Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.
At Sāvatthi.
“Pubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi:
“Bhikkhus, before my awakening, while I was still a |Bodhisatta::Buddha before his awakening, aspirant Buddha [bodhisatta]|, not yet fully awakened, this thought arose in me:
‘ko nu kho pathavīdhātuyā assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇaṁ;
ko āpodhātuyā assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇaṁ;
ko tejodhātuyā assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇaṁ;
ko vāyodhātuyā assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇan’ti?
‘What is the |gratification::satisfaction, pleasure, enjoyment, sweetness [assāda]|, what is the |drawback::disadvantage, unsatisfactoriness, inadequacy, danger [ādīnava]|, and what is the |escape::way out, remedy [nissaraṇa]| in the case of the |earth element::whatever internal or external that is solid, hard, resistant, appears stable and supporting, which can be considered as belonging to oneself, and can be clung to [pathavīdhātu]|?
What is the gratification, what is the drawback, and what is the escape in the case of the |water element::whatever internal or external, that is liquid, cohesive, flowing, binding, moist, which can be considered as belonging to oneself, and can be clung to [āpodhātu]|?
What is the gratification, what is the drawback, and what is the escape in the case of the |fire element::whatever internal or external that is hot, fiery, transformative, warming, cooling, which can be considered as belonging to oneself and can be clung to [tejodhātu]|?
What is the gratification, what is the drawback, and what is the escape in the case of the |wind element::whatever internal or external that is airy, gaseous, moving, vibrating, wind-like, which can be considered as belonging to oneself and can be clung to [vāyodhātu]|?’
Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi:
Then, bhikkhus, it occurred to me:
‘yaṁ kho pathavīdhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ pathavīdhātuyā assādo; yaṁ pathavīdhātu aniccā dukkhā vipariṇāmadhammā, ayaṁ pathavīdhātuyā ādīnavo; yo pathavīdhātuyā chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ pathavīdhātuyā nissaraṇaṁ.
‘Whatever |happiness::contentment, ease, pleasant abiding [sukha]| and |pleasure::a positive state of mind; agreeable feeling born of mental contact, mental happiness [somanassa]| arise dependent on the earth element is the gratification in the earth element; whatever in the earth element is |impermanent::unstable, transient, unreliable [anicca]|, |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|, and subject to change, that is the drawback in the earth element; the dispelling and abandoning of |interest::desire, wish, intention, impulse [chanda]| and |passion::intense desire, strong emotion, infatuation, obsession, lust [rāga]| for the earth element, this is the escape from the earth element.
Yaṁ āpodhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ āpodhātuyā assādo; yaṁ āpodhātu aniccā dukkhā vipariṇāmadhammā, ayaṁ āpodhātuyā ādīnavo; yo āpodhātuyā chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ āpodhātuyā nissaraṇaṁ.
Whatever happiness and pleasure arise dependent on the water element is the gratification in the water element; whatever in the water element is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, that is the drawback in the water element; the dispelling and abandoning of interest and passion for the water element, this is the escape from the water element.
Yaṁ tejodhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ tejodhātuyā assādo; yaṁ tejodhātu aniccā dukkhā vipariṇāmadhammā, ayaṁ tejodhātuyā ādīnavo; yo tejodhātuyā chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ tejodhātuyā nissaraṇaṁ.
Whatever happiness and pleasure arise dependent on the fire element is the gratification in the fire element; whatever in the fire element is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, that is the drawback in the fire element; the dispelling and abandoning of interest and passion for the fire element, this is the escape from the fire element.
Yaṁ vāyodhātuṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ vāyodhātuyā assādo; yaṁ vāyodhātu aniccā dukkhā vipariṇāmadhammā, ayaṁ vāyodhātuyā ādīnavo; yo vāyodhātuyā chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ vāyodhātuyā nissaraṇaṁ’.
Whatever happiness and pleasure arise dependent on the wind element is the gratification in the wind element; whatever in the wind element is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, that is the drawback in the wind element; the dispelling and abandoning of interest and passion for the wind element, this is the escape from the wind element.’
Yāvakīvañcāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imāsaṁ catunnaṁ dhātūnaṁ evaṁ assādañca assādato ādīnavañca ādīnavato nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ na abbhaññāsiṁ, neva tāvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti paccaññāsiṁ.
Bhikkhus, as long as I did not |experientially understand::directly knew, realized [abbhaññāsi]|, |as they truly are::as they have come to be, as they are in actuality [yathābhūta]|, the gratification as gratification, the drawback as drawback, and the escape as escape in regard to these four elements, I did not claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect awakening in this world with its |deities::gods [devas]|, |Māras::demons, tempters, beings of delusion; lit. causing death [mārake]|, |Brahmas::Gods; celestial beings residing in the Brahmā realms, often considered to be highly refined and long-lived deities. [brahmā]|, among this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its kings and commoners.
Yato ca khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imāsaṁ catunnaṁ dhātūnaṁ evaṁ assādañca assādato ādīnavañca ādīnavato nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ, athāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti paccaññāsiṁ.
But bhikkhus, when I experientially understood, as they truly are, the gratification as gratification, the drawback as drawback, and the escape as escape in regard to these four elements, only then did I claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect awakening in this world with its deities, Māras, Brahmas, among this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its kings and commoners.
Ñāṇañca pana me dassanaṁ udapādi: ‘akuppā me vimutti, ayamantimā jāti, natthi dāni punabbhavo’”ti.
|Insight::understanding, knowing [ñāṇa]| and |vision::realization [dassana]| arose in me: ‘My liberation is unshakeable, this is my final birth, now there is no more |renewed existence::renewal of being, reappearance, rebirth, future life [punabbhava]|.’”