feeling ... perception ... inclinations ... cognition ... OK so, friend Visākha, view on embodiment is.'
'Yet lady, view on embodiment is how not?'
'Here friend Visākha, having learned the hearer of what is noble, is one who sees nobleness, is keen of the principle of nobleness, is educated in the principle of nobleness. Is one who sees authentic men, is keen of the principle of authentic men, is educated in the principle of authentic men. He sees not form from self, nor having form oneself, nor in oneself form, nor oneself in form ... feeling ... perception ... inclinations ... cognition ... OK so, friend Visākha, view on embodiment is not.'
'Yet lady, which noble eightfold way?'
'OK just this, friend Visākha, noble eightfold way, viz: right view, right attitude, right speech, right doing, right way of life, right effort, right recollection, right concentration.'
'Yet lady, is the noble eightfold way inclined or uninclined?'
'OK the noble, friend Visākha, eightfold way is inclined.'
'OK now lady are, by the noble eightfold way, three masses included, or is by three masses the noble eightfold way included?
'OK not, friend Visākha, are by the noble eightfold way three masses included. and OK by three, friend Visākha, masses is the noble eightfold way included: and, friend Visākha, what is right speech, and what is right doing, and what right way of life, these principles are included with the mass of conduct. And what is right effort, and what is right recollection, and what is right concentration, these principles are included with the mass of concentration. And what is right view, and what is right attitude, these principles are included with the mass of wisdom.'
'Yet lady, which concentration? which are the principles for the indication of concentration? which are the principles for the requirement for concentration? which the cultivation for concentration?'
'OK what, friend Visākha, is focus of mind, this is concentration; the four continuations of recollection are the indication of concentration; the four exertions are requirements for concentration; what just of these principles is the indulgence, the cultivation, the making much of, this here is the cultivation for concentration.'
'Yet lady, inclinations; how many?'
'These three, friend Visākha, inclinations: inclination for body, inclination for speech, inclination for mind.'
'Yet lady, which inclination for body? which inclination for speech? which inclination for mind?'
'OK friend Visākha, breathing in and breathing out: inclination for body, thoughts and thinking: inclination for speech, and perception and feeling: inclination for mind.'
'Yet lady, why is breathing in and breathing out inclination for body? why are thoughts and thinking inclination for speech? why are and perception and feeling the inclination for mind?'
'OK, breathing in and breathing out, friend Visākha, are bodily; these principles are bound to body. From that, breathing in and breathing out are inclination for body. OK prior, friend Visākha, having reasoned, having wandered, afterwards one breaks into speech. From that, thoughts and thinking are inclination for speech. And perception and feeling are mental; these principles are bound to mind. From that, and perception and feeling are inclination for mind.'
'Yet lady, engagement with cessation of perception of the felt is how?'
'OK, friend Visākha, of this engaged cessation of perception of the felt, for an almsman it is not so: or 'I shall engage with cessation of perception of the felt', nor 'I am engaged with cessation of perception of the felt', nor 'I have engaged with cessation of perception of the felt'; OK for this then, just prior is such a mind cultivated what therefor brought it to such a state.'
'Yet lady, of the engaged cessation of perception of the felt, for an almsman which principles are the first to cease? Or is it that inclination for body? or is it that inclination for speech? or is it that inclination for mind?'
'OK, friend Visākha, of the engaged cessation of perception of the felt, for an almsman first ceases inclination for speech, from that inclination for body, from that inclination for mind.'
'Yet lady, from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt, the return is how?'
'OK friend Visākha, from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt, for an almsman the return is not such: or 'I shall be returning from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt', or 'I am returning from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt', or 'I have returned from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt'; OK for this then, just prior is such a mind cultivated what therefor brought it to such a state.
'Yet lady, of the return from the engagement with cessation of perception of the felt, for an almsman which principles are first to arise? Or be it that inclination for body? or be it that inclination for speech? or be it that inclination for mind?'
'OK, friend Visākha, of the return from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt, for an almsman inclination for mind is first to arise, from that inclination for body, from that inclination for speech.'
'Yet lady, from the touch of the return from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt, how many do touch the almsman?'
'OK friend Visākha, from the touch of the return from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt, three do touch the almsman: the touch from emptiness, the touch from the absence of indication, the touch from the absence of direction.'
'Yet lady, of the return from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt, for an almsman sloping from what is the mind? gradating from what? slanting from what?
'OK friend Visākha, of the return from engagement with cessation of perception of the felt for an almsman, sloping from withdrawal is the mind, gradating from withdrawal, slanting from withdrawal.'
'Yet lady, feelings; how many?'
'OK these three, friend Visākha, feelings: Feelings of happiness, feelings of suffering, feelings of neither happiness nor suffering.'
'Yet lady, which feeling of suffering? which feelings of happiness? which feelings of neither happiness nor suffering?'
'OK what is, friend Visākha, or bodily or mentally happily agreeable felt; this the feeling of happiness. OK what is, friend Visākha, or bodily or mentally sufferingly, disagreeable felt; this the feeling of suffering. OK what is, friend Visākha, or bodily or mentally neither agreeable nor disagreeable felt; this the feeling of neither happiness nor suffering.'
'Yet lady, feelings of happiness what is the happiness, what the suffering? feelings of suffering what is the happiness, what the suffering? feelings of neither happiness nor suffering what is the happiness, what the suffering?'
'OK, friend Visākha, feelings of happiness: happiness with the stood, suffering with the change; feelings of suffering: suffering with the stood, happiness with the change; feelings of neither happiness nor suffering: happiness with the knowledge, suffering with the lack of knowledge.'
'Yet lady, what is for a feeling to be happy the dormant dormancy? what is for a feeling to suffer the dormant dormancy? what is for a feeling neither happily nor sufferingly the dormant dormancy?
'OK friend Visākha, to a feeling to be happy the dormancy of passion is dormant, to a feeling to suffer the dormancy of friction is dormant, to a feeling neither happily nor sufferingly the dormancy of not knowing is dormant.'
'OK now lady, is to all the feeling to be happy the dormancy of passion dormant? is to all the feeling to suffer the dormancy of friction dormant? is to all the feeling neither happily nor sufferingly the dormancy of not knowing dormant?'
'OK now friend Visākha, not to all the feeling to be happy is the dormancy of passion dormant, not to all the feeling to suffer is the dormancy of friction dormant, not to all the feeling neither happily nor sufferingly is the dormancy of not knowing dormant.'
'Yet lady, what should be given up to a feeling to be happy? what should be given up to a feeling to suffer? what should be given up to a feeling neither happily nor sufferingly?'
'OK friend Visākha, to a feeling to be happy the dormancy of passion should be given up, to a feeling to suffer the dormancy of friction should be given up, to a feeling neither happily nor sufferingly the dormancy of not knowing should be given up.'
'OK now lady, to all feeling to be happy the dormancy of passion should be given up? to all feeling to suffer the dormancy of friction should be given up? to all feeling neither happily or sufferingly should the dormancy of not knowing be given up?
'OK friend Visākha, not to all feeling to be happy the dormancy of passion should be given up, not to all feeling to suffer the dormancy of friction should be given up, not to all feeling neither happily nor sufferingly should the dormancy of not knowing be given up. Here friend Visākha, an almsman is just withdrawing from lusts, withdrawing from unwholesome principles, with thoughts with thinking, withdrawal-bore the pleasantness and happiness, he dwells having obtained the first radiance. By that he gives up the passion; the dormancy of passion is not dormant there. Here friend Visākha, an almsman reflects thus: 'O when may I hail for this; I shall dwell having obtained then as base what nobles dwell at having obtained presently as base?' thus envy in the release without a beyond, providing from where arises the support to envy, distress. By that he gives up the friction; the dormancy of friction is not dormant there. Here friend Visākha, an almsman and from the rejection of happiness and from the rejection of suffering, from the disappearance of the just prior contentment and distress, neither happily nor sufferingly, pure objective the recollection, he dwells having obtained the fourth radiance. By that he gives up not knowing; the dormancy of not knowing is not dormant there.
'Yet lady, by a feeling to be happy what is the contrary share?'
'OK friend Visākha, by a feeling to be happy the feeling of suffering is the contrary share.'
'Yet lady, by a feeling to suffer, what is the contrary share?'
'OK friend Visākha, by a feeling to suffer the feeling to be happy is the contrary share.'
'Yet lady, a feeling to neither suffer nor to be happy, what is the contrary share?'
'OK friend Visākha, a feeling to neither suffer nor to be happy not knowing is the contrary share.'
'Yet lady, of not knowing, what is the contrary share?'
'OK friend Visākha, of not knowing, knowing is the contrary share.'
'Yet lady, of knowing, what is the contrary share?'
'OK friend Visākha, of knowing, emancipation is the contrary share.'
'Yet lady, of emancipation, what is the contrary share?'
'OK friend Visākha, of emancipation is peace the contrary share.'
'Yet lady, of peace, what is the contrary share?'
'You went over, friend Visākha, the question, you were not able to grasp the limit of the question. For immersing in peace, friend Visākha, the clergy behaviour is fulfiled. Peace is the relief, peace fulfils the stopping. And when in doubt, friend Visākha, having approached the exalted one you could ask this here, and as the exalted one answers you such, you might endorse it.'
OK then the lay follower Visākha welcoming, appreciating, the talk from the almswoman Dhammadinnā, having saluted the almswoman Dhammadinnā, rose, having kept the right, went by there where where the exalted one was. Having gone up to the exalted one, having saluted, he sat down at one side. OK, at one side seated he, the lay follower Visākha, as far as the conversation with almswoman Dhammadinnā was with him all that he related to the exalted one. So said, the exalted one said this to the lay follower Visākha:
'Wise, Visākha, is the almswoman Dhammadinnā, of great wisdom, Visākha, is the almswoman Dhammadinnā. Also if you Visākha would ask me this here, I also would answer that just so as that answer from the almswoman Dhammadinnā. And so, this and just from this here, may you endorse it.'
This said the exalted one. Pleased the lay follower Visākha welcomed the exalted one's talk.