AN 7.71

Bhāvanāsutta

“Bhāvanaṁ ananuyuttassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa neva anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Abhāvitattā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa abhāvitattā? Catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ, catunnaṁ sammappadhānānaṁ, catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ, pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ, pañcannaṁ balānaṁ, sattannaṁ bojjhaṅgānaṁ, ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

Committed to Development

“Mendicants, when a mendicant is not committed to development, they might wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is not freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they’re undeveloped.’ Undeveloped in what? The four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni aṭṭha vā dasa vā dvādasa vā. Tānassu kukkuṭiyā na sammā adhisayitāni, na sammā pariseditāni, na sammā paribhāvitāni. Kiñcāpi tassā kukkuṭiyā evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjeyyun’ti, atha kho abhabbāva te kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjituṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni na sammā adhisayitāni, na sammā pariseditāni, na sammā paribhāvitāni. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanaṁ ananuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa neva anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Abhāvitattā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa abhāvitattā? Catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ, catunnaṁ sammappadhānānaṁ, catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ, pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ, pañcannaṁ balānaṁ, sattannaṁ bojjhaṅgānaṁ, ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

Suppose there was a chicken with eight or ten or twelve eggs. But she had not properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. Even if that chicken might wish: ‘If only my chicks could break out of the eggshell with their claws and beak and hatch safely!’ Still they can’t break out and hatch safely. Why is that? Because she has not properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. In the same way, when a mendicant is not committed to development, they might wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is not freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they’re undeveloped.’ Undeveloped in what? The four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Bhāvanaṁ anuyuttassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi na evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Bhāvitattā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa bhāvitattā? Catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ, catunnaṁ sammappadhānānaṁ, catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ, pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ, pañcannaṁ balānaṁ, sattannaṁ bojjhaṅgānaṁ, ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

When a mendicant is committed to development, they might not wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they are developed.’ Developed in what? The four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni aṭṭha vā dasa vā dvādasa vā. Tānassu kukkuṭiyā sammā adhisayitāni, sammā pariseditāni, sammā paribhāvitāni. Kiñcāpi tassā kukkuṭiyā na evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjeyyun’ti, atha kho bhabbāva te kukkuṭapotakā pādanakhasikhāya vā mukhatuṇḍakena vā aṇḍakosaṁ padāletvā sotthinā abhinibbhijjituṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Tathā hi, bhikkhave, kukkuṭiyā aṇḍāni sammā adhisayitāni, sammā pariseditāni, sammā paribhāvitāni. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanaṁ anuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi na evaṁ icchā uppajjeyya: ‘aho vata me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucceyyā’ti, atha khvassa anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati. Taṁ kissa hetu? ‘Bhāvitattā’tissa vacanīyaṁ. Kissa bhāvitattā? Catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ …pe… ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa.

Suppose there was a chicken with eight or ten or twelve eggs. And she properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. Even if that chicken doesn’t wish: ‘If only my chicks could break out of the eggshell with their claws and beak and hatch safely!’ Still they can break out and hatch safely. Why is that? Because she properly sat on them to keep them warm and incubated. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development, they might not wish: ‘If only my mind were freed from the defilements by not grasping!’ Even so, their mind is freed from defilements by not grasping. Why is that? You should say: ‘It’s because they are developed.’ Developed in what? The four kinds of mindfulness meditation, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven awakening factors, and the noble eightfold path.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, phalagaṇḍassa vā phalagaṇḍantevāsikassa vā dissanteva vāsijaṭe aṅgulipadāni dissati aṅguṭṭhapadaṁ. No ca khvassa evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘ettakaṁ me ajja vāsijaṭassa khīṇaṁ, ettakaṁ hiyyo, ettakaṁ pare’ti, atha khvassa khīṇe ‘khīṇan’teva ñāṇaṁ hoti. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanaṁ anuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato kiñcāpi na evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘ettakaṁ me ajja āsavānaṁ khīṇaṁ, ettakaṁ hiyyo, ettakaṁ pare’ti, atha khvassa khīṇe ‘khīṇan’teva ñāṇaṁ hoti.

Suppose a mason or their apprentice sees the marks of his fingers and thumb on the handle of his adze. They don’t know how much of the handle was worn away today, how much yesterday, and how much previously. They just know what has been worn away. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development, they don’t know how much of the defilements were worn away today, how much yesterday, and how much previously. They just know what has been worn away.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, sāmuddikāya nāvāya vettabandhanabaddhāya cha māsāni udake pariyādāya hemantikena thale ukkhittāya vātātapaparetāni bandhanāni, tāni pāvussakena meghena abhippavuṭṭhāni appakasireneva parihāyanti, pūtikāni bhavanti. Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhāvanaṁ anuyuttassa bhikkhuno viharato appakasireneva saṁyojanāni paṭippassambhanti, pūtikāni bhavantī”ti.

Suppose there was a sea-faring ship bound together with ropes. For six months they deteriorated in the water. Then in the cold season it was hauled up on dry land, where the ropes were weathered by wind and sun. When the monsoon clouds soaked it with rain, the ropes would readily collapse and rot away. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development their fetters readily collapse and rot away.”