Aṅguttara Nikāya 9.26
Translators: sujato
Numbered Discourses 9.26
3. Sattāvāsavagga
3. Abodes of Sentient Beings
Silāyūpasutta
The Simile of the Stone Pillar
(…)
So I have heard.
Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca candikāputto rājagahe viharanti veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.
Tatra kho āyasmā candikāputto bhikkhū āmantesi (…):
There Venerable Candikāputta addressed the mendicants,
“devadatto, āvuso, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
“Reverends, Devadatta teaches the mendicants like this:
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
‘When a mendicant’s mind is solidified by heart, it’s appropriate for them to say:
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.
“I understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’”’”
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ candikāputtaṁ etadavoca:
When he said this, Venerable Sāriputta said to him,
“na kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
“Reverend Candikāputta, Devadatta does not teach the mendicants like that.
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti.
Evañca kho, āvuso, candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
He teaches like this:
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
‘When a mendicant’s mind is well consolidated by heart, it’s appropriate for them to say:
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.
“I understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’”’”
Dutiyampi kho āyasmā candikāputto bhikkhū āmantesi:
For a second time …
“devadatto, āvuso, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.
Dutiyampi kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ candikāputtaṁ etadavoca:
“na kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti.
Evañca kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.
Tatiyampi kho āyasmā candikāputto bhikkhū āmantesi:
And for a third time Venerable Candikāputta addressed the mendicants …
“devadatto, āvuso, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.
Tatiyampi kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ candikāputtaṁ etadavoca:
And for a third time, Sāriputta said to him,
“na kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
“Reverend Candikāputta, Devadatta does not teach the mendicants like that.
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti.
Evañca kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti:
He teaches like this:
‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya—
‘When a mendicant’s mind is well consolidated by heart, it’s appropriate for them to say:
khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti.
“I understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’”’
Kathañca, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti?
And how is a mendicant’s mind well consolidated by heart?
‘Vītarāgaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
The mind is well consolidated by heart when they know: ‘My mind is without greed.’
‘vītadosaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
… ‘My mind is without hate.’
‘vītamohaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
… ‘My mind is without delusion.’
‘asarāgadhammaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
… ‘My mind is not liable to become greedy.’
‘asadosadhammaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
… ‘My mind is not liable to become hateful.’
‘asamohadhammaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
… ‘My mind is not liable to become deluded.’
‘anāvattidhammaṁ me cittaṁ kāmabhavāyā’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
… ‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the sensual realm.’
‘anāvattidhammaṁ me cittaṁ rūpabhavāyā’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti;
… ‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the realm of luminous form.’
‘anāvattidhammaṁ me cittaṁ arūpabhavāyā’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti.
… ‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the formless realm.’
Evaṁ sammā vimuttacittassa kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno bhusā cepi cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā cakkhussa āpāthaṁ āgacchanti, nevassa cittaṁ pariyādiyanti;
When a mendicant’s mind is rightly freed like this, even if compelling sights come into the range of vision they don’t occupy their mind.
amissīkatamevassa cittaṁ hoti ṭhitaṁ āneñjappattaṁ, vayaṁ cassānupassati.
The mind remains unaffected. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.
Seyyathāpi, āvuso, silāyūpo soḷasakukkuko.
Suppose there was a stone pillar, sixteen feet long.
Tassassu aṭṭha kukkū heṭṭhā nemaṅgamā, aṭṭha kukkū upari nemassa.
Eight feet were buried underground, and eight above ground.
Atha puratthimāya cepi disāya āgaccheyya bhusā vātavuṭṭhi, neva naṁ saṅkampeyya na sampavedheyya;
And violent storms were to blow up out of the east, the west, the north, and the south.
atha pacchimāya …
atha uttarāya …
atha dakkhiṇāya cepi disāya āgaccheyya bhusā vātavuṭṭhi, neva naṁ saṅkampeyya na sampavedheyya.
They couldn’t make it tremor and tremble and quake.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Why is that?
Gambhīrattā, āvuso, nemassa, sunikhātattā silāyūpassa.
It’s because that stone pillar is firmly embedded, with deep foundations.
Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, sammā vimuttacittassa bhikkhuno bhusā cepi cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā cakkhussa āpāthaṁ āgacchanti, nevassa cittaṁ pariyādiyanti;
In the same way, when a mendicant’s mind is rightly freed like this, even if compelling sights come into the range of vision they don’t occupy their mind.
amissīkatamevassa cittaṁ hoti ṭhitaṁ āneñjappattaṁ, vayaṁ cassānupassati.
The mind remains unaffected. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.
Bhusā cepi sotaviññeyyā saddā …
If even compelling sounds …
ghānaviññeyyā gandhā …
smells …
jivhāviññeyyā rasā …
tastes …
kāyaviññeyyā phoṭṭhabbā …
touches …
manoviññeyyā dhammā manassa āpāthaṁ āgacchanti, nevassa cittaṁ pariyādiyanti;
and ideas come into the range of the mind they don’t occupy the mind.
amissīkatamevassa cittaṁ hoti ṭhitaṁ āneñjappattaṁ, vayaṁ cassānupassatī”ti.
The mind remains unaffected. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.”
Chaṭṭhaṁ.