sutta » sn » sn41 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 41.7

Godattasutta

With Godatta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā godatto macchikāsaṇḍe viharati ambāṭakavane.
At one time Venerable Godatta was staying near Macchikāsaṇḍa in the Wild Mango Grove.

Atha kho citto gahapati yenāyasmā godatto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ godattaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho cittaṁ gahapatiṁ āyasmā godatto etadavoca:
Then Citta the householder went up to Venerable Godatta, bowed, and sat down to one side. Godatta said to him:

“yā cāyaṁ, gahapati, appamāṇā cetovimutti, yā ca ākiñcaññā cetovimutti, yā ca suññatā cetovimutti, yā ca animittā cetovimutti, ime dhammā nānatthā nānābyañjanā udāhu ekatthā byañjanameva nānan”ti?
“Householder, the limitless release of the heart, and the release of the heart through nothingness, and the release of the heart through emptiness, and the signless release of the heart: do these things differ in both meaning and phrasing? Or do they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing?”

“Atthi, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā nānatthā ceva nānābyañjanā ca.
“Sir, there is a way in which these things differ in both meaning and phrasing.

Atthi pana, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā ekatthā byañjanameva nānan”ti.
But there’s also a way in which they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing.

“Katamo ca, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā nānatthā ceva nānābyañjanā ca?
And what’s the way in which these things differ in both meaning and phrasing?

Idha, bhante, bhikkhu mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.
It’s when a mendicant meditates spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.

Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …pe…
They meditate spreading a heart full of compassion …

muditāsahagatena cetasā …pe…
They meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing …

upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.
They meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, appamāṇā cetovimutti.
This is called the limitless release of the heart.

Katamā ca, bhante, ākiñcaññā cetovimutti?
And what is the release of the heart through nothingness?

Idha, bhante, bhikkhu sabbaso viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ samatikkamma, ‘natthi kiñcī’ti ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ upasampajja viharati.
It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that ‘there is nothing at all’, enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, ākiñcaññā cetovimutti.
This is called the release of the heart through nothingness.

Katamā ca, bhante, suññatā cetovimutti?
And what is the release of the heart through emptiness?

Idha, bhante, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā iti paṭisañcikkhati:
It’s when a mendicant has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, and reflects like this:

‘suññamidaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā’ti.
‘This is empty of a self or what belongs to a self.’

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, suññatā cetovimutti.
This is called the release of the heart through emptiness.

Katamā ca, bhante, animittā cetovimutti?
And what is the signless heart’s release?

Idha, bhante, bhikkhu sabbanimittānaṁ amanasikārā animittaṁ cetosamādhiṁ upasampajja viharati.
It’s when a mendicant, not focusing on any signs, enters and remains in the signless immersion of the heart.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, animittā cetovimutti.
This is called the signless release of the heart.

Ayaṁ kho, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā nānatthā ceva nānābyañjanā ca.
This is the way in which these things differ in both meaning and phrasing.

Katamo ca, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā ekatthā byañjanameva nānaṁ?
And what’s the way in which they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing?

Rāgo, bhante, pamāṇakaraṇo, doso pamāṇakaraṇo, moho pamāṇakaraṇo.
Greed, hate, and delusion are makers of limits.

Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.
A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.

Yāvatā kho, bhante, appamāṇā cetovimuttiyo, akuppā tāsaṁ cetovimutti aggamakkhāyati.
The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of limitless release of the heart.

Sā kho pana akuppā cetovimutti suññā rāgena, suññā dosena, suññā mohena.
That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.

Rāgo kho, bhante, kiñcanaṁ, doso kiñcanaṁ, moho kiñcanaṁ.
Greed is something, hate is something, and delusion is something.

Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.
A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.

Yāvatā kho, bhante, ākiñcaññā cetovimuttiyo, akuppā tāsaṁ cetovimutti aggamakkhāyati.
The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of release of the heart through nothingness.

Sā kho pana akuppā cetovimutti suññā rāgena, suññā dosena, suññā mohena.
That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.

Rāgo kho, bhante, nimittakaraṇo, doso nimittakaraṇo, moho nimittakaraṇo.
Greed, hate, and delusion are makers of signs.

Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.
A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.

Yāvatā kho, bhante, animittā cetovimuttiyo, akuppā tāsaṁ cetovimutti aggamakkhāyati.
The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of signless release of the heart.

Sā kho pana akuppā cetovimutti suññā rāgena, suññā dosena, suññā mohena.
That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.

Ayaṁ kho, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā ekatthā byañjanameva nānan”ti.
This is the way in which they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing.”

“Lābhā te, gahapati, suladdhaṁ te, gahapati.
“You’re fortunate, householder, so very fortunate,

Yassa te gambhīre buddhavacane paññācakkhu kamatī”ti.
to traverse the Buddha’s deep teachings with the eye of wisdom.”

Sattamaṁ.