English
delighting in sensual pleasures, rejoicing in sensual pleasures, absorbed in sensual pleasures. For us, venerable sir, for us laypeople, enjoyers of sensual pleasures, delighting in sensual pleasures, rejoicing in sensual pleasures, absorbed in sensual pleasures, renunciation appears like a precipice.’ I have heard this, venerable sir: ‘In this Dhamma and Discipline, the minds of young monks, young monks, leap into renunciation, are pleased with it, settle in it, are liberated by it, seeing it as peaceful.’ And this, venerable sir, renunciation, is disagreeable to many people among the monks in this Dhamma and Discipline.” “So it is, Ānanda, so it is, Ānanda! Indeed, Ānanda, even for me, before my full enlightenment, while I was still a Bodhisatta, this thought arose: ‘Good is renunciation, good is seclusion.’ But for me, Ānanda, my mind did not leap into renunciation, was not pleased with it, did not settle in it, was not liberated by it, seeing it as peaceful. seeing this as peaceful. To me, Ananda, this occurred: 'What now is the cause, what the condition, whereby my mind does not incline, is not appeased, does not settle, is not liberated in renunciation, seeing this as peaceful?' To me, Ananda, this occurred: 'Indeed, the danger in sensual pleasures was not seen by me, and it was not made much of by me, and the advantage in renunciation was not attained by me, and it was not practiced by me. Therefore my mind does not incline, is not appeased, does not settle, is not liberated in renunciation, seeing this as peaceful.' To me, Ananda, this occurred: 'If indeed I, having seen the danger in sensual pleasures, were to make it much of, having attained the advantage in renunciation, were to practice it, then this situation exists, that my mind would incline, would be appeased, would settle, would be liberated in renunciation, seeing this as peaceful.' So indeed I, Ananda, at a later time, having seen the danger in sensual pleasures, made it much of, having attained the advantage in renunciation, practiced it. To me, Ananda, my mind inclines, is appeased, settles, is liberated in renunciation, seeing this as peaceful. So indeed I, Ananda, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, entered upon and dwelled in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. To me, Ananda, dwelling in this dwelling, perceptions and mental formations associated with sensual pleasures arose. And that was an affliction to me. Just as, Ananda, for one who is happy, suffering might arise, solely for affliction; even so, for me, perceptions and mental formations associated with sensual pleasures arose. And that was an affliction to me. To me, Ananda, this occurred: 'What if I, with the calming of applied thought and sustained thought... were to enter upon and dwell in the second jhāna?' To me, Ananda, my mind did not incline, was not appeased, did not settle, was not liberated in the state without applied thought, seeing this as peaceful. And, Ānanda, this occurred to me: ‘What now is the cause, what the reason, whereby my mind does not leap forth, does not become serene, does not settle, does not become liberated in the non-discursive, seeing it as peaceful?’ Then, Ānanda, this occurred to me: ‘Indeed, the danger in discursive thought was not seen by me, and it was not made much of by me; and the benefit in non-discursive thought was not attained by me, and it was not cultivated by me. Therefore, my mind does not leap forth, does not become serene, does not settle, does not become liberated in the non-discursive, seeing it as peaceful.’ Then, Ānanda, this occurred to me: ‘If indeed I, having seen the danger in discursive thought, were to make much of it, and having attained the benefit in non-discursive thought, were to cultivate it, then it is possible that my mind would leap forth, would become serene, would settle, would become liberated in the non-discursive, seeing it as peaceful.’ So then, Ānanda, at a later time, having seen the danger in discursive thought, I made much of it; and having attained the benefit in non-discursive thought, I cultivated it. Then, Ānanda, my mind leaped forth, became serene, settled, became liberated in the non-discursive, seeing it as peaceful. So then, Ānanda, with the calming of discursive and investigative thought… I entered and remained in the second jhāna. As I, Ānanda, was dwelling in this dwelling, perceptions and mental formations accompanied by discursive thought arose in me. And that was a disturbance to me. Just as, Ānanda, for one who is happy, suffering might arise just for the sake of disturbance; even so, for me, perceptions and mental formations accompanied by discursive thought arose. And that was a disturbance to me. Then, Ānanda, this occurred to me: ‘What if I, with the fading of rapture, were to dwell in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experience happiness with the body, that which the Noble Ones declare: “He dwells in equanimity, mindful, happily” – and enter and remain in the third jhāna?’ Then, Ānanda, my mind did not leap forth, did not become serene, did not settle, did not become liberated in the absence of rapture, seeing it as peaceful. To me, Ananda, this occurred: ‘What now is the cause, what the condition, by which my mind in the non-delightful does not leap forth, does not become clear, does not settle, does not become liberated, seeing this as peaceful?’ To me, Ananda, this occurred: ‘Indeed, the danger in delight was not seen by me, and it was not made much of by me; and the benefit in the non-delightful was not attained by me, and it was not cultivated by me. Therefore, my mind in the non-delightful does not leap forth, does not become clear, does not settle, does not become liberated, seeing this as peaceful.’ To me, Ananda, this occurred: ‘If indeed I, having seen the danger in delight, were to make it much of; having attained the benefit in the non-delightful, were to cultivate it; then it is possible that my mind in the non-delightful would leap forth, would become clear, would settle, would become liberated, seeing this as peaceful.’ So indeed I, Ananda, at a later time, having seen the danger in delight, made it much of; having attained the benefit in the non-delightful, cultivated it. My mind, Ananda, in the non-delightful leaps forth, becomes clear, settles, becomes liberated, seeing this as peaceful. So indeed I, Ananda, with the fading of delight… (etc.) having entered and remained in the third jhana. To me, Ananda, dwelling in this dwelling, perceptions and mental formations associated with delight arose. And that was an affliction for me. Just as, Ananda, for one who is happy, suffering might arise just for affliction; even so, for me, perceptions and mental formations associated with delight arose. And that was an affliction for me. ‘‘To me, Ananda, this occurred: ‘What if I, with the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain, and with the prior passing away of joy and sorrow, were to enter and remain in the fourth jhana, which is neither painful nor pleasant, and is purified by equanimity and mindfulness?’ My mind, Ananda, in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant does not leap forth, does not become clear, does not settle, does not become liberated, seeing this as peaceful. To me, Ananda, this occurred: Then I thought: 'What is the cause, what is the reason, that my mind does not incline, does not become clear, does not settle, does not become liberated in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant, seeing it as peaceful?' Then, Ananda, this occurred to me: 'The danger in equanimous pleasure I have not seen, and I have not made it abundant; and the benefit in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant I have not attained, and I have not cultivated it. Therefore my mind does not incline, does not become clear, does not settle, does not become liberated in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant, seeing it as peaceful.' Then, Ananda, this occurred to me: 'If I were to see the danger in equanimous pleasure and make it abundant, and having attained the benefit in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant, were to cultivate it, it is possible that my mind would incline, would become clear, would settle, would become liberated in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant, seeing it as peaceful.' So then, Ananda, at a later time, having seen the danger in equanimous pleasure, I made it abundant; having attained the benefit in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant, I cultivated it. Then, Ananda, my mind inclined, became clear, settled, became liberated in the neither-painful-nor-pleasant, seeing it as peaceful. So then, Ananda, with the abandoning of pleasure... I entered and remained in the fourth jhana. As I, Ananda, was dwelling with this dwelling, perceptions and mental formations associated with equanimity arose in me. This was an affliction for me. Just as, Ananda, pain might arise for one who is happy, solely for the sake of affliction; even so, perceptions and mental formations associated with equanimity arose in me. This was an affliction for me. Then, Ananda, this occurred to me: 'What if I, by completely transcending perceptions of form, by the disappearance of perceptions of sensory impact, by not attending to perceptions of diversity, (thinking) "Space is infinite," were to enter and remain in the sphere of infinite space?' Then, Ananda, my mind did not incline, did not become clear, did not settle, did not become liberated in the sphere of infinite space, seeing it as peaceful. Then It occurred to me, Ānanda: ‘What now is the cause, what the reason, why my mind does not incline towards, does not become clear, does not settle, does not become liberated when seeing this as peaceful, in the sphere of infinite space?’ Then it occurred to me, Ānanda: ‘Indeed, the danger in forms was not seen by me, and it was not made much of,