1On one occasion [n.1572] Be and Ee open with evaṁ me sutaṁ. the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī in Ambapālī's Grove. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "Bhikkhus!"

"Venerable sir!" those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

2"Bhikkhus, conditioned phenomena are impermanent; conditioned phenomena are unstable; conditioned phenomena are unreliable. It is enough to become disenchanted with all conditioned phenomena, enough to become dispassionate toward them, enough to be liberated from them.

3"Bhikkhus, Sineru, the king of mountains, is 84,000 yojanas in length and 84,000 yojanas in width; it is submerged 84,000 yojanas in the great ocean and rises up 84,000 yojanas above the great ocean. [n.1573] The yojana is between seven and nine miles in length.

(1) "There comes a time, bhikkhus, when rain does not fall for many years, for many hundreds of years, for many thousands of years, for many hundreds of thousands of years. When rain does not fall, seed life and vegetation, medicinal plants, grasses, and giant trees of the forest wither and dry up and no longer exist. So impermanent are conditioned phenomena, so unstable, so unreliable. It is enough to become disenchanted with all conditioned phenomena, enough to become dispassionate toward them, enough to be liberated from them.

4(2) "There comes a time when, after a long time, a second sun appears. With the appearance of the second sun, the small rivers and lakes dry up and evaporate and no longer exist. So impermanent are conditioned phenomena …. It is enough to be liberated from them.

5(3) "There comes a time when, after a long time, a third sun appears. With the appearance of the third sun, the great rivers—the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Aciravatī, the Sarabhū, and the Mahī—dry up and evaporate and no longer exist. So impermanent are conditioned phenomena …. It is enough to be liberated from them.

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6(4) "There comes a time when, after a long time, a fourth sun appears. With the appearance of the fourth sun, the great lakes from which those great rivers originate—Anotatta, Sīhapapāta, Rathakāra, Kaṇṇamuṇḍa, Kuṇāla, Chaddanta, and Mandākinī—dry up and evaporate and no longer exist. So impermanent are conditioned phenomena …. It is enough to be liberated from them.

7(5) "There comes a time when, after a long time, a fifth sun appears. With the appearance of the fifth sun, the waters in the great ocean sink by a hundred yojanas, two hundred yojanas … three hundred yojanas … seven hundred yojanas. The water left in the great ocean stands at the height of seven palm trees, at the height of six palm trees … five palm trees … four palm trees … three palm trees … two palm trees … a mere palm tree. The water left in the great ocean stands at the height of seven fathoms … six fathoms … five fathoms … four fathoms … three fathoms … two fathoms … a fathom … half a fathom … up to the waist … up to the knees … up to the ankles. Just as, in the autumn, when thick drops of rain are pouring down, the waters stand in the hoof prints of cattle here and there, so the waters left in the great ocean will stand here and there (in pools) the size of the hoof prints of cattle. With the appearance of the fifth sun, the water left in the great ocean is not enough even to reach the joints of one's fingers. So impermanent are conditioned phenomena …. It is enough to be liberated from them.

8(6) "There comes a time when, after a long time, a sixth sun appears. With the appearance of the sixth sun, this great earth and Sineru, the king of mountains, smoke, fume, and smolder. Just as a potter's fire, when kindled, first smokes, fumes, and smolders, so with the appearance of the sixth sun, this great earth and Sineru, the king of mountains, smoke, fume, and smolder. So impermanent are conditioned phenomena …. It is enough to be liberated from them.

9(7) "There comes a time when, after a long time, a seventh sun appears. With the appearance of the seventh sun, this great earth and Sineru, the king of mountains, burst into flames, blaze up brightly, and become one mass of flame. As the great earth and Sineru are blazing and burning, the flame, cast up by the wind, rises even to the brahmā world. As Sineru is blazing and burning, as it is undergoing destruction and being overcome by a great mass of heat, mountain peaks of a hundred yojanas disintegrate; mountain peaks of two hundred yojanas … three hundred yojanas … four hundred yojanas … five hundred yojanas disintegrate.

"When this great earth and Sineru, the king of mountains, are blazing and burning, neither ashes nor soot are seen. Just as, when ghee or oil are blazing and burning, neither ashes nor soot are seen, so it is when this great earth and Sineru, the king of mountains, are blazing and burning. So impermanent are conditioned phenomena, so unstable, so unreliable. It is enough to become disenchanted with all conditioned phenomena, enough to become dispassionate toward them, enough to be liberated from them.

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10"Bhikkhus, who except those who have seen the truth [n.1574] Aññatra diṭṭhapadehi. Mp: "Who will believe this, except the noble disciples, stream-enterers who have seen the truth?" The truth, or state (pada), seen by the stream-enterer is nibbāna, the cessation of suffering. would think or believe: [n.1575] Ko mantā ko saddhātā. Mp Ce glosses: "Who is able to discuss this for the sake of generating faith in this, or who has faith in this?" (ko tassa saddhāpanatthāya mantetuṁ samattho, ko vā tassa saddhātā). Saddhātā is nominative singular of the agent noun saddhātar. So mantā, which is parallel to it, must be an agent noun from mantar, "a thinker." The Chinese parallel, MĀ 8, has nothing corresponding to Pāli mantā. I translate from T I 429b7–11: "I now tell you, Sineru, the king of mountains, will collapse and be destroyed. Who can believe this, but those who have seen the truth? I now tell you, the waters of the great oceans will dry up and evaporate. Who can believe this, but those who have seen the truth? I now tell you, the great earth will entirely burn up and be destroyed by fire. Who can believe this, but those who have seen the truth?" ‘This great earth and Sineru, the king of mountains, will burn up, be destroyed, and will no longer exist’?

11"In the past, bhikkhus, there was a teacher named Sunetta, the founder of a spiritual sect, one without lust for sensual pleasures. [n.1576] He is also mentioned at AN6.54, III 371,16–27. The teacher Sunetta had many hundreds of disciples to whom he taught a Dhamma for companionship with the brahmā world. When he was teaching, those who understood his teaching completely were, with the breakup of the body, after death, reborn in a good destination, in the brahmā world. But of those who did not understand his teaching completely, some were reborn in companionship with the devas who control what is created by others; [n.1577] With this begins the six planes of sense-sphere heavens, from the highest down to the lowest. some in companionship with the devas who delight in creation; some in companionship with the Tusita devas; some in companionship with the Yāma devas; some in companionship with the Tāvatiṁsa devas; some in companionship with the devas (ruled by) the four great kings. Some were reborn in companionship with affluent khattiyas; some in companionship with affluent brahmins; some in companionship with affluent householders.

12"Then, bhikkhus, it occurred to the teacher Sunetta: ‘It isn’t fitting that I should have exactly the same future destination as my disciples. Let me develop loving-kindness further.

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13Then for seven years the teacher Sunetta developed a mind of loving-kindness. As a consequence, for seven eons of world-dissolution and evolution he did not come back to this world. When the world was dissolving, he moved on to the (realm of) streaming radiance. When the world was evolving, he was reborn in an empty mansion of Brahmā. [n.1578] The Buddha relates this of himself with reference to his own past lives at AN7.62.

"There he was Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the vanquisher, the unvanquished, the universal seer, the wielder of mastery. He was Sakka, ruler of the devas, thirty-six times. Many hundreds of times he was a wheel-turning monarch, a righteous king who ruled by the Dhamma, a conqueror whose rule extended to the four boundaries, one who had attained stability in his country, who possessed the seven gems. He had over a thousand sons who were heroes, vigorous, able to crush the armies of their enemies. He reigned after he had conquered this earth as far as its ocean boundaries, not by force and weapons but by the Dhamma.

"Bhikkhus, though he had such a long life span and continued on for such a long time, the teacher Sunetta was still not freed from birth, from old age and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and anguish. He was not freed from suffering, I say.

14For what reason? Because he did not understand and penetrate four things. What four? Noble virtuous behavior, noble concentration, noble wisdom, and noble liberation.

"Noble virtuous behavior, bhikkhus, has been understood and penetrated. Noble concentration has been understood and penetrated. Noble wisdom has been understood and penetrated. Noble liberation has been understood and penetrated. Craving for existence has been cut off; the conduit to existence has been destroyed; now there is no more renewed existence." [n.1579] As at AN4.1, including the verses.

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This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:

15"Virtuous behavior, concentration, wisdom,
and unsurpassed liberation:
these things the illustrious Gotama
understood by himself.

16"Having directly known these things,
the Buddha taught the Dhamma to the bhikkhus.
The Teacher, the end-maker of suffering,
the One with Vision, has attained nibbāna."

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ viharati ambapālivane. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "bhikkhavo"ti.

"Bhadante"ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

2"Aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; adhuvā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; anassāsikā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā. Yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhave, alameva sabbasaṅkhāresu nibbindituṁ alaṁ virajjituṁ alaṁ vimuccituṁ.

3Sineru, bhikkhave, pabbatarājā caturāsītiyojanasahassāni āyāmena, caturāsītiyojanasahassāni vitthārena, caturāsītiyojanasahassāni mahāsamudde ajjhogāḷho, caturāsītiyojanasahassāni mahāsamuddā accuggato.

Hoti kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayena bahūni vassāni bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni devo na vassati. Deve kho pana, bhikkhave, avassante ye kecime bījagāmabhūtagāmā osadhitiṇavanappatayo te ussussanti visussanti, na bhavanti. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ adhuvā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā … pe … alaṁ vimuccituṁ. (1)

4Hoti kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayena dutiyo sūriyo pātubhavati. Dutiyassa, bhikkhave, sūriyassa pātubhāvā yā kāci kunnadiyo kusobbhā tā ussussanti visussanti, na bhavanti. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā … pe … alaṁ vimuccituṁ. (2)

5Hoti kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayena tatiyo sūriyo pātubhavati. Tatiyassa, bhikkhave, sūriyassa pātubhāvā yā kāci mahānadiyo, seyyathidaṁ – gaṅgā, yamunā, aciravatī, sarabhū, mahī, tā ussussanti visussanti, na bhavanti. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā … pe … alaṁ vimuccituṁ. (3)

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6Hoti kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayena catuttho sūriyo pātubhavati. Catutthassa, bhikkhave, sūriyassa pātubhāvā ye te mahāsarā yato imā mahānadiyo pavattanti, seyyathidaṁ – anotattā, sīhapapātā, rathakārā, kaṇṇamuṇḍā, kuṇālā, chaddantā, mandākiniyā, tā ussussanti visussanti, na bhavanti. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā … pe … alaṁ vimuccituṁ. (4)

7Hoti kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayena pañcamo sūriyo pātubhavati. Pañcamassa, bhikkhave, sūriyassa pātubhāvā yojanasatikānipi mahāsamudde udakāni ogacchanti, dviyojanasatikānipi mahāsamudde udakāni ogacchanti, tiyojanasatikānipi, catuyojanasatikānipi, pañcayojanasatikānipi, chayojanasatikānipi, sattayojanasatikānipi mahāsamudde udakāni ogacchanti; sattatālampi mahāsamudde udakaṁ saṇṭhāti, chatālampi, pañcatālampi, catutālampi, titālampi, dvitālampi, tālamattampi mahāsamudde udakaṁ saṇṭhāti; sattaporisampi mahāsamudde udakaṁ saṇṭhāti, chaporisampi, pañcaporisampi, catuporisampi, tiporisampi, dviporisampi, porisampi, aḍḍhaporisampi, kaṭimattampi, jaṇṇukāmattampi, gopphakamattampi mahāsamudde udakaṁ saṇṭhāti. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, saradasamaye thullaphusitake deve vassante tattha tattha gopadesu udakāni ṭhitāni honti; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, tattha tattha gopphakamattāni mahāsamudde udakāni ṭhitāni honti. Pañcamassa, bhikkhave, sūriyassa pātubhāvā aṅgulipabbamattampi mahāsamudde udakaṁ na hoti. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā … pe … alaṁ vimuccituṁ. (5)

8Hoti kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayena chaṭṭho sūriyo pātubhavati. Chaṭṭhassa, bhikkhave, sūriyassa pātubhāvā ayañca mahāpathavī sineru ca pabbatarājā dhūmāyanti sandhūmāyanti sampadhūmāyanti. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kumbhakārapāko ālepito paṭhamaṁ dhūmeti sandhūmeti sampadhūmeti; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, chaṭṭhassa sūriyassa pātubhāvā ayañca mahāpathavī sineru ca pabbatarājā dhūmāyanti sandhūmāyanti sampadhūmāyanti. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā … pe … alaṁ vimuccituṁ. (6)

9Hoti kho so, bhikkhave, samayo yaṁ kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayena sattamo sūriyo pātubhavati. Sattamassa, bhikkhave, sūriyassa pātubhāvā ayañca mahāpathavī sineru ca pabbatarājā ādippanti pajjalanti ekajālā bhavanti. Imissā ca, bhikkhave, mahāpathaviyā sinerussa ca pabbatarājassa jhāyamānānaṁ dayhamānānaṁ acci vātena khittā yāva brahmalokāpi gacchati. Sinerussa, bhikkhave, pabbatarājassa jhāyamānassa dayhamānassa vinassamānassa mahatā tejokhandhena abhibhūtassa yojanasatikānipi kūṭāni palujjanti dviyojanasatikānipi, tiyojanasatikānipi, catuyojanasatikānipi, pañcayojanasatikānipi kūṭāni palujjanti.

Imissā ca, bhikkhave, mahāpathaviyā sinerussa ca pabbatarājassa jhāyamānānaṁ dayhamānānaṁ neva chārikā paññāyati na masi. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, sappissa vā telassa vā jhāyamānassa dayhamānassa neva chārikā paññāyati na masi; evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, imissā ca mahāpathaviyā sinerussa ca pabbatarājassa jhāyamānānaṁ dayhamānānaṁ neva chārikā paññāyati na masi. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ adhuvā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ anassāsikā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā. Yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhave, alameva sabbasaṅkhāresu nibbindituṁ alaṁ virajjituṁ alaṁ vimuccituṁ. (7)

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10Tatra, bhikkhave, ko mantā ko saddhātā: ‘ayañca pathavī sineru ca pabbatarājā dayhissanti vinassissanti, na bhavissantī’ti aññatra diṭṭhapadehi?

11Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, sunetto nāma satthā ahosi titthakaro kāmesu vītarāgo. Sunettassa kho pana, bhikkhave, satthuno anekāni sāvakasatāni ahesuṁ. Sunetto, bhikkhave, satthā sāvakānaṁ brahmalokasahabyatāya dhammaṁ desesi. Ye kho pana, bhikkhave, sunettassa satthuno brahmalokasahabyatāya dhammaṁ desentassa sabbena sabbaṁ sāsanaṁ ājāniṁsu te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ brahmalokaṁ upapajjiṁsu. Ye na sabbena sabbaṁ sāsanaṁ ājāniṁsu te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā appekacce paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce nimmānaratīnaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce tusitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce yāmānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce tāvatiṁsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce khattiyamahāsālānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce brāhmaṇamahāsālānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu, appekacce gahapatimahāsālānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjiṁsu.

12Atha kho, bhikkhave, sunettassa satthuno etadahosi: ‘Na kho metaṁ patirūpaṁ yohaṁ sāvakānaṁ samasamagatiyo assaṁ abhisamparāyaṁ, yannūnāhaṁ uttari mettaṁ bhāveyyan’ti.

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13Atha kho, bhikkhave, sunetto satthā satta vassāni mettaṁ cittaṁ bhāvesi. Satta vassāni mettaṁ cittaṁ bhāvetvā satta saṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe nayimaṁ lokaṁ punarāgamāsi. Saṁvaṭṭamāne sudaṁ, bhikkhave, loke ābhassarūpago hoti. Vivaṭṭamāne loke suññaṁ brahmavimānaṁ upapajjati.

Tatra sudaṁ, bhikkhave, brahmā hoti mahābrahmā abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthudaso vasavattī. Chattiṁsakkhattuṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, sakko ahosi devānamindo. Anekasatakkhattuṁ rājā ahosi cakkavattī dhammiko dhammarājā cāturanto vijitāvī janapadatthāvariyappatto sattaratanasamannāgato. Parosahassaṁ kho panassa puttā ahesuṁ sūrā vīraṅgarūpā parasenappamaddanā. So imaṁ pathaviṁ sāgarapariyantaṁ adaṇḍena asatthena dhammena abhivijiya ajjhāvasi.

So hi nāma, bhikkhave, sunetto satthā evaṁ dīghāyuko samāno evaṁ ciraṭṭhitiko aparimutto ahosi: ‘jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, aparimutto dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.

14Taṁ kissa hetu? Catunnaṁ dhammānaṁ ananubodhā appaṭivedhā. Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ? Ariyassa, bhikkhave, sīlassa ananubodhā appaṭivedhā, ariyassa samādhissa ananubodhā appaṭivedhā, ariyāya paññāya ananubodhā appaṭivedhā, ariyāya vimuttiyā ananubodhā appaṭivedhā.

Tayidaṁ, bhikkhave, ariyaṁ sīlaṁ anubuddhaṁ paṭividdhaṁ, ariyo samādhi anubodho paṭividdho, ariyā paññā anubodhā paṭividdhā, ariyā vimutti anubodhā paṭividdhā, ucchinnā bhavataṇhā, khīṇā bhavanetti, natthi dāni punabbhavo"ti.

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Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:

15"Sīlaṁ samādhi paññā ca,
vimutti ca anuttarā;
Anubuddhā ime dhammā,
gotamena yasassinā.

16Iti buddho abhiññāya,
dhammamakkhāsi bhikkhunaṁ;
Dukkhassantakaro satthā,
cakkhumā parinibbuto"ti.

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Dutiyaṁ.