1"Bhikkhus, the uninstructed worldling feels a pleasant feeling, a painful feeling, and a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. The instructed noble disciple too feels a pleasant feeling, sn.iv.208 a painful feeling, and a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. Therein, bhikkhus, what is the distinction, the disparity, the difference between the instructed noble disciple and the uninstructed worldling?"

"Venerable sir, 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 remember it."

"Then listen and attend closely, bhikkhus, I will speak."

"Yes, venerable sir," the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

"Bhikkhus, when the uninstructed worldling is being contacted by a painful feeling, he sorrows, grieves, and laments; he weeps beating his breast and becomes distraught. He feels two feelings—a bodily one and a mental one. Suppose they were to strike a man with a dart, and then they would strike him immediately afterwards with a second dart, [n.234] I prefer the reading in Se: tam enaṃ dutiyena sallena anuvedhaṃ vijjheyyuṃ. Be differs only in having a singular verb. Spk: The second wound (anugatavedhaṁ) would be only one or two inches away from the opening of the first. For one wounded thus, the subsequent feeling would be worse than the first. so that the man would feel a feeling caused by two darts. So too, when the uninstructed worldling is being contacted by a painful feeling … he feels two feelings—a bodily one and a mental one.

"Being contacted by that same painful feeling, he harbours aversion towards it. When he harbours aversion towards painful feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feeling lies behind this. Being contacted by painful feeling, he seeks delight in sensual pleasure. For what reason? Because the uninstructed worldling does not know of any escape from painful feeling other than sensual pleasure. [n.235] Spk: The escape is concentration, path, and fruit. This he does not know; the only escape of which he knows is sensual pleasure. When he seeks delight in sensual pleasure, the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling lies behind this. He does not understand as it really is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of these feelings. When he does not understand these things, the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling lies behind this.

"If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it attached. If he feels a painful feeling, he feels it attached. sn.iv.209 If he feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he feels it attached. This, bhikkhus, is called an uninstructed worldling who is attached to birth, aging, and death; who is attached to sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair; who is attached to suffering, I say.

2"Bhikkhus, when the instructed noble disciple is contacted by a painful feeling, he does not sorrow, grieve, or lament; he does not weep beating his breast and become distraught. [n.236] Spk says that among the noble disciples, here the stress is on the arahant, though the nonreturner would also be appropriate. According to the commentarial system, both have abandoned paṭigha or dosa and thus are no longer subject to displeasure (domanassa), painful mental feeling. Everyone with a body, including the Buddhas, is subject to bodily painful feeling (here, kayikā dukkhā vedanā). He feels one feeling—a bodily one, not a mental one.

3Suppose they were to strike a man with a dart, but they would not strike him immediately afterwards with a second dart, so that the man would feel a feeling caused by one dart only. So too, when the instructed noble disciple is contacted by a painful feeling … he feels one feeling—a bodily one, not a mental one.

"Being contacted by that same painful feeling, he harbours no aversion towards it. Since he harbours no aversion towards painful feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feeling does not lie behind this. Being contacted by painful feeling, he does not seek delight in sensual pleasure. For what reason? Because the instructed noble disciple knows of an escape from painful feeling other than sensual pleasure. Since he does not seek delight in sensual pleasure, the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling does not lie behind this. He understands as it really is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of these feelings. Since he understands these things, the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling does not lie behind this.

"If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it detached. If he feels a painful feeling, sn.iv.210 he feels it detached. If he feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he feels it detached. This, bhikkhus, is called a noble disciple who is detached from birth, aging, and death; who is detached from sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair; who is detached from suffering, I say.

"This, bhikkhus, is the distinction, the disparity, the difference between the instructed noble disciple and the uninstructed worldling."

4The wise one, learned, does not feel
The pleasant and painful mental feeling.
This is the great difference between
The wise one and the worldling.

5For the learned one who has comprehended Dhamma,
Who clearly sees this world and the next,
Desirable things do not provoke his mind,
Towards the undesired he has no aversion.

6For him attraction and repulsion no more exist;
Both have been extinguished, brought to an end.
Having known the dust-free, sorrowless state,
The transcender of existence rightly understands.

1"Assutavā, bhikkhave, puthujjano sukhampi vedanāṁ vedayati, dukkhampi vedanāṁ vedayati, adukkhamasukhampi vedanāṁ vedayati. Sutavā, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako sukhampi vedanāṁ vedayati, dukkhampi vedanāṁ vedayati, adukkhamasukhampi vedanāṁ vedayati. Tatra, bhikkhave, ko viseso ko adhippayāso kiṁ nānākaraṇaṁ sutavato ariyasāvakassa assutavatā puthujjanenā"ti?

Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā … pe …

… assutavā, bhikkhave, puthujjano dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno socati kilamati paridevati urattāḷiṁ kandati sammohaṁ āpajjati. So dve vedanā vedayati – kāyikañca, cetasikañca. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, purisaṁ sallena vijjheyya. Tamenaṁ dutiyena sallena anuvedhaṁ vijjheyya. Evañhi so, bhikkhave, puriso dvisallena vedanāṁ vedayati. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno socati kilamati paridevati urattāḷiṁ kandati sammohaṁ āpajjati. So dve vedanā vedayati – kāyikañca, cetasikañca.

Tassāyeva kho pana dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno paṭighavā hoti. Tamenaṁ dukkhāya vedanāya paṭighavantaṁ, yo dukkhāya vedanāya paṭighānusayo, so anuseti. So dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno kāmasukhaṁ abhinandati. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na hi so, bhikkhave, pajānāti assutavā puthujjano aññatra kāmasukhā dukkhāya vedanāya nissaraṇaṁ, tassa kāmasukhañca abhinandato, yo sukhāya vedanāya rāgānusayo, so anuseti. So tāsaṁ vedanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. Tassa tāsaṁ vedanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ appajānato, yo adukkhamasukhāya vedanāya avijjānusayo, so anuseti.

So sukhañce vedanāṁ vedayati, saññutto naṁ vedayati. Dukkhañce vedanāṁ vedayati, saññutto naṁ vedayati. Adukkhamasukhañce vedanāṁ vedayati, saññutto naṁ vedayati. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ‘assutavā puthujjano saññutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, saññutto dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.

2Sutavā ca kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno na socati, na kilamati, na paridevati, na urattāḷiṁ kandati, na sammohaṁ āpajjati. So ekaṁ vedanāṁ vedayati – kāyikaṁ, na cetasikaṁ.

3Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, purisaṁ sallena vijjheyya. Tamenaṁ dutiyena sallena anuvedhaṁ na vijjheyya. Evañhi so, bhikkhave, puriso ekasallena vedanāṁ vedayati. Evameva kho, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno na socati, na kilamati, na paridevati, na urattāḷiṁ kandati, na sammohaṁ āpajjati. So ekaṁ vedanāṁ vedayati – kāyikaṁ, na cetasikaṁ.

Tassāyeva kho pana dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno paṭighavā na hoti. Tamenaṁ dukkhāya vedanāya appaṭighavantaṁ, yo dukkhāya vedanāya paṭighānusayo, so nānuseti. So dukkhāya vedanāya phuṭṭho samāno kāmasukhaṁ nābhinandati. Taṁ kissa hetu? Pajānāti hi so, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako aññatra kāmasukhā dukkhāya vedanāya nissaraṇaṁ. Tassa kāmasukhaṁ nābhinandato yo sukhāya vedanāya rāgānusayo, so nānuseti. So tāsaṁ vedanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavaṁ ca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti. Tassa tāsaṁ vedanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānato, yo adukkhamasukhāya vedanāya avijjānusayo, so nānuseti.

So sukhañce vedanāṁ vedayati, visaññutto naṁ vedayati. Dukkhañce vedanāṁ vedayati, visaññutto naṁ vedayati. Adukkhamasukhañce vedanāṁ vedayati, visaññutto naṁ vedayati. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ‘sutavā ariyasāvako visaññutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, visaññutto dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.

Ayaṁ kho, bhikkhave, viseso, ayaṁ adhippayāso, idaṁ nānākaraṇaṁ sutavato ariyasāvakassa assutavatā puthujjanenāti.

4Na vedanāṁ vedayati sapañño,
Sukhampi dukkhampi bahussutopi;
Ayañca dhīrassa puthujjanena,
Mahā viseso kusalassa hoti.

5Saṅkhātadhammassa bahussutassa,
Vipassato lokamimaṁ parañca;
Iṭṭhassa dhammā na mathenti cittaṁ,
Aniṭṭhato no paṭighātameti.

6Tassānurodhā athavā virodhā,
Vidhūpitā atthagatā na santi;
Padañca ñatvā virajaṁ asokaṁ,
Sammā pajānāti bhavassa pāragū"ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.