Dantabhūmisutta

Majjhima Nikāya 125

The Level of the Tamed · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Tamenaṁ tathāgato uttariṁ vineti:
‘ehi tvaṁ, bhikkhu, kāye kāyānupassī viharāhi, mā ca kāmūpasaṁhitaṁ vitakkaṁ vitakkesi.
Vedanāsu …
citte …
dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāhi, mā ca kāmūpasaṁhitaṁ vitakkaṁ vitakkesī’ti.

The Realized One guides them further: ‘Come, mendicant, meditate observing an aspect of the body, but don’t think thoughts connected with sensual pleasures. Meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles, but don’t think thoughts connected with sensual pleasures.’

So vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ …
tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ …
catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.

As the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, they enter and remain in the second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.

So evaṁ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte anaṅgaṇe vigatūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñjappatte pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmeti.
So anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati, seyyathidaṁ—ekampi jātiṁ dvepi jātiyo …pe… iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussarati.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward recollection of past lives. They recollect many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

So evaṁ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte anaṅgaṇe vigatūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñjappatte sattānaṁ cutūpapātañāṇāya cittaṁ abhininnāmeti.
So dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passati cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate …pe… yathākammūpage satte pajānāti.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. They truly understand: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. They truly understand: ‘These are defilements’ … ‘This is the origin of defilements’ … ‘This is the cessation of defilements’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements’. Knowing and seeing like this, their mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’

So hoti bhikkhu khamo sītassa uṇhassa jighacchāya pipāsāya ḍaṁsamakasavātātapasarīsapasamphassānaṁ duruttānaṁ durāgatānaṁ vacanapathānaṁ, uppannānaṁ sārīrikānaṁ vedanānaṁ dukkhānaṁ tibbānaṁ kharānaṁ kaṭukānaṁ asātānaṁ amanāpānaṁ pāṇaharānaṁ adhivāsakajātiko hoti
sabbarāgadosamohanihitaninnītakasāvo āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa.

Such a mendicant endures cold, heat, hunger, and thirst; the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; rude and unwelcome criticism; and puts up with physical pain—sharp, severe, acute, unpleasant, disagreeable, and life-threatening. Rid of all greed, hate, and delusion, and purged of defects, they are worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with cupped palms, and are the supreme field of merit for the world.

Mahallako cepi, aggivessana, rañño nāgo adanto avinīto kālaṁ karoti, ‘adantamaraṇaṁ mahallako rañño nāgo kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati;
majjhimo cepi, aggivessana, rañño nāgo.
Daharo cepi, aggivessana, rañño nāgo adanto avinīto kālaṁ karoti, ‘adantamaraṇaṁ daharo rañño nāgo kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati;
evameva kho, aggivessana, thero cepi bhikkhu akhīṇāsavo kālaṁ karoti, ‘adantamaraṇaṁ thero bhikkhu kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati;
majjhimo cepi, aggivessana, bhikkhu.
Navo cepi, aggivessana, bhikkhu akhīṇāsavo kālaṁ karoti, ‘adantamaraṇaṁ navo bhikkhu kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati.

If a royal bull elephant—whether elderly, middle aged, or youthful—passes away untamed and untrained, they’re reckoned a royal bull elephant who passed away untamed. In the same way, if a mendicant—whether senior, middle, or junior—passes away without having ended the defilements, they’re reckoned a mendicant who passed away untamed.

Mahallako cepi, aggivessana, rañño nāgo sudanto suvinīto kālaṁ karoti, ‘dantamaraṇaṁ mahallako rañño nāgo kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati;
majjhimo cepi, aggivessana, rañño nāgo …
daharo cepi, aggivessana, rañño nāgo sudanto suvinīto kālaṁ karoti, ‘dantamaraṇaṁ daharo rañño nāgo kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati;
evameva kho, aggivessana, thero cepi bhikkhu khīṇāsavo kālaṁ karoti, ‘dantamaraṇaṁ thero bhikkhu kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchati;
majjhimo cepi, aggivessana, bhikkhu.
Navo cepi, aggivessana, bhikkhu khīṇāsavo kālaṁ karoti, ‘dantamaraṇaṁ navo bhikkhu kālaṅkato’tveva saṅkhaṁ gacchatī”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā.
Attamano aciravato samaṇuddeso bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandīti.
Dantabhūmisuttaṁ niṭṭhitaṁ pañcamaṁ.

If a royal bull elephant—whether elderly, middle aged, or youthful—passes away tamed and trained, they’re reckoned a royal bull elephant who passed away tamed. In the same way, if a mendicant—whether senior, middle, or junior—passes away having ended the defilements, they’re reckoned a mendicant who passed away tamed.” That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the novice Aciravata approved what the Buddha said.

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