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- Majjhima Nikaya 44
- Cula-Vedalla Sutta
- The Shorter Set of Questions-and-Answers
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
Translator's note: The Buddha praised Dhammadinna the nun as the foremost Dhamma
teacher among his nun disciples. In this discourse she answers questions put to her by a
layman -- Visakha -- who, according to the commentary, was her former husband, a merchant
of Rajagaha, and a non-returner.
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha
in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Sanctuary. Then Visakha the lay
follower went to Dhammadinna the nun and, on arrival, having
bowed down to her, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to her,
"'Self-identification. Self-identification,' it is said, lady. Which
self-identification is described by the Blessed One?"
"There are these five clinging-aggregates, friend Visakha: form as a
clinging-aggregate, feeling as a clinging-aggregate, perception as a clinging-aggregate,
fabrications as a clinging-aggregate, consciousness as a clinging-aggregate. These five
clinging-aggregates are the self-identification described by the Blessed One."
Saying, "Yes, lady," Visakha the lay follower delighted & rejoiced in
what Dhammadinna the nun had said. Then he asked her a further question: "'The
origination of self-identification, the origination of self-identification,' it is said,
lady. Which origination of self-identification is described by the Blessed One?"
"The craving that makes for further becoming -- accompanied by passion &
delight, relishing now here & now there -- i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving
for becoming, craving for non-becoming: This, friend Visakha, is the origination of
self-identification described by the Blessed One."
"'The cessation of self-identification, the cessation of self-identification,' it
is said, lady. Which cessation of self-identification is described by the Blessed
One?"
"The remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release,
& letting go of that very craving: This, friend Visakha, is the cessation of
self-identification described by the Blessed One."
"'The way of practice leading to the cessation of self-identification, the way of
practice leading to the cessation of self-identification,' it is said, lady. Which way of
practice leading to the cessation of self-identification is described by the Blessed
One?"
"Precisely this noble eightfold path -- right view, right resolve, right speech,
right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration:
This, friend Visakha, is the way of practice leading to the cessation of
self-identification described by the Blessed One."
"Is it the case, lady, that clinging is the same thing as the five
clinging-aggregates or is it something separate?"
"Friend Visakha, neither is clinging the same thing as the five
clinging-aggregates, nor is it something separate. Whatever desire & passion there is
with regard to the five clinging-aggregates, that is the clinging there."
"But, lady, how does self-identification come about?"
"There is the case, friend Visakha, where an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person
-- who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma;
who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma
-- assumes form (the body) to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in
the self, or the self as in form.
"He assumes feeling to be the self....
"He assumes perception to be the self....
"He assumes (mental) fabrications to be the self....
"He assumes consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness,
or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. This is how
self-identification comes about."
"But, lady, how does self-identification not come about?"
"There is the case where a well-instructed noble disciple -- who has regard for
noble ones, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma; who has regard for men of
integrity, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma -- does not assume form to be
the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form.
"He does not assume feeling to be the self....
"He does not assume perception to be the self....
"He does not assume fabrications to be the self....
"He does not assume consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing
consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. This is
how self-identification does not come about."
"Now, again, lady, what is the noble eightfold path?"
"This is the noble eightfold path, friend Visakha: right view, right resolve,
right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right
concentration."
"Is the noble eightfold path fabricated or unfabricated?"
"The noble eightfold path is fabricated."
"And are the three aggregates [of virtue, concentration, &
discernment] included under the noble eightfold path, lady, or is the noble eightfold path
included under the three aggregates?"
"The three aggregates are not included under the noble eightfold path, friend
Visakha, but the noble eightfold path is included under the three aggregates. Right
speech, right action, & right livelihood come under the aggregate of virtue. Right
effort, right mindfulness, & right concentration come under the aggregate of
concentration. Right view & right resolve come under the aggregate of
discernment."
"Now what is concentration, lady, what qualities are its themes, what qualities
are its requisites, and what is its development?"
"Singleness of mind is concentration, friend Visakha; the four frames of reference
are its themes; the four right exertions are its requisites; and any cultivation,
development, & pursuit of these qualities is its development."
"Now, lady, what are fabrications?"
"These three fabrications, friend Visakha: bodily-fabrications, verbal
fabrications, & mental fabrications."
"But what are bodily-fabrications? What are verbal fabrications? What are mental
fabrications?"
"In-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications. Directed thought & evaluation
are verbal fabrications. Perceptions & feelings are mental fabrications."
"But why are in-&-out breaths bodily fabrications? Why are directed thought
& evaluation verbal fabrications? Why are perceptions & feelings mental
fabrications?"
"In-&-out breaths are bodily; these are things tied up with the body. That's
why in-&-out breaths are bodily fabrications. Having first directed one's thoughts and
made an evaluation, one then breaks out into speech. That's why directed thought &
evaluation are verbal fabrications. Perceptions & feelings are mental; these are
things tied up with the mind. That's why perceptions & feelings are mental
fabrications."
"Now, lady, how does the attainment of the cessation of perception & feeling
come about?"
"The thought does not occur to a monk as he is attaining the cessation of
perception & feeling that 'I am about to attain the cessation of perception &
feeling' or that 'I am attaining the cessation of perception & feeling' or that 'I
have attained the cessation of perception & feeling.' Instead, the way his mind has
previously been developed leads him to that state."
"But when a monk is attaining the cessation of perception & feeling, which
things cease first: bodily fabrications, verbal fabrications, or mental
fabrications?"
"When a monk is attaining the cessation of perception & feeling, friend
Visakha, verbal fabrications cease first, then bodily fabrications, then mental
fabrications."[1]
"Now, lady, how does emergence from the cessation of perception & feeling come
about?"
"The thought does not occur to a monk as he is emerging from the cessation of
perception & feeling that 'I am about to emerge from the cessation of perception &
feeling' or that 'I am emerging from the cessation of perception & feeling' or that 'I
have emerged from the cessation of perception & feeling.' Instead, the way his mind
has previously been developed leads him to that state."
"But when a monk is emerging from the cessation of perception & feeling, which
things arise first: bodily fabrications, verbal fabrications, or mental
fabrications?"
"When a monk is attaining the cessation of perception & feeling, friend
Visakha, mental fabrications arise first, then bodily fabrications, then verbal
fabrications."
"When a monk has emerged from the cessation of perception & feeling, lady, how
many contacts make contact?"
"When a monk has emerged from the cessation of perception & feeling, friend
Visakha, three contacts make contact: contact with emptiness, contact with the signless,
& contact with the undirected."[2]
"When a monk has emerged from the cessation of perception & feeling, lady, to
what does his mind lean, to what does it tend, to what does it incline?"
"When a monk has emerged from the cessation of perception & feeling, friend
Visakha, his mind leans to seclusion, tends to seclusion, inclines to seclusion."[3]
"Now, lady, how many kinds of feeling are there?"
"These three kinds of feeling: pleasant feeling, painful feeling, &
neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling."
"What is pleasant feeling? What is painful feeling? What is
neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling?"
"Whatever is experienced physically or mentally as pleasant & gratifying is
pleasant feeling. Whatever is experienced physically or mentally as painful & hurting
is painful feeling. Whatever is experienced physically or mentally as neither gratifying
nor hurting is neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling."
"In what way is pleasant feeling pleasant, lady, and in what way painful?"
"Pleasant feeling is pleasant in remaining, & painful in changing, friend
Visakha. Painful feeling is painful in remaining & pleasant in changing.
Neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling is pleasant in occurring together with knowledge, and
painful in occurring without knowledge."
"What latent tendency lies latent in pleasant feeling? What latent tendency lies
latent in painful feeling? What latent tendency lies latent in
neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling?"
"The latent tendency to passion lies latent in pleasant feeling. The latent
tendency to irritation lies latent in painful feeling. The latent tendency to ignorance
lies latent in neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling."
"Does the latent tendency to passion lie latent in all pleasant feeling? Does the
latent tendency to irritation lie latent in all painful feeling? Does the latent tendency
to ignorance lie latent in all neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling?"
"No...."
"What is to be abandoned in pleasant feeling? What is to be abandoned in painful
feeling? What is to be abandoned in neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling?"
"The latent tendency to passion is to be abandoned in pleasant feeling. The latent
tendency to irritation is to be abandoned in painful feeling. The latent tendency to
ignorance is to be abandoned in neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling."
"Is the latent tendency to passion to be abandoned in all pleasant feeling? Is the
latent tendency to irritation to be abandoned in all painful feeling? Is the latent
tendency to ignorance to be abandoned in all neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling?"
"No .... There is the case where a monk -- quite withdrawn from sensuality,
withdrawn from unskillful qualities -- enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture
& pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
With that he abandons passion. No latent tendency to passion lies latent there.[4] There is the case where a monk considers, 'O when will I enter
& remain in the sphere that those who are noble now enter & remain in?' And as he
thus nurses this yearning for the unexcelled liberations, there arises within him sorrow
based on that yearning. With that he abandons irritation. No latent tendency to irritation
lies latent there.[5] There is the case where a monk, with the
abandoning of pleasure & pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation &
distress -- enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity &
mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. With that he abandons ignorance. No latent
tendency to ignorance lies latent there."[6]
"Now what, lady, lies on the other side of pleasant feeling?"
"Passion lies on the other side of pleasant feeling."
"And what lies on the other side of painful feeling?"
"Irritation lies on the other side of painful feeling."
"What lies on the other side of neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling?"
"Ignorance lies on the other side of neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling."
"What lies on the other side of ignorance?"
"Clear knowing lies on the other side of ignorance."
"What lies on the other side of clear knowing?"
"Release lies on the other side of clear knowing."
"What lies on the other side of release?"
"Unbinding lies on the other side of release."
"What lies on the other side of Unbinding?"
"You've gone too far, friend Visakha. You can't keep holding on up to the limit of
questions. For the holy life plunges into Unbinding, culminates in Unbinding, has
Unbinding as its final end. If you wish, go to the Blessed One and ask him the meaning of
these things. Whatever he says, that's how you should remember it."
Then Visakha the lay follower, delighting & rejoicing in what Dhammadinna the nun
had said, bowed down to her and, keeping her to his right, went to the Blessed One. On
arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there
he told the Blessed One the full extent of the conversation he had had with Dhammadinna
the nun. When this was said, the Blessed One said to him, "Dhammadinna the nun is
wise, Visakha, a woman of great discernment. If you had asked me those things, I would
have answered you in the same way she did. That is the meaning of those things. That is
how you should remember it."
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Visakha the lay follower delighted in the
Blessed One's words.
Notes
1. Verbal fabrication grows still on attaining the second
jhana; bodily fabrication grows still on attaining the fourth jhana; mental fabrication
grows still on attaining the cessation of perception & feeling. [Go back]
2. Emptiness, the signless, & the undirected are names for
a state of concentration that lies on the threshold of Unbinding. They differ only in how
they are approached. According to the commentary, they color one's first apprehension of
Unbinding: a meditator who has been focusing on the theme of inconstancy will first
apprehend Unbinding as signless; one who has been focusing on the theme of stress will
first apprehend it as undirected; one who has been focusing on the theme of not-self will
first apprehend it as emptiness. [Go back]
3. According to the commentary, "seclusion" here
stands for Unbinding. On emerging from the cessation of perception & feeling, and
having had contact with emptiness/the signless/the undirected, the mind inclines naturally
to a direct experience of Unbinding. [Go back]
4. In other words, once the pleasure of the first jhana has
been used as a basis for giving rise to the discernment that leads to arahantship, the
mind has no further latent tendency to passion in pleasant feeling. (The commentary says
that this is true at attainment of non-returning, but this must be a mistake, as
non-returners are still subject to passion for form and formless phenomena.) [Go
back]
5. Once this sorrow has has been used as a basis for giving
rise to the discernment that leads to non-returning, the mind has no further latent
tendency to irritation in painful feeling. [Go back]
6. Once this feeling of neither pleasure nor pain has been used
as a basis for giving rise to the discernment that leads to arahantship, the mind has no
further latent tendency to ignorance in feelings of neither pleasure nor pain. [Go back]