1.1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.1.2Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā assaji kassapakārāme viharati ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.Now at that time Venerable Assaji was staying in a monastery built by a Kassapa, and he was sick, suffering, gravely ill.¹1.3Atha kho āyasmā assaji upaṭṭhāke āmantesi:Then he addressed his carers:

1.4“etha tumhe, āvuso, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamatha; upasaṅkamitvā mama vacanena bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatha:“Please, reverends, go to the Buddha, and in my name bow with your head to his feet. Say to him:1.5‘assaji, bhante, bhikkhu ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno.‘Sir, the mendicant Assaji is sick, suffering, gravely ill.1.6So bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatī’ti.He bows with his head to your feet.’1.7Evañca vadetha:And then say:1.8‘sādhu kira, bhante, bhagavā yena assaji bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā’”ti.‘Sir, please go to the mendicant Assaji out of sympathy.’”

1.9“Evamāvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato assajissa paṭissutvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū bhagavantaṁ etadavocuṁ:“Yes, reverend,” those monks replied. They did as he asked.1.10“assaji, bhante, bhikkhu ābādhiko …pe…1.11sādhu kira, bhante, bhagavā yena assaji bhikkhu tenupasaṅkamatu anukampaṁ upādāyā”ti.1.12Adhivāsesi bhagavā tuṇhībhāvena.The Buddha consented with silence.

2.1PTS 3.125Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā assaji tenupasaṅkami.Then in the late afternoon, the Buddha came out of retreat and went to Venerable Assaji.2.2Addasā kho āyasmā assaji bhagavantaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.Venerable Assaji saw the Buddha coming off in the distance,2.3Disvāna mañcake samadhosi.and stirred in his cot.

2.4Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ assajiṁ etadavoca:But the Buddha said to him,2.5“alaṁ, assaji, mā tvaṁ mañcake samadhosi.“It’s all right, Assaji, don’t get up.2.6Santimāni āsanāni paññattāni, tatthāhaṁ nisīdissāmī”ti.There are some seats spread out, I will sit there.”

2.7Nisīdi bhagavā paññatte āsane. Nisajja kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ assajiṁ etadavoca:He sat down on the seat spread out and said,2.8“kacci te, assaji, khamanīyaṁ, kacci yāpanīyaṁ …pe… paṭikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no abhikkamo”ti?“I hope you’re keeping well, Assaji; I hope you’re all right. I hope your pain is fading, not growing; that its fading is evident, not its growing.”

3.1“Na me, bhante, khamanīyaṁ …pe… abhikkamosānaṁ paññāyati no paṭikkamo”ti.“Sir, I’m not keeping well, I’m not getting by. My pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.”

3.2“Kacci te, assaji, na kiñci kukkuccaṁ na koci vippaṭisāro”ti?“I hope you don’t have any remorse or regret?”

3.3“Taggha me, bhante, anappakaṁ kukkuccaṁ anappako vippaṭisāro”ti.“Indeed, sir, I have no little remorse and regret.”

3.4“Kacci pana taṁ, assaji, attā sīlato na upavadatī”ti?“I hope you have no reason to blame yourself when it comes to ethical conduct?”

3.5“Na kho maṁ, bhante, attā sīlato upavadatī”ti.“No sir, I have no reason to blame myself when it comes to ethical conduct.”

3.6“No ce kira taṁ, assaji, attā sīlato upavadati, atha kiñca te kukkuccaṁ ko ca vippaṭisāro”ti?“In that case, Assaji, why do you have remorse and regret?”

3.7“Pubbe khvāhaṁ, bhante, gelaññe passambhetvā passambhetvā kāyasaṅkhāre viharāmi, sohaṁ samādhiṁ nappaṭilabhāmi.“Sir, before my time of illness I meditated having completely stilled the physical process. But now I can’t get immersion.3.8Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, taṁ samādhiṁ appaṭilabhato evaṁ hoti:Since I can’t get immersion, I think:3.9‘no cassāhaṁ parihāyāmī’”ti.‘May I not decline!’”

3.10“Ye te, assaji, samaṇabrāhmaṇā samādhisārakā samādhisāmaññā tesaṁ taṁ samādhiṁ appaṭilabhataṁ evaṁ hoti:“There are, Assaji, ascetics and brahmins for whom samādhi is the essence, equating immersion with the ascetic life. They think:²3.11‘no cassu mayaṁ parihāyāmā’ti.‘May we not decline!’³

4.1PTS 3.126Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, assaji,What do you think, Assaji?4.2rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?Is form permanent or impermanent?”

4.3“Aniccaṁ, bhante” …pe…“Impermanent, sir.” …

4.4viññāṇaṁ …pe…“Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?” …

4.5“tasmātiha …pe…“So you should truly see …4.6evaṁ passaṁ …pe…Seeing this …4.7nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānātīti.They understand: ‘… there is nothing further for this place.’

4.8So sukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, sā ‘aniccā’ti pajānāti. ‘Anajjhositā’ti pajānāti. ‘Anabhinanditā’ti pajānāti.If they feel a pleasant feeling, they understand that it’s impermanent, that they’re not attached to it, and that they don’t relish it.4.9Dukkhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, sā ‘aniccā’ti pajānāti. ‘Anajjhositā’ti pajānāti. ‘Anabhinanditā’ti pajānāti.If they feel a painful feeling, they understand that it’s impermanent, that they’re not attached to it, and that they don’t relish it.4.10Adukkhamasukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, sā ‘aniccā’ti pajānāti …pe… ‘anabhinanditā’ti pajānāti.If they feel a neutral feeling, they understand that it’s impermanent, that they’re not attached to it, and that they don’t relish it.4.11So sukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, visaṁyutto naṁ vedayati;If they feel a pleasant feeling, they feel it detached.4.12dukkhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, visaṁyutto naṁ vedayati;If they feel a painful feeling, they feel it detached.4.13adukkhamasukhañce vedanaṁ vedayati, visaṁyutto naṁ vedayati.If they feel a neutral feeling, they feel it detached.4.14So kāyapariyantikañce vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti. Jīvitapariyantikañce vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti.Feeling the end of the body draw close, they understand: ‘I feel the end of the body draw close.’ Feeling the end of life draw close, they understand: ‘I feel the end of life draw close.’4.15‘Kāyassa bhedā uddhaṁ jīvitapariyādānā idheva sabbavedayitāni anabhinanditāni sītībhavissantī’ti pajānāti.They understand: ‘When my body breaks up and my life is over, everything that’s felt, being no longer relished, will become cool right here.’

5.1Seyyathāpi, assaji, telañca paṭicca, vaṭṭiñca paṭicca, telappadīpo jhāyeyya;Suppose an oil lamp depended on oil and a wick to burn.5.2tasseva telassa ca vaṭṭiyā ca pariyādānā anāhāro nibbāyeyya.As the oil and the wick are used up, it would be extinguished due to not being fed.

5.3Evameva kho, assaji, bhikkhu kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti. Jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayamāno ‘jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti.In the same way, feeling the end of the body draw close, they understand: ‘I feel the end of the body draw close.’ Feeling the end of life draw close, they understand: ‘I feel the end of life draw close.’5.4‘Kāyassa bhedā uddhaṁ jīvitapariyādānā idheva sabbavedayitāni anabhinanditāni sītībhavissantī’ti pajānātī”ti.They understand: ‘When my body breaks up and my life is over, everything that’s felt, being no longer relished, will become cool right here.’”

5.5Chaṭṭhaṁ.