an.4.200 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Affection

“Monks, these four things are born. Which four? Affection is born of affection. Aversion is born of affection. Affection is born of aversion. Aversion is born of aversion.

“And how is affection born of affection? There is the case where an individual is pleasing, appealing, & charming to (another) individual. Others treat that individual as pleasing, appealing, & charming, and the other one thinks, ‘This individual is pleasing, appealing, & charming to me. Others treat this individual as pleasing, appealing, & charming.’ He gives rise to affection for them. This is how affection is born of affection.

“And how is aversion born of affection? There is the case where an individual is pleasing, appealing, & charming to (another) individual. Others treat that individual as displeasing, unappealing, & not charming, and the other one thinks, ‘This individual is pleasing, appealing, & charming to me. Others treat this individual as displeasing, unappealing, & not charming.’ He gives rise to aversion for them. This is how aversion is born of affection.

“And how is affection born of aversion? There is the case where an individual is displeasing, unappealing, & not charming to (another) individual. Others treat that individual as displeasing, unappealing, & not charming, and the other one thinks, ‘This individual is displeasing, unappealing, & not charming to me. Others treat this individual as displeasing, unappealing, & not charming.’ He gives rise to affection for them. This is how affection is born of aversion.

“And how is aversion born of aversion? There is the case where an individual is displeasing, unappealing, & not charming to (another) individual. Others treat that individual as pleasing, appealing, & charming, and the other one thinks, ‘This individual is displeasing, unappealing, & not charming to me. Others treat this individual as pleasing, appealing, & charming.’ He gives rise to aversion for them. This is how aversion is born of aversion.

“Monks, these are the four things that are born.

“Now, on the occasion when a monk, quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities, enters & remains in the first jhana—rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation—then any affection of his that is born of affection does not come about. Any aversion of his that is born of affection… any affection of his that is born of aversion… any aversion of his that is born of aversion does not come about.

“On the occasion when a monk… enters & remains in the second jhana… enters & remains in the third jhana… enters & remains in the fourth jhana, then any affection of his that is born of affection does not come about. Any aversion of his that is born of affection… any affection of his that is born of aversion… any aversion of his that is born of aversion does not come about.

“On the occasion when a monk, through the ending of the mental fermentations, enters & remains in the fermentation-free awareness-release & discernment-release, having known & verified them for himself right in the here & now, then any affection of his that is born of affection is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. Any aversion of his that is born of affection… any affection of his that is born of aversion… any aversion of his that is born of aversion is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising.

“This is said to be a monk who doesn’t pull in, doesn’t push away, doesn’t smolder, doesn’t flare up, and doesn’t burn.

“And how does a monk pull in? There is the case where a monk assumes form to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. He assumes feeling to be the self, or the self as possessing feeling, or feeling as in the self, or the self as in feeling. He assumes perception to be the self, or the self as possessing perception, or perception as in the self, or the self as in perception. He assumes (mental) fabrications to be the self, or the self as possessing fabrications, or fabrications as in the self, or the self as in fabrications. He assumes consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. This is how a monk pulls in.

“And how does a monk not pull in? There is the case where a monk doesn’t assume form to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. He doesn’t assume feeling to be the self… doesn’t assume perception to be the self… doesn’t assume fabrications to be the self… doesn’t assume consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. This is how a monk doesn’t pull in.

“And how does a monk push away? There is the case where a monk returns insult to one who has insulted him, returns anger to one who is angry at him, quarrels with one who is quarreling. This is how a monk pushes away.

“And how does a monk not push away? There is the case where a monk doesn’t return insult to one who has insulted him, doesn’t return anger to one who is angry at him, doesn’t quarrel with one who is quarreling. This is how a monk doesn’t push away.

“And how does a monk smolder? There is the case where, there being ‘I am,’ there comes to be ‘I am here,’ there comes to be ‘I am like this’ … ‘I am otherwise’ … ‘I am bad’ … ‘I am good’ … ‘I might be’ … ‘I might be here’ … ‘I might be like this’ … ‘I might be otherwise’ … ‘May I be’ … ‘May I be here’ … ‘May I be like this’ … ‘May I be otherwise’ … ‘I will be’ … ‘I will be here’ … ‘I will be like this’ … ‘I will be otherwise.’

“And how does a monk not smolder? There is the case where, there not being ‘I am,’ there doesn’t come to be ‘I am here,’ there doesn’t come to be ‘I am like this’ … ‘I am otherwise’ … ‘I am bad’ … ‘I am good’ … ‘I might be’ … ‘I might be here’ … ‘I might be like this’ … ‘I might be otherwise’ … ‘May I be’ … ‘May I be here’ … ‘May I be like this’ … ‘May I be otherwise’ … ‘I will be’ … ‘I will be here’ … ‘I will be like this’ … ‘I will be otherwise.’

“And how does a monk flare up? There is the case where, there being ‘I am because of this (or: by means of this),’ there comes to be ‘I am here because of this,’ there comes to be ‘I am like this because of this’ … ‘I am otherwise because of this’ … ‘I am bad because of this’ … ‘I am good because of this’ … ‘I might be because of this’ … ‘I might be here because of this’ … ‘I might be like this because of this’ … ‘I might be otherwise because of this’ … ‘May I be because of this’ … ‘May I be here because of this’ … ‘May I be like this because of this’ … ‘May I be otherwise because of this’ … ‘I will be because of this’ … ‘I will be here because of this’ … ‘I will be like this because of this’ … ‘I will be otherwise because of this.’

“And how does a monk not flare up? There is the case where, there not being ‘I am because of this (or: by means of this),’ there doesn’t come to be ‘I am here because of this,’ there doesn’t come to be ‘I am like this because of this’ … ‘I am otherwise because of this’ … ‘I am bad because of this’ … ‘I am good because of this’ … ‘I might be because of this’ … ‘I might be here because of this’ … ‘I might be like this because of this’ … ‘I might be otherwise because of this’ … ‘May I be because of this’ … ‘May I be here because of this’ … ‘May I be like this because of this’ … ‘May I be otherwise because of this’ … ‘I will be because of this’ … ‘I will be here because of this’ … ‘I will be like this because of this’ … ‘I will be otherwise because of this.’

“And how does a monk burn? There is the case where a monk’s conceit of ‘I am’ is not abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. This is how a monk burns.

“And how does a monk not burn? There is the case where a monk’s conceit of ‘I am’ is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. This is how a monk doesn’t burn.”

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Gabriel Laera

Love and Hate

A time comes when a mendicant … enters and remains in the second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.
“Mendicants, these four things are born of love and hate.
What four?
Love is born of love,
hate is born of love,
love is born of hate, and
hate is born of hate.
And how is love born of love?
It’s when someone likes, loves, and cares for a person.
Others treat that person with liking, love, and care.
They think:
‘These others like the person I like.’
And so love for them springs up.
That’s how love is born of love.
And how is hate born of love?
It’s when someone likes, loves, and cares for a person.
Others treat that person with disliking, loathing, and detestation.
They think:
‘These others dislike the person I like.’
And so hate for them springs up.
That’s how hate is born of love.
And how is love born of hate?
It’s when someone dislikes, loathes, and detests a person.
Others treat that person with disliking, loathing, and detestation.
They think:
‘These others dislike the person I dislike.’
And so love for them springs up.
That’s how love is born of hate.
And how is hate born of hate?
It’s when someone dislikes, loathes, and detests a person.
Others treat that person with liking, love, and care.
They think:
‘These others like the person I dislike.’
And so hate for them springs up.
That’s how hate is born of hate.
These are the four things that are born of love and hate.
A time comes when a mendicant … enters and remains in the first absorption.
At that time they have no love born of love, hate born of love, love born of hate, or hate born of hate.
At that time they have no love born of love, hate born of love, love born of hate, or hate born of hate.
A time comes when a mendicant realizes the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life. And they live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements.
At that time any love born of love, hate born of love, love born of hate, or hate born of hate is given up, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future.
This is called a mendicant who doesn’t draw close or push back or fume or ignite or burn up.
And how does a mendicant draw close?
It’s when a mendicant regards form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.
They regard feeling as self, self as having feeling, feeling in self, or self in feeling.
They regard perception as self, self as having perception, perception in self, or self in perception.
They regard choices as self, self as having choices, choices in self, or self in choices.
They regard consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.
That’s how a mendicant draws close.
And how does a mendicant not draw close?
It’s when a mendicant doesn’t regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.
They don’t regard feeling as self, self as having feeling, feeling in self, or self in feeling.
They don’t regard perception as self, self as having perception, perception in self, or self in perception.
They don’t regard choices as self, self as having choices, choices in self, or self in choices.
They don’t regard consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.
That’s how a mendicant doesn’t draw close.
And how does a mendicant push back?
It’s when someone abuses, annoys, or argues with a mendicant, and the mendicant abuses, annoys, or argues back at them.
That’s how a mendicant pushes back.
And how does a mendicant not push back?
It’s when someone abuses, annoys, or argues with a mendicant, and the mendicant doesn’t abuse, annoy, or argue back at them.
That’s how a mendicant doesn’t push back.
And how does a mendicant fume?
When there is the concept ‘I am’, there are the concepts ‘I am such’, ‘I am thus’, ‘I am otherwise’; ‘I am fleeting’, ‘I am lasting’; ‘mine’, ‘such is mine’, ‘thus is mine’, ‘otherwise is mine’; ‘also mine’, ‘such is also mine’, ‘thus is also mine’, ‘otherwise is also mine’; ‘I will be’, ‘I will be such’, ‘I will be thus’, ‘I will be otherwise’.
That’s how a mendicant fumes.
And how does a mendicant not fume?
When there is no concept ‘I am’, there are no concepts ‘I am such’, ‘I am thus’, ‘I am otherwise’; ‘I am fleeting’, ‘I am lasting’; ‘mine’, ‘such is mine’, ‘thus is mine’, ‘otherwise is mine’; ‘also mine’, ‘such is also mine’, ‘thus is also mine’, ‘otherwise is also mine’; ‘I will be’, ‘I will be such’, ‘I will be thus’, ‘I will be otherwise’.
That’s how a mendicant doesn’t fume.
And how is a mendicant ignited?
When there is the concept ‘I am because of this’, there are the concepts ‘I am such because of this’, ‘I am thus because of this’, ‘I am otherwise because of this’; ‘I am fleeting because of this’, ‘I am lasting because of this’; ‘mine because of this’, ‘such is mine because of this’, ‘thus is mine because of this’, ‘otherwise is mine because of this’; ‘also mine because of this’, ‘such is also mine because of this’, ‘thus is also mine because of this’, ‘otherwise is also mine because of this’; ‘I will be because of this’, ‘I will be such because of this’, ‘I will be thus because of this’, ‘I will be otherwise because of this’.
That’s how a mendicant is ignited.
And how is a mendicant not ignited?
When there is no concept ‘I am because of this’, there are no concepts ‘I am such because of this’, ‘I am thus because of this’, ‘I am otherwise because of this’; ‘I am fleeting because of this’, ‘I am lasting because of this’; ‘mine because of this’, ‘such is mine because of this’, ‘thus is mine because of this’, ‘otherwise is mine because of this’; ‘also mine because of this’, ‘such is also mine because of this’, ‘thus is also mine because of this’, ‘otherwise is also mine because of this’; ‘I will be because of this’, ‘I will be such because of this’, ‘I will be thus because of this’, ‘I will be otherwise because of this’.
That’s how a mendicant is not ignited.
And how does a mendicant burn up?
It’s when a mendicant hasn’t given up the conceit ‘I am’, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it, so it’s unable to arise in the future.
That’s how a mendicant is burned up.
And how does a mendicant not burn up?
It’s when a mendicant has given up the conceit ‘I am’, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it, so it’s unable to arise in the future.
That’s how a mendicant is not burned up.”