Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park.
Then, when it was evening, the venerable Mahā Cunda emerged from seclusion and approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated thus, the venerable Mahā Cunda said to the Blessed One:
“Venerable sir, these various kinds of views that arise in the world—connected with |beliefs::doctrines, theories [vāde]| about the self or connected with beliefs about the world—|does the abandoning and relinquishing of these views come about in a bhikkhu who is attending only to the beginning [of his training]::Per the commentary on the middle length discourses, this question refers to one who has only reached the initial stages of insight meditation without attaining stream-entry. The type of abandonment under discussion is abandoning by wearing away, which is accomplished only by the path of the stream-entry. Venerable Mahā Cunda posed this question because some meditators were overestimating their achievement, thinking they had abandoned such views while they had not really eradicated them.|?”
“Cunda, as to these various kinds of views that arise in the world—connected with beliefs about the self or connected with beliefs about the world—wherever these views arise, whatever [object] these views underlie, and wherever these views manifest, if that is seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self,’ then the abandoning and relinquishing of these views come about.
The Eight Attainments
It is possible, Cunda, that here a certain bhikkhu, quite secluded from sensual pleasures and |unwholesome::unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, or karmically unprofitable [akusala]| mental states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is |accompanied by reflection::with thinking [savitakka]| and |examination::with investigation, evaluation [savicāra]|, |born of seclusion::secluded from the defilements [vivekaja]|, and is |imbued with joyful pleasure::imbued with joy and happiness, with delight and ease, sometimes experienced as an intense joy or pleasure, rapture [pītisukha]|. It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing |self-effacement::spiritual austerity, chipping away at the defilements, asceticism [sallekha]|.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the |Vinaya::code of monastic discipline rules, training [vinaya]| of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
It is possible here that with the |settling::calming, conciliation, subsiding [vūpasama]| of reflection and examination, the bhikkhu enters and dwells in the second jhāna, characterized by internal |tranquility::calming, settling, confidence [sampasādana]| and |unification::singleness, integration [ekodibhāva]| of mind, free from reflection and examination, |born of collectedness::born from a stable mind [samādhija]|, and imbued with joyful pleasure. It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing self-effacement.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
It is possible here that with the fading away of joyful pleasure, the bhikkhu dwells |equanimous::mental poised, mentally balanced, equanimous, non-reactive, disregarding [upekkhaka]|, |mindful and fully aware::attentive and completely comprehending [sata + sampajāna]|, experiencing |ease::comfort, contentedness, happiness, pleasure [sukha]| with the body. He enters and dwells in the third jhāna, which the Noble Ones describe as, ‘one who dwells equanimous, mindful, and at ease.’ It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing self-effacement.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
It is possible here that with the abandoning of ease and |discontentment::discomfort, unpleasantness, something unsatisfactory, stress [dukkha]|, and with the settling down of |joy and sorrow::craving and aversion, pleasure and displeasure, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, gladness and dejection, positive state of mind and negative state of mind [somanassadomanassa]|, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, which is characterized by purification of |mindfulness::full awareness and recollection of the body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities, observing them clearly with sustained attention, free from craving and distress [sati]| through |equanimity::mental poise, mental balance, equipoise, non-reactivity, composure [upekkhā]|, experiencing a feeling which is neither-painful-nor-pleasant. It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing self-effacement.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
It is possible here that with the complete surpassing of |perceptions of form::recognition of matter, concept of materiality [rūpasaññā]|, with the disappearance of |perception of sensory impact::recognition of sense impression, aversion; lit. striking against perception [paṭighasaññā]|, and non-attention to |perception of diversity::recognition of diversity, perception of multiplicity [nānattasaññā]|, aware that ‘space is boundless,’ a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the |base of boundless space::field of boundless expanse, sometimes translated as dimension of infinite space [ākāsānañcāyatana]|. It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing self-effacement.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
It is possible here that with the complete surpassing of the base of boundless space, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the |base of boundless consciousness::field of limitless awareness [viññāṇañcāyatana]|, aware that ‘consciousness is boundless.’ It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing self-effacement.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
It is possible here that with the complete surpassing of the base of boundless consciousness, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the |base of nothingness::field of awareness centered on the absence of any distinct “something” to grasp or hold onto [ākiñcaññāyatana]|, aware that ‘there is nothing.’ It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing self-effacement.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
It is possible here that with the complete surpassing of the base of nothingness, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the |base of neither perception nor non-perception::field of awareness of subtle mental activity that do not arise to the level of forming a perception [nevasaññānāsaññāyatana]|. It might occur to him: ‘I am practicing self-effacement.’ But it is not these attainments that are called ‘effacement’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones: these are called ‘pleasant abidings here and now’ in the Vinaya of the Noble Ones.
1. Way of Effacement
However, Cunda, effacement should be practiced thus.
1. ‘Others could be |cruel::hurtful [vihiṁsaka]|; we shall not be cruel here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
2. ‘Others could kill living beings; we shall not kill living beings here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
3. ‘Others could take what is not given; we shall not take what is not given’—effacement should be practiced thus.
4. ‘Others could be uncelibate; we shall be celibate here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
5. ‘Others could speak falsehood; we shall abstain from false speech here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
6. ‘Others could |speak divisively::who separates others by speech, who sows discord [pisuṇavācā]|; we shall abstain from divisive speech here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
7. ‘Others could |speak harshly::who speak using rough words, rudely, or in an unkind manner [pharusavācā]|; we shall abstain from harsh speech here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
8. ‘Others could speak frivolously; we shall abstain from frivolous speech here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
9. ‘Others could |have intense craving::be greedy, covetous, with yearning, desiring, mentally obsessed [abhijjhālu]|; we shall not have intense craving here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
10. ‘Others could be |with a malicious mind::evil-minded, hateful [byāpannacitta]|; we shall be with a kind mind here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
11. ‘Others could be with |wrong view::a distorted perception, an untrue view, a false belief [micchādiṭṭhi]|; we shall be with right view here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
12. ‘Others could be with |wrong intention::wrong notions, wrong ideas [micchāsaṅkappa]|; we shall be with right intention here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
13. ‘Others could be with wrong speech; we shall be with right speech here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
14. ‘Others could be with wrong action; we shall be with right action here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
15. ‘Others could be with wrong livelihood; we shall be with right livelihood here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
16. ‘Others could be with wrong effort; we shall be with right effort here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
17. ‘Others could be with wrong mindfulness; we shall be with right mindfulness here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
18. ‘Others could be with wrong collectedness; we shall be with right collectedness here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
19. ‘Others could be with |wrong wisdom::with wrong discernment, with incorrect understanding [micchāñāṇī]|; we shall be with right wisdom here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
20. ‘Others could be with |wrong liberation::with wrong release, with wrong freedom [micchāvimuttī]|; we shall be with right liberation here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
21. ‘Others could be |obsessed by dullness and drowsiness::overcome or consumed by fuzziness, sluggishness, lethargy [thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhita]|; we shall not be obsessed by dullness and drowsiness here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
22. ‘Others could be |restless::agitated, unbalanced, confused about what is right and wrong [uddhata]|; we shall be calm here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
23. ‘Others could be |with doubt::having uncertainty, being indecisive [vicikiccha]|; we shall overcome doubt here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
24. ‘Others could be |irritable::prone to anger [kodhana]|; we shall be free from irritation here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
25. ‘Others could be |resentful::who bears a grudge, who harbors enmity [upanāhī]|; we shall not be resentful here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
26. ‘Others could be |denigrators::who slanders [makkhī]|; we shall not be denigrators here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
27. ‘Others could be |contentious::stubborn, arrogant [paḷāsī]|; we shall be free from contention here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
28. ‘Others could be |envious::jealous, covetous [issukī]|; we shall be free from envy here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
29. ‘Others could be |miserly::stingy, greedy [maccharī]|; we shall be generous here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
30. ‘Others could be |deceitful::dishonest, cunning [saṭha]|; we shall be honest here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
31. ‘Others could be |hypocritical::pretentious [māyāvī]|; we shall be sincere here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
32. ‘Others could be |stubborn::bullheaded, inflexible [thaddha]|; we shall be flexible here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
33. ‘Others could be |arrogant::proud, conceited [atimānī]|; we shall be humble here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
34. ‘Others could be hard to instruct; we shall be easy to instruct here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
35. ‘Others could be with evil friends; we shall associate with good friends here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
36. ‘Others could be |negligent::inattentive, careless, intoxicated [pamatta]|; we shall be diligent here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
37. ‘Others could be |faithless::without confidence, without conviction [assaddhā]|; we shall be faithful here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
38. ‘Others could be |lacking sense of right and wrong::shamelessness, lacking conscience [ahirika]|; we shall be with a sense of right and wrong here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
39. ‘Others could be |without concern::without regret, without remorse [anottāpī]|; we shall be with concern here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
40. ‘Others could be of |little learning::having ignorance of how things have come to be, not knowing the nature of reality [appassuta]|; we shall be |very learned::well educated, knowledgeable [bahussuta]| here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
41. ‘Others could be |indolent::lazy, inactive person, indolent [kusītā]|; we shall be |with energy aroused::with initiative [āraddhavīriya]| here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
42. ‘Others could be |muddle-minded::forgetful, not mindful [muṭṭhassatī]|; we shall |attend mindfully::with presence of mind [upaṭṭhitassatī]| here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
43. ‘Others could be |undiscerning::without wisdom [duppañña]|; we shall be accomplished in understanding here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
44. ‘Others could |cling to their own views::adhere to their own belief systems [sandiṭṭhiparāmāsī]|, hold on to them tightly, and relinquish them with difficulty; we shall not cling to our own views or hold on to them tightly, but shall relinquish them easily here’—effacement should be practiced thus.
2. Way of Inclining the Mind
“Cunda, I say that even the inclination of the mind toward wholesome mental qualities is of great benefit. How much more, then, bodily and verbal conformity to them! Therefore, Cunda: 1. One should incline the mind thus: ‘Others could be cruel; we shall not be cruel here.’ 2. One should incline the mind thus: ‘Others could kill living beings; we shall abstain from killing living beings here.’ 3. - 43. One should incline the mind thus ... 44. One should incline the mind thus: ‘Others could cling to their own views, hold on to them tightly, and relinquish them with difficulty; we shall not cling to our own views or hold on to them tightly, but shall easily relinquish them here.’
3. Way of Passing Beyond
Suppose, Cunda, there were a rough path and another even path by which to pass beyond it; and suppose there were an uneven |shore::ford, bank [tittha]| and another even shore by which to pass beyond it. So too, Cunda:
1. A person given to cruelty can pass beyond it by cultivating non-cruelty,
2. A person who kills living beings can pass beyond it by abstention from killing living beings,
3. A person who takes what is not given can pass beyond it by abstention from taking what is not given,
4. A person who is uncelibate can pass beyond it by abstention from uncelibacy,
5. A person who speaks falsehood can pass beyond it by refraining from false speech,
6. A person who speaks divisively can pass beyond it by refraining from speaking divisively,
7. A person who speaks harshly can pass beyond it by refraining from harsh speech,
8. A person who speaks frivolously can pass beyond it by refraining from frivolous speech,
9. A person who is with intense craving can pass beyond it by cultivating being without intense craving,
10. A person who is with a malicious mind can pass beyond it by cultivating a kind mind,
11. A person who is with wrong view can pass beyond it by cultivating right view,
12. A person who is with wrong intention can pass beyond it by cultivating right intention,
13. A person who is with wrong speech can pass beyond it by cultivating right speech,
14. A person who is with wrong action can pass beyond it by cultivating right action,
15. A person who is with wrong livelihood can pass beyond it by cultivating right livelihood,
16. A person who is with wrong effort can pass beyond it by cultivating right effort,
17. A person who is with wrong mindfulness can pass beyond it by cultivating right mindfulness,
18. A person who is with wrong collectedness can pass beyond it by cultivating right collectedness,
19. A person who is with wrong wisdom can pass beyond it by cultivating right wisdom,
20. A person who is with wrong liberation can pass beyond it by cultivating right liberation,
21. A person who is obsessed by dullness and drowsiness can pass beyond it by being without dullness and drowsiness,
22. A person who is restless can pass beyond it by cultivating calmness,
23. A person who is with doubt can pass beyond it by overcoming doubt,
24. A person who is irritable can pass beyond it by refraining from irritation,
25. A person who is resentful can pass beyond it by cultivating non-resentment,
26. A person who is a denigrator can pass beyond it by refraining from denigration,
27. A person who is contentious can pass beyond it by cultivating non-contention,
28. A person who is envious can pass beyond it by cultivating non-envy,
29. A person who is miserly can pass beyond it by cultivating non-miserliness,
30. A person who is deceitful can pass beyond it by cultivating honesty,
31. A person who is hypocritical can pass beyond it by cultivating |transparency::openness [amāyā]|,
32. A person who is stubborn can pass beyond it by being flexible,
33. A person who is arrogant can pass beyond it by cultivating humility,
34. A person who is hard to instruct can pass beyond it by being easy to instruct,
35. A person who is with evil friends can pass beyond it by associating with good friends,
36. A person who is negligent can pass beyond it by cultivating diligence,
37. A person who is faithless can pass beyond it by cultivating faith,
38. A person who is lacking a sense of right and wrong can pass beyond it by cultivating a sense of right and wrong,
39. A person who is without concern can pass beyond it by cultivating concern,
40. A person who is of little learning can pass beyond it by developing extensive knowledge,
41. A person who is indolent can pass beyond it by rousing of energy,
42. A person who is muddle-minded can pass beyond it by cultivating mindfulness,
43. A person who is undiscerning can pass beyond it by cultivating discernment,
44. A person who clings to their own views, holds on tightly, and relinquishes them with difficulty can pass beyond it by not clinging to their own views, not holding on tightly, and easily relinquishing.
4. Way Leading Upwards
Suppose, Cunda, that all unwholesome mental qualities are of a nature to lead downwards, and that all wholesome mental qualities are of a nature to lead upwards. So too, Cunda: 1. For a person given to cruelty, non-cruelty leads upwards. 2. For a person who kills living beings, abstention from killing living beings leads upwards. 3. - 43. cultivation of wholesome/abstention from unwholesome leads upwards ... 44. For a person who clings to their own views, holds on tightly, and relinquishes with difficulty, not clinging to their own views, not holding on tightly, and easily relinquishing leads upwards.
5. Way Leading to Complete Quenching
Cunda, it is impossible that one who is himself |stuck in mud::immersed in mire, bogged down by swamp [palipapalipanna]| should pull out another who is stuck in mud; that one who is not himself stuck in mud should pull out another who is stuck in mud is possible. It is impossible that one who is himself untamed, undisciplined, untrained, and not completely quenched should tame, discipline, train, and completely quench another; that one who is himself tamed, disciplined, trained, and completely quenched should tame, discipline, train, and completely quench another is possible.
Even so, Cunda: 1. For a person given to cruelty, non-cruelty leads to complete quenching.
2. For a person who kills living beings, abstention from killing living beings leads to complete quenching.
3. For a person who takes what is not given, abstention from taking what is not given leads to complete quenching.
4. For a person who is uncelibate, abstention from uncelibacy leads to complete quenching.
5. For a person who speaks falsehood, refraining from false speech leads to complete quenching.
6. For a person who speaks divisively, refraining from speaking divisively leads to complete quenching.
7. For a person who speaks harshly, refraining from harsh speech leads to complete quenching.
8. For a person who speaks frivolously, refraining from frivolous speech leads to complete quenching.
9. For a person who is with intense craving, being without intense craving leads to complete quenching.
10. For a person who is with a malicious mind, cultivating a kind mind leads to complete quenching.
11. For a person who is with wrong view, cultivating right view leads to complete quenching.
12. For a person who is with wrong intention, cultivating right intention leads to complete quenching.
13. For a person who is with wrong speech, cultivating right speech leads to complete quenching.
14. For a person who is with wrong action, cultivating right action leads to complete quenching.
15. For a person who is with wrong livelihood, cultivating right livelihood leads to complete quenching.
16. For a person who is with wrong effort, cultivating right effort leads to complete quenching.
17. For a person who is with wrong mindfulness, cultivating right mindfulness leads to complete quenching.
18. For a person who is with wrong collectedness, cultivating right collectedness leads to complete quenching.
19. For a person who is with wrong wisdom, cultivating right wisdom leads to complete quenching.
20. For a person who is with wrong liberation, cultivating right liberation leads to complete quenching.
21. For a person who is obsessed by dullness and drowsiness, being without dullness and drowsiness leads to complete quenching.
22. For a person who is restless, cultivating calmness leads to complete quenching.
23. For a person who is with doubt, overcoming doubt leads to complete quenching.
24. For a person who is irritable, refraining from irritation leads to complete quenching.
25. For a person who is resentful, cultivating non-resentment leads to complete quenching.
26. For a person who is a denigrator, refraining from denigration leads to complete quenching.
27. For a person who is contentious, cultivating non-contention leads to complete quenching.
28. For a person who is envious, cultivating non-envy leads to complete quenching.
29. For a person who is miserly, cultivating non-miserliness leads to complete quenching.
30. For a person who is deceitful, cultivating honesty leads to complete quenching.
31. For a person who is hypocritical, cultivating transparency leads to complete quenching.
32. For a person who is stubborn, being flexible leads to complete quenching.
33. For a person who is arrogant, cultivating humility leads to complete quenching.
34. For a person who is hard to instruct, being easy to instruct leads to complete quenching.
35. For a person who is with evil friends, associating with good friends leads to complete quenching.
36. For a person who is negligent, cultivating diligence leads to complete quenching.
37. For a person who is faithless, cultivating faith leads to complete quenching.
38. For a person who is lacking a sense of right and wrong, cultivating a sense of right and wrong leads to complete quenching.
39. For a person who is without concern, cultivating concern leads to complete quenching.
40. For a person who is of little learning, developing extensive knowledge leads to complete quenching.
41. For a person who is indolent, rousing of energy leads to complete quenching.
42. For a person who is muddle-minded, cultivating mindfulness leads to complete quenching.
43. For a person who is undiscerning, cultivating discernment leads to complete quenching.
44. For a person who clings to their own views, holds on tightly, and relinquishes with difficulty, not clinging to their own views, not holding on tightly, and easily relinquishing leads to complete quenching.”
Thus, Cunda, I have taught the way of effacement, the way of inclining the mind, the way of passing beyond, the way leading upwards, and the way leading to complete quenching. What a teacher should do out of compassion for his disciples, seeking their welfare, I have done for you, Cunda. Here are these roots of trees, here are these empty huts. Meditate, Cunda, do not be negligent; lest you later regret it. This is our instruction to you.”
The Blessed One said this. The venerable Mahā Cunda was satisfied and rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words.
Forty-four terms have been spoken,
five pathways have been taught;
The discourse called “Effacement”—
deep, vast as the ocean.