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- Anguttara Nikaya IX.41
- Tapussa Sutta
- To Tapussa
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying among the Mallans near a Mallan town named Uruvelakappa.
Then early in the morning the Blessed One, having put on his robes and carrying his bowl
and outer robe, went into Uruvelakappa for alms. Having gone into Uruvelakappa for alms,
after his meal, on his return from his alms round, he said to Ven. Ananda,
"Stay right here, Ananda, while I go into the Great Wood for the day's abiding."
"As you say, lord," Ven. Ananda responded.
Then the Blessed One went into the Great Wood and sat down at the root of a certain
tree for the day's abiding.
Then Tapussa the householder went to Ven. Ananda and, on arrival,
having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to Ven. Ananda:
"Venerable Ananda, sir, we are householders who indulge in sensuality, delight in
sensuality, enjoy sensuality, rejoice in sensuality. For us -- indulging in sensuality,
delighting in sensuality, enjoying sensuality, rejoicing in sensuality -- renunciation
seems like a sheer drop-off. Yet I've heard that in this doctrine & discipline the
hearts of the very young monks leap up at renunciation, grow confident, steadfast, &
firm, seeing it as peace. So right here is where this doctrine & discipline is
contrary to the great mass of people: i.e., [this issue of] renunciation."
"This calls for a talk, householder. Let's go see the Blessed One. Let's approach
him and, on arrival, tell him this matter. However he explains it to us, we will bear it
in mind."
"As you say, sir," Tapussa the householder responded to Ven. Ananda.
Then Ven. Ananda, together with Tapussa the householder,
went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he
was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "Tapussa the householder, here, has
said to me, 'Venerable Ananda, sir, we are householders who indulge in sensuality, delight
in sensuality, enjoy sensuality, rejoice in sensuality. For us -- indulging in sensuality,
delighting in sensuality, enjoying sensuality, rejoicing in sensuality -- renunciation
seems like a sheer drop-off. Yet I've heard that in this doctrine & discipline the
hearts of the very young monks leap up at renunciation, grow confident, steadfast, &
firm, seeing it as peace. So right here is where this doctrine & discipline is
contrary to the great mass of people: i.e., [this issue of] renunciation.'"
"So it is, Ananda. So it is. Even I myself, before my Awakening, when I was still
an unawakened Bodhisatta, thought: 'Renunciation is good. Seclusion is good.' But my heart
didn't leap up at renunciation, didn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as
peace. The thought occurred to me: 'What is the cause, what is the reason, why my heart
doesn't leap up at renunciation, doesn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as
peace?' Then the thought occurred to me: 'I haven't seen the drawback of sensual
pleasures; I haven't pursued [that theme]. I haven't understood the reward of
renunciation; I haven't familiarized myself with it. That's why my heart doesn't leap up
at renunciation, doesn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace.'
[1] "Then the thought occurred to me: 'If, having seen the drawback of sensual
pleasures, I were to pursue that theme; and if, having understood the reward of
renunciation, I were to familiarize myself with it, there's the possibility that my heart
would leap up at renunciation, grow confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace.'
"So at a later time, having seen the drawback of sensual pleasures, I pursued that
theme; having understood the reward of renunciation, I familiarized myself with it. My
heart leaped up at renunciation, grew confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as
peace. Then, quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful qualities, I
entered & remained in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal,
accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with
sensuality. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as an affliction for a
healthy person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with sensuality that beset me
was an affliction for me.
[2] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if, with the stilling of directed thought
& evaluation, I were to enter & remain in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure
born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation --
internal assurance.' But my heart didn't leap up at being without directed thought, didn't
grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace. The thought occurred to me: 'What
is the cause, what is the reason, why my heart doesn't leap up at being without directed
thought, doesn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace?' Then the thought
occurred to me: 'I haven't seen the drawback of directed thought; I haven't pursued that
theme. I haven't understood the reward of being without directed thought; I haven't
familiarized myself with it. That's why my heart doesn't leap up at being without directed
thought, doesn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace.'
"Then the thought occurred to me: 'If, having seen the drawback of directed
thought, I were to pursue that theme; and if, having understood the reward of being
without directed thought, I were to familiarize myself with it, there's the possibility
that my heart would leap up at being without directed thought, grow confident, steadfast,
& firm, seeing it as peace.'
"So at a later time, having seen the drawback of directed thought, I pursued that
theme; having understood the reward of being without directed thought, I familiarized
myself with it. My heart leaped up at being without directed thought, grew confident,
steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace. With the stilling of directed thought &
evaluation, I entered & remained in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of
composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation --
internal assurance.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with
directed thought. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as an affliction for
a healthy person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with directed thought that
beset me was an affliction for me.
[3] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if, with the fading of rapture, I were to
remain in equanimity, mindful & alert, to be physically sensitive to pleasure, and to
enter & remain in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, "Equanimous
& mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding"?' But my heart didn't leap up at being
without rapture, didn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace...So at a
later time, having seen the drawback of rapture, I pursued that theme; having understood
the reward of being without rapture, I familiarized myself with it. My heart leaped up at
being without rapture, grew confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace. With the
fading of rapture, I remained in equanimity, mindful & alert, physically sensitive to
pleasure, and entered & remained in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare,
'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.'
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with
rapture. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as an affliction for a healthy
person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with rapture that beset me was an
affliction for me.
[4] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if, with the abandoning of pleasure &
stress -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress -- I were to enter
& remain in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness,
neither-pleasure-nor-pain?' But my heart didn't leap up at being without the pleasure of
equanimity, didn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace...So at a later
time, having seen the drawback of the pleasure of equanimity, I pursued that theme; having
understood the reward of neither-pleasure-nor-pain, I familiarized myself with it. My
heart leaped up at neither-pleasure-nor-pain, grew confident, steadfast, & firm,
seeing it as peace. With the abandoning of pleasure & stress -- as with the earlier
disappearance of elation & distress -- I entered & remained in the fourth jhana:
purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with
equanimity. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as an affliction for a
healthy person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with equanimity that beset me
was an affliction for me.
[5] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if, with the complete transcending of
perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and
not heeding perceptions of diversity, thinking, "Infinite space," I were to
enter & remain in the sphere of the infinitude of space?' But my heart didn't leap up
at the sphere of the infinitude of space, didn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm,
seeing it as peace...So at a later time, having seen the drawback of forms, I pursued that
theme; having understood the reward of the sphere of the infinitude of space, I
familiarized myself with it. My heart leaped up at the sphere of the infinitude of space,
grew confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace. With the complete transcending
of perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not
heeding perceptions of diversity, thinking, 'Infinite space,' I entered & remained in
the sphere of the infinitude of space.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with
forms. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as an affliction for a healthy
person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with forms that beset me was an
affliction for me.
[6] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if, with the complete transcending of the
sphere of the infinitude of space, thinking, "Infinite consciousness," I were to
enter & remain in the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness?' But my heart didn't
leap up at the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness, didn't grow confident,
steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace...So at a later time, having seen the drawback of
the sphere of the infinitude of space, I pursued that theme; having understood the reward
of the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness, I familiarized myself with it. My heart
leaped up at the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness, grew confident, steadfast,
& firm, seeing it as peace. With the complete transcending of the sphere of the
infinitude of space, thinking, 'Infinite consciousness,' I entered & remained in the
sphere of the infinitude of consciousness.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with the
sphere of the infinitude of space. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as
an affliction for a healthy person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with the
sphere of the infinitude of space that beset me was an affliction for me.
[7] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if, with the complete transcending of the
sphere of the infinitude of consciousness, thinking, "There is nothing," I were
to enter & remain in the sphere of nothingness?' But my heart didn't leap up at the
sphere of nothingness, didn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace...So
at a later time, having seen the drawback of the sphere of the infinitude of
consciousness, I pursued that theme; having understood the reward of the sphere of
nothingness, I familiarized myself with it. My heart leaped up at the sphere of
nothingness, grew confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace. With the complete
transcending of the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness, thinking, 'There is
nothing,' I entered & remained in the sphere of nothingness.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with the
sphere of the infinitude of consciousness. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain
arises as an affliction for a healthy person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing
with the sphere of the infinitude of consciousness that beset me was an affliction for me.
[8] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if I, with the complete transcending of the
sphere of nothingness, were to enter & remain in the sphere of neither perception nor
non-perception?' But my heart didn't leap up at the sphere of neither perception nor
non-perception, didn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace...So at a
later time, having seen the drawback of the sphere of nothingness, I pursued that theme;
having understood the reward of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, I
familiarized myself with it. My heart leaped up at the sphere of neither perception nor
non-perception, grew confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace. With the
complete transcending of the sphere of nothingness, I entered & remained in the sphere
of neither perception nor non-perception.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with the
sphere of nothingness. That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as an affliction
for a healthy person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with the sphere of
nothingness that beset me was an affliction for me.
[9] "The thought occurred to me: 'What if I, with the complete transcending of the
sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, were to enter & remain in the
cessation of perception & feeling?' But my heart didn't leap up at the cessation of
perception & feeling, didn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as peace.
The thought occurred to me: 'What is the cause, what is the reason, why my heart doesn't
leap up at the cessation of perception & feeling, doesn't grow confident, steadfast,
or firm, seeing it as peace?' Then the thought occurred to me: 'I haven't seen the
drawback of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception; I haven't pursued that
theme. I haven't understood the reward of the cessation of perception & feeling; I
haven't familiarized myself with it. That's why my heart doesn't leap up at the cessation
of perception & feeling, doesn't grow confident, steadfast, or firm, seeing it as
peace.'
"Then the thought occurred to me: 'If, having seen the drawback of the sphere of
neither perception nor non-perception, I were to pursue that theme; and if, having
understood the reward of the cessation of perception & feeling, I were to familiarize
myself with it, there's the possibility that my heart would leap up at the cessation of
perception & feeling, grow confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as peace.'
"So at a later time, having seen the drawback of the sphere of neither perception
nor non-perception, I pursued that theme; having understood the reward of the cessation of
perception & feeling, I familiarized myself with it. My heart leaped up at the
cessation of perception & feeling, grew confident, steadfast, & firm, seeing it as
peace. With the complete transcending of the sphere of neither perception nor
non-perception, I entered & remained in the cessation of perception & feeling. And
as I saw with discernment, the mental fermentations went to their total end.
"Ananda, as long as I had not attained & emerged from these nine step-by-step
dwelling-attainments in forward & backward order in this way, I did not claim to have
directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities,
Maras, & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its royalty & common
people. But as soon as I had attained & emerged from these nine step-by-step
dwelling-attainments in forward & backward order in this way, then I did claim to have
directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities,
Maras, & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its royalty & common
people. Knowledge & vision arose in me: 'My release is unshakable. This is the last
birth. There is now no further becoming.'"