an.7.61 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Nodding

Once the Blessed One was living among the Bhaggas in the Deer Park at Bhesakala Grove, near Crocodile Haunt. At that time Ven. Maha Moggallana sat nodding near the village of Kallavalaputta, in Magadha. The Blessed One, with his purified divine eye, surpassing the human, saw Ven. Maha Moggallana as he sat nodding near the village of Kallavalaputta, in Magadha. As soon as he saw this—just as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm—he disappeared from among the Bhaggas in the Deer Park at Bhesakala Grove, near Crocodile Haunt, and re-appeared near the village of Kallavalaputta, in Magadha, right in front of Ven. Maha Moggallana. There he sat down on a prepared seat. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to Ven. Maha Moggallana, “Are you nodding, Moggallana? Are you nodding?”

“Yes, lord.”

“Well then, Moggallana, whatever perception you have in mind when drowsiness descends on you, don’t attend to that perception, don’t pursue it. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then recall to your awareness the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized it, re-examine it & ponder it over in your mind. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then repeat aloud in detail the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized it. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then pull both your earlobes and rub your limbs with your hands. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then get up from your seat and, after washing your eyes out with water, look around in all directions and upward to the major stars & constellations. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then attend to the perception of light, resolve on the perception of daytime, [dwelling] by night as by day, and by day as by night. By means of an awareness thus open & unhampered, develop a brightened mind. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then—percipient of what lies in front & behind—set a distance to meditate walking back & forth, your senses inwardly immersed, your mind not straying outwards. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then—reclining on your right side—take up the lion’s posture, one foot placed on top of the other, mindful, alert, with your mind set on getting up. As soon as you wake up, get up quickly, with the thought, ‘I won’t stay indulging in the pleasure of lying down, the pleasure of reclining, the pleasure of drowsiness.’ That is how you should train yourself.

“Furthermore, Moggallana, should you train yourself: ‘I will not visit families with my pride lifted high.’ That is how you should train yourself. Among families there are many jobs that have to be done, so that people don’t pay attention to a visiting monk. If a monk visits them with his trunk lifted high, the thought will occur to him, ‘Now who, I wonder, has caused a split between me and this family? The people seem to have no liking for me.’ Getting nothing, he becomes abashed. Abashed, he becomes restless. Restless, he becomes unrestrained. Unrestrained, his mind is far from concentration.

“Furthermore, Moggallana, should you train yourself: ‘I will speak no confrontational speech.’ That is how you should train yourself. When there is confrontational speech, a lot of discussion can be expected. When there is a lot of discussion, there is restlessness. One who is restless becomes unrestrained. Unrestrained, his mind is far from concentration.

“It’s not the case, Moggallana, that I praise association of every sort. But it’s not the case that I dispraise association of every sort. I don’t praise association with householders and renunciates. But as for dwelling places that are free from noise, free from sound, their atmosphere devoid of people, appropriately secluded for resting undisturbed by human beings: I praise association with dwelling places of this sort.”

When this was said, Ven. Moggallana said to the Blessed One: “Briefly, lord, in what respect is a monk released through the ending of craving, utterly complete, utterly free from bonds, a follower of the utterly holy life, utterly consummate: foremost among human & heavenly beings?”

“There is the case, Moggallana, where a monk has heard, ‘All phenomena are unworthy of attachment.’ Having heard that all phenomena are unworthy of attachment, he fully knows all things. Fully knowing all things, he fully comprehends all things. Fully comprehending all things, then whatever feeling he experiences—pleasure, pain, neither pleasure nor pain—he remains focused on inconstancy, focused on dispassion, focused on cessation, focused on relinquishing with regard to that feeling. As he remains focused on inconstancy, focused on dispassion, focused on cessation, focused on relinquishing with regard to that feeling, he is unsustained by anything in the world. Unsustained, he is not agitated. Unagitated, he is unbound right within. He discerns: ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.’

“It is in this respect, Moggallana, that a monk, in brief, is released through the ending of craving, utterly complete, utterly free from bonds, a follower of the utterly holy life, utterly consummate: foremost among human & heavenly beings.”

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Gabriel Laera

Nodding Off

But what if that doesn’t work? Then pinch your ears and rub your limbs.
So I have heard.
At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Bhaggas on Crocodile Hill, in the deer park at Bhesakaḷā’s Wood.
Now at that time, in the land of the Magadhans near Kallavāḷamutta Village, Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was nodding off while meditating.
The Buddha saw him with his clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman.

Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from the deer park at Bhesakaḷā’s Wood in the land of the Bhaggas and reappeared in front of Mahāmoggallāna near Kallavāḷamutta Village in the land of the Magadhans.
He sat on the seat spread out
and said to Mahāmoggallāna,
“Are you nodding off, Moggallāna? Are you nodding off?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So, Moggallāna, don’t focus on or cultivate the perception that you were meditating on when you fell drowsy.
It’s possible that you’ll give up drowsiness in this way.
But what if that doesn’t work? Then think about and consider the teaching as you’ve learned and memorized it, examining it with your mind.
It’s possible that you’ll give up drowsiness in this way.
But what if that doesn’t work? Then recite in detail the teaching as you’ve learned and memorized it.
It’s possible that you’ll give up drowsiness in this way.
It’s possible that you’ll give up drowsiness in this way.
But what if that doesn’t work? Then get up from your seat, flush your eyes with water, look around in every direction, and look up at the stars and constellations.
It’s possible that you’ll give up drowsiness in this way.
But what if that doesn’t work? Then focus on the perception of light, concentrating on the perception of day,
regardless of whether it’s night or day.
And so, with an open and unenveloped heart, develop a mind that’s full of radiance.
It’s possible that you’ll give up drowsiness in this way.
But what if that doesn’t work? Then walk mindfully, concentrating on the perception of continuity, your faculties directed inwards and your mind not scattered outside.
It’s possible that you’ll give up drowsiness in this way.
But what if that doesn’t work? Then lie down in the lion’s posture—on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other—mindful and aware, and focused on the time of getting up.
When you wake, you should get up quickly, thinking:
‘I will not live indulging in the pleasures of sleeping, lying down, and drowsing.’
That’s how you should train.
So you should train like this:
‘I will not approach families with my head swollen with vanity.’
That’s how you should train.
What happens if a mendicant approaches families with a head swollen with vanity? Well, families have business to attend to,
so people might not notice when a mendicant arrives. In that case the mendicant thinks:
‘Who on earth has turned this family against me? It seems they don’t like me any more.’
And so, because they don’t get anything they feel dismayed. Being dismayed, they become restless. Being restless, they lose restraint. And without restraint the mind is far from immersion.
So you should train like this:
‘I won’t get into arguments.’
That’s how you should train.
When there’s an argument, you can expect there’ll be lots of talking. When there’s lots of talking, people become restless. Being restless, they lose restraint. And without restraint the mind is far from immersion.
Moggallāna, I don’t praise all kinds of closeness.
Nor do I criticize all kinds of closeness.
I don’t praise closeness with laypeople and renunciates.
I do praise closeness with those lodgings that are quiet and still, far from the madding crowd, remote from human settlements, and fit for retreat.”
When he said this, Venerable Moggallāna asked the Buddha,
“Sir, how do you briefly define a mendicant who is freed through the ending of craving, who has reached the ultimate end, the ultimate sanctuary, the ultimate spiritual life, the ultimate goal, and is best among gods and humans?”
“It’s when a mendicant has heard:
‘Nothing is worth insisting on.’
When a mendicant has heard that
nothing is worth insisting on,
they directly know all things. Directly knowing all things, they completely understand all things. Having completely understood all things, when they experience any kind of feeling—pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral—
they meditate observing impermanence, dispassion, cessation, and letting go in those feelings.
Meditating in this way, they don’t grasp at anything in the world.
Not grasping, they’re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished.
They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’
That’s how I briefly define a mendicant who is freed through the ending of craving, who has reached the ultimate end, the ultimate sanctuary, the ultimate spiritual life, the ultimate goal, and is best among gods and humans.”