Vesālīsutta

Saṁyutta Nikāya 54.9

Linked Discourses 54.9

1. Ekadhammavagga

1. One Thing

Vesālīsutta

At Vesālī

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—

So I have heard.

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof.

Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā bhikkhūnaṁ anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati.

Now at that time the Buddha spoke in many ways to the mendicants about the meditation on ugliness. He praised the meditation on ugliness and its development.

Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

Then the Buddha said to the mendicants,

“icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, aḍḍhamāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ.

“Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for a fortnight.

Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā”ti.

No-one should approach me, except the one who brings my almsfood.”

“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.

“Yes, sir,” replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except the one who brought the almsfood.

Atha kho te bhikkhū:

Then those mendicants thought,

“bhagavā anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī”ti anekākāravokāraṁ asubhabhāvanānuyogamanuyuttā viharanti.

“The Buddha spoke in many ways about the meditation on ugliness. He praised the meditation on ugliness and its development.” They committed themselves to developing the many different facets of the meditation on ugliness.

Te iminā kāyena aṭṭīyamānā harāyamānā jigucchamānā satthahārakaṁ pariyesanti.

Becoming horrified, repelled, and disgusted with this body, they looked for a suicide weapon.

Dasapi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti, vīsampi …pe… tiṁsampi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti.

Each day ten, twenty, or thirty mendicants committed suicide.

Atha kho bhagavā tassa aḍḍhamāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ āmantesi:

Then after a fortnight had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed Ānanda,

“kiṁ nu kho, ānanda, tanubhūto viya bhikkhusaṅgho”ti?

“Ānanda, why does the mendicant Saṅgha seem so diminished?”

“Tathā hi pana, bhante, ‘bhagavā bhikkhūnaṁ anekapariyāyena asubhakathaṁ katheti, asubhāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsati, asubhabhāvanāya vaṇṇaṁ bhāsatī’ti anekākāravokāraṁ asubhabhāvanānuyogamanuyuttā viharanti.

Ānanda told the Buddha all that had happened, and said,

Te iminā kāyena aṭṭīyamānā harāyamānā jigucchamānā satthahārakaṁ pariyesanti.

Dasapi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti, vīsampi bhikkhū … tiṁsampi bhikkhū ekāhena satthaṁ āharanti.

Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā aññaṁ pariyāyaṁ ācikkhatu yathāyaṁ bhikkhusaṅgho aññāya saṇṭhaheyyā”ti.

“Sir, please explain another way the mendicant Saṅgha might be settled in enlightenment.”

“Tenahānanda, yāvatikā bhikkhū vesāliṁ upanissāya viharanti te sabbe upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannipātehī”ti.

“Well then, Ānanda, gather all the mendicants staying in the vicinity of Vesālī together in the assembly hall.”

“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paṭissutvā yāvatikā bhikkhū vesāliṁ upanissāya viharanti te sabbe upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ sannipātetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Yes, sir,” replied Ānanda. He did what the Buddha asked, went up to him, and said,

“sannipatito, bhante, bhikkhusaṅgho.

“Sir, the mendicant Saṅgha has assembled.

Yassadāni, bhante, bhagavā kālaṁ maññatī”ti.

Please, sir, come at your convenience.”

Atha kho bhagavā yena upaṭṭhānasālā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi.

Then the Buddha went to the assembly hall, sat down on the seat spread out,

Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

and addressed the mendicants:

“ayampi kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti.

“Mendicants, when this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it’s peaceful and sublime, a delectable and blissful meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gimhānaṁ pacchime māse ūhataṁ rajojallaṁ, tamenaṁ mahāakālamegho ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti;

In the last month of summer, when the dust and dirt is stirred up, a large storm out of season disperses and settles it on the spot.

evameva kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti.

In the same way, when this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it’s peaceful and sublime, a delectable and blissful meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.

Kathaṁ bhāvito ca, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi kathaṁ bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasameti?

And how is it so developed and cultivated?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā nisīdati pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā.

It’s when a mendicant—gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut—sits down cross-legged, sets their body straight, and brings mindfulness to the present.

So satova assasati, satova passasati …pe…

Just mindful, they breathe in. Mindful, they breathe out. …

‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati.

They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’

Evaṁ bhāvito kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassatisamādhi evaṁ bahulīkato santo ceva paṇīto ca asecanako ca sukho ca vihāro uppannuppanne ca pāpake akusale dhamme ṭhānaso antaradhāpeti vūpasametī”ti.

That’s how this immersion due to mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated so that it’s peaceful and sublime, a delectable and blissful meditation. And it disperses and settles unskillful qualities on the spot whenever they arise.”

Navamaṁ.