MN 111
Anupada Sutta
One After Another
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: M iii 25
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2007 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2007
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
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I have heard that at one time the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi at Jeta's
Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. There he addressed the monks, saying, "Monks."
"Yes, lord," the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said, "Monks, Sariputta is wise, of great discernment, deep
discernment, wide... joyous... rapid... quick... penetrating discernment. For
half a month, Sariputta clearly saw insight1 into mental qualities one after
another. This is what occurred to Sariputta through insight into mental
qualities one after another:
"There was the case where Sariputta — quite secluded from sensuality, secluded
from unskillful qualities — entered & remained in the first jhana. Whatever
qualities there are in the first jhana — directed thought, evaluation, rapture,
pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention,
consciousness,2 desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, &
attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him they arose,
known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He discerned, 'So this
is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they
vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities,
independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.
He discerned that 'There is a further escape,' and pursuing it there really was
for him.
"Furthermore, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, Sariputta
entered & remained in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure,
unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal
assurance. Whatever qualities there are in the second jhana — internal
assurance, rapture, pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception,
intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness,
equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him
they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He
discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play.
Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to
those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness
rid of barriers. He discerned that 'There is a further escape,' and pursuing it
there really was for him.
"Furthermore, with the fading of rapture, Sariputta — remaining in equanimity,
mindful & alert, and physically sensitive to pleasure — entered & remained in
the third jhana, of which the noble ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has
a pleasurable abiding.' Whatever qualities there are in the third jhana —
equanimity-pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception,
intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness,
equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him
they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He
discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play.
Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to
those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness
rid of barriers. He understood, He discerned that 'There is a further escape,'
and pursuing it there really was for him.
"Furthermore, with the abandoning of pleasure & stress — as with the earlier
disappearance of elation & distress — Sariputta entered & remained in the fourth
jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. Whatever
qualities there are in the fourth jhana — a feeling of equanimity, neither
pleasure nor pain; an unconcern due to serenity of awareness;3 singleness of
mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness, desire, decision,
persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one
after another. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him
they subsided. He discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been,
come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled
with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated,
with an awareness rid of barriers. He discerned that 'There is a further
escape,' and pursuing it there really was for him.
"Furthermore, with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form,
with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions
of diversity, [perceiving,] 'Infinite space,' Sariputta entered & remained in
the dimension of the infinitude of space. Whatever qualities there are in the
dimension of the infinitude of space — the perception of the dimension of the
infinitude of space, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception,
intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness,
equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him
they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He
discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play.
Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to
those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness
rid of barriers. He discerned that 'There is a further escape,' and pursuing it
there really was for him.
"Furthermore, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude
of space, [perceiving,] 'Infinite consciousness,' Sariputta entered & remained
in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. Whatever qualities there
are in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness — the perception of the
dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, singleness of mind, contact,
feeling, perception, intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence,
mindfulness, equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another.
Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided.
He discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play.
Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to
those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness
rid of barriers. He discerned that 'There is a further escape,' and pursuing it
there really was for him.
"Furthermore, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude
of consciousness, [perceiving,] 'There is nothing,' Sariputta entered & remained
in the dimension of nothingness. Whatever qualities there are in the dimension
of nothingness — the perception of the dimension of nothingness, singleness of
mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness, desire, decision,
persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one
after another. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him
they subsided. He discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been,
come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled
with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated,
with an awareness rid of barriers. He discerned that 'There is a further
escape,' and pursuing it there really was for him.
"Furthermore, with the complete transcending of the dimension of nothingness,
Sariputta entered & remained in the dimension of neither perception nor
non-perception. He emerged mindfully from that attainment. On emerging mindfully
from that attainment, he regarded the past qualities that had ceased & changed:
'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been,
they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those
qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid
of barriers. He discerned that 'There is a further escape,' and pursuing it
there really was for him.4
"Furthermore, with the complete transcending of the dimension of neither
perception nor non-perception, Sariputta entered & remained in the cessation of
feeling & perception. Seeing with discernment, his fermentations were totally
ended. He emerged mindfully from that attainment. On emerging mindfully from
that attainment, he regarded the past qualities that had ceased & changed: 'So
this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they
vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities,
independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.
He discerned that 'There is no further escape,' and pursuing it there really
wasn't for him.
"If a person, rightly saying it of anyone, were to say, 'He has attained mastery
& perfection in noble virtue... noble concentration... noble discernment...
noble release,' he would be rightly saying it of Sariputta if he were to say:
'He has attained mastery & perfection in noble virtue... noble concentration...
noble discernment... noble release.'
"If a person, rightly saying it of anyone, were to say, 'He is the Blessed One's
son, his offspring — born of his mouth, born of the Dhamma, created by the
Dhamma, his heir in the Dhamma, not his heir in material things,' he would be
rightly saying it of Sariputta if he were to say: 'He is the Blessed One's son,
his offspring — born of his mouth, born of the Dhamma, created by the Dhamma,
his heir in the Dhamma, not his heir in material things.' Sariputta, monks,
takes the unexcelled wheel of Dhamma set rolling by the Tathagata, and keeps it
rolling rightly."
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed
One's words.
Notes
1. "Clearly saw insight": In Pali, this is vipassanam vipassi, which could be
translated literally as "clearly saw clear seeing" or "insighted insight." The
Commentary states that the half month mentioned here refers to the half month
between Ven. Sariputta's ordination and his attainment of arahantship, described
in MN 74. These two suttas treat Sariputta's attainment from two different
perspectives. This sutta shows it from the standpoint of his mastery of the four
jhanas and the formless attainments based on the fourth jhana. That sutta shows
it as occurring when he starts reflecting on a point while listening to a
discourse that the Buddha is giving to his nephew. To put the two suttas
together, we can infer that prior to the discourse given in MN 74, Sariputta had
mastered the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. While listening
to the discourse, he reflected on the point that the Buddha recommended
abandoning all mental qualities through direct knowledge. This would have led
him to the cessation of perception and feeling (during which he would not be
listening to the discourse) and so to Awakening.
2. Reading viññanam with the Thai edition of the Canon. The Burmese and PTS
editions read cittam, which could mean "mind" or "intent" (as in the four bases
of success).
3. Reading passaddhattaa with the Burmese edition. The Thai edition reads,
parisuddhattaa, "through purity." The Sinhalese edition reads pasiddhataa, which
would mean "empowerment" (? — this term is not listed in the PTS Dictionary).
The PTS edition reads passi vedanaa, which is unintelligible.
4. Notice that, with each of the previous levels of attainment, Sariputta was
able to ferret out the various mental qualities arising there while he was still
in the attainment. With this attainment and the following one, however, he was
not able to analyze the mental qualities present and absent there until after he
had left the attainment. The difference here is related to the point made in AN
IX.36 that all the attainments up through the dimension of nothingness are
"perception-attainments." And that, "As far as the perception-attainments go,
that is as far as gnosis-penetration goes. As for these two dimensions — the
attainment of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception & the
attainment of the cessation of feeling & perception — I tell you that they are
to be rightly explained by those monks who are meditators, skilled in attaining,
skilled in attaining & emerging, who have attained & emerged in dependence on
them."
For a discussion of how insight can be developed in the context of jhana, see
The Wings to Awakening, IIIF.
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