The Longer Discourse at Assapura · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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⚠ Glossing did not finish. The original text is shown below.
Kiñca, bhikkhave, uttariṁ karaṇīyaṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu vivittaṁ senāsanaṁ bhajati—araññaṁ rukkhamūlaṁ pabbataṁ kandaraṁ giriguhaṁ susānaṁ vanappatthaṁ abbhokāsaṁ palālapuñjaṁ.
What more is there to do? Take a mendicant who frequents a secluded lodging—a wilderness, the root of a tree, a hill, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest, the open air, a heap of straw.
So pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā, ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. So abhijjhaṁ loke pahāya vigatābhijjhena cetasā viharati, abhijjhāya cittaṁ parisodheti; byāpādapadosaṁ pahāya abyāpannacitto viharati, sabbapāṇabhūtahitānukampī, byāpādapadosā cittaṁ parisodheti; thinamiddhaṁ pahāya vigatathinamiddho viharati, ālokasaññī sato sampajāno, thinamiddhā cittaṁ parisodheti; uddhaccakukkuccaṁ pahāya anuddhato viharati, ajjhattaṁ vūpasantacitto, uddhaccakukkuccā cittaṁ parisodheti; vicikicchaṁ pahāya tiṇṇavicikiccho viharati, akathaṅkathī kusalesu dhammesu, vicikicchāya cittaṁ parisodheti.
After the meal, they return from almsround, sit down cross-legged, set their body straight, and bring mindfulness to the present. Giving up covetousness for the world, they meditate with a heart rid of covetousness, cleansing the mind of covetousness. Giving up ill will and malevolence, they meditate with a mind rid of ill will, full of sympathy for all living beings, cleansing the mind of ill will. Giving up dullness and drowsiness, they meditate with a mind rid of dullness and drowsiness, perceiving light, mindful and aware, cleansing the mind of dullness and drowsiness. Giving up restlessness and remorse, they meditate without restlessness, their mind settled internally, cleansing the mind of restlessness and remorse. Giving up doubt, they meditate having gone beyond doubt, not undecided about skillful qualities, cleansing the mind of doubt.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso iṇaṁ ādāya kammante payojeyya. Tassa te kammantā samijjheyyuṁ. So yāni ca porāṇāni iṇamūlāni tāni ca byantī kareyya, siyā cassa uttariṁ avasiṭṭhaṁ dārabharaṇāya. Tassa evamassa: ‘ahaṁ kho pubbe iṇaṁ ādāya kammante payojesiṁ, tassa me te kammantā samijjhiṁsu. Sohaṁ yāni ca porāṇāni iṇamūlāni tāni ca byantī akāsiṁ, atthi ca me uttariṁ avasiṭṭhaṁ dārabharaṇāyā’ti. So tatonidānaṁ labhetha pāmojjaṁ, adhigaccheyya somanassaṁ. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso ābādhiko assa dukkhito bāḷhagilāno, bhattañcassa nacchādeyya, na cassa kāye balamattā. So aparena samayena tamhā ābādhā mucceyya, bhattañcassa chādeyya, siyā cassa kāye balamattā. Tassa evamassa:
Suppose a man who has gotten into debt were to apply himself to work, and his efforts proved successful. He would pay off the original loan and have enough left over to support his partner. Thinking about this, he’d be filled with joy and happiness. Suppose a person was sick, suffering, gravely ill. They’d lose their appetite and get physically weak. But after some time they’d recover from that illness, and regain their appetite and their strength. Thinking about this,
‘ahaṁ kho pubbe ābādhiko ahosiṁ dukkhito bāḷhagilāno, bhattañca me nacchādesi, na ca me āsi kāye balamattā, somhi etarahi tamhā ābādhā mutto, bhattañca me chādeti, atthi ca me kāye balamattā’ti. So tatonidānaṁ labhetha pāmojjaṁ, adhigaccheyya somanassaṁ. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso bandhanāgāre baddho assa. So aparena samayena tamhā bandhanā mucceyya sotthinā abbhayena, na cassa kiñci bhogānaṁ vayo. Tassa evamassa: ‘ahaṁ kho pubbe bandhanāgāre baddho ahosiṁ, somhi etarahi tamhā bandhanā mutto, sotthinā abbhayena, natthi ca me kiñci bhogānaṁ vayo’ti. So tatonidānaṁ labhetha pāmojjaṁ, adhigaccheyya somanassaṁ. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso dāso assa anattādhīno parādhīno na yenakāmaṅgamo. So aparena samayena tamhā dāsabyā mucceyya attādhīno aparādhīno bhujisso yenakāmaṅgamo.
they’d be filled with joy and happiness. Suppose a person was imprisoned in a jail. But after some time they were released from jail, safe and sound, with no loss of wealth. Thinking about this, they’d be filled with joy and happiness. Suppose a person was a bondservant. They would not be their own master, but indentured to another, unable to go where they wish. But after some time they’d be freed from servitude. They would be their own master, not indentured to another, a freeman able to go where they wish.
Tassa evamassa: ‘ahaṁ kho pubbe dāso ahosiṁ anattādhīno parādhīno na yenakāmaṅgamo, somhi etarahi tamhā dāsabyā mutto attādhīno aparādhīno bhujisso yenakāmaṅgamo’ti. So tatonidānaṁ labhetha pāmojjaṁ, adhigaccheyya somanassaṁ. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso sadhano sabhogo kantāraddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjeyya. So aparena samayena tamhā kantārā nitthareyya sotthinā abbhayena, na cassa kiñci bhogānaṁ vayo. Tassa evamassa: ‘ahaṁ kho pubbe sadhano sabhogo kantāraddhānamaggaṁ paṭipajjiṁ. Somhi etarahi tamhā kantārā nitthiṇṇo sotthinā abbhayena, natthi ca me kiñci bhogānaṁ vayo’ti. So tatonidānaṁ labhetha pāmojjaṁ, adhigaccheyya somanassaṁ. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu yathā iṇaṁ yathā rogaṁ yathā bandhanāgāraṁ yathā dāsabyaṁ yathā kantāraddhānamaggaṁ, ime pañca nīvaraṇe appahīne attani samanupassati.
Thinking about this, they’d be filled with joy and happiness. Suppose there was a person with wealth and property who was traveling along a desert road. But after some time they crossed over the desert, safe and sound, with no loss of wealth. Thinking about this, they’d be filled with joy and happiness. In the same way, as long as these five hindrances are not given up inside themselves, a mendicant regards them as a debt, a disease, a prison, slavery, and a desert crossing.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, āṇaṇyaṁ yathā ārogyaṁ yathā bandhanāmokkhaṁ yathā bhujissaṁ yathā khemantabhūmiṁ; evameva bhikkhu ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahīne attani samanupassati.
But when these five hindrances are given up inside themselves, a mendicant regards this as freedom from debt, good health, release from prison, emancipation, and a place of sanctuary at last.
So ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe, vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi, savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. So imameva kāyaṁ vivekajena pītisukhena abhisandeti parisandeti paripūreti parippharati, nāssa kiñci sabbāvato kāyassa vivekajena pītisukhena apphuṭaṁ hoti. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, dakkho nhāpako vā nhāpakantevāsī vā kaṁsathāle nhānīyacuṇṇāni ākiritvā udakena paripphosakaṁ paripphosakaṁ sanneyya. Sāyaṁ nhānīyapiṇḍi snehānugatā snehaparetā santarabāhirā, phuṭā snehena na ca pagghariṇī. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu imameva kāyaṁ vivekajena pītisukhena abhisandeti parisandeti paripūreti parippharati, nāssa kiñci sabbāvato kāyassa vivekajena pītisukhena apphuṭaṁ hoti.
They give up these five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom. Then, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, they enter and remain in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. They drench, steep, fill, and spread themselves with rapture and bliss born of seclusion. There’s no part of the body that’s not spread with rapture and bliss born of seclusion. It’s like when a deft bathroom attendant or their apprentice pours bath powder into a bronze dish, sprinkling it little by little with water. They knead it until the ball of bath powder is soaked and saturated with moisture, spread through inside and out; yet no moisture oozes out. In the same way, a mendicant drenches, steeps, fills, and spreads themselves with rapture and bliss born of seclusion. There’s no part of the body that’s not spread with rapture and bliss born of seclusion.
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