an.9.33 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

Dwellings (2)

“Monks, I will teach you the nine step-by-step dwelling-attainments. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”

“As you say, lord,” the monks responded.

The Blessed One said, “And what, monks, are the nine step-by-step dwelling-attainments?

[1] “Wherever sensual resolves cease and those who repeatedly are stopping sensual resolves dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where do sensual resolves cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping sensual resolves dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful mental qualities, enters & remains in the first jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. That is where sensual resolves cease, and where those who repeatedly are stopping sensual resolves dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[2] “Wherever directed thoughts & evaluations cease and those who repeatedly are stopping directed thoughts & evaluations dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where do directed thoughts & evaluations cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping directed thoughts & evaluations dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, enters & remains in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation—internal assurance. That is where directed thoughts & evaluations cease, and where those who repeatedly are stopping directed thoughts & evaluations dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[3] “Wherever rapture ceases and those who repeatedly are stopping rapture dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where does rapture cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping rapture dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the fading of rapture, remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, “Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.” That is where rapture ceases, and where those who repeatedly are stopping rapture dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[4] “Wherever the pleasure of equanimity ceases and those who repeatedly are stopping the pleasure of equanimity dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where does the pleasure of equanimity cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping the pleasure of equanimity dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain—as with the earlier disappearance of joy & distress—enters & remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. That is where the pleasure of equanimity ceases, and where those who repeatedly are stopping the pleasure of equanimity dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[5] “Wherever the perception of form ceases and those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of form dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where does the perception of form cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of form dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the complete transcending of perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, (perceiving,) “Infinite space,” enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of space. That is where the perception of form ceases, and where those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of form dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[6] “Wherever the perception of the infinitude of space ceases and those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the infinitude of space dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where does the perception of the infinitude of space cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the infinitude of space dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, (perceiving,) “Infinite consciousness,” enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. That is where the perception of the infinitude of space ceases, and where those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the infinitude of space dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[7] “Wherever the perception of the infinitude of consciousness ceases and those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the infinitude of consciousness dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where does the perception of the infinitude of consciousness cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the infinitude of consciousness dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, (perceiving,) “There is nothing,” enters & remains in the dimension of nothingness. That is where the perception of the infinitude of consciousness ceases, and where those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the infinitude of consciousness dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[8] “Wherever the perception of nothingness ceases and those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of nothingness dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where does the perception of nothingness cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of nothingness dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the complete transcending of the dimension of nothingness, enters & remains in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. That is where the perception of nothingness ceases, and where those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of nothingness dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

[9] “Wherever the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception ceases and those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception dwell: Surely, I tell you, by that factor those venerable ones are free from hunger, unbound, having crossed over & gone to the far shore.

“Now if someone should say, ‘Where does the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception cease? And where do those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception dwell? I don’t know that; I don’t see that,’ he should be told, ‘There is the case, friend, where a monk, with the complete transcending of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enters & remains in the cessation of perception & feeling. That is where the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception ceases, and where those who repeatedly are stopping the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception dwell.’ Surely, a person without guile or deceit, (saying,) ‘Very good,’ would delight in & approve of that statement. Delighting in & approving of that statement, paying homage & raising his hands palm-to-palm over his heart, he would honor it.

“These, monks, are the nine step-by-step dwelling-attainments.”

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Gabriel Laera

The Nine Progressive Meditative Attainments

“Mendicants, I will teach you the nine progressive meditative attainments …
And what are the nine progressive meditative attainments?
Where sensual pleasures cease, and those who have thoroughly ended sensual pleasures meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where sensual pleasures cease’,
they should be told:
‘Reverend, it’s when a mendicant, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected.
That’s where sensual pleasures cease.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where the placing of the mind and keeping it connected cease, and those who have thoroughly ended the placing of the mind and keeping it connected meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where the placing of the mind and keeping it connected cease’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, as the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, enters and remains in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and confidence, and unified mind, without placing the mind and keeping it connected.
That’s where the placing of the mind and keeping it connected cease.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where rapture ceases, and those who have thoroughly ended rapture meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where rapture ceases’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, with the fading away of rapture, enters and remains in the third absorption, where they meditate with equanimity, mindful and aware, personally experiencing the bliss of which the noble ones declare, “Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss”.
That’s where rapture ceases.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where equanimous bliss ceases, and those who have thoroughly ended equanimous bliss meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where equanimous bliss ceases’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, giving up pleasure and pain, and ending former happiness and sadness, enters and remains in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness.
That’s where equanimous bliss ceases.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where perceptions of form ceases, and those who have thoroughly ended perceptions of form meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where perceptions of form ceases’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond perceptions of form, with the ending of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that “space is infinite”, enters and remains in the dimension of infinite space.
That’s where perceptions of form cease.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where the perception of the dimension of infinite space ceases, and those who have thoroughly ended the perception of the dimension of infinite space meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where the perception of the dimension of infinite space ceases’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite space, aware that “consciousness is infinite”, enters and remains in the dimension of infinite consciousness.
That’s where the perception of the dimension of infinite space ceases.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness ceases, and those who have thoroughly ended the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness ceases’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that “there is nothing at all”, enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness.
That’s where the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness ceases.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where the perception of the dimension of nothingness ceases, and those who have thoroughly ended the perception of the dimension of nothingness meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where the perception of the dimension of nothingness ceases’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of nothingness, enters and remains in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.
That’s where the perception of the dimension of nothingness ceases.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
Where the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception ceases, and those who have thoroughly ended the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception meditate, I say: ‘Clearly those venerables are desireless, extinguished, crossed over, and gone beyond in that respect.’
If someone should say, ‘I do not know or see where the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception ceases’,
they should be told:
‘It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling.
That’s where the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception ceases.’
Clearly someone who is not devious or deceitful would approve and agree with that statement.
They’d say ‘Good!’ and bowing down, they’d pay homage with joined palms.
These are the nine progressive meditative attainments.”