Saṁyutta Nikāya 22.88 9.

The Discourse to Assaji

Theravagga Assajisutta Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.

At one time, the Blessed One was staying in Rajagaha at the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā assaji kassapakārāme viharati ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.

Now at that time, the venerable Assaji was staying in the potters workshop, sick, afflicted, and gravely ill.

Atha kho āyasmā assaji upaṭṭhāke āmantesi: “etha tumhe, āvuso, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamatha; upasaṅkamitvā mama vacanena bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatha: ‘assaji, bhante, bhikkhu ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.

Then the venerable Assaji addressed his attendants: Come, friends, go to the Blessed One, pay homage in my name with your head at his feet, and say: Venerable sir, the disciple Assaji is sick, afflicted, and gravely ill.

So bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatī’ti.

He pays homage with his head at the Blessed Ones feet.

Evañca vadetha: ‘sādhu kira, bhante, bhagavā yena assaji bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā’”ti.

And say: It would be good, venerable sir, if the Blessed One would visit the disciple Assaji out of compassion.

“Evamāvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato assajissa paṭissutvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ: “assaji, bhante, bhikkhu ābādhiko …pe…

Yes, friend, those disciples replied to the venerable Assaji, and they went to the Blessed One.

sādhu kira, bhante, bhagavā yena assaji bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā”ti.

After paying homage to him, they sat down to one side and delivered the message.

Adhivāsesi bhagavā tuṇhībhāvena.

The Blessed One consented in silence.

Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā assaji tenupasaṅkami.

Then, in the evening, the Blessed One emerged from seclusion and went to the venerable Assaji.

Addasā kho āyasmā assaji bhagavantaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.

The venerable Assaji saw the Blessed One coming from afar and prepared his bed.

Disvāna mañcake samadhosi. Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ assajiṁ etadavoca: “alaṁ, assaji, mā tvaṁ mañcake samadhosi. Santimāni āsanāni paññattāni, tatthāhaṁ nisīdissāmī”ti. Nisīdi bhagavā paññatte āsane.

The Blessed One said to him: Enough, Assaji, do not prepare your bed. There are seats ready; I will sit there. The Blessed One sat down on the prepared seat and addressed the venerable Assaji: I hope you are bearing up, Assaji, I hope you are getting better.

Nisajja kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ assajiṁ etadavoca: “kacci te, assaji, khamanīyaṁ, kacci yāpanīyaṁ …pe… paṭikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no abhikkamo”ti?

Are your pains lessening and not increasing? Are there signs of your recovery and not of your worsening?

Venerable sir, I am not bearing up, I am not getting better.

“Na me, bhante, khamanīyaṁ …pe…

My pains are increasing and not lessening.

abhikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no paṭikkamo”ti.

There are no signs of my recovery, only of my worsening.

“Kacci te, assaji, na kiñci kukkuccaṁ na koci vippaṭisāro”ti?

Do you have any remorse or regret, Assaji?

“Taggha me, bhante, anappakaṁ kukkuccaṁ anappako vippaṭisāro”ti.

Indeed, venerable sir, I have much remorse and regret.

“Kacci pana taṁ, assaji, attā sīlato na upavadatī”ti?

Is there anything, Assaji, that you blame yourself for regarding your moral conduct?

“Na kho maṁ, bhante, attā sīlato upavadatī”ti.

No, venerable sir, there is nothing I blame myself for regarding my moral conduct.

“No ce kira taṁ, assaji, attā sīlato upavadati, atha kiñca te kukkuccaṁ ko ca vippaṭisāro”ti?

If there is nothing you blame yourself for regarding your moral conduct, Assaji, why do you have remorse and regret?

“Pubbe khvāhaṁ, bhante, gelaññe passambhetvā passambhetvā kāyasaṅkhāre viharāmi, sohaṁ samādhiṁ nappaṭilabhāmi.

Formerly, venerable sir, when I was sick, I would calm my bodily formations by relaxing them, but I could not attain concentration.

Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, taṁ samādhiṁ appaṭilabhato evaṁ hoti: ‘no cassāhaṁ parihāyāmī’”ti.

Because I could not attain concentration, I thought: I am not progressing.

“Ye te, assaji, samaṇabrāhmaṇā samādhisārakā samādhisāmaññā tesaṁ taṁ samādhiṁ appaṭilabhataṁ evaṁ hoti: ‘no cassu mayaṁ parihāyāmā’ti.

Assaji, those ascetics and brahmins who are devoted to concentration, if they cannot attain concentration, they think: We are not progressing.

Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, assaji, rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?

What do you think, Assaji, is form permanent or impermanent?

“Aniccaṁ, bhante” …pe…

Impermanent, venerable sir.

Therefore, Assaji, seeing thus, the instructed noble disciple becomes disenchanted with form, disenchanted with feeling, disenchanted with perception, disenchanted with formations, disenchanted with consciousness.

viññāṇaṁ …pe… “tasmātiha …pe… evaṁ passaṁ …pe…

Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate.

nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānātīti.

Through dispassion, his mind is liberated.

So sukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, sā ‘aniccā’ti pajānāti.

When it is liberated, there comes the knowing: It is liberated.

‘Anajjhositā’ti pajānāti. ‘Anabhinanditā’ti pajānāti. Dukkhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, sā ‘aniccā’ti pajānāti. ‘Anajjhositā’ti pajānāti.

He knows: Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.

‘Anabhinanditā’ti pajānāti. Adukkhamasukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, sā ‘aniccā’ti pajānāti …pe… ‘anabhinanditā’ti pajānāti.

If he feels a pleasant feeling, he knows: It is impermanent; he knows: It is not to be clung to; he knows: It is not to be delighted in.

So sukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, visaṁyutto naṁ vedayati; dukkhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, visaṁyutto naṁ vedayati; adukkhamasukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, visaṁyutto naṁ vedayati.

If he feels a painful feeling, he knows: It is impermanent; he knows: It is not to be clung to; he knows: It is not to be delighted in.

So kāyapariyantikañce vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti. Jīvitapariyantikañce vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti.

If he feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he knows: It is impermanent; he knows: It is not to be clung to; he knows: It is not to be delighted in.

If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it detached.

‘Kāyassa bhedā uddhaṁ jīvitapariyādānā idheva sabbavedayitāni anabhinanditāni sītībhavissantī’ti pajānāti.

If he feels a painful feeling, he feels it detached. If he feels a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, he feels it detached.

Seyyathāpi, assaji, telañca paṭicca, vaṭṭiñca paṭicca, telappadīpo jhāyeyya; tasseva telassa ca vaṭṭiyā ca pariyādānā anāhāro nibbāyeyya.

If he feels a feeling limited to the body, he knows: I feel a feeling limited to the body. If he feels a feeling limited to life, he knows: I feel a feeling limited to life.

Evameva kho, assaji, bhikkhu kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti.

He knows: With the breakup of the body, after life has ended, all that is felt, not being delighted in, will become cool.

Just as, Assaji, an oil lamp burns in dependence on oil and a wick, and with the exhaustion of the oil and the wick, it is extinguished through lack of fuel; so too, Assaji, when a disciple feels a feeling limited to the body, he knows: I feel a feeling limited to the body.

Jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti.

When he feels a feeling limited to life, he knows: I feel a feeling limited to life.

‘Kāyassa bhedā uddhaṁ jīvitapariyādānā idheva sabbavedayitāni anabhinanditāni sītībhavissantī’ti pajānātī”ti. Chaṭṭhaṁ.

He knows: With the breakup of the body, after life has ended, all that is felt, not being delighted in, will become cool.