Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
At Sāvatthi.
Atha kho uṇṇābho brāhmaṇo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho uṇṇābho brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then the brahmin Uṇṇābha approached the Blessed One; having drawn near, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. After the exchange of courteous and polite conversation, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, the brahmin Uṇṇābha said this to the Blessed One:
“Pañcimāni, bho gotama, indriyāni nānāvisayāni nānāgocarāni, na aññamaññassa gocaravisayaṁ paccanubhonti. Katamāni pañca? Cakkhundriyaṁ, sotindriyaṁ, ghānindriyaṁ, jivhindriyaṁ, kāyindriyaṁ. Imesaṁ nu kho, bho gotama, pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ nānāvisayānaṁ nānāgocarānaṁ na aññamaññassa gocaravisayaṁ paccanubhontānaṁ kiṁ paṭisaraṇaṁ, ko ca nesaṁ gocaravisayaṁ paccanubhotī”ti?
“Sir Gotama, these five faculties each have a |distinct field::highlights the distinct experiential objects of each sense faculty [nānāvisaya]| and a |distinct domain::refers to the diverse operational range of each sense faculty, e.g. eye faculty operates within the visual range, ear faculty within the auditory range [nānāgocara]|, and do not experience each other’s fields and domains. What five? The eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, and the body faculty. Now, sir Gotama, as these five faculties have distinct fields, distinct domains, and do not experience each other’s fields and domains, what is it that they take |recourse::refuge; lit. going back to [paṭisaraṇa]| in? And what is it that experiences their fields and domains?”
“Pañcimāni, brāhmaṇa, indriyāni nānāvisayāni nānāgocarāni na aññamaññassa gocaravisayaṁ paccanubhonti. Katamāni pañca? Cakkhundriyaṁ, sotindriyaṁ, ghānindriyaṁ, jivhindriyaṁ, kāyindriyaṁ. Imesaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ nānāvisayānaṁ nānāgocarānaṁ na aññamaññassa gocaravisayaṁ paccanubhontānaṁ mano paṭisaraṇaṁ, manova nesaṁ gocaravisayaṁ paccanubhotī”ti.
“Brahmin, these five faculties each have a distinct field and a distinct domain, and do not experience each other’s fields and domains. What five? The eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, and the body faculty. Brahmin, for these five faculties that have distinct fields, distinct domains, and do not experience each other’s fields and domains, the |mind::mental faculty, intellect [mana]| is their recourse, and the mind experiences their fields and domains.”
“Manassa pana, bho gotama, kiṁ paṭisaraṇan”ti?
“And sir Gotama, what is it that the mind takes recourse in?”
“Manassa kho, brāhmaṇa, sati paṭisaraṇan”ti.
“The mind, brahmin, takes recourse in |mindfulness::awareness, presence [sati]|.”
“Satiyā pana, bho gotama, kiṁ paṭisaraṇan”ti?
“And sir Gotama, what is it that mindfulness takes recourse in?”
“Satiyā kho, brāhmaṇa, vimutti paṭisaraṇan”ti.
“Mindfulness, brahmin, takes recourse in |liberation::release, deliverance, freedom, emancipation [vimutti]|.”
“Vimuttiyā pana, bho gotama, kiṁ paṭisaraṇan”ti?
“And sir Gotama, what is it that liberation takes recourse in?”
“Vimuttiyā kho, brāhmaṇa, nibbānaṁ paṭisaraṇan”ti.
“Liberation, brahmin, takes recourse in |Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|.”
“Nibbānassa pana, bho gotama, kiṁ paṭisaraṇan”ti?
“And sir Gotama, what is it that Nibbāna takes recourse in?”
“Accayāsi, brāhmaṇa, pañhaṁ, nāsakkhi pañhassa pariyantaṁ gahetuṁ. Nibbānogadhañhi, brāhmaṇa, brahmacariyaṁ vussati nibbānaparāyaṇaṁ nibbānapariyosānan”ti.
“You have gone beyond the range of questioning, brahmin. You were not able to grasp the limit to questioning. For, brahmin, the |spiritual life::a life of celibacy, contemplation, and ethical discipline lived for the sake of liberation; oriented toward inner development rather than sensual pleasures [brahmacariya]| is lived grounded upon Nibbāna, with Nibbāna as its goal, and Nibbāna as its final end.”
Atha kho uṇṇābho brāhmaṇo bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi.
Then the brahmin Uṇṇābha, having delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words, rose from his seat, and after paying homage to the Blessed One, keeping him on his right, he departed.
Atha kho bhagavā acirapakkante uṇṇābhe brāhmaṇe bhikkhū āmantesi: “seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kūṭāgāre vā kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ vā pācīnavātapānā sūriye uggacchante vātapānena rasmi pavisitvā kvāssa patiṭṭhitā”ti?
Then, not long after the brahmin Uṇṇābha had left, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus: “Suppose, bhikkhus, in a house or a hall with a peaked roof and having windows on the eastern side: when the sun rises and a ray enters through the windows, where would it settle?”
“Pacchimāyaṁ, bhante, bhittiyan”ti.
“On the western wall, venerable sir.”
“Evameva kho, bhikkhave, uṇṇābhassa brāhmaṇassa tathāgate saddhā niviṭṭhā mūlajātā patiṭṭhitā daḷhā asaṁhāriyā samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā devena vā mārena vā brahmunā vā kenaci vā lokasmiṁ. Imamhi ce, bhikkhave, samaye uṇṇābho brāhmaṇo kālaṁ kareyya, natthi taṁ saṁyojanaṁ yena saṁyojanena saṁyutto uṇṇābho brāhmaṇo puna imaṁ lokaṁ āgaccheyyā”ti.
“So too, bhikkhus, the brahmin Uṇṇābha has gained |faith::confidence, conviction, trust [saddha]| in the |Tathāgata::one who has arrived at the truth, an epithet of a perfectly Awakened One [tathāgata]| that is settled, deeply rooted, firmly grounded, |unshakeable::unassailable [asaṃhāriya]|. It cannot be shaken by any ascetic, brahmin, god, |Māra::the ruler of the sensual realm, often depicted as a tempter who tries to obstruct beings from the path to liberation [māra]|, |Brahma::God, the first deity to be born at the beginning of a new cosmic cycle and whose lifespan lasts for the entire cycle [brahma]|, or anyone in the world. If, bhikkhus, the brahmin Uṇṇābha were to die at this time, there is no fetter bound by which he would return to this world.”