The venerable Udaya approaches the Buddha with questions about liberation through final knowledge, the fettering of the world, and how to live mindfully for consciousness to cease.
“Jhāyiṁ virajamāsīnaṁ,
(iccāyasmā udayo)
Katakiccaṁ anāsavaṁ;
Pāraguṁ sabbadhammānaṁ,
Atthi pañhena āgamaṁ;
Aññāvimokkhaṁ pabrūhi,
Avijjāya pabhedanaṁ”.
“To the meditator seated dustless,”
(said the venerable Udaya),
“|taintless::undefiled, free from effluents [anāsava]|, having done what needed to be done;
who has gone beyond |all states of mind::all mental phenomena, all things [sabbadhamma]|,
I have come in need with a question:
Tell me of liberation by |final knowledge::spiritual insight of the complete wearing away of the mental defilements; full awakening [aññā]|,
the shattering of |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|.”
“Pahānaṁ kāmacchandānaṁ,
(udayāti bhagavā)
Domanassāna cūbhayaṁ;
Thinassa ca panūdanaṁ,
Kukkuccānaṁ nivāraṇaṁ.
“The abandoning of sensual desires,
(Udaya,” said the Blessed One),
and of |displeasure::a negative state of mind; disagreeable feeling or unease born of mental contact, mental pain [domanassa]|, both;
The |eviction::dispelling, driving out, forcing out [panūdana]| of |dullness::lack of mental clarity or alertness, inertia, mental sluggishness [thina]|,
and the warding off of |anxiety::remorse, restlessness, uneasiness, worry; lit. badly done [kukkucca]|.
Upekkhāsatisaṁsuddhaṁ,
dhammatakkapurejavaṁ;
Aññāvimokkhaṁ pabrūmi,
avijjāya pabhedanaṁ”.
Purified by |equanimity::mental poise, mental balance, equipoise, non-reactivity, composure [upekkha]| and |mindfulness::recollection of the body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities, observing them clearly with sustained attention, free from craving and distress [sati]|,
preceded by reflection on the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]|;
I call this liberation by final knowledge,
the shattering of ignorance.”
“Kiṁsu saṁyojano loko,
kiṁsu tassa vicāraṇaṁ;
Kissassa vippahānena,
nibbānaṁ iti vuccati”.
“By what is the world fettered?
What is its means of locomotion?
By the abandoning of what,
is ‘|Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|’ spoken of?”
“Nandisaṁyojano loko,
vitakkassa vicāraṇaṁ;
Taṇhāya vippahānena,
nibbānaṁ iti vuccati”.
“The world is fettered by |delight::pleasure, enjoyment, relish [nandi]|,
thought is its means of locomotion;
It is by the abandoning of |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]|,
that ‘Nibbāna’ is spoken of.”
“Kathaṁ satassa carato,
viññāṇaṁ uparujjhati;
Bhagavantaṁ puṭṭhumāgamma,
taṁ suṇoma vaco tava”.
“How does one live mindfully,
for |consciousness::that dependently arisen knowing which, when rooted in ignorance and supported by intentional constructs, finds a footing and becomes established in a sense realm, a form realm, or a formless realm leading to production of renewed existence in the future [viññāṇa]| to cease?
Having come to ask the Blessed One,
we would hear your word.”
“Ajjhattañca bahiddhā ca,
Vedanaṁ nābhinandato;
Evaṁ satassa carato,
Viññāṇaṁ uparujjhatī”ti.
“For one not seeking delight in |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]|,
internally or externally;
For one living mindfully thus,
consciousness ceases.”
“To the meditator seated dustless,”
(said the venerable Udaya),
“|taintless::undefiled, free from effluents [anāsava]|, having done what needed to be done;
who has gone beyond |all states of mind::all mental phenomena, all things [sabbadhamma]|,
I have come in need with a question:
Tell me of liberation by |final knowledge::spiritual insight of the complete wearing away of the mental defilements; full awakening [aññā]|,
the shattering of |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|.”
“The abandoning of sensual desires,
(Udaya,” said the Blessed One),
and of |displeasure::a negative state of mind; disagreeable feeling or unease born of mental contact, mental pain [domanassa]|, both;
The |eviction::dispelling, driving out, forcing out [panūdana]| of |dullness::lack of mental clarity or alertness, inertia, mental sluggishness [thina]|,
and the warding off of |anxiety::remorse, restlessness, uneasiness, worry; lit. badly done [kukkucca]|.
Purified by |equanimity::mental poise, mental balance, equipoise, non-reactivity, composure [upekkha]| and |mindfulness::recollection of the body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities, observing them clearly with sustained attention, free from craving and distress [sati]|,
preceded by reflection on the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]|;
I call this liberation by final knowledge,
the shattering of ignorance.”
“By what is the world fettered?
What is its means of locomotion?
By the abandoning of what,
is ‘|Nibbāna::complete cooling, letting go of everything, deathless, freedom from calamity, the non-disintegrating [nibbāna]|’ spoken of?”
“The world is fettered by |delight::pleasure, enjoyment, relish [nandi]|,
thought is its means of locomotion;
It is by the abandoning of |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]|,
that ‘Nibbāna’ is spoken of.”
“How does one live mindfully,
for |consciousness::that dependently arisen knowing which, when rooted in ignorance and supported by intentional constructs, finds a footing and becomes established in a sense realm, a form realm, or a formless realm leading to production of renewed existence in the future [viññāṇa]| to cease?
Having come to ask the Blessed One,
we would hear your word.”
“For one not seeking delight in |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]|,
internally or externally;
For one living mindfully thus,
consciousness ceases.”
“Jhāyiṁ virajamāsīnaṁ,
(iccāyasmā udayo)
Katakiccaṁ anāsavaṁ;
Pāraguṁ sabbadhammānaṁ,
Atthi pañhena āgamaṁ;
Aññāvimokkhaṁ pabrūhi,
Avijjāya pabhedanaṁ”.
“Pahānaṁ kāmacchandānaṁ,
(udayāti bhagavā)
Domanassāna cūbhayaṁ;
Thinassa ca panūdanaṁ,
Kukkuccānaṁ nivāraṇaṁ.
Upekkhāsatisaṁsuddhaṁ,
dhammatakkapurejavaṁ;
Aññāvimokkhaṁ pabrūmi,
avijjāya pabhedanaṁ”.
“Kiṁsu saṁyojano loko,
kiṁsu tassa vicāraṇaṁ;
Kissassa vippahānena,
nibbānaṁ iti vuccati”.
“Nandisaṁyojano loko,
vitakkassa vicāraṇaṁ;
Taṇhāya vippahānena,
nibbānaṁ iti vuccati”.
“Kathaṁ satassa carato,
viññāṇaṁ uparujjhati;
Bhagavantaṁ puṭṭhumāgamma,
taṁ suṇoma vaco tava”.
“Ajjhattañca bahiddhā ca,
Vedanaṁ nābhinandato;
Evaṁ satassa carato,
Viññāṇaṁ uparujjhatī”ti.