MN64 — Mahāmālukyasutta
Thus have I heard: At one time, the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There, the Blessed One addressed the disciples:
Disciples.
Venerable Sir, those disciples replied to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
Do you remember the five lower fetters that I have taught?
When this was said, the Venerable Mālukyaputta said to the Blessed One:
Venerable Sir, I remember the five lower fetters taught by the Blessed One.
And how do you remember them, Mālukyaputta? the Blessed One asked.
Venerable Sir, I remember the Blessed One teaching the lower fetter of identity view;
I remember the Blessed One teaching the lower fetter of doubt;
I remember the Blessed One teaching the lower fetter of attachment to rites and rituals;
I remember the Blessed One teaching the lower fetter of sensual desire;
I remember the Blessed One teaching the lower fetter of ill will.
Thus, Venerable Sir, I remember the five lower fetters taught by the Blessed One.
To whom, Mālukyaputta, do you remember these five lower fetters being taught?
Surely, Mālukyaputta, the wanderers of other sects will criticize with this young comparison.
For a young boy, Mālukyaputta, who is immature and lying on his back, does not have identity view, so how could identity view arise in him? But the underlying tendency to identity view lies within him.
For a young boy, Mālukyaputta, who is immature and lying on his back, does not have doubt, so how could doubt arise in him? But the underlying tendency to doubt lies within him.
For a young boy, Mālukyaputta, who is immature and lying on his back, does not have attachment to rites and rituals, so how could attachment to rites and rituals arise in him. But the underlying tendency to attachment to rites and rituals lies within him.
For a young boy, Mālukyaputta, who is immature and lying on his back, does not have sensual desire, so how could sensual desire arise in him? But the underlying tendency to sensual desire lies within him.
For a young boy, Mālukyaputta, who is immature and lying on his back, does not have ill will, so how could ill will arise in him? But the underlying tendency to ill will lies within him.
Surely, Mālukyaputta, the wanderers of other sects will criticize with this young comparison.
When this was said, the Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One:
Venerable Sir, it is time, it is time for the Blessed One to teach the five lower fetters. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the disciples will remember it.
Therefore, Ānanda, listen and pay close attention; I will speak.
Yes, Venerable Sir, the Venerable Ānanda replied to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
Here, Ānanda, an uninstructed worldling, who has not seen the noble ones, who is unskilled and undisciplined in the noble Dhamma, who has not seen the true persons, who is unskilled and undisciplined in the true Dhamma,
dwells with a mind obsessed and overwhelmed by identity view; and he does not understand, as it really is, the escape from arisen identity view.
For him, that identity view becomes strong and unremoved, a lower fetter.
He dwells with a mind obsessed and overwhelmed by doubt; and he does not understand, as it really is, the escape from arisen doubt.
For him, that doubt becomes strong and unremoved, a lower fetter.
He dwells with a mind obsessed and overwhelmed by attachment to rites and rituals; and he does not understand, as it really is, the escape from arisen attachment to rites and rituals.
For him, that attachment to rites and rituals becomes strong and unremoved, a lower fetter.
He dwells with a mind obsessed and overwhelmed by sensual desire; and he does not understand, as it really is, the escape from arisen sensual desire.
For him, that sensual desire becomes strong and unremoved, a lower fetter.
He dwells with a mind obsessed and overwhelmed by ill will; and he does not understand, as it really is, the escape from arisen ill will.
For him, that ill will becomes strong and unremoved, a lower fetter.
But, Ānanda, a noble disciple, who has seen the noble ones, who is skilled and disciplined in the noble Dhamma, who has seen the true persons, who is skilled and disciplined in the true Dhamma, does not dwell with a mind obsessed and overwhelmed by identity view; and he understands, as it really is, the escape from arisen identity view.
For him, that identity view becomes weak and removed, a lower fetter.
He is freed.
He dwells with a mind not obsessed by doubt, not overcome by doubt; and he understands, as it really is, the escape from arisen doubt.
His doubt, with its latent tendency, is abandoned.
He dwells with a mind not obsessed by adherence to rules and observances, not overcome by adherence to rules and observances; and he understands, as it really is, the escape from arisen adherence to rules and observances.
His adherence to rules and observances, with its latent tendency, is abandoned.
He dwells with a mind not obsessed by sensual desire, not overcome by sensual desire; and he understands, as it really is, the escape from arisen sensual desire.
His sensual desire, with its latent tendency, is abandoned.
He dwells with a mind not obsessed by ill will, not overcome by ill will; and he understands, as it really is, the escape from arisen ill will.
His ill will, with its latent tendency, is abandoned.
Ananda, the path and the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters cannot be known, seen, or abandoned without following that path and practice.
Just as, Ananda, it is impossible to cut the heartwood of a standing tree without first cutting through the bark and the sapwood: so too, Ananda, the path and the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters cannot be known, seen, or abandoned without following that path and practice.
But, Ananda, the path and the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters can be known, seen, and abandoned by following that path and practice.
Just as, Ananda, it is possible to cut the heartwood of a standing tree by first cutting through the bark and the sapwood: so too, Ananda, the path and the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters can be known, seen, and abandoned by following that path and practice.
Just as, Ananda, the Ganges River, full of water, level with its banks, can be crossed by a strong man who swims across it: so too, Ananda, those whose minds leap up, become confident, steady, and are liberated when the teaching for the cessation of identity is being taught, are like that strong man.
But, Ananda, those whose minds do not leap up, do not become confident, steady, and are not liberated when the teaching for the cessation of identity is being taught, are like that weak man.
And what, Ananda, is the path and the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters?
Here, Ananda, a disciple, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and dwells in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion.
He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness as impermanent, suffering, a disease, a tumor, a dart, a calamity, an affliction, alien, disintegrating, empty, and not-self.
He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and directs it towards the deathless element: This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is, the stilling of all formations, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbana.
Standing on that, he attains the destruction of the taints.
If he does not attain the destruction of the taints because of that desire for the Dhamma, that delight in the Dhamma, then with the destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes one who is spontaneously reborn, attains final Nibbana there without ever returning from that world.
This too, Ananda, is the path and the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters.
Again, Ananda, with the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, a disciple enters and dwells in the second jhana...
the third jhana...
the fourth jhana.
He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness...
... gone ...
... not returning from this world.
This, too, Ānanda, is the path, this is the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters.
Again, Ānanda, a disciple, having completely transcended perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not attending to perceptions of diversity, aware that space is infinite, enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite space.
Whatever feeling, perception, mental formation, or consciousness there is ...
... not returning from this world.
This, too, Ānanda, is the path, this is the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters.
Again, Ānanda, a disciple, having completely transcended the dimension of infinite space, aware that consciousness is infinite, enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite consciousness.
Whatever feeling, perception, mental formation, or consciousness there is ...
... not returning from this world.
This, too, Ānanda, is the path, this is the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters.
Again, Ānanda, a disciple, having completely transcended the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that there is nothing, enters and dwells in the dimension of nothingness.
Whatever feeling, perception, mental formation, or consciousness there is ...
... not returning from this world.
This, too, Ānanda, is the path, this is the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters.
If this, venerable sir, is the path, this is the practice for the abandoning of the five lower fetters, then why are some disciples liberated in mind and some disciples liberated by wisdom?
In this case, Ānanda, I speak of the difference in faculties.
The Blessed One said this.
The Venerable Ānanda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
The Great Discourse on Māluṅkya is finished.