1Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna and exchanged greetings with him. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna:

2"Friend Moggallāna, there are these four modes of practice. What four? (1) Practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge; (2) practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge; (3) practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge; and (4) practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge. Through which of these four modes of practice was your mind liberated from the taints by non-clinging?"

3"Of these four modes of practice, friend Sāriputta, it was through the mode that is painful with quick direct knowledge that my mind was liberated from the taints by nonclinging." [n.854] Mp says that for Moggallāna, the first three paths were achieved by pleasant practice and sluggish direct knowledge, but the path of arahantship was won by pleasant practice and quick direct knowledge. In AN7:61 it is seen that Moggallāna often had to struggle with drowsiness in his practice for arahantship. He often regressed and needed the help of the Buddha to progress further, as shown in SN40:1 through to SN40:9.

1Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yenāyasmā mahāmoggallāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā mahāmoggallānena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca:

2"Catasso imā, āvuso moggallāna, paṭipadā. Katamā catasso? Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā. Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paṭipadā. Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ katamaṁ te paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan"ti?

3"Catasso imā, āvuso sāriputta, paṭipadā. Katamā catasso? Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā. Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paṭipadā. Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ yāyaṁ paṭipadā dukkhā khippābhiññā, imaṁ me paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan"ti.

Sattamaṁ.