an.3.32 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Ānanda

Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Bhante, could a bhikkhu obtain such a state of concentration that (1) he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; (2) he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and (3) he would enter and dwell in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it?”

“He could, Ānanda.”

“But how, Bhante, could he obtain such a state of concentration?”

“Here, Ānanda, a bhikkhu thinks thus: ‘This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is, the stilling of all activities, the relinquishing of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, nibbāna.’ In this way, Ānanda, a bhikkhu could obtain such a state of concentration that he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; he would have no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and he would enter and dwell in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it. And it was with reference to this that I said in the Pārāyana, in ‘The Questions of Puṇṇaka’:

“Having comprehended the highs and lows in the world,
he is not perturbed by anything in the world.
Peaceful, fumeless, untroubled, wishless,
he has, I say, crossed over birth and old age.”

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

A Discourse to Ānanda

Then Venerable Ānanda went to the Fortunate One, paid respects to him, sat to one side, and said to him,

“Bhante, is it possible for a monk to enter a kind of samādhi in which there would be no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit regarding this body with its consciousness and towards all external objects, and one might reach and remain in that mental liberation, that wisdom liberation, in which there are no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit?”

“Ānanda, it is possible for a monk to enter a kind of samādhi in which there would be no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit regarding this body with its consciousness and towards all external objects, and one might reach and remain in that mental liberation, that wisdom liberation, in which there are no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit.”

“Bhante, how could a monk enter a kind of samādhi in which there would be no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit regarding this body with its consciousness and towards all external objects, and one might reach and remain in that mental liberation, that wisdom liberation, in which there are no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit?”

“Ānanda, if it occurs to a monk: ‘This is peaceful, this is sublime – the stilling of all activities, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the elimination of craving, dispassion, cessation, Nibbāna,’ in this way a monk can enter a kind of samādhi in which there would be no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit regarding this body with its consciousness and towards all external objects, and one might reach and remain in that mental liberation, that wisdom liberation, in which there are no tendencies of self-identity, possessiveness, or conceit.

“Ānanda, this is what I was referring to in response to Puṇṇaka‘s questions in the Pārāyana, when I said:

“‘Having evaluated the entire world,
They are not disturbed by anything in it.
Peaceful, serene, untroubled, unwanting,
They have transcended birth and decay.’”

- Translator: Suddhāso Bhikkhu

- Editor: Aminah Borg-Luck

With Ānanda

Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to the Buddha:
“Could it be, sir, that a mendicant might gain a state of immersion such that there’s no ego, possessiveness, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no ego, possessiveness, or underlying tendency to conceit for all external stimuli;
and that they’d live having attained the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where ego, possessiveness, and underlying tendency to conceit are no more?”
“It could be, Ānanda, that a mendicant gains a state of immersion such that they have no ego, possessiveness, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no ego, possessiveness, or underlying tendency to conceit for all external stimuli;
and that they’d live having attained the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where ego, possessiveness, and underlying tendency to conceit are no more.”
“But how could this be, sir?”

“Ānanda, it’s when a mendicant thinks:
‘This is peaceful; this is sublime—that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment.’
That’s how, Ānanda, a mendicant might gain a state of immersion such that there’s no ego, possessiveness, or underlying tendency to conceit for this conscious body; and no ego, possessiveness, or underlying tendency to conceit for all external stimuli;
and that they’d live having achieved the freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom where ego, possessiveness, and underlying tendency to conceit are no more.
And Ānanda, this is what I was referring to in ‘The Way to the Far Shore’, in ‘The Questions of Puṇṇaka’ when I said:
‘Having assessed the world high and low,
there is nothing in the world that disturbs them.
Peaceful, unclouded, untroubled, with no need for hope—
they’ve crossed over rebirth and old age, I declare.’”