Ānandasutta

Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.32

Numbered Discourses 3.32

4. Devadūtavagga

4. Messengers of the Gods

Ānandasutta

With Ānanda

Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Siyā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā imasmiñca saviññāṇake kāye ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu, bahiddhā ca sabbanimittesu ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu;

“Could it be, sir, that a mendicant might gain a state of immersion such that there’s no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for externally for all signs;

yañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja viharato ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā na honti tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja vihareyyā”ti?

and that they’d live having attained the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit are no more?”

“Siyā, ānanda, bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā imasmiñca saviññāṇake kāye ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu, bahiddhā ca sabbanimittesu ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu;

“It could be, Ānanda, that a mendicant gains a state of immersion such that they have no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for externally for all signs;

yañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja viharato ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā na honti tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja vihareyyā”ti.

and that they’d live having attained the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit are no more.”

“Yathā kathaṁ pana, bhante, siyā bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā imasmiñca saviññāṇake kāye ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu, bahiddhā ca sabbanimittesu ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu;

“But how could this be, sir?”

yañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja viharato ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā na honti tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja vihareyyā”ti?

“Idhānanda, bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti:

“Ānanda, it’s when a mendicant thinks:

‘etaṁ santaṁ etaṁ paṇītaṁ yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānan’ti.

‘This is peaceful; this is sublime—that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment.’

Evaṁ kho, ānanda, siyā bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā imasmiñca saviññāṇake kāye ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu, bahiddhā ca sabbanimittesu ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā nāssu;

That’s how, Ānanda, a mendicant might gain a state of immersion such that there’s no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit for externally for all signs;

yañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja viharato ahaṅkāramamaṅkāramānānusayā na honti tañca cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ upasampajja vihareyyāti.

and that they’d live having achieved the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit are no more.

Idañca pana metaṁ, ānanda, sandhāya bhāsitaṁ pārāyane puṇṇakapañhe:

And Ānanda, this is what I was referring to in ‘The Way to the Far Shore’, in ‘The Questions of Puṇṇaka’ when I said:

‘Saṅkhāya lokasmiṁ paroparāni,

‘Having appraised the world high and low,

Yassiñjitaṁ natthi kuhiñci loke;

there is nothing in the world that disturbs them.

Santo vidhūmo anīgho nirāso,

Peaceful, unclouded, untroubled,
with no need for hope—

Atāri so jātijaranti brūmī’”ti.

they’ve crossed over rebirth and old age, I declare.’”

Dutiyaṁ.