MN43 — Mahāvedallasutta

Thus have I heard: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

Then, in the evening, venerable Mahākoṭṭhika emerged from seclusion and approached venerable Sāriputta; having approached, he exchanged greetings with venerable Sāriputta. After exchanging pleasant and meaningful greetings, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, venerable Mahākoṭṭhika said to venerable Sāriputta:

Unwise, unwise, it is said, friend. To what extent, friend, is one called unwise?

Does not understand, does not understand, thus, friend, one is called unwise. What does he not understand? He does not understand This is suffering, he does not understand This is the origin of suffering, he does not understand This is the cessation of suffering, he does not understand This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Does not understand, does not understand, thus, friend, one is called unwise.

Good, friend, venerable Mahākoṭṭhika, having approved and agreed with what venerable Sāriputta said, asked him a further question: Wise, wise, it is said, friend. To what extent, friend, is one called wise?

Understands, understands, thus, friend, one is called wise. What does he understand? He understands This is suffering, he understands This is the origin of suffering, he understands This is the cessation of suffering, he understands This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Understands, understands, thus, friend, one is called wise.

Consciousness, consciousness, it is said, friend. To what extent, friend, is it called consciousness?

Knows, knows, thus, friend, one is called consciousness. What does it know? It knows pleasure, it knows pain, it knows neither-pain-nor-pleasure. Knows, knows, thus, friend, one is called consciousness.

And, friend, wisdom and consciousness:

Are these states conjoined or disjoined? And is it possible to distinguish between them to describe them separately?

Wisdom and consciousness, friend: These states are conjoined, not disjoined. And it is not possible to distinguish between them to describe them separately. What one understands, that one knows; what one knows, that one understands. Therefore, these states are conjoined, not disjoined. And it is not possible to distinguish between them to describe them separately.

And, friend, wisdom and consciousness:

For these conjoined states, not disjoined, what is the distinction?

Wisdom and consciousness, friend: For these conjoined states, not disjoined, wisdom should be developed, consciousness should be fully understood. This is their distinction.

Feeling, feeling, it is said, friend. To what extent, friend, is it called feeling?

Feels, feels, thus, friend, one is called feeling. What does it feel? It feels pleasure, it feels pain, it feels neither-pain-nor-pleasure. Feels, feels, thus, friend, one is called feeling.

Perception, perception, it is said, friend. To what extent, friend, is it called perception?

Perceives, perceives, thus, friend, one is called perception. What does it perceive? It perceives blue, it perceives yellow, it perceives red, it perceives white. Perceives, perceives, thus, friend, one is called perception.

And, friend, feeling, perception, and consciousness:

Are these states conjoined or disjoined? And is it possible to distinguish between them to describe them separately?

Feeling, perception, and consciousness, friend:

These states are conjoined, not disjoined. And it is not possible to distinguish between them to describe them separately. What one feels, that one perceives; what one perceives, that one knows. Therefore, these states are conjoined, not disjoined. And it is not possible to distinguish between them to describe them separately.

With the mind consciousness purified and cleansed of the five hindrances, friend, what is to be known?

With the mind consciousness purified and cleansed of the five hindrances, friend, infinite space is to be known as the base of infinite space, infinite consciousness as the base of infinite consciousness, nothingness as the base of nothingness.

And, friend, by what is the knowable known?

The knowable, friend, is known by the eye of wisdom.

And, friend, for what purpose is wisdom?

Wisdom, friend, is for the purpose of direct knowing, for full understanding, for abandonment.

What, friend, are the conditions for the arising of right view?

There are, friend, two conditions for the arising of right view: hearing from others and wise attention.

These, friend, are the two conditions for the arising of right view.

How many factors, friend, support right view to lead to the fruit of liberation of mind and the benefits of liberation of mind, and to the fruit of liberation by wisdom and the benefits of liberation by wisdom?

Five factors, friend, support right view to lead to the fruit of liberation of mind and the benefits of liberation of mind, and to the fruit of liberation by wisdom and the benefits of liberation by wisdom.

Here, friend, right view is supported by virtue, learning, discussion, serenity, and insight.

With these five factors, friend, right view leads to the fruit of liberation of mind and the benefits of liberation of mind, and to the fruit of liberation by wisdom and the benefits of liberation by wisdom.

How many types of existence are there, friend?

There are three types of existence, friend:

sensual existence, form existence, and formless existence.

How, friend, does rebirth occur in the future?

For beings obstructed by ignorance and fettered by craving, delighting here and there: thus rebirth occurs in the future.

How, friend, does rebirth not occur in the future?

With the fading away of ignorance and the arising of true knowing, with the cessation of craving: thus rebirth does not occur in the future.

What, friend, is the first jhāna?

Here, friend, a disciple, separated from sensual pleasures, separated from unwholesome states, enters and remains in the first jhāna, which includes applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, pleasure, and unification of mind: this is called the first jhāna.

How many factors are there in the first jhāna, friend?

The first jhāna, friend, has five factors.

Here, for a disciple who has entered the first jhāna, there are applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, pleasure, and unification of mind.

Thus, the first jhāna has five factors.

How is the first jhāna devoid of certain factors and endowed with others, friend?

The first jhāna, friend, is devoid of five factors and endowed with five factors.

Here, for a disciple who has entered the first jhāna, sensual desire is abandoned, ill-will is abandoned, sloth and torpor are abandoned, restlessness and worry are abandoned, doubt is abandoned; and there are applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, pleasure, and unification of mind.

Thus, the first jhāna is devoid of certain factors and endowed with others.

These five faculties, friend, have different objects and realms, and do not experience each other's object and realm, namely: the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, body faculty.

For these five faculties with different objects and realms, not experiencing each other's object and realm, what is the refuge, and who experiences their object and realm?

These five faculties, friend, have different objects and realms, and do not experience each other's object and realm, namely: the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, body faculty.

For these five faculties with different objects and realms, not experiencing each other's object and realm, the mind is the refuge, and the mind experiences their object and realm.

These five faculties, friend, namely: the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, body faculty.

On what do these five faculties depend?

These five faculties, friend, namely: the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, body faculty.

These five faculties depend on life.

And life, friend, depends on what?

Life depends on warmth.

And warmth, friend, depends on what?

Warmth depends on life.

Just now, friend, we understood the venerable Sariputta's statement as: Life depends on warmth.

And just now, we understood the venerable Sariputta's statement as: Warmth depends on life.

How then, friend, should the meaning of this statement be seen?

By that, friend, I will give you a simile; for some wise people understand the meaning of a statement through a simile.

Just as, friend, in the case of an oil lamp, the light is seen depending on the flame, and the flame is seen depending on the light; in the same way, friend, life depends on warmth, and warmth depends on life.

Are those life-constructing factors the same as those that can be felt, or are other life-constructing factors different from those that can be felt? No, friend, those life-constructing factors are not the same as those that can be felt. If those life-constructing factors were the same as those that can be felt, then a disciple who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling would not be discernible upon emerging from it. But because, friend, some life-constructing factors are different from those that can be felt, the emergence of a disciple who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling is discernible.

When, friend, do certain factors leave this body, and then the body is left lying, forsaken, discarded like a log, lifeless? When, friend, these three factors leave this body: life, heat, and consciousness: then the body is left lying, forsaken, discarded like a log, lifeless.

What is the difference, friend, between one who is dead, who has completed their time, and a disciple who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling? For one who is dead, who has completed their time, their bodily formations have ceased and calmed, their verbal formations have ceased and calmed, their mental formations have ceased and calmed, life is exhausted, heat has dissipated, and the faculties are fully broken up.

For a disciple who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling, their bodily formations have ceased and calmed, their verbal formations have ceased and calmed, their mental formations have ceased and calmed, life is not exhausted, heat has not dissipated, and the faculties are clear. This is the difference between one who is dead, who has completed their time, and a disciple who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling.

How many conditions, friend, are there for the attainment of the liberation of mind that is free from pleasure and pain? There are four conditions, friend, for the attainment of the liberation of mind that is free from pleasure and pain.

Here, friend, a disciple, having abandoned pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, enters and remains in the fourth jhana, which is neither painful nor pleasant and includes the purification of mindfulness by equanimity. These are the four conditions for the attainment of the liberation of mind that is free from pleasure and pain.

How many conditions, friend, are there for the attainment of the signless liberation of mind? There are two conditions, friend, for the attainment of the signless liberation of mind: non-attention to all signs and attention to the signless element. These are the two conditions for the attainment of the signless liberation of mind.

How many conditions, friend, are there for the maintenance of the signless liberation of mind? There are three conditions, friend, for the maintenance of the signless liberation of mind: non-attention to all signs, attention to the signless element, and prior determination. These are the three conditions for the maintenance of the signless liberation of mind.

How many conditions, friend, are there for the emergence from the signless liberation of mind? There are two conditions, friend, for the emergence from the signless liberation of mind: attention to all signs and non-attention to the signless element. These are the two conditions for the emergence from the signless liberation of mind.

Are these liberations of mind: boundless liberation of mind, liberation of mind through nothingness, liberation of mind through voidness, and signless liberation of mind: different in both meaning and terminology, or are they the same in meaning and only different in terminology?

There is a way, friend, in which these liberations of mind are different in both meaning and terminology, and there is a way in which they are the same in meaning and only different in terminology. What is the way in which they are different in both meaning and terminology?

Here, friend, a disciple abides pervading one direction with a mind imbued with goodwill, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; so above, below, around, and everywhere, and to all as to himself, he abides pervading the all-encompassing world with a mind imbued with goodwill, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility, and without ill-will. This is called the boundless liberation of mind.

And what is the liberation of mind through nothingness? Here, friend, a disciple, by completely surmounting the base of infinite consciousness, aware that there is nothing, abides in the base of nothingness. This is called the liberation of mind through nothingness. And what is the liberation of mind through voidness? Here, friend, a disciple, by abiding in voidness...

Whether he is in the forest, at the foot of a tree, or in an empty hut, he reflects: This is empty of a self or what belongs to a self. This, friends, is called emptiness liberation of mind. And what, friends, is the signless liberation of mind? Here, friends, a disciple, not paying attention to any signs, dwells in the concentration of mind that is signless.

This, friends, is called the signless liberation of mind. This, friends, is the method by which, following it, these phenomena become different in meaning and different in name. And what, friends, is the method by which, following it, these phenomena become the same in meaning and only different in name? Greed, friends, is a maker of measurement, hatred is a maker of measurement, delusion is a maker of measurement.

For a disciple whose defilements are destroyed, these are abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, so that they are no more subject to future arising. As far as the immeasurable liberations of mind, the unshakable liberation of mind is declared the best among them. That unshakable liberation of mind is empty of greed, empty of hatred, empty of delusion. Greed, friends, is something, hatred is something, delusion is something.

That unshakable liberation of mind is empty of greed, empty of hatred, empty of delusion. This, friends, is the method by which, following it, these phenomena become the same in meaning and only different in name.

This was said by the Venerable Sāriputta.

The Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita was pleased and rejoiced in the Venerable Sāriputta's words.

The Great Discourse on the Analysis of the Elements is finished.