AN 9.26

Silāyūpasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca candikāputto rājagahe viharanti veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tatra kho āyasmā candikāputto bhikkhū āmantesi (…): “devadatto, āvuso, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.

The Simile of the Stone Post

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. There Venerable Candikāputta addressed the mendicants, “Reverends, Devadatta teaches the mendicants like this: ‘When a mendicant’s mind is solidified by heart, it’s appropriate for them to say: “I understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’”’”

Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ candikāputtaṁ etadavoca: “na kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti. Evañca kho, āvuso, candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.

When he said this, Venerable Sāriputta said to him, “Reverend Candikāputta, Devadatta does not teach the mendicants like that. He teaches like this: ‘When a mendicant’s mind is well consolidated by heart, it’s appropriate for them to say: “I understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’”’”

Dutiyampi kho āyasmā candikāputto bhikkhū āmantesi: “devadatto, āvuso, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti. Dutiyampi kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ candikāputtaṁ etadavoca: “na kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti. Evañca kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti.

For a second time …

Tatiyampi kho āyasmā candikāputto bhikkhū āmantesi: “devadatto, āvuso, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’”ti. Tatiyampi kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ candikāputtaṁ etadavoca: “na kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā citaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti. Evañca kho, āvuso candikāputta, devadatto bhikkhūnaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘yato kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti, tassetaṁ bhikkhuno kallaṁ veyyākaraṇāya— khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti.

And for a third time Venerable Candikāputta addressed the mendicants … And for a third time, Sāriputta said to him, “Reverend Candikāputta, Devadatta does not teach the mendicants like that. He teaches like this: ‘When a mendicant’s mind is well consolidated by heart, it’s appropriate for them to say: “I understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’”’

Kathañca, āvuso, bhikkhuno cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti? ‘Vītarāgaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘vītadosaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘vītamohaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘asarāgadhammaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘asadosadhammaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘asamohadhammaṁ me cittan’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘anāvattidhammaṁ me cittaṁ kāmabhavāyā’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘anāvattidhammaṁ me cittaṁ rūpabhavāyā’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti; ‘anāvattidhammaṁ me cittaṁ arūpabhavāyā’ti cetasā cittaṁ suparicitaṁ hoti. Evaṁ sammā vimuttacittassa kho, āvuso, bhikkhuno bhusā cepi cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā cakkhussa āpāthaṁ āgacchanti, nevassa cittaṁ pariyādiyanti; amissīkatamevassa cittaṁ hoti ṭhitaṁ āneñjappattaṁ, vayaṁ cassānupassati.

And how is a mendicant’s mind well consolidated by heart? The mind is well consolidated by heart when they know: ‘My mind is without greed.’ … ‘My mind is without hate.’ … ‘My mind is without delusion.’ … ‘My mind is not liable to become greedy.’ … ‘My mind is not liable to become hateful.’ … ‘My mind is not liable to become deluded.’ … ‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the sensual realm.’ … ‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the realm of luminous form.’ … ‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the formless realm.’ When a mendicant’s mind is rightly freed like this, even if compelling sights come into the range of vision they don’t occupy their mind. Their mind is quite untainted. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.

Seyyathāpi, āvuso, silāyūpo soḷasakukkuko. Tassassu aṭṭha kukkū heṭṭhā nemaṅgamā, aṭṭha kukkū upari nemassa. Atha puratthimāya cepi disāya āgaccheyya bhusā vātavuṭṭhi, neva naṁ saṅkampeyya na sampavedheyya; atha pacchimāya … atha uttarāya … atha dakkhiṇāya cepi disāya āgaccheyya bhusā vātavuṭṭhi, neva naṁ saṅkampeyya na sampavedheyya. Taṁ kissa hetu? Gambhīrattā, āvuso, nemassa, sunikhātattā silāyūpassa. Evamevaṁ kho, āvuso, sammā vimuttacittassa bhikkhuno bhusā cepi cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā cakkhussa āpāthaṁ āgacchanti, nevassa cittaṁ pariyādiyanti; amissīkatamevassa cittaṁ hoti ṭhitaṁ āneñjappattaṁ, vayaṁ cassānupassati.

Suppose there was a stone post, sixteen feet long. Eight feet were buried underground, and eight above ground. And violent storms were to blow up out of the east, the west, the north, and the south. They couldn’t make it tremor and tremble and quake. Why is that? It’s because that stone post is firmly embedded, with deep foundations. In the same way, when a mendicant’s mind is rightly freed like this, even if compelling sights come into the range of vision they don’t occupy their mind. Their mind is quite untainted. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.

Bhusā cepi sotaviññeyyā saddā … ghānaviññeyyā gandhā … jivhāviññeyyā rasā … kāyaviññeyyā phoṭṭhabbā … manoviññeyyā dhammā manassa āpāthaṁ āgacchanti, nevassa cittaṁ pariyādiyanti; amissīkatamevassa cittaṁ hoti ṭhitaṁ āneñjappattaṁ, vayaṁ cassānupassatī”ti.

If even compelling sounds … smells … tastes … touches … and ideas come into the range of the mind they don’t occupy the mind. Their mind is quite untainted. It is steady, imperturbable, observing disappearance.”