SN 54.12

Kaṅkheyyasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo sakkesu viharati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme. Atha kho mahānāmo sakko yenāyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahānāmo sakko āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ etadavoca: “so eva nu kho, bhante, sekho vihāro so tathāgatavihāro, udāhu aññova sekho vihāro añño tathāgatavihāro”ti?

In Doubt

At one time Venerable Lomasakaṅgiya was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery. Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went up to Venerable Lomasakaṅgiya, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, “Sir, is the meditation of a trainee just the same as the meditation of a realized one? Or is the meditation of a trainee different from the meditation of a realized one?”

“Na kho, āvuso mahānāma, sveva sekho vihāro, so tathāgatavihāro. Añño kho, āvuso mahānāma, sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro. Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, te pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya viharanti. Katame pañca? Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahāya viharanti, byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ …pe… thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ … uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ … vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahāya viharanti.

“Reverend Mahānāma, the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are not the same; they are different. Those mendicants who are trainees haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring for the supreme sanctuary from the yoke. They meditate after giving up the five hindrances. What five? The hindrances of sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt.

Yepi te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, te ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya viharanti.

Those who are trainee mendicants … meditate after giving up the five hindrances.

Ye ca kho te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Katame pañca? Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ; byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ …pe… thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ … uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ … vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ.

Those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—for them, the five hindrances are cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future. What five? The hindrances of sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt.

Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ime pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. Tadamināpetaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā— aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro.

Those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements … for them, the five hindrances are cut off at the root … and unable to arise in the future. And here’s another way to understand how the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are different.

Ekamidaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, samayaṁ bhagavā icchānaṅgale viharati icchānaṅgalavanasaṇḍe. Tatra kho, āvuso mahānāma, bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: ‘icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, temāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ. Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā’ti. ‘Evaṁ, bhante’ti kho, āvuso mahānāma, te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.

At one time the Buddha was staying in a forest near Icchānaṅgala. There he addressed the mendicants, ‘Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for three months. No-one should approach me, except the one who brings my almsfood.’ ‘Yes, sir,’ replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except the one who brought the almsfood.

Atha kho, āvuso, bhagavā tassa temāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito bhikkhū āmantesi: ‘sace kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: “katamenāvuso, vihārena samaṇo gotamo vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī”ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha: “ānāpānassatisamādhinā kho, āvuso, bhagavā vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī”’ti. Idhāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sato assasāmi, sato passasāmi. Dīghaṁ assasanto dīghaṁ assasāmīti pajānāmi, dīghaṁ passasanto dīghaṁ passasāmīti pajānāmi …pe… paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmīti pajānāmi, paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmīti pajānāmi.

Then after three months had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed the mendicants: ‘Mendicants, if wanderers who follow another religion were to ask you: “Reverends, what was the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence?” You should answer them like this: “Reverends, the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence was immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.” In this regard: mindful, I breathe in. Mindful, I breathe out. Breathing in heavily I know: “I’m breathing in heavily.” Breathing out heavily I know: “I’m breathing out heavily.” … I know: “I’ll breathe in observing letting go.” I know: “I’ll breathe out observing letting go.”

Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya— ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi. Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya— ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi.

For if anything should be rightly called “noble meditation”, or else “divine meditation”, or else “a realized one’s meditation”, it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.

Ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato āsavānaṁ khayāya saṁvattati.

For those mendicants who are trainees—who haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring for the supreme sanctuary from the yoke—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to the ending of defilements.

Ye ca kho te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārāya ceva saṁvattati satisampajaññāya ca.

For those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to blissful meditation in this very life, and to mindfulness and awareness.

Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya— ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi. Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya— ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipīti. Iminā kho etaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ, yathā— aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro”ti.

For if anything should be rightly called “noble meditation”, or else “divine meditation”, or else “a realized one’s meditation”, it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.’ This is another way to understand how the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are different.”