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SN 54.12PTS SN 5.3273 min read

In Doubt

Kaṅkheyyasutta

Venerable Lomasavaṅgīsa explains to Mahānāma that the difference between a trainee and the Realized One is that the trainees practice to give up the hindrances, whereas the Realized One has already ended all defilements.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 54.12Linked Discourses 54.12
  • 0.22. DutiyavaggaChapter Two

0.3KaṅkheyyasuttaIn Doubt

1.1PTS 5.327Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo sakkesu viharati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme.At one time Venerable Lomasakaṅgiya was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery.11.2Atha kho mahānāmo sakko yenāyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahānāmo sakko āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ etadavoca:Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went up to Venerable Lomasakaṅgiya, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,1.3“so eva nu kho, bhante, sekho vihāro so tathāgatavihāro, udāhu aññova sekho vihāro añño tathāgatavihāro”ti?“Sir, is the meditation of a trainee just the same as the meditation of a realized one? Or is the meditation of a trainee different from the meditation of a realized one?”

2.1“Na kho, āvuso mahānāma, sveva sekho vihāro, so tathāgatavihāro.“Reverend Mahānāma, the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are not the same;2.2Añño kho, āvuso mahānāma, sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro.they are different.2.3Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, te pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya viharanti.Those mendicants who are trainees haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring for the supreme sanctuary from the yoke. They meditate after giving up the five hindrances.22.4Katame pañca?What five?2.5Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahāya viharanti, byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ …pe…The hindrances of sensual desire, ill will,2.6thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ …dullness and drowsiness,2.7uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ …restlessness and remorse,2.8vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahāya viharanti.and doubt.

3.1Yepi te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, te ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya viharanti.Those who are trainee mendicants … meditate after giving up the five hindrances.

4.1PTS 5.328Ye ca kho te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.Those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—for them, the five hindrances are cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.34.2Katame pañca?What five?4.3Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ;The hindrances of sensual desire,4.4byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ …pe…ill will,4.5thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ …dullness and drowsiness,4.6uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ …restlessness and remorse,4.7vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ.and doubt.

5.1Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ime pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.Those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements … for them, the five hindrances are cut off at the root … and unable to arise in the future.5.2Tadamināpetaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā—And here’s another way to understand how5.3aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro.the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are different.

6.1Ekamidaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, samayaṁ bhagavā icchānaṅgale viharati icchānaṅgalavanasaṇḍe.At one time the Buddha was staying in a forest near Icchānaṅgala.6.2Tatra kho, āvuso mahānāma, bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:There he addressed the mendicants,6.3‘icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, temāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ.‘Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for three months.6.4Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā’ti.No-one should approach me, except the one who brings my almsfood.’

6.5‘Evaṁ, bhante’ti kho, āvuso mahānāma, te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.‘Yes, sir,’ replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except the one who brought the almsfood.

7.1Atha kho, āvuso, bhagavā tassa temāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito bhikkhū āmantesi:Then after three months had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed the mendicants:

7.2‘sace kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ:‘Mendicants, if wanderers who follow another religion were to ask you:7.3“katamenāvuso, vihārena samaṇo gotamo vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī”ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha:“Reverends, what was the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence?” You should answer them like this:7.4“ānāpānassatisamādhinā kho, āvuso, bhagavā vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī”’ti.“Reverends, the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence was immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.”

7.5Idhāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sato assasāmi, sato passasāmi.In this regard: mindful, I breathe in. Mindful, I breathe out.

7.6Dīghaṁ assasanto dīghaṁ assasāmīti pajānāmi, dīghaṁ passasanto dīghaṁ passasāmīti pajānāmi …pe…Breathing in heavily I know: “I’m breathing in heavily.” Breathing out heavily I know: “I’m breathing out heavily.” …

7.7paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmīti pajānāmi, paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmīti pajānāmi.I know: “I’ll breathe in observing letting go.” I know: “I’ll breathe out observing letting go.”

8.1Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya—For if anything should be rightly called8.2ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi.“noble meditation”, or else “divine meditation”, or else “a realized one’s meditation”,8.3Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya—it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.8.4ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi.

9.1Ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato āsavānaṁ khayāya saṁvattati.For those mendicants who are trainees—who haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring for the supreme sanctuary from the yoke—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to the ending of defilements.

10.1Ye ca kho te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārāya ceva saṁvattati satisampajaññāya ca.For those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to blissful meditation in this very life, and to mindfulness and awareness.

11.1Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya—For if anything should be rightly called11.2ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi.“noble meditation”, or else “divine meditation”, or else “a realized one’s meditation”,11.3Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya—it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.’11.4ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipīti.

11.5Iminā kho etaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ, yathā—This is another way to understand how11.6aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro”ti.the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are different.”

11.7Dutiyaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Malalasekera in his Dictionary of Pali Proper Names says that this monk, whose name is spelled lomasavangīsa in Sinhalese manusripts, is probably the same person as the lomasakaṅgiya of MN 133 and Thag 1.37. This suggestion is supported by the fact that that the name is spelled lomasakaṁbhiya in Burmese editions. I take the plunge and read lomasakaṅgiya here. The name means “hairy-limbs”.

    ↩ sn54.12:1.1
  2. The hindrances are abandoned through the practice of jhāna. Still, they may re-arise in the future.

    Here, as so often, viharati means “meditate”.

    ↩ sn54.12:2.3
  3. This clearly shows that tathāgata in such contexts means any “realized one”, i.e. any arahant.

    ↩ sn54.12:4.1