The Medium Discourses

Chapter 5: Related to Cultivation

43. Don’t Think

1. Thus I have heard:[1] One time, the Buddha traveled to the country of Śrāvastī and stayed at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove.

2. It was then that the Bhagavān said, “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about observing precepts, ‘It will cause me to have no regrets.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who observes precepts readily has no regrets.

3. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about having no regrets, ‘It will cause me to be glad.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who has no regrets readily becomes glad.

4. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about gladness, ‘It will cause me to be joyous.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who is glad will readily become joyous.

5. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about joy, ‘It will cause me to be calm.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who has joy will readily calm themselves.

6. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about calmness, ‘It will cause me to be happy.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who is calm will readily have a feeling of happiness.

7. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about happiness, ‘It will cause me to attain samādhi.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who is happy will readily attain a concentrated state of mind.

8. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about samādhi, ‘It will cause me to truly see and truly know.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who has samādhi will truly see and truly know.

9. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about truly seeing and truly knowing, ‘It will cause me to be disenchanted.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who truly sees and truly knows will readily become disenchanted.

10. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about disenchantment, ‘It will cause me to lack desire.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who is disenchanted will readily have the lack of desire.

11. “Ānanda, you shouldn’t think this about the lack of desire, ‘It will cause me to be liberated.’ Ānanda, it’s simply natural that someone who lacks desire will readily become liberated from all desire, hatred, and delusion.

12. “Ānanda, one readily has no regrets because of observing precepts. One readily becomes glad because of having no regrets. One readily becomes joyous because of gladness. One readily becomes calm because of joy. One readily becomes happy because of calmness. One readily attains a concentrated state of mind because of happiness.

13. “Ānanda, the well-versed noble disciple who has a concentrated state of mind readily sees truly and knows truly. They readily become disenchanted because of true seeing and true knowing. They readily lack desire because of disenchantment. They readily become liberated because of the lack of desire. Because of liberation, they readily know they are liberated: ‘Birth has been ended, the religious practice has been established, and the task has been accomplished. They truly know they are no longer subject to existence.’

14. “Ānanda, these are the mutual advantages going from one thing to another and the mutual causes going from one thing to another. In this way, the precepts lead to what’s supreme, which is to cross over from this shore to the other shore.”

15. The Buddha spoke thus. Venerable Ānanda and the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Notes

1. For the source text, cf. T26.1.485b19-c20. This sūtra is parallel with AN 11.2. [Back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 28 March 2024