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B0102041001ānisaṃsavaggo (benefit chapter)

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the knowledge and vision of liberation is complete. Just as, friends, a tree with branches and leaves complete. Its outer bark reaches fulfillment, its inner bark… its sapwood… its heartwood reaches fulfillment. Even so, friends, for one who is virtuous, whose virtue is complete, the condition for non-remorse is complete; when there is non-remorse, for one whose non-remorse is complete, the condition for… (and so on)… the knowledge and vision of liberation is complete. The Fourth. 5. The Third Sutta on Condition There, indeed, Venerable Ānanda addressed the bhikkhus: “For one who is immoral, friends, whose virtue is corrupted, the condition for non-remorse is destroyed; when there is no non-remorse, for one whose non-remorse is corrupted, the condition for joy is destroyed; when there is no joy, for one whose joy is corrupted, the condition for rapture is destroyed; when there is no rapture, for one whose rapture is corrupted, the condition for tranquility is destroyed; when there is no tranquility, for one whose tranquility is corrupted, the condition for happiness is destroyed; when there is no happiness, for one whose happiness is corrupted, the condition for right concentration is destroyed; when there is no right concentration, for one whose right concentration is corrupted, the condition for knowledge and vision of things as they are is destroyed; when there is no knowledge and vision of things as they are, for one whose knowledge and vision of things as they are is corrupted, the condition for disenchantment and dispassion is destroyed; when there is no disenchantment and dispassion, for one whose disenchantment and dispassion is corrupted, the condition for the knowledge and vision of liberation is destroyed. Just as, friends, a tree with branches and leaves corrupted. Its outer bark does not reach fulfillment, its inner bark… its sapwood… its heartwood does not reach fulfillment. Even so, friends, for one who is immoral, whose virtue is corrupted, For the fallen, non-remorse is the cause of destruction. When non-remorse is not, for one fallen from non-remorse, the cause of destruction is... ...knowledge and vision of liberation. Friends, for one who is virtuous, endowed with virtue, non-remorse is endowed as a proximate cause. When non-remorse is, for one endowed with non-remorse, joy is endowed as a proximate cause. When joy is, for one endowed with joy, rapture is endowed as a proximate cause. When rapture is, for one endowed with rapture, tranquility is endowed as a proximate cause. When tranquility is, for one endowed with tranquility, happiness is endowed as a proximate cause. When happiness is, for one endowed with happiness, right concentration is endowed as a proximate cause. When right concentration is, for one endowed with right concentration, knowledge and vision of things as they are is endowed as a proximate cause. When knowledge and vision of things as they are is, for one endowed with knowledge and vision of things as they are, disenchantment and dispassion are endowed as a proximate cause. When disenchantment and dispassion are, for one endowed with disenchantment and dispassion, knowledge and vision of liberation is endowed as a proximate cause. Just as, friends, a tree endowed with branches and leaves. Its bark also comes to full growth, its inner bark also... its sapwood also... its heartwood also comes to full growth. Even so, friends, for one who is virtuous, endowed with virtue, non-remorse is endowed as a proximate cause. When non-remorse is, for one endowed with non-remorse, it is endowed as a proximate cause... ...knowledge and vision of liberation. Fifth. 6. The Discourse on Concentration Then indeed, Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One... ...and having sat down to one side, Venerable Ānanda said this to the Blessed One: "Is it possible, Venerable Sir, for a monk to attain such a concentration that he would not perceive earth in earth, nor perceive water in water, nor perceive fire in fire, nor perceive air in air, nor perceive the dimension of infinite space in the dimension of infinite space, nor perceive the dimension of infinite consciousness in the dimension of infinite consciousness, nor perceive the dimension of nothingness in the dimension of nothingness..." (Would he) perceive the dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness, not perceive the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception as the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, not perceive this world as this world, not perceive the other world as the other world; but still be percipient? “It is possible, Ananda, for a monk to attain such a concentration whereby he would not perceive earth as earth, not perceive water as water, not perceive fire as fire, not perceive air as air, not perceive the dimension of infinite space as the dimension of infinite space, not perceive the dimension of infinite consciousness as the dimension of infinite consciousness, not perceive the dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness, not perceive the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception as the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, not perceive this world as this world, not perceive the other world as the other world; but still be percipient.” “How then, Venerable Sir, is it possible for a monk to attain such a concentration whereby he would not perceive earth as earth, not perceive water as water, not perceive fire as fire, not perceive air as air, not perceive the dimension of infinite space as the dimension of infinite space, not perceive the dimension of infinite consciousness as the dimension of infinite consciousness, not perceive the dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness, not perceive the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception as the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, not perceive this world as this world, not perceive the other world as the other world; but still be percipient?” “Here, Ananda, a monk perceives thus: ‘This is peaceful, this is sublime, namely: the calming of all fabrications, the relinquishing of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbana.’ Thus, Ananda, it is possible for a monk to attain such a concentration whereby he would not perceive earth as earth, not perceive water as water, not perceive fire as fire, not perceive air as air, not perceive the dimension of infinite space as the dimension of infinite space, not perceive the dimension of infinite consciousness as the dimension of infinite consciousness, not perceive the dimension of nothingness as the dimension of nothingness, not perceive the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception as the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, not perceive this world as this world, not perceive the other world as the other world." he would be; nor would he perceive the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception as the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, nor would he perceive this world as this world, nor would he perceive the other world as the other world; yet he would be perceiving. The Sixth. 7. The Discourse on Sāriputta 7. Then indeed the venerable Ānanda approached where the venerable Sāriputta was; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the venerable Sāriputta. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the venerable Ānanda said this to the venerable Sāriputta: "Is it possible, friend Sāriputta, for a bhikkhu to attain such a concentration that he would not perceive earth as earth, nor water as water, nor fire as fire, nor wind as wind, nor the sphere of infinite space as the sphere of infinite space, nor the sphere of infinite consciousness as the sphere of infinite consciousness, nor the sphere of nothingness as the sphere of nothingness, nor the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception as the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, nor this world as this world, nor the other world as the other world; yet he would be perceiving?" "It is possible, friend Ānanda, for a bhikkhu to attain such a concentration that he would not perceive earth as earth, nor water as water, nor fire as fire, nor wind as wind, nor the sphere of infinite space as the sphere of infinite space, nor the sphere of infinite consciousness as the sphere of infinite consciousness, nor the sphere of nothingness as the sphere of nothingness, nor the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception as the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, nor this world as this world, nor the other world as the other world; yet he would be perceiving." "But how, friend Sāriputta, is it possible for a bhikkhu to attain such a concentration that he would not perceive earth as earth, nor water as water, nor fire as fire, nor wind as wind, nor the sphere of infinite space as the sphere of infinite space, nor the sphere of infinite consciousness as the sphere of infinite consciousness, nor the sphere of nothingness as the sphere of nothingness, nor the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception as the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, nor this world as this world, nor the other world as the other world; yet he would be perceiving?" "Once, friend Ānanda, I was dwelling right here in Sāvatthī, in the Andhavana. There I entered such a concentration that I did not perceive earth as earth, nor water as water, nor fire as fire, nor wind as wind, nor the sphere of infinite space as the sphere of infinite space, nor the sphere of infinite consciousness as the sphere of infinite consciousness, I was not perceiving the base of infinite space as the base of infinite space, I was not perceiving the base of infinite consciousness as the base of infinite consciousness, I was not perceiving the base of nothingness as the base of nothingness,