Aṅguttara Nikāya 11.8

Numbered Discourses 11.8

1. Nissayavagga

1. Dependence

Manasikārasutta

Focus

Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Siyā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā na cakkhuṁ manasi kareyya, na rūpaṁ manasi kareyya, na sotaṁ manasi kareyya, na saddaṁ manasi kareyya, na ghānaṁ manasi kareyya, na gandhaṁ manasi kareyya, na jivhaṁ manasi kareyya, na rasaṁ manasi kareyya, na kāyaṁ manasi kareyya, na phoṭṭhabbaṁ manasi kareyya, na pathaviṁ manasi kareyya, na āpaṁ manasi kareyya, na tejaṁ manasi kareyya, na vāyaṁ manasi kareyya, na ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na idhalokaṁ manasi kareyya, na paralokaṁ manasi kareyya, yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi na manasi kareyya; manasi ca pana kareyyā”ti?

“Could it be, sir, that a bhikkhu might gain a state of immersion like this. They wouldn’t focus on the eye or sights, ear or sounds, nose or smells, tongue or tastes, or body or touches. They wouldn’t focus on earth in earth, water in water, fire in fire, or air in air. And they wouldn’t focus on the dimension of infinite space in the dimension of infinite space, the dimension of infinite consciousness in the dimension of infinite consciousness, the dimension of nothingness in the dimension of nothingness, or the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. They wouldn’t focus on this world in this world, or the other world in the other world. And they wouldn’t focus on what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind. Yet they would focus?”

“Siyā, ānanda, bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā na cakkhuṁ manasi kareyya, na rūpaṁ manasi kareyya, na sotaṁ manasi kareyya, na saddaṁ manasi kareyya, na ghānaṁ manasi kareyya, na gandhaṁ manasi kareyya, na jivhaṁ manasi kareyya, na rasaṁ manasi kareyya, na kāyaṁ manasi kareyya, na phoṭṭhabbaṁ manasi kareyya, na pathaviṁ manasi kareyya, na āpaṁ manasi kareyya, na tejaṁ manasi kareyya, na vāyaṁ manasi kareyya, na ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ manasi kareyya, na idhalokaṁ manasi kareyya, na paralokaṁ manasi kareyya, yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi na manasi kareyya; manasi ca pana kareyyā”ti.

“It could be, Ānanda.”

“Yathā kathaṁ pana, bhante, siyā bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā na cakkhuṁ manasi kareyya, na rūpaṁ manasi kareyya …pe… yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi na manasi kareyya; manasi ca pana kareyyā”ti?

“But how could this be?”

“Idhānanda, bhikkhu evaṁ manasi karoti: ‘etaṁ santaṁ etaṁ paṇītaṁ, yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānan’ti.

“Ānanda, it’s when a bhikkhu focuses thus: ‘This is peaceful; this is sublime—that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, Nibbana.’

Evaṁ kho, ānanda, siyā bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhipaṭilābho yathā na cakkhuṁ manasi kareyya, na rūpaṁ manasi kareyya …pe… yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi na manasi kareyya; manasi ca pana kareyyā”ti.

That’s how a bhikkhu might gain a state of immersion like this. They wouldn’t focus on the eye or sights, ear or sounds, nose or smells, tongue or tastes, or body or touches. … And they wouldn’t focus on what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind. Yet they would focus.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.