sutta » an » an3 » Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.103

Pubbevasambodhasutta

Before Awakening

“Pubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi:
“Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought:

‘ko nu kho loke assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇan’ti?
‘What’s the gratification in the world? What’s the drawback? What’s the escape?’

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi:
Then it occurred to me:

‘yaṁ kho lokaṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ loke assādo.
‘The pleasure and happiness that arise from the world: this is its gratification.

Yaṁ loko anicco dukkho vipariṇāmadhammo, ayaṁ loke ādīnavo.
That the world is impermanent, suffering, and perishable: this is its drawback.

Yo loke chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ loke nissaraṇan’ti.
Removing and giving up desire and greed for the world: this is its escape.’

Yāvakīvañcāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ lokassa assādañca assādato ādīnavañca ādīnavato nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ nābbhaññāsiṁ, neva tāvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ.
As long as I didn’t truly understand the world’s gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I didn’t announce my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans.

Yato ca khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ lokassa assādañca assādato ādīnavañca ādīnavato nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ, athāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ.
But when I did truly understand the world’s gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I announced my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans.

Ñāṇañca pana me dassanaṁ udapādi:
Knowledge and vision arose in me:

‘akuppā me vimutti, ayamantimā jāti, natthi dāni punabbhavo’”ti.
‘My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there’ll be no more future lives.’”

Paṭhamaṁ.