Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Numerical Discourses

5: The Book of the Fives

23. Defilements

1"Bhikkhus, [n.984] From here to "not properly concentrated for the destruction of the taints" is also at SN46.33. there are these five defilements of gold, defiled by which gold is not malleable, wieldy, and luminous, but brittle and not properly fit for work. What five? Iron, copper, tin, lead, and silver. These are the five defilements of gold, defiled by which gold is not malleable, wieldy, and luminous, but brittle and not properly fit for work. But when gold is freed from these five defilements, it is malleable, wieldy, and luminous, pliant and properly fit for work. Then whatever kind of ornament one wishes to make from it—whether a bracelet, earrings, a necklace, or a golden garland—one can achieve one's purpose. [n.985] As at AN3.101.

2"So too, bhikkhus, there are these five defilements of the mind, defiled by which the mind is not malleable, wieldy, and luminous, but brittle and not properly concentrated for the destruction of the taints. What five? Sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt. These are the five defilements of the mind, defiled by which the mind is not malleable, wieldy, and luminous, but brittle and not properly concentrated for the destruction of the taints. But when the mind is freed from these five defilements, it becomes malleable, wieldy, and luminous, pliant and properly concentrated for the destruction of the taints. Then, there being a suitable basis, one is capable of realizing any state realizable by direct knowledge toward which one might incline the mind. [n.986] The following supernormal powers are also at AN3.101. On the "suitable basis," see AN3.101, n. 562.

3"If one wishes: ‘May I wield the various kinds of psychic potency: having been one, may I become many; having been many, may I become one; may I appear and vanish; may I go unhindered through a wall, through a rampart, through a mountain as though through space; may I dive in and out of the earth as though it were water; may I walk on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-legged, may I travel in space like a bird; with my hand may I touch and stroke the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; may I exercise mastery with the body as far as the brahmā world,’ one is capable of realizing it, there being a suitable basis.

4"If one wishes: ‘May I, with the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, hear both kinds of sounds, the divine and human, those that are far as well as near,’ one is capable of realizing it, there being a suitable basis.

5"If one wishes: ‘May I understand the minds of other beings and persons, having encompassed them with my own mind. May I understand a mind with lust as a mind with lust, and a mind without lust as a mind without lust; a mind with hatred as a mind with hatred, and a mind without hatred as a mind without hatred; a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion, and a mind without delusion as a mind without delusion; a contracted mind as contracted and a distracted mind as distracted; an exalted mind as exalted and an unexalted mind as unexalted; a surpassable mind as surpassable and an unsurpassable mind as unsurpassable; a concentrated mind as concentrated and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; a liberated mind as liberated and an unliberated mind as unliberated,’ one is capable of realizing it, there being a suitable basis.

6"If one wishes: ‘May I recollect my manifold past abodes, that is, one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many eons of world-dissolution, many eons of world-evolution, many eons of world-dissolution and world-evolution thus: "There I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life span; passing away from there, I was reborn elsewhere, and there too I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life span; passing away from there, I was reborn here"—may I thus recollect my manifold past abodes with their aspects and details,’ one is capable of realizing it, there being a suitable basis.

7"If one wishes: ‘May I, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, see beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and understand how beings fare in accordance with their kamma thus: "These beings who engaged in misconduct by body, speech, and mind, who reviled the noble ones, held wrong view, and undertook kamma based on wrong view, with the breakup of the body, after death, have been reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell; but these beings who engaged in good conduct by body, speech, and mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held right view, and undertook kamma based on right view, with the breakup of the body, after death, have been reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world"—thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, may I see beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and understand how beings fare in accordance with their kamma,’ one is capable of realizing it, there being a suitable basis.

8"If one wishes: ‘May I, with the destruction of the taints, in this very life realize for myself with direct knowledge the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, may I dwell in it,’ one is capable of realizing it, there being a suitable basis."

1"Pañcime, bhikkhave, jātarūpassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ jātarūpaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca na ca sammā upeti kammāya. Katame pañca? Ayo, lohaṁ, tipu, sīsaṁ, sajjhaṁ – ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca jātarūpassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ jātarūpaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca na ca sammā upeti kammāya. Yato ca kho, bhikkhave, jātarūpaṁ imehi pañcahi upakkilesehi vimuttaṁ hoti, taṁ hoti jātarūpaṁ mudu ca kammaniyañca pabhassarañca na ca pabhaṅgu sammā upeti kammāya. Yassā yassā ca piḷandhanavikatiyā ākaṅkhati – yadi muddikāya yadi kuṇḍalāya yadi gīveyyakāya yadi suvaṇṇamālāya – tañcassa atthaṁ anubhoti.

2Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcime cittassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ cittaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca na ca sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṁ khayāya. Katame pañca? Kāmacchando, byāpādo, thinamiddhaṁ, uddhaccakukkuccaṁ, vicikicchā – ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca cittassa upakkilesā yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ cittaṁ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṁ na ca pabhassaraṁ pabhaṅgu ca na ca sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṁ khayāya. Yato ca kho, bhikkhave, cittaṁ imehi pañcahi upakkilesehi vimuttaṁ hoti, taṁ hoti cittaṁ mudu ca kammaniyañca pabhassarañca na ca pabhaṅgu sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṁ khayāya. Yassa yassa ca abhiññāsacchikaraṇīyassa dhammassa cittaṁ abhininnāmeti abhiññāsacchikiriyāya tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṁ pāpuṇāti sati sati āyatane.

3So sace ākaṅkhati: ‘anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhaveyyaṁ – ekopi hutvā bahudhā assaṁ, bahudhāpi hutvā eko assaṁ; āvibhāvaṁ, tirobhāvaṁ; tirokuṭṭaṁ tiropākāraṁ tiropabbataṁ asajjamāno gaccheyyaṁ, seyyathāpi ākāse; pathaviyāpi ummujjanimujjaṁ kareyyaṁ, seyyathāpi udake; udakepi abhijjamāno gaccheyyaṁ, seyyathāpi pathaviyaṁ; ākāsepi pallaṅkena kameyyaṁ, seyyathāpi pakkhī sakuṇo; imepi candimasūriye evaṁmahiddhike evaṁmahānubhāve pāṇinā parimaseyyaṁ parimajjeyyaṁ yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vatteyyan’ti, tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṁ pāpuṇāti sati sati āyatane.

4So sace ākaṅkhati: ‘dibbāya sotadhātuyā visuddhāya atikkantamānusikāya ubho sadde suṇeyyaṁ – dibbe ca mānuse ca ye dūre santike cā’ti, tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṁ pāpuṇāti sati sati āyatane.

5So sace ākaṅkhati: ‘parasattānaṁ parapuggalānaṁ cetasā ceto paricca pajāneyyaṁ – sarāgaṁ vā cittaṁ sarāgaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, vītarāgaṁ vā cittaṁ vītarāgaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, sadosaṁ vā cittaṁ sadosaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, vītadosaṁ vā cittaṁ vītadosaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, samohaṁ vā cittaṁ samohaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, vītamohaṁ vā cittaṁ vītamohaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, saṅkhittaṁ vā cittaṁ saṅkhittaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, vikkhittaṁ vā cittaṁ vikkhittaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, mahaggataṁ vā cittaṁ mahaggataṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, amahaggataṁ vā cittaṁ amahaggataṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, sauttaraṁ vā cittaṁ sauttaraṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, anuttaraṁ vā cittaṁ anuttaraṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, samāhitaṁ vā cittaṁ samāhitaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, asamāhitaṁ vā cittaṁ asamāhitaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, vimuttaṁ vā cittaṁ vimuttaṁ cittanti pajāneyyaṁ, avimuttaṁ vā cittaṁ avimuttaṁ cittanti pajāneyyan’ti, tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṁ pāpuṇāti sati sati āyatane.

6So sace ākaṅkhati: ‘anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussareyyaṁ, seyyathidaṁ – ekampi jātiṁ dvepi jātiyo tissopi jātiyo catassopi jātiyo pañcapi jātiyo dasapi jātiyo vīsampi jātiyo tiṁsampi jātiyo cattārīsampi jātiyo paññāsampi jātiyo jātisatampi jātisahassampi jātisatasahassampi anekepi saṁvaṭṭakappe anekepi vivaṭṭakappe anekepi saṁvaṭṭavivaṭṭakappe – amutrāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto amutra udapādiṁ; tatrāpāsiṁ evaṁnāmo evaṅgotto evaṁvaṇṇo evamāhāro evaṁsukhadukkhappaṭisaṁvedī evamāyupariyanto, so tato cuto idhūpapannoti, iti sākāraṁ sauddesaṁ anekavihitaṁ pubbenivāsaṁ anussareyyan’ti, tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṁ pāpuṇāti sati sati āyatane.

7So sace ākaṅkhati: ‘dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passeyyaṁ cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajāneyyaṁ – ime vata bhonto sattā kāyaduccaritena samannāgatā vacīduccaritena samannāgatā manoduccaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ upavādakā micchādiṭṭhikā micchādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapannā; ime vā pana bhonto sattā kāyasucaritena samannāgatā vacīsucaritena samannāgatā manosucaritena samannāgatā ariyānaṁ anupavādakā sammādiṭṭhikā sammādiṭṭhikammasamādānā, te kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapannāti, iti dibbena cakkhunā visuddhena atikkantamānusakena satte passeyyaṁ cavamāne upapajjamāne hīne paṇīte suvaṇṇe dubbaṇṇe, sugate duggate yathākammūpage satte pajāneyyan’ti, tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṁ pāpuṇāti sati sati āyatane.

8So sace ākaṅkhati: ‘āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihareyyan’ti, tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṁ pāpuṇāti sati sati āyatane"ti.


Tatiyaṁ.

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