Sāmugiyasutta

Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.194

Numbered Discourses 4.194

20. Mahāvagga

20. The Great Chapter

Sāmugiyasutta

At Sāpūga

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ānando koliyesu viharati sāmugaṁ nāma koliyānaṁ nigamo.

At one time Venerable Ānanda was staying in the land of the Koliyans, where they have a town named Sāpūga.

Atha kho sambahulā sāmugiyā koliyaputtā yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinne kho te sāmugiye koliyaputte āyasmā ānando etadavoca:

Then several Koliyans from Sāpūga went up to Ānanda, bowed, and sat down to one side. Then Venerable Ānanda said to them:

“Cattārimāni, byagghapajjā, pārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgāni tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātāni sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya.

“Byagghapajjas, these four factors of trying to be pure have been rightly explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. They are in order to purify sentient beings, to get past sorrow and crying, to make an end of pain and sadness, to discover the system, and to realize extinguishment.

Katamāni cattāri?

What four?

Sīlapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ, cittapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ, diṭṭhipārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ, vimuttipārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ.

The factors of trying to be pure in ethics, mind, view, and freedom.

Katamañca, byagghapajjā, sīlapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ?

And what is the factor of trying to be pure in ethics?

Idha, byagghapajjā, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti …pe… samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu.

It’s when a mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken.

Ayaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, sīlapārisuddhi.

This is called purity of ethics.

Iti evarūpiṁ sīlapārisuddhiṁ aparipūraṁ vā paripūressāmi paripūraṁ vā tattha tattha paññāya anuggahessāmīti, yo tattha chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca, idaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, sīlapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ.

They think: ‘I will fulfill such purity of ethics, or, if it’s already fulfilled, I’ll support it in every situation by wisdom.’ Their enthusiasm for that—their effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness—is called the factor of trying to be pure in ethics.

Katamañca, byagghapajjā, cittapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ?

And what is the factor of trying to be pure in mind?

Idha, byagghapajjā, bhikkhu vivicceva kāmehi …pe… catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.

It’s when a mendicant, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.

Ayaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, cittapārisuddhi.

This is called purity of mind.

Iti evarūpiṁ cittapārisuddhiṁ aparipūraṁ vā paripūressāmi paripūraṁ vā tattha tattha paññāya anuggahessāmīti, yo tattha chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca, idaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, cittapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ.

They think: ‘I will fulfill such purity of mind, or, if it’s already fulfilled, I’ll support it in every situation by wisdom.’ Their enthusiasm for that—their effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness—is called the factor of trying to be pure in mind.

Katamañca, byagghapajjā, diṭṭhipārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ?

And what is the factor of trying to be pure in view?

Idha, byagghapajjā, bhikkhu ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti …pe… ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti.

Take a mendicant who truly understands: ‘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’.

Ayaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, diṭṭhipārisuddhi.

This is called purity of view.

Iti evarūpiṁ diṭṭhipārisuddhiṁ aparipūraṁ vā …pe… tattha tattha paññāya anuggahessāmīti, yo tattha chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca, idaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, diṭṭhipārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ.

They think: ‘I will fulfill such purity of view, or, if it’s already fulfilled, I’ll support it in every situation by wisdom.’ Their enthusiasm for that—their effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness—is called the factor of trying to be pure in view.

Katamañca, byagghapajjā, vimuttipārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ?

And what is the factor of trying to be pure in freedom?

Sa kho so, byagghapajjā, ariyasāvako iminā ca sīlapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgena samannāgato iminā ca cittapārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgena samannāgato iminā ca diṭṭhipārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgena samannāgato rajanīyesu dhammesu cittaṁ virājeti, vimocanīyesu dhammesu cittaṁ vimoceti.

That noble disciple—who has these factors of trying to be pure in ethics, mind, and view—detaches their mind from things that arouse greed, and frees their mind from things that it should be freed from.

So rajanīyesu dhammesu cittaṁ virājetvā, vimocanīyesu dhammesu cittaṁ vimocetvā sammāvimuttiṁ phusati.

Doing so, they experience perfect freedom.

Ayaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, vimuttipārisuddhi.

This is called purity of freedom.

Iti evarūpiṁ vimuttipārisuddhiṁ aparipūraṁ vā paripūressāmi paripūraṁ vā tattha tattha paññāya anuggahessāmīti, yo tattha chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca, idaṁ vuccati, byagghapajjā, vimuttipārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgaṁ.

They think: ‘I will fulfill such purity of freedom, or, if it’s already fulfilled, I’ll support it in every situation by wisdom.’ Their enthusiasm for that—their effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness—is called the factor of trying to be pure in freedom.

Imāni kho, byagghapajjā, cattāri pārisuddhipadhāniyaṅgāni tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātāni sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti.

These four factors of trying to be pure have been rightly explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. They are in order to purify sentient beings, to get past sorrow and crying, to make an end of pain and sadness, to discover the system, and to realize extinguishment.”

Catutthaṁ.