9: The Book of the Nines
1. Enlightenment
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi (More copyright information)
1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: "Bhikkhus!"
"Venerable sir!" those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
2"Bhikkhus, wanderers of other sects may ask you: ‘What, friends, is the proximate cause for the development of the aids to enlightenment?’ If you are asked thus, how would you answer them?"
"Bhante, our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One, guided by the Blessed One, take recourse in the Blessed One. It would be good if the Blessed One would clear up the meaning of this statement. Having heard it from him, the bhikkhus will retain it in mind."
3"Then listen, bhikkhus, and attend closely. I will speak."
"Yes, Bhante," those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
4"Bhikkhus, if wanderers of other sects should ask you: ‘What, friends, is the proximate cause for the development of the aids to enlightenment?’ you should answer them as follows.
5(1) "‘Here, friends, a bhikkhu has good friends, good companions, good comrades. This is the first proximate cause for the development of the aids to enlightenment.
6(2) "‘Again, friends, a bhikkhu is virtuous; he dwells restrained by the Pāṭimokkha, possessed of good conduct and resort, seeing danger in minute faults. Having undertaken the training rules, he trains in them. This is the second proximate cause ….
7(3) "‘Again, friends, a bhikkhu gets to hear at will, without trouble or difficulty, talk concerned with the austere life that is conducive to opening up the heart, that is, talk on fewness of desires, on contentment, on solitude, on not getting bound up with others, on arousing energy, on virtuous behavior, on concentration, on wisdom, on liberation, on the knowledge and vision of liberation. This is the third proximate cause ….
8(4) "‘Again, friends, a bhikkhu has aroused energy for abandoning unwholesome qualities and acquiring wholesome qualities; he is strong, firm in exertion, not casting off the duty of cultivating wholesome qualities. This is the fourth proximate cause ….
9(5) "‘Again, friends, a bhikkhu is wise; he possesses the wisdom that discerns arising and passing away, which is noble and penetrative and leads to the complete destruction of suffering. This is the fifth proximate cause for the development of the aids to enlightenment.’
10"When, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu has good friends, good companions, good comrades, it can be expected of him that he will be virtuous, one who dwells restrained by the Pāṭimokkha … will train in them.
11"When a bhikkhu has good friends, good companions, good comrades, it can be expected of him that he will get to hear at will, without trouble or difficulty, talk concerned with the austere life that is conducive to opening up the heart, that is, talk on fewness of desires … on the knowledge and vision of liberation.
12"When a bhikkhu has good friends, good companions, good comrades, it can be expected of him that he will arouse energy for abandoning unwholesome qualities … not casting off the duty of cultivating wholesome qualities.
13"When a bhikkhu has good friends, good companions, good comrades, it can be expected of him that he will be wise, possessing the wisdom that discerns arising and passing away, which is noble and penetrative and leads to the complete destruction of suffering.
14"Having based himself on these five things, the bhikkhu should develop further another four things. (6) The perception of unattractiveness should be developed to abandon lust. (7) Loving-kindness should be developed to abandon ill will. (8) Mindfulness of breathing should be developed to cut off thoughts. (9) The perception of impermanence should be developed to eradicate the conceit ‘I am.’ [n.1822] The conceit "I am" (asmimāna) is more subtle than personal-existence view (sakkāyadiṭṭhi). Both are removed by the perception of non-self, but whereas the stream-enterer eliminates personal-existence view, only the arahant eliminates the conceit "I am." On this point see SN22:89. It seems that personal-the perception of non-self consists in theexistence view has a stronger conceptual underpinning than the conceit "I am," which is more closely connected to existential need and therefore can be eliminated only at arahantship. When one perceives impermanence, the perception of non-self is stabilized. [n.1823] Mp: "When the characteristic of impermanence is seen, the characteristic of non-self is seen. Among the three characteristics, when one is seen, the other two are also seen. Thus it is said: ‘When one perceives impermanence, the perception of non-self is stabilized.’" Mp-ṭ, commenting on AN9.3, says: "One who perceives impermanence (aniccasaññino): one who perceives impermanence by way of the contemplation of impermanence, which occurs thus: ‘All conditioned phenomena are impermanent’ because they cease to be after having existed; because they arise and vanish; because they are fragile; because they are temporary; and because they exclude permanence. The perception of non-self is stabilized (anattasaññā saṇṭhāti): the perception of non-self consists in the contemplation of non-self, which occurs thus: ‘All phenomena are non-self’ because they are coreless; because we have no mastery over them; and because they are alien, void, hollow, and empty. This perception is stabilized, firmly established in the mind." One who perceives non-self eradicates the conceit ‘I am,’ which is nibbāna in this very life."
1Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
2"Sace, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: ‘sambodhipakkhikānaṁ, āvuso, dhammānaṁ kā upanisā bhāvanāyā’ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ kinti byākareyyāthā"ti?
"Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā … pe … bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī"ti.
3"Tena hi, bhikkhave, suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha; bhāsissāmī"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
4"Sace, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: ‘sambodhipakkhikānaṁ, āvuso, dhammānaṁ kā upanisā bhāvanāyā’ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha:
5‘Idhāvuso, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto hoti kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko. Sambodhipakkhikānaṁ, āvuso, dhammānaṁ ayaṁ paṭhamā upanisā bhāvanāya. (1)
6Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharati ācāragocarasampanno aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu. (2) Sambodhipakkhikānaṁ, āvuso, dhammānaṁ ayaṁ dutiyā upanisā bhāvanāya.
7Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu yāyaṁ kathā abhisallekhikā cetovivaraṇasappāyā, seyyathidaṁ – appicchakathā santuṭṭhikathā pavivekakathā asaṁsaggakathā vīriyārambhakathā sīlakathā samādhikathā paññākathā vimuttikathā vimuttiñāṇadassanakathā, evarūpiyā kathāya nikāmalābhī hoti akicchalābhī akasiralābhī. Sambodhipakkhikānaṁ, āvuso, dhammānaṁ ayaṁ tatiyā upanisā bhāvanāya. (3)
8Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu āraddhavīriyo viharati akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya, kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ upasampadāya, thāmavā daḷhaparakkamo anikkhittadhuro kusalesu dhammesu. Sambodhipakkhikānaṁ, āvuso, dhammānaṁ ayaṁ catutthī upanisā bhāvanāya. (4)
9Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu paññavā hoti udayatthagāminiyā paññāya samannāgato ariyāya nibbedhikāya sammā dukkhakkhayagāminiyā. Sambodhipakkhikānaṁ, āvuso, dhammānaṁ ayaṁ pañcamī upanisā bhāvanāya’.
10Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pāṭikaṅkhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa – sīlavā bhavissati, pātimokkhasaṁvarasaṁvuto viharissati ācāragocarasampanno aṇumattesu vajjesu bhayadassāvī, samādāya sikkhissati sikkhāpadesu.
11Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pāṭikaṅkhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa – yāyaṁ kathā abhisallekhikā cetovivaraṇasappāyā, seyyathidaṁ – appicchakathā santuṭṭhikathā pavivekakathā asaṁsaggakathā vīriyārambhakathā sīlakathā samādhikathā paññākathā vimuttikathā vimuttiñāṇadassanakathā, evarūpiyā kathāya nikāmalābhī bhavissati akicchalābhī akasiralābhī.
12Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pāṭikaṅkhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa – āraddhavīriyo viharissati akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya, kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ upasampadāya, thāmavā daḷhaparakkamo anikkhittadhuro kusalesu dhammesu.
13Kalyāṇamittassetaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno pāṭikaṅkhaṁ kalyāṇasahāyassa kalyāṇasampavaṅkassa – paññavā bhavissati udayatthagāminiyā paññāya samannāgato ariyāya nibbedhikāya sammā dukkhakkhayagāminiyā. (5)
14Tena ca pana, bhikkhave, bhikkhunā imesu pañcasu dhammesu patiṭṭhāya cattāro dhammā uttari bhāvetabbā – asubhā bhāvetabbā rāgassa pahānāya, mettā bhāvetabbā byāpādassa pahānāya, ānāpānassati bhāvetabbā vitakkupacchedāya, aniccasaññā bhāvetabbā asmimānasamugghātāya. Aniccasaññino, bhikkhave, anattasaññā saṇṭhāti. Anattasaññī asmimānasamugghātaṁ pāpuṇāti diṭṭheva dhamme nibbānan"ti. (6–9.)
Paṭhamaṁ.