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is concentration first, then knowledge; or is knowledge first, then concentration?” Then it occurred to the venerable Ānanda: “The Blessed One has recovered from an illness, having recently arisen from his sickness. And this Mahānāma the Sakyan is asking the Blessed One a very profound question. What if I were to lead Mahānāma the Sakyan aside and teach him the Dhamma?” Then the venerable Ānanda, taking Mahānāma the Sakyan by the arm, led him aside and said to Mahānāma the Sakyan: “The Blessed One has taught both trainee morality, Mahānāma, and accomplished morality. The Blessed One has taught both trainee concentration, and accomplished concentration. spoken by the Blessed One; training wisdom has been spoken by the Blessed One, non-training wisdom has been spoken by the Blessed One. And what, Mahānāma, is training virtue? Here, Mahānāma, a monk is virtuous, he dwells restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha…pe… he undertakes and trains in the training rules. This is called, Mahānāma, training virtue. And what, Mahānāma, is training concentration? Here, Mahānāma, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures…pe… he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. This is called, Mahānāma, training concentration. And what, Mahānāma, is training wisdom? Here, Mahānāma, a monk understands, as it really is, ‘This is suffering’…pe… he understands, as it really is, ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering’. This is called, Mahānāma, training wisdom. That noble disciple, Mahānāma, thus endowed with virtue, thus endowed with concentration, thus endowed with wisdom, through the destruction of the taints, having realized for himself with direct knowledge in this very life the taintless liberation of mind, the liberation through wisdom, enters and dwells therein. Thus, Mahānāma, training virtue has been spoken by the Blessed One, non-training virtue has been spoken by the Blessed One; training concentration has been spoken by the Blessed One, non-training concentration has been spoken by the Blessed One; training wisdom has been spoken by the Blessed One, non-training wisdom has been spoken by the Blessed One.” 4. The Nigaṇṭha Sutta At one time, Venerable Ānanda was dwelling in Vesālī, in the Great Wood, in the Gabled Hall. Then Abhaya the Licchavi and Paṇḍitakumāraka the Licchavi approached Venerable Ānanda; having approached and paid homage to Venerable Ānanda, they sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Abhaya the Licchavi said to Venerable Ānanda: “The Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta claims to be omniscient and all-seeing, to possess boundless knowledge and vision, saying: ‘Whether I am walking, standing, sleeping, or awake, knowledge and vision are constantly and continuously present to me.’ He, however, He teaches the destruction of old kamma by austerity, and the blocking of new kamma by not doing it. Thus, with the destruction of kamma, there is the destruction of suffering, with the destruction of suffering, there is the destruction of feeling, with the destruction of feeling, all suffering will be worn out – this is the transcendence of purification by visible wearing out. "Here, Venerable Sir, what does the Blessed One say?" "Indeed, Abhaya, these three purifications by wearing out have been rightly declared by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Awakened One, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and distress, for the attainment of the method, for the realization of Nibbāna. Which three? Here, Abhaya, a monk is virtuous… he undertakes and trains in the training rules. He does not do new kamma, and he wears out old kamma by touching it again and again. This visible wearing out is timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading onwards, to be personally experienced by the wise." "That monk, Abhaya, thus endowed with virtue, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, with initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, filled with rapture and pleasure, enters and dwells in the first jhāna. With the subsiding of initial and sustained application, by gaining inner tranquility and unification of mind, without initial and sustained application, without sustained application, born of concentration, filled with rapture and pleasure, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna. With the fading of rapture, he dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences pleasure with the body, of which the noble ones declare: ‘He dwells in equanimity, mindful, and at ease.’ He enters and dwells in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, neither painful nor pleasant, purified by equanimity and mindfulness, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. He does not do new kamma, and he wears out old kamma by touching it again and again. This visible wearing out is timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading onwards, to be personally experienced by the wise." "That monk, Abhaya," , Abhaya, a bhikkhu thus accomplished in concentration, through the destruction of the taints, having realized for himself with direct knowledge in this very life the taintless liberation of mind, liberation through wisdom, abides therein. He does not create new kamma, and he brings old kamma to an end by repeatedly experiencing it. This is visible here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards, to be known individually by the wise. These three purifications of wearing out, Abhaya, have been perfectly declared by that Blessed One, the Knower, the Seer, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and distress, for the attainment of the method, for the realization of Nibbāna.” When this was said, the Licchavi Paṇḍitakumāraka said to the Licchavi Abhaya: “Do you not, friend Abhaya, approve of the well-spoken words of Venerable Ānanda as well-spoken?” “How could I, friend Paṇḍitakumāraka, not approve of the well-spoken words of Venerable Ānanda as well-spoken! His head would surely split who would not approve of the well-spoken words of Venerable Ānanda as well-spoken!” The Fourth. 5. The Nivesaka Sutta 76. Then Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One; having approached and paid homage to the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. To Venerable Ānanda, seated to one side, the Blessed One said this: “Those whom you would feel compassion for, Ānanda, and those who would consider it worth listening to, whether friends or colleagues, relatives or kinsmen, those, Ānanda, should be established, settled, and grounded in three things. In which three? They should be established, settled, and grounded in unwavering faith in the Buddha— ‘Indeed, that Blessed One is an Arahant, a Perfectly Self-Enlightened One, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One’— They should be established, settled, and grounded in unwavering faith in the Dhamma— should be established, should be settled, should be founded— ‘Well-proclaimed by the Blessed One is the Dhamma, visible here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards, to be personally experienced by the wise.’ In the Saṅgha, in unwavering faith, should be established, should be settled, should be founded— ‘The Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing well, the Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing uprightly, the Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing for the sake of knowledge, the Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is practicing properly; that is, the four pairs of men, the eight individual persons— this Saṅgha of the Blessed One’s disciples is worthy of offerings, worthy of hospitality, worthy of gifts, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.’ “It is possible, Ānanda, for the four great elements to be otherwise— for the earth element, water element, fire element, wind element; but it is not possible for an noble disciple endowed with unwavering faith in the Buddha to be otherwise, to be otherwise in this regard. That noble disciple, Ānanda, endowed with unwavering faith in the Buddha, will be reborn in hell, or in the animal realm, or in the realm of hungry ghosts— this is not possible. “It is possible, Ānanda, for the four great elements to be otherwise— for the earth element, water element, fire element, wind element; but it is not possible for an noble disciple endowed with unwavering faith in the Dhamma… …it is not possible for an noble disciple endowed with unwavering faith in the Saṅgha to be otherwise, to be otherwise in this regard. That noble disciple, Ānanda, endowed with unwavering faith in the Saṅgha, will be reborn in hell, or in the animal realm, or in the realm of hungry ghosts— this is not possible. “Those, Ānanda, whom you would pity, and those whom you would consider worth listening to— whether friends, or colleagues, or relatives, or blood relations— those, Ānanda, you should establish, settle, and found in these three matters.” The Fifth. 6. First Existence Sutta 77. Then Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One. Having approached and saluted the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: He said this to him: "Existence, existence," Venerable Sir, is said. How far, Venerable Sir, does existence come to be? "If, Ānanda, kamma ripening in the sense-sphere realm were not, would sense-sphere existence be discerned?" "No, Venerable Sir." "Thus, Ānanda, kamma is the field, consciousness is the seed, craving is the moisture. For beings hindered by ignorance, bound by craving,