The Discourse to the Man from Aṭṭhakanāgara

Thus I have heard:

At one time the Venerable Ānanda was dwelling at Vesālī in the village of Beluva.

Now at that time the householder Dasama from Aṭṭhakanāgara had arrived in Pāṭaliputta on some business.

Then Dasama the householder from Aṭṭhakanāgara went to the Kukkuṭa Monastery to see a certain disciple. Having approached, he paid homage to that disciple and sat down to one side.

Sitting to one side, Dasama the householder from Aṭṭhakanāgara said to that disciple:

Where, venerable sir, is the Venerable Ānanda dwelling at present?

For we wish to see the Venerable Ānanda.

Householder, the Venerable Ānanda is dwelling at Vesālī, in the village of Beluva.

Then Dasama the householder from Aṭṭhakanāgara, having completed that business in Pāṭaliputta, went to Vesālī, to the village of Beluva, and to the Venerable Ānanda. Having approached, he paid homage to the Venerable Ānanda and sat down to one side.

Sitting to one side, Dasama the householder from Aṭṭhakanāgara said to the Venerable Ānanda:

Is there, Venerable Ānanda, one thing declared by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Awakened One, whereby:as a disciple dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute:his unliberated mind is liberated, his unexhausted taints go to exhaustion, and he reaches the unreached supreme security from bondage?

There is one thing declared by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Awakened One, whereby:as a disciple dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute:his unliberated mind is liberated, his unexhausted taints go to exhaustion, and he reaches the unreached supreme security from bondage.

But what, Venerable Ānanda, is that one thing declared by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Awakened One, whereby:as a disciple dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute:his unliberated mind is liberated, his unexhausted taints go to exhaustion, and he reaches the unreached supreme security from bondage?

Here quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a disciple enters and remains in the first jhāna, which includes applied and sustained attention, and the pīti and happiness born of seclusion.

He reflects thus:

‘This first jhāna, too, is constructed and volitionally generated.

He knows: ‘Whatever is volitionally formed and volitionally intended is impermanent and subject to cessation.

Standing there, he reaches the destruction of the taints.

If he does not reach the destruction of the taints, then through that very passion for the Dhamma, through that delight in the Dhamma, with the complete destruction of the five lower fetters, he is spontaneously reborn, attaining final extinguishment there, not subject to return from that world.

This too is a single principle declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Awakened One, whereby a disciple dwelling diligent, ardent, and resolute finds that his unliberated mind is liberated, his undestroyed taints go to destruction, and he attains the unattained supreme sanctuary from bondage.

Furthermore with the stilling of applied and sustained attention …

a disciple enters and remains in the second jhāna.

He reflects thus:

‘This second jhāna too is volitionally formed and volitionally intended …

attains the supreme sanctuary from bondage.

Furthermore with the fading away of pīti …

a disciple enters and remains in the third jhāna.

He reflects thus:

‘This third jhāna too is volitionally formed and volitionally intended …

attains the supreme sanctuary from bondage.

Furthermore with the abandoning of pleasure …

a disciple enters and remains in the fourth jhāna.

He reflects thus:

‘This fourth jhāna too is volitionally formed and volitionally intended …

attains the supreme sanctuary from bondage.

Furthermore a disciple permeates one direction with a mind accompanied by goodwill, and dwells there; likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth.

Thus above, below, across, everywhere, and to all as to himself, he permeates the entire world with a mind accompanied by goodwill:abundant, exalted, measureless, without hostility, and without ill will:and dwells there.

He reflects thus:

‘This liberation of mind through goodwill too is volitionally formed and volitionally intended.

And he knows: Whatever is volitionally formed and volitionally intended is impermanent and subject to cessation.

Standing there …

attains the supreme sanctuary from bondage.

Furthermore a disciple with a mind accompanied by compassion …

with a mind accompanied by empathetic joy …

He dwells pervading one direction with a mind accompanied by equanimity; likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth.

Thus above, below, across, everywhere, and to all as to himself, he dwells pervading the entire world with a mind accompanied by equanimity, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, free from enmity, and free from ill will.

He reflects thus:

Even this liberation of mind through equanimity is constructed and intended.

But whatever is constructed and intended is impermanent, subject to cessation. Thus he knows.

Standing firm in that, ...

he attains the unsurpassed sanctuary from the yoke.

Furthermore by completely transcending perceptions of form, with the passing away of perceptions of sensory impact, with non-attention to perceptions of diversity, aware that space is infinite, a disciple enters and dwells in the realm of infinite space.

He reflects thus:

Even this attainment of the realm of infinite space is constructed and intended.

But whatever is constructed and intended is impermanent, subject to cessation. Thus he knows.

Standing firm in that, ...

he attains the unsurpassed sanctuary from the yoke.

Furthermore by completely transcending the realm of infinite space, aware that consciousness is infinite, a disciple enters and dwells in the realm of infinite consciousness.

He reflects thus:

Even this attainment of the realm of infinite consciousness is constructed and intended.

But whatever is constructed and intended is impermanent, subject to cessation. Thus he knows.

Standing firm in that, ...

he attains the unsurpassed sanctuary from the yoke.

Furthermore by completely transcending the realm of infinite consciousness, aware that there is nothing, a disciple enters and dwells in the realm of nothingness.

He reflects thus:

Even this attainment of the realm of nothingness is constructed and intended.

But whatever is constructed and intended is impermanent, subject to cessation. Thus he knows.

Standing firm in that, he attains the destruction of the taints.

If he does not attain the destruction of the taints, then through that very passion for the Dhamma, through that delight in the Dhamma, with the complete destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes one of spontaneous rebirth, attaining final extinguishment there, not subject to returning from that world.

This too is one principle declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, the Arahant, the Perfectly Awakened One, wherein for a disciple dwelling heedful, ardent, and resolute, the unliberated mind is liberated, the unexhausted taints go to exhaustion, and the unreached unsurpassed sanctuary from the yoke is reached.

When this was said, Dasama the householder from Aṭṭhakanāgara said to the Venerable Ānanda:

Suppose, Venerable Ānanda, a man seeking just one opening to a hidden treasure were to come upon eleven openings to a hidden treasure all at once. So too, venerable sir, seeking one door to the Deathless, I have all at once obtained eleven doors to the Deathless for development.

Suppose, venerable sir, a man had a house with eleven doors, and when that house was on fire, he could bring himself to safety by any one of those doors. So too, venerable sir, I will be able to bring myself to safety by any one of these eleven doors to the Deathless.

Venerable sir, if followers of other sects will search for a teacher’s fee for their teacher, why shouldn't I make an offering to the Venerable Ānanda?

Then Dasama the householder from Aṭṭhakanāgara assembled the Saṅgha of disciples from Pāṭaliputta and Vesālī, and with his own hands he served and satisfied them with excellent hard and soft food. He presented each individual disciple with a pair of cloths, he presented the Venerable Ānanda with a set of three robes, and he had a dwelling worth five hundred built for the Venerable Ānanda.

The Aṭṭhakanāgara Sutta is finished, the second.