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AN 3.74PTS AN 1.2202 min read

Jains

Nigaṇṭhasutta

Do we purify ourselves by wearing out old karma?

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.74Numbered Discourses 3.74
  • 0.28. Ānandavagga8. Ānanda

0.3NigaṇṭhasuttaJains

1.1PTS 1.221Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ānando vesāliyaṁ viharati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ.At one time Venerable Ānanda was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof.1.2Atha kho abhayo ca licchavi paṇḍitakumārako ca licchavi yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho abhayo licchavi āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca:Then the Licchavis Abhaya and Paṇḍitakumāra went up to Venerable Ānanda, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

1.3“nigaṇṭho, bhante, nāṭaputto sabbaññū sabbadassāvī aparisesaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ paṭijānāti:“Sir, the Jain ascetic of the Ñātika clan claims to be all-knowing and all-seeing, to know and see everything without exception, thus:1.4‘carato ca me tiṭṭhato ca suttassa ca jāgarassa ca satataṁ samitaṁ ñāṇadassanaṁ paccupaṭṭhitan’ti.‘Knowledge and vision are constantly and continually present to me, while walking, standing, sleeping, and waking.’1.5So purāṇānaṁ kammānaṁ tapasā byantībhāvaṁ paññāpeti navānaṁ kammānaṁ akaraṇā setughātaṁ.He advocates the elimination of past deeds by fervent mortification, and breaking the bridge by not doing any new deeds.1.6Iti kammakkhayā dukkhakkhayo, dukkhakkhayā vedanākkhayo, vedanākkhayā sabbaṁ dukkhaṁ nijjiṇṇaṁ bhavissati—So with the ending of deeds, suffering ends; with the ending of suffering, feeling ends; and with the ending of feeling, all suffering will have been worn away.1.7evametissā sandiṭṭhikāya nijjarāya visuddhiyā samatikkamo hoti.This is how to go beyond suffering by means of this purification by wearing away in the present life.1.8Idha, bhante, bhagavā kimāhā”ti?What, sir, does the Buddha say about this?”

2.1“Tisso kho imā, abhaya, nijjarā visuddhiyo tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya.“Abhaya, these three kinds of purification by wearing away have been rightly explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. They are in order to purify sentient beings, to get past sorrow and crying, to make an end of pain and sadness, to discover the system, and to realize extinguishment.2.2Katamā tisso?What three?

2.3Idha, abhaya, bhikkhu sīlavā hoti …pe… samādāya sikkhati sikkhāpadesu.It’s when, Abhaya, a mendicant is ethical, restrained in the monastic code, conducting themselves well and resorting for alms in suitable places. Seeing danger in the slightest fault, they keep the rules they’ve undertaken.2.4So navañca kammaṁ na karoti, purāṇañca kammaṁ phussa phussa byantīkaroti.They don’t perform any new deeds, and old deeds are eliminated by experiencing their results little by little.2.5Sandiṭṭhikā nijjarā akālikā ehipassikā opaneyyikā paccattaṁ veditabbā viññūhīti.This wearing away is apparent in the present life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.

3.1Sa kho so, abhaya, bhikkhu evaṁ sīlasampanno vivicceva kāmehi …pe… catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.Then a mendicant accomplished in ethics, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.3.2So navañca kammaṁ na karoti, purāṇañca kammaṁ phussa phussa byantīkaroti.They don’t perform any new deeds, and old deeds are eliminated by experiencing their results little by little.3.3Sandiṭṭhikā nijjarā akālikā ehipassikā opaneyyikā paccattaṁ veditabbā viññūhīti.This wearing away is apparent in the present life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.

4.1Sa kho so, abhaya, bhikkhu evaṁ samādhisampanno āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati.Then a mendicant accomplished in immersion realizes the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom. And they live having realized it with their own insight in this very life due to the ending of defilements.4.2So navañca kammaṁ na karoti, purāṇañca kammaṁ phussa phussa byantīkaroti.They don’t perform any new deeds, and old deeds are eliminated by experiencing their results little by little.4.3Sandiṭṭhikā nijjarā akālikā ehipassikā opaneyyikā paccattaṁ veditabbā viññūhīti.This wearing away is apparent in the present life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.

4.4Imā kho, abhaya, tisso nijjarā visuddhiyo tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā sattānaṁ visuddhiyā sokaparidevānaṁ samatikkamāya dukkhadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya ñāyassa adhigamāya nibbānassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti.These are the three kinds of purification by wearing away that have been rightly explained by the Buddha … in order to realize extinguishment.”

5.1PTS 1.222Evaṁ vutte, paṇḍitakumārako licchavi abhayaṁ licchaviṁ etadavoca:When he said this, Paṇḍitakumāra said to Abhaya,5.2“kiṁ pana tvaṁ, samma abhaya, āyasmato ānandassa subhāsitaṁ subhāsitato nābbhanumodasī”ti?“Dear Abhaya, is there anything in what Ānanda has said so well that you would disagree with?”

5.3“Kyāhaṁ, samma paṇḍitakumāraka, āyasmato ānandassa subhāsitaṁ subhāsitato nābbhanumodissāmi.“How could I not agree with what was said so well by Ānanda?5.4Muddhāpi tassa vipateyya yo āyasmato ānandassa subhāsitaṁ subhāsitato nābbhanumodeyyā”ti.If anyone didn’t agree with him, their head would explode!”

5.5Catutthaṁ.