MAJJHIMA NIKAAYA III
II. 3. 5. Maagandiyasutta.m
III.
2. 2. Chabbisodanasutta.m- The Sixfold Examination. (112)
I
heard thus.At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by
Anaathapindika in Jeta’s grove in Saavatthi. The Blessed One addressed
the bhikkhus from there.
‘Bhikkhus,
the bhikkhu declares perfection. “Birth is destroyed, the holy life is
lived, what should be done is done. I know, there is nothing more to wish.”
The words of that bhikkhu should not be approved, nor disapproved. He should
be questioned. Friend, there are these four ways of defining, declared
by the Blessed One who knows and sees and is rightfully enlightened. What
are the four? Defining the seen as the seen, the heard as the heard, the
sensed as the sensed and the cognized as the cognized. Out of these four
ways of defining, through which is the venerable one’s mind released without
holdings? It is lawful that a bhikkhu who has, destroyed desires, lived
the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to
the highest good, destroyed the desire ‘to be’ and is rightfully released
should explain it. Friend, seeing it an error to fall for the seen, not
settling, unbound, released, unyoked and with an unrestricted mind I abideFriend,
seeing it an error to fall for the heard, not settling, unbound, released,
unyoked and with an unrestricted mind I abide Friend, seeing it an error
to fall for the sensed, not settling, unbound, released, unyoked and with
an unrestricted mind I abideFriend,
seeing it an error to fall for the cognized, not settling, unbound, released,
unyoked and with an unrestricted mind I abide. Friend, knowing and seeing.these
four ways of defining, my mind is released from desires without holdings.
His words should be accepted as good words and a further question should
be asked Friend, these five holding masses are declared by the Blessed
One who knows and sees and is rightfully enlightened. What are the five?
They are the holding mass of matter, the holding mass of feelings, the
holding mass of perceptions, the holding mass of deteminations and the
holding mass of consciousness. Knowing what and seeing what in the five
holding masses, is the venerable one’s mind released from desires without
holdings It is lawful that a bhikkhu who has, destroyed desires, lived
the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to
the highest good, destroyed the desire ‘to be’ and is rightfully released
should explain it. Friend, seeing that matter is weak, my interest waned
and dissatsfied, I destroyed ceased, gave up and released my mind from
the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding matter.*1) Seeing
that feelings are weak, my interest waned anddissatisfied,
I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released my mind from the latent tendencies
of falling for and firmly holding feelings. Seeing that perceptions are
weak, my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up
and released my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly
holding perceptions .Seeing that determinations are weak, my interest waned
and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released my mind from
the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding determinations.
Seeing that consciousnessis weak,
my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released
my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding consciousness.
Friend, knowing and seeing.these five holding masses my mind is released
from desires without holdings. His words should be accepted as good words
and a further question should be asked Friend, these six elements are declared
by the Blessed One who knows and sees and is rightfully enlightened. What
are the six? They are the elements of earth, water, fire, air, space and
consciousness.
Knowing
what and seeing what in these six elements is the venerable one’s mind
released from desires without holdings It is lawful that a bhikkhu who
has, destroyeddesires, lived the
holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to the
highest good, destroyed the desire ‘to be’ and is rightfully released should
explain it. Friend, the earth element is void of a self. The self has no
settlementsin matter. The latent
tendencies of falling for and firmly holding settlements in matter destroyed,
ceased, given up, I know that the mind is released. I realized that the
water element, ...re.... fire element, ...re.....air
element, ....re.... space element,...re.... and the consciousness element
is void of a self. The self has no settlements in consciousness. The latent
tendencies of falling for and firmly holding settlements in consciousness
destroyed, ceased, given up I know that the mind is released. Friend,knowing
and seeing.these six elements in this manner, my mind is released from
desires without holdings. His words should be accepted as good words and
a further question should be asked.Friend, these six internal and external
spheres are declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees and is rightfully
enlightened. What are the six?Eye
and forms, ear and sounds, nose and smells, tongue and tastes, body and
touches and mind and ideas. Knowing what and seeing what in these six internal
and external spheres is the venerable one’s mind released from desires
without holdings It is lawful that a bhikkhu who has, destroyed desires,
lived the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come
to the highest good, destroyed the desire ‘to be’ and is rightfully released
should explain it. The latent tendencies of following up erroneously with
interest, greed and craving, eye consciousness, forms and things cognizable
by eye consciousness, are destroyed, ceased and given up, I know my mind
is released. The latent tendencies offollowing
up erroneously with interest, greed and craving ear consciousness, sounds
and things cognizable by ear consciousness, ....re....nose consciousness,
smells and things cognizable by nose consciousness,...re.... tongue consciousness,
tastes and things cognizable by tongue consciousness,...re.... body consciousness,
touches and things cognizable by body consciousness and mind consciousness,
ideas, and things cognizable by mind consciousness are destroyed, ceased
and given up, I know my mind is released.Friend,knowing and seeing.these
six internal and external spheres in this manner, my mind is released from
desires without holdings. His words should be accepted as good words and
a further question should be asked. Friend, knowing and seeing what in
this sixfold conscious body and all external signs are the latent tendencies
of conceited measurings of me and mine completly destroyed? It is lawful
that a bhikkhu who has, destroyed desires, lived the holy life, done what
should be done, dismissed the weight, come to the highest good, destroyed
the desire ‘to be’ and is rightfully released should explain it.
Friend,
earlier when I was an ignorant householder, the Thus Gone One or a disciple
of the Thus Gone One preached the Teaching and I gained faith, with that
faith I thought, the household life is full of difficulties, going forth
homeless is like open space. Living in a household it is not easy to lead
a holy life complete and pure without being defiled. Shaving head and beard,
putting on yellow clothes, why shouldn’t I go forth homeless? At some suitable
time I gave up a little wealth or a large mass of wealth, either left behind
a small circle of friends, or a large circle of friends shaving head and
beard and donning yellow clothes, went forth as a homeless.
Gone
forth I became a trainer in the life of a bhikkhu. I gve up hurting living
things, throwing away stick and weapon ashamed abode arousing compassion
for all beings. Abstaining from taking what is not given, desired the given,
made my mind pure, without theft I abode Abstaining from low sexual intercourse
led the holy life. Abstaining from telling lies became reliable and trustworthy
and abode without a dispute with the world. Gave up slandering. Hearing
it here did not say it elsewhere, to split these. Hearing elsewhere did
not say it here to split those, Thus I united the split, promoted unity.
Fond of unity spoke words to unite. Gave up rough talk, saying pleasing
words that went straight to the heart of all. Abstained from frivolous
talk saying appropriate, truthful and meaningful words, in accordance with
the Teaching and Discipline, words that could be treasured.
Abstained
from destroying seed groups and vegetable groups. Partaking one meal a
day, abstained from food at night and at untimely hours. Abstained from
dance, singing, music, decorations, flowers and scents, annointments and
adornments. Abstained from high and stately beds. Abstained from accepting
gold and silver, uncooked rice and uncooked flesh,. Abstained from accepting
women and girls, slaves, men or women. Abstained from accepting goats and
cows, fowl and pigs, elephants, cattle, horses and mares.
Abstained
from accepting fields and wealth, and doing the work of a messenger. Abstained
from buying and selling and unfair ways of weighing and measuring. Abstained
from cutting severing, destroying and highway robbery, and wrong ways of
gaining food.
Satisfied,
covering the body with robes, and feeding the belly with morsel food, went
with all the belongings wherever I went. Like the birds small and large
that go with the weight of their wings. Likewise satisfied covering the
body with robes and feeding the belly with morsels I went with all my belongings
wherever I went.. Endowed with this mass of virtues, I experienced the
pleasure of blamelessness internally.
Seeing
a form with the eye, I did not take the sign or the elements .To one abiding
with the mental faculty of the eye uncontrolled, demerit of covetousness
and displeasure may trickle. I abode protecting the mental faculty of the
eye. Hearing a sound with the ear, Cognizing a smell,...re.. tasting,..re..
cognizing touches with the body,..re.....Cognizing an idea with the mind,
did not take the sign or the elements. To one abiding with the mental faculty
of the mind not controlled, demerit of covetousness and displeasure may
trickle.I abode protecting the mental faculty of the mind. Endowed with
the noble ones’ control of the mental faculties, I experienced the untouched
pleasure of the mental faculties. Going forward or returning I became aware.
Looking on, or looking aside I became aware. Bending or stretching, bearing
the bowl and three robes, tasting, drinking, eating and enjoying I became
aware. Going, standing, sitting, lying, if awake, and keeping silence I
became aware.
Endowed,
with the mass of virtues, the control of the mental faculties, rightmindfulness
of the noble ones, I abode in a secluded dwelling, such as a forest, the
root of a tree, a mountain grotto a cave, a charnel ground, a jungle forest,
an open space, or a heap of straw. After the meal and returning from the
alms round, I sat legs crossed, the body placed straight and mindfulness
established in front.
Dispelling
covetousness for the world I abode freeing the mind. Dispelling anger I
abode with a mind free of anger, compassionate to all born. Dispelling
sloth and torpor abode, aware of a perception of light, mindful of cleaning
sloth and torpor. Dispelling restlessness and worry abode with a mind internally
appeased, cleaning the mind of restlessness and worry. Abode with doubts
dispelled of merit that should and should not be done.
I
dispelled the five hindrances of the mind, and wisely making the minor
defilements weak, secluded the mind from sensual thoughts and demerit.
With thoughts and thought processes and with joy and pleasantness, born
of seclusionabode in the first jhaana..
Again
overcoming thoughts and thought processes, the mind internally appeased,
in a single point, with joy and pleasantness born of concentration I abode
in the second jhaana.
Again,
with equanimity to joy and detachment and aware of experiencing pleasantness,
with the body too, abode in the third jhaana. The noble ones say this is
abiding in pleasanatness, mindful of equanimity.
Again,
dispelling pleasantness and unpleasantness and earlier having dispelled
pleasure and displeasure, mindfulness purified with equanimity I abode
in the fourth jhaana.
When
the mind was concentrated, pure, free from minor defilements, malleable
workable not disturbed, I directed the mind for the destruction of desires.Knew
this is unpleasant, this is, its arising, this its cessation, and this
the path to the cessationof unpleasantness
as it really is.Knew the desires,
their rising, their cessation andthe
path to their cessation as it really was. The mind that knew and saw thus,
was released from sensual desires, from desires ‘to be’ and from ignorant
desires. When released, I knew, I’m released, birth is destroyed, the holy
life is lived, what should be done is done.There’s
nothing more to wish. Friend, knowing and seeing this sixfold conscious
body and all external signs in this manner, I completely destroyed the
latent tendencies of conceited measurings of me and mine. Bhikkhus, his
words should be accepted as good words and he should be told. ‘Friend,
it is great gain, that we meet co-associates like you.’
The
Blessed One said thus and those bhikkhus delighted in the words of the
Blessed One..
Notes.1. Seeing matter is weak, my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding matter. ‘ruupa.m kho aha.m aavuso, abala.m.viraaga.m anassaasika.m viditvaa ye ruupe upaayupaadaanaa cetaso adhi.t.thaanaabhinivesanaanusayaa, tesa.m khayaa viraagaa nirodhaa caagaa pa.tinissaggaa vimutta.m me citta.m ti pajaanaami.’ Holding matter, is something done with the mind. It is the mind’s follow up with interest and greed.So too with the other four masses of feelings, perceptions, determinations and consciusness. Thus it isthe follow up with interest and greed for these five masses that have to be destroyed, ceased, given up and thus the mind should be released.