SN 46.30

Udāyisutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sumbhesu viharati setakaṁ nāma sumbhānaṁ nigamo. Atha kho āyasmā udāyī yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā udāyī bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

With Udāyī

At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Sumbhas, near the town of the Sumbhas named Sedaka. Then Venerable Udāyī went up to the Buddha … and said to him:

“Acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Yāva bahukatañca me, bhante, bhagavati pemañca gāravo ca hirī ca ottappañca. Ahañhi, bhante, pubbe agārikabhūto samāno abahukato ahosiṁ dhammena abahukato saṅghena. So khvāhaṁ bhagavati pemañca gāravañca hiriñca ottappañca sampassamāno agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito. Tassa me bhagavā dhammaṁ desesi: ‘iti rūpaṁ, iti rūpassa samudayo, iti rūpassa atthaṅgamo; iti vedanā …pe… iti saññā … iti saṅkhārā … iti viññāṇaṁ, iti viññāṇassa samudayo, iti viññāṇassa atthaṅgamo’ti.

“It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing! How helpful my fondness and respect for the Buddha have been, and my sense of conscience and prudence. For when I was still a layman, I wasn’t helped much by the teaching or the Saṅgha. But when I considered my fondness and respect for the Buddha, and my sense of conscience and prudence, I went forth from the lay life to homelessness. The Buddha taught me the Dhamma: ‘Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the disappearance of form. Such is feeling … Such is perception … Such are choices … Such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the disappearance of consciousness.’

So khvāhaṁ, bhante, suññāgāragato imesaṁ pañcupādānakkhandhānaṁ ukkujjāvakujjaṁ samparivattento ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ, ‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ. Dhammo ca me, bhante, abhisamito, maggo ca me paṭiladdho; yo me bhāvito bahulīkato tathā tathā viharantaṁ tathattāya upanessati yathāhaṁ: ‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānissāmi.

Then, while staying in an empty hut, I followed the churning of the five grasping aggregates. I truly understood: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. I comprehended the teaching, sir, I acquired the path. This, when developed and cultivated by me meditating in just such a way, will bring me to such a state that I will 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.’

Satisambojjhaṅgo me, bhante, paṭiladdho, yo me bhāvito bahulīkato tathā tathā viharantaṁ tathattāya upanessati yathāhaṁ: ‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānissāmi …pe… upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo me, bhante, paṭiladdho, yo me bhāvito bahulīkato tathā tathā viharantaṁ tathattāya upanessati yathāhaṁ: ‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānissāmi. Ayaṁ kho me, bhante, maggo paṭiladdho, yo me bhāvito bahulīkato tathā tathā viharantaṁ tathattāya upanessati yathāhaṁ: ‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānissāmī”ti.

I acquired the awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity. Each of these, when developed and cultivated by me meditating in just such a way, will bring me to such a state that I will 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.’ This is the path that I acquired which, when developed and cultivated by me meditating in just such a way, will bring me to such a state that I will 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.’”

“Sādhu sādhu, udāyi. Eso hi te, udāyi, maggo paṭiladdho, yo te bhāvito bahulīkato tathā tathā viharantaṁ tathattāya upanessati yathā tvaṁ: ‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānissasī”ti.

“Good, good, Udāyī! For that is indeed the path that you acquired which, when developed and cultivated by you meditating in just such a way, will bring you to such a state that you will 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.’”