Aṅguttara Nikāya 8.64

Translators: sujato

Numbered Discourses 8.64

7. Bhūmicālavagga
7. Earthquakes

Gayāsīsasutta

At Gayā Head

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā gayāyaṁ viharati gayāsīse.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Gayā on Gayā Head.

Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi …pe…
There the Buddha addressed the mendicants:

“pubbāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddho bodhisattova samāno obhāsaññeva kho sañjānāmi, no ca rūpāni passāmi.
“Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still not awake but intent on awakening—I perceived light but did not see forms.

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

‘sace kho ahaṁ obhāsañceva sañjāneyyaṁ rūpāni ca passeyyaṁ;
‘What if I were to both perceive light and see forms?

evaṁ me idaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ parisuddhataraṁ assā’ti.
Then my knowledge and vision would become even more purified.’

So kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, aparena samayena appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto obhāsañceva sañjānāmi, rūpāni ca passāmi;
So after some time, living alone, withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, I perceived light and saw visions.

no ca kho tāhi devatāhi saddhiṁ santiṭṭhāmi sallapāmi sākacchaṁ samāpajjāmi.
But I didn’t associate with those deities, converse, or engage in discussion.

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

‘sace kho ahaṁ obhāsañceva sañjāneyyaṁ, rūpāni ca passeyyaṁ, tāhi ca devatāhi saddhiṁ santiṭṭheyyaṁ sallapeyyaṁ sākacchaṁ samāpajjeyyaṁ;
‘What if I were to perceive light and see forms; and associate with those deities, converse, and engage in discussion?

evaṁ me idaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ parisuddhataraṁ assā’ti.
Then my knowledge and vision would become even more purified.’

So kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, aparena samayena appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto obhāsañceva sañjānāmi, rūpāni ca passāmi, tāhi ca devatāhi saddhiṁ santiṭṭhāmi sallapāmi sākacchaṁ samāpajjāmi;
So after some time … I perceived light and saw visions. And I associated with those deities, conversed, and engaged in discussion.

no ca kho tā devatā jānāmi—
But I didn’t know which

imā devatā amukamhā vā amukamhā vā devanikāyāti.
orders of gods those deities came from.

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

‘sace kho ahaṁ obhāsañceva sañjāneyyaṁ, rūpāni ca passeyyaṁ, tāhi ca devatāhi saddhiṁ santiṭṭheyyaṁ sallapeyyaṁ sākacchaṁ samāpajjeyyaṁ, tā ca devatā jāneyyaṁ:
‘What if I were to perceive light and see forms; and associate with those deities, converse, and engage in discussion;

“imā devatā amukamhā vā amukamhā vā devanikāyā”ti;
and find out which orders of gods those deities come from?

evaṁ me idaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ parisuddhataraṁ assā’ti.
Then my knowledge and vision would become even more purified.’

So kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, aparena samayena appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto obhāsañceva sañjānāmi, rūpāni ca passāmi, tāhi ca devatāhi saddhiṁ santiṭṭhāmi sallapāmi sākacchaṁ samāpajjāmi, tā ca devatā jānāmi:
So after some time … I perceived light and saw visions. And I associated with those deities … And I found out which orders of gods those deities came from.

‘imā devatā amukamhā vā amukamhā vā devanikāyā’ti;

no ca kho tā devatā jānāmi:
But I didn’t know what

‘imā devatā imassa kammassa vipākena ito cutā tattha upapannā’ti …pe…
deeds caused those deities to be reborn there after passing away from here.

tā ca devatā jānāmi:
So after some time … I found out what

‘imā devatā imassa kammassa vipākena ito cutā tattha upapannā’ti;
deeds caused those deities to be reborn there after passing away from here.

no ca kho tā devatā jānāmi:
But I didn’t know what

‘imā devatā imassa kammassa vipākena evamāhārā evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvediniyo’ti …pe…
deeds caused those deities to have such food and such an experience of pleasure and pain.

tā ca devatā jānāmi:
So after some time … I found out what

‘imā devatā imassa kammassa vipākena evamāhārā evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvediniyo’ti;
deeds caused those deities to have such food and such an experience of pleasure and pain.

no ca kho tā devatā jānāmi:
But I didn’t know that

‘imā devatā evaṁdīghāyukā evaṁciraṭṭhitikā’ti …pe…
these deities have a life-span of such a length.

tā ca devatā jānāmi:
So after some time … I found out that

‘imā devatā evaṁdīghāyukā evaṁciraṭṭhitikā’ti;
these deities have a life-span of such a length.

no ca kho tā devatā jānāmi yadi vā me imāhi devatāhi saddhiṁ sannivutthapubbaṁ yadi vā na sannivutthapubbanti.
But I didn’t know whether or not I had previously lived together with those deities.

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

“imā devatā amukamhā vā amukamhā vā devanikāyā”ti, tā ca devatā jāneyyaṁ:
and find out which orders of gods those deities come from;

“imā devatā imassa kammassa vipākena ito cutā tattha upapannā”ti, tā ca devatā jāneyyaṁ:
and what deeds caused those deities to be reborn there after passing away from here;

“imā devatā evamāhārā evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvediniyo”ti, tā ca devatā jāneyyaṁ:
and what deeds caused those deities to have such food and such an experience of pleasure and pain;

“imā devatā evaṁdīghāyukā evaṁciraṭṭhitikā”ti, tā ca devatā jāneyyaṁ yadi vā me imāhi devatāhi saddhiṁ sannivutthapubbaṁ yadi vā na sannivutthapubbanti;
and that these deities have a life-span of such a length; and whether or not I have previously lived together with those deities?

evaṁ me idaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ parisuddhataraṁ assā’ti.
Then my knowledge and vision would become even more purified.’

‘imā devatā amukamhā vā amukamhā vā devanikāyā’ti, tā ca devatā jānāmi:

‘imā devatā imassa kammassa vipākena ito cutā tattha upapannā’ti, tā ca devatā jānāmi:

‘imā devatā evamāhārā evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvediniyo’ti, tā ca devatā jānāmi:

‘imā devatā evaṁdīghāyukā evaṁciraṭṭhitikā’ti, tā ca devatā jānāmi yadi vā me devatāhi saddhiṁ sannivutthapubbaṁ yadi vā na sannivutthapubbanti.
I found out whether or not I have previously lived together with those deities.

Yāvakīvañca me, bhikkhave, evaṁ aṭṭhaparivaṭṭaṁ adhidevañāṇadassanaṁ na suvisuddhaṁ ahosi, neva tāvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, ‘sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ.
As long as my knowledge and vision about the deities was not fully purified from these eight perspectives, 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 kho me, bhikkhave, evaṁ aṭṭhaparivaṭṭaṁ adhidevañāṇadassanaṁ suvisuddhaṁ ahosi, athāhaṁ, bhikkhave, ‘sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ;
But when my knowledge and vision about the deities was fully purified from these eight perspectives, 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 cetovimutti; ayamantimā jāti natthi dāni punabbhavo”ti.
‘My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there’ll be no more future lives.’”

Catutthaṁ.