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Majjhima Nikaaya I.
1. 8. Sallekhasutta.m
(8) Purity
I heard thus.
At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anaathapindika in
Jetas grove in Saavatthi. Then venerable Mahaacunda getting up from his seclusion in
the evening approached the Blessed One, worshipped, sat on a side and said to the Blessed
One: Venerable sir, there are various views in the world centred around the self and the
world, would the bhikkhu attending to them from the beginning turn them out and dispel
them. .
Cunda, there are various views in the world centred around the self and the world, from
whatever these views arise, from whatever these views trickle, from whatever these views
behave, they are not mine, that is not I, they are not my self, to one who looks at them,
as they really are, in this manner with right wisdom, these views get turned out, get
dispelled. .
Cunda, it may happen, that a bhikkhu secluded from sensual desires, secluded from evil
thoughts, with thoughts and thought processes, with joy and pleasantness born of
seclusion, would abide in the first jhaana . Then it would occur to him, I abide in
purity. Cunda, in the dispensation of the noble ones that is not purity, It is called a
pleasant abiding here and now.
Cunda, it may happen that a bhikkhu overcoming thoughts and thought processes, the mind
internally appeased in one point, without thoughts and thought processes, with joy and
pleasantness born of concentration would abide in the second jhaana. It would occur to
him, I abide in purity. Cunda, in the dispensation of the noble ones that is not purity,
it is a pleasant abiding here and now.
Cunda, it may happen that a bhikkhu with joy and with equanimity to detachment, would
abide mindful and aware experiencing pleasantness with the body, to this the noble ones
say abiding mindfully in pleasantness. The bhikkhu would abide in this third jhaaana and
it would occur to him, I abide in purity. In the dispensation of the noble ones, that is
not purity, it is a pleasaant abiding here and now.
Cunda, it may happen, that a bhikkhu dispelling pleasantness and unpleasantness and
earlier overcoming pleasure and displeasure, without unpleasantness and pleasantness and
with equanimity mindfulness purified would attain and abide in the fourth jhaana. It might
occur to him, I abide in purity. In the dispensation of the noble ones that is not purity,
it is a pleasant abiding here and now.
Cunda, it may happen that a bhikkhu overcoming all perceptions of matter, overcoming
perceptions of anger, not attending to various perceptions, with space is limitless,
attained to abides in the sphere of space. It might occur to him, I abide in purity. In
the dispensation of the noble ones, that is not purity, it is a pleasant abiding here and
now.
Cunda, it may happen that a bhikkhu ovecoming all the sphere of space with
consciousness is limitless, attained to abides in the sphere of conscioussness. It might
occur to him, I abide in purity. In the dispensation of the noble ones, that is not
purity, it is a pleasant abiding here and now.
Cunda, it may happen that a bhikkhu overcoming all the sphere of consciousness, with
there is nothing attained to abides in the sphere of no-thingness. It might occur to him I
abide in purity. In the dispensation of the noble ones, that is not purity, it is a
pleasant abiding here and now.
Cunda, it may happen that a bhikkhu overcoming all the sphere of nothingness, would
attain and abide in the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. It might occur to
him, I abide in purity. In the dispensation of the noble ones, that is not purity, it is a
pleasant abiding here and now.
Cunda, purifying should be done thus: Others will be hurters, we will be non-hurters.
Others will be destroyers of life, we will not destroy life. Others will be taking what is
not given , we will abstain from taking what is not given. Others will lead an unholy
life, we will lead a life of celibacy. Others will tell lies, we will abstain from telling
lies. Others will talk maliciously, we will abstain from malicious talk. Others will talk
roughly, we will abstain from rough talk. Others will talk frivolously, we will abstain
from frivolous talk. Others will be coveting, we will abstain from coveting. Others will
be with an angry mind, we will not be angry. Others will be with wrong view, we will be
with right view. Others will speak wrong words, we will speak right words. Others will be
with wrong actions, we will be with right actions. Others will be with wrong livelihood,
we will be with right livelihood. Others will be with wrong effort, we will be with right
effort. Others will be with wrong mindfulness, we will be with right mindfulness. Others
will be with wrong concentration, we will be with right concentration. Others will be with
wrong knowledge, we will be with right knowledge. Others will be released wrong, we will
be rightfully released. Others will be overcome by sloth and torpor, we will throw out
sloth and torpor. Others will be excited, we will not be excited. Others will be doubting,
we will overcome doubts. Others will be angry, we will not be angry. Others will bear a
grudge, we will have no grudge. Others will be hypocritical, we will be free from
hypocrisy. Others will be merciless, we will be merciful. Others will be jealous, we will
not be jealous. Others will be selfish, we will not be selfish. Others will be crafty, we
will not be crafty. Others will be deceitful, we will not be deceitful. Others will be
stuborn, we will not be stuborn. Others will be conceited, we will not be conceited.
Others will be unruly, we will be gentle. Others will have evil friends, we will have good
friends. Others will be negligent, we will be diligent. Others will be without faith, we
will be with faith. Others will be shameless, we will be shameful. Others will be
remorseless, we will be remorseful. Others will have little learrning, we will learn much.
Others will be lazy, we will be with aroused effort.. Others will be confused, we will be
with minfulness established. Others will be not wise, we will be wise. Others will hold to
views tenaciously, we will give up views quite easily. Cunda, purifying should be done in
this manner. .
Cunda, I say, that even the arousing of thoughts for meritorious things is of much
help, so what if they are followed up by words and actions. So the thought should be
aroused others will be hurters, we will be non- hurters. The thought should be aroused
others will be destroyers of life, we will be not. And the thought should be aroused
others will be tenaciously holding to views, we will be giving up views easily.
Cunda, just as for the uneven path, there is an alternative even path, for the uneven
ford there is an alternative even ford. In the same manner, for the hurter there is an
alternate, non-hurting. For the destroyer of life, an alternate is not destroy life. For
the taker of things not given, an alternate is to abstain from it. .
For not leading the holy life, the alternate is leading the holy life. For telling lies
the alternate is abstaining from it. For speaking maliciously, the alternate is abstaining
from it. For rough talk, the alternate is abstaining from it. For frivolous talk, the
alternate is abstaining from it. For coveting, the alternate is not coveting. For the
angry mind, the alternate is a not angry mind. For wrong view, the alternate is right
view.For wrong thoughts, the alternate is right thoughts. For wrong words, the alternate
is right words. For wrong actions the alternate is right actions. For wrong livelihood,
the alternate is right livelihood. For wrong effort, the alternate is right effort. For
wrong mindfulness, the alternate is right mindfulness. For wrong concentration, the
alternate is right concentration. For wrong knowledge, the alternate is right knowledge.
For wrong release, the alternate is right release. For sloth and tor por and alternaate is
freedom from sloth and torpor. For excitement the alternate is non-excitement. For doubts
the alternate is freedom from doubts. For uncontrolled anager, the alternate is freedom
from it. For grudge the alternate is to give up the grudge. For hypocrsy, the alternate is
non-hypocrisy. For mercilessness the alternate is mercy. For jealousy the alternate is
non-jealousy. For selfishness the alternate is freedom from selfishness. For craftiness,
the alternate is non-craftiness. For deceit the alternate is non-deceit. For stuborness
the alternate is non-stuborness. For conceit the alternate is non-conceit. For the unruly
the alternate is gentleness. For evil friendship the alternate is good friendship.For
negligence the alternate is diligence. For lack of faith the alternate is gain of faith.
For the shameless the alternate is shame. For the remorseless the alternate is remorse.
For the not learned the alternate is learnedness. For the lazy the alternate is aroused
effort. For the confused the alternate is established mindfulness. For the not wise the
alternate is wisdom. For holding to views tenaciously, the alternate is giving up views
with ease.
Cunda, just as merit could rise up stepping down all demerit, in the same manner the
hurter could rise up.not hurting. The destroyer of life, could rise up abstaining from it.
The taker of what is not given, could rise up abstaining from it. And the one holdling to
his views tenaciously could rise up by giving up views easily. .
.Cunda, one submerged in mud could pull out another submerged in mud is not possible..
One not submerged in mud could pull out another submerged in mud is possible...Cunda, one
not tamed, not trained and not extinguished could tame and train others and help to
extinguish is not possible. One tamed, trained and extinguisshed could tame and train
others and help to extinguish is possible.In the same manner for the hurter, there is
non-hurting for extinguisshing. For the destroyer of life, abstaining from it for
extinguishing. For the taker of what is not given, abstaining from it for extinguishing
For the unholy life the holy life for extinguishing. For telling lies, abstaining from it
for extinguishing. For malicious talk, abstaining from it for extinguishing. For rough
talk abstaining from it for extinguishing. For frivolous talk, abstaining from it for
extinguishing. For the coveting, not coveting for extinguishing. For the angry mind the
not angry mind for extinguishing. For wrong view there is right view for extinguishing.
For wrong thoughts there are right thoughts for extinguishing. For wrong words there are
right words for extinguishing. For wrong actions there are right actions for
extinguishing. For wrong livelihood, there is right livelihood for extinguishing. For
wrong effort there is right effort for extinguishing For wrong mindfulness, there is right
mindfulness for extinguishing. For wrong concentration there is right concentration for
extinguishing. . For wrong knowledge there is right knowledge for extinguishing. For wrong
release, there is right release for extinguishing. For the overcome with sloth and torpor,
there is the dispelling of sloth and torpor, for extinguishing..For the excited there is
non-excitement for extinguishing. For the doubtful there is dispelled doubts for
extinguishing. For the angry, freedom from anger for extinguishing. For having a grudge,
throwing out the grudge for extinguishing. For the hypocrite, there is throwing out
hypcrisy for extinguishing. For the merciless, there is mercy for extinguishing. For the
jealous, there is putting an end to jealousy for extinguishing. For the selfish, giving it
up for extinguishing. For the crafty, giving it up for extinguishing. For the stuborn,
giving it up for extinguishing. For the conceited, giving it up for extinguishing. For the
unruly becoming gentle for extinguishing. For evil friendship, right friendship for
extinguishing. For the negligent, diligence for extinguisshing. For the faithless, faith
for extinguishing. For the shameless, shame for extinguishing. For the remorseless,
remorse for extinguishing. For the not learned, learnedness for extinguishing. For the
lazy, aroused effort for extinguishing. For the confused, established mindfulness for
extinguishing. For the not wise, wisdom for extinguishing. For the holding fast to views,
there is easily giving up views for extinguishing. . .. .
Cunda, I have taught the method of purifying, the method of arousing thoughts for it,
the method of finding an alternative, the method of rising up, and the method of
extinguishing. I have done, what should be done out of compassion, by a Teacher to his
disciples, Cunda, there are roots of trees and absorptions without thoughts,* Concentrate,
do not be negligent and be remorseful later. This is our advice to you.
The Blessed One said thus, and venerable Cunda delighted in the words of the Blessed
One. .
Notes. * Absorptions without thoughts: Su~n~naagaaraana.m. These are
the three jhaaanas above the first and all other absorptions without thoughts. Thoughts
are a mental entertainment, peculiar to the ordinary, without them they are lost and would
not know what to do, while one who knows enjoys the absorptions without thoughts.
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