161 (1) In Brief849
“Bhikkhus, there are these four modes of practice. What four? (1) Practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge; (2) practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge; (3) practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge; and (4) practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge.850 These are the four modes of practice.”
162 (2) In Detail
“Bhikkhus, there are these four modes of practice. What four? (1) Practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge; (2) practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge; (3) practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge; and (4) practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge.
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is the practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge? Here, someone is by nature strongly prone to lust and often experiences pain and dejection born of lust. By nature he is strongly prone to hatred and often experiences pain and dejection born of hatred. By nature he is strongly prone to delusion and often experiences pain and dejection born of delusion. These five faculties arise in him feebly: the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, and the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are feeble in him, he sluggishly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints.851 This is called practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge.
(2) “And what is practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge? Here, someone is by nature strongly prone to lust … hatred … delusion and often experiences pain and dejection born of delusion. These five faculties arise in him prominently: [150] the faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are prominent in him, he quickly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints. This is called practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge.
(3) “And what is practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge? Here, someone by nature is not strongly prone to lust and does not often experience pain and dejection born of lust. By nature he is not strongly prone to hatred and does not often experience pain and dejection born of hatred. By nature he is not strongly prone to delusion and does not often experience pain and dejection born of delusion. These five faculties arise in him feebly: the faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are feeble in him, he sluggishly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints. This is called practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge.
(4) “And what is practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge? Here, someone by nature is not strongly prone to lust … hatred … delusion and does not often experience pain and dejection born of delusion. These five faculties arise in him prominently: the faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are prominent in him, he quickly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints. This is called practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge.
“These, bhikkhus, are the four modes of practice.”
163 (3) Unattractiveness
[Opening paragraph as above.]
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge? Here, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the unattractiveness of the body, perceiving the repulsiveness of food, perceiving non-delight in the entire world, contemplating impermanence in all conditioned phenomena; and he has the perception of death well established internally. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the power of faith, the power of moral shame, the power of moral dread, [151] the power of energy, and the power of wisdom.852 These five faculties arise in him feebly: the faculty of faith, the faculty of energy, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, and the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are feeble, he sluggishly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints. This is called practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge.
(2) “And what is practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge? Here, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the unattractiveness of the body … and he has the perception of death well established internally. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the power of faith … the power of wisdom. These five faculties arise in him prominently: the faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are prominent, he quickly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints. This is called practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge.
(3) “And what is practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge? Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which consists of rapture and pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by thought and examination. With the subsiding of thought and examination, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which has internal placidity and unification of mind and consists of rapture and pleasure born of concentration, without thought and examination. With the fading away as well of rapture, he dwells equanimous and, mindful and clearly comprehending, he experiences pleasure with the body; he enters and dwells in the third jhāna of which the noble ones declare: ‘He is equanimous, mindful, one who dwells happily.’ With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and dejection, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, neither painful nor pleasant, which has purification of mindfulness by equanimity. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the power of faith … the power of wisdom. These five faculties arise in him feebly: the faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are feeble, he sluggishly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints. This is called practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge.
(4) “And what is practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge? Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the first jhāna … the second jhāna … the third jhāna … [152] the fourth jhāna. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the power of faith … the power of wisdom. These five faculties arise in him prominently: the faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. Because these five faculties are prominent, he quickly attains the immediacy condition for the destruction of the taints. This is called practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge.
“These, bhikkhus, are the four modes of practice.”
164 (4) Patient (1)
“Bhikkhus, there are these four modes of practice. What four? The impatient practice, the patient practice, the taming practice, and the calming practice.
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is the impatient practice? Here, someone insults one who insults him, scolds one who scolds him, and argues with one who picks an argument with him. This is called the impatient practice.
(2) “And what is the patient practice? Here, someone does not insult one who insults him, does not scold one who scolds him, and does not argue with one who picks an argument with him. This is called the patient practice.
(3) “And what is the taming practice? Here, having seen a form with the eye, a bhikkhu does not grasp its marks and features. Since, if he left the eye faculty unrestrained, bad unwholesome states of longing and dejection might invade him, he practices restraint over it; he guards the eye faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the eye faculty. Having heard a sound with the ear … Having smelled an odor with the nose … Having tasted a taste with the tongue … Having felt a tactile object with the body … Having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, a bhikkhu does not grasp its marks and features. Since, if he left the mind faculty unrestrained, bad unwholesome states of longing and dejection might invade him, he practices restraint over it; [153] he guards the mind faculty, he undertakes the restraint of the mind faculty. This is called the taming practice.
(4) “And what is the calming practice? Here, a bhikkhu does not tolerate an arisen sensual thought; he abandons it, dispels it, calms it down, terminates it, and obliterates it.853 He does not tolerate an arisen thought of ill will … an arisen thought of harming … bad unwholesome states whenever they arise; he abandons them, dispels them, calms them down, terminates them, and obliterates them. This is called the calming practice.
“These, bhikkhus, are the four modes of practice.”
165 (5) Patient (2)
“Bhikkhus, there are these four modes of practice. What four? The impatient practice, the patient practice, the taming practice, and the calming practice.
(1) “And what, bhikkhus, is the impatient practice? Here, someone does not patiently endure cold and heat; hunger and thirst; contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, the burning sun, and serpents; rude and offensive ways of speech; he is unable to bear up with arisen bodily feelings that are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, harrowing, disagreeable, sapping one’s vitality. This is called the impatient practice.
(2) “And what is the patient practice? Here, someone patiently endures cold and heat … rude and offensive ways of speech; he is able to bear up with arisen bodily feelings that are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, harrowing, disagreeable, sapping one’s vitality. This is called the patient practice.
(3) “And what, bhikkhus, is the taming practice? … [as in 4:164] …
(4) “And what, bhikkhus, is the calming practice? … [as in 4:164] …
“These, bhikkhus, are the four modes of practice.” [154]
166 (6) Both
“Bhikkhus, there are these four modes of practice. What four? (1) Practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge; (2) practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge; (3) practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge; and (4) practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge.
(1) “The mode of practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge is declared to be inferior for both reasons: because it is painful and because direct knowledge is sluggish. This mode of practice is declared to be inferior for both reasons.
(2) “The mode of practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge is declared to be inferior because of its painfulness.
(3) “The mode of practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge is declared to be inferior because of its sluggishness.
(4) “The mode of practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge is declared to be superior for both reasons: because practice is pleasant and because direct knowledge is quick. This mode of practice is declared to be superior for both reasons.
“These, bhikkhus, are the four modes of practice.”
167 (7) Moggallāna
Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna and exchanged greetings with him. When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna:
“Friend Moggallāna, there are these four modes of practice. What four? (1) Practice that is painful with sluggish direct knowledge; (2) practice that is painful with quick direct knowledge; (3) practice that is pleasant with sluggish direct knowledge; and (4) practice that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge. Through which of these four modes of practice was your mind liberated from the taints by non-clinging?” [155]
“Of these four modes of practice, friend Sāriputta, it was through the mode that is painful with quick direct knowledge that my mind was liberated from the taints by nonclinging.”854
168 (8) Sāriputta
Then the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna approached the Venerable Sāriputta … and said to him:
“Friend Sāriputta, there are these four modes of practice…. Through which of these four modes of practice was your mind liberated from the taints by non-clinging?”
“Of these four modes of practice, friend Moggallāna, it was through the mode that is pleasant with quick direct knowledge that my mind was liberated from the taints by non-clinging.”
169 (9) Through Exertion
“Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of persons found existing in the world. What four?
(1) “Here, some person attains nibbāna through exertion in this very life. (2) Another person attains nibbāna through exertion with the breakup of the body.855 (3) Still another person attains nibbāna without exertion in this very life. (4) And still another person attains nibbāna without exertion with the breakup of the body.856
(1) “And how, bhikkhus, does a person attain nibbāna through exertion in this very life? Here, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the unattractiveness of the body, perceiving the repulsiveness of food, perceiving non-delight in the entire world, contemplating impermanence in all conditioned phenomena; and he has the perception of death [156] well established internally. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the power of faith, the power of moral shame, the power of moral dread, the power of energy, and the power of wisdom. These five faculties arise in him prominently: the faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. Because these five faculties are prominent, he attains nibbāna through exertion in this very life. This is how a person attains nibbāna through exertion in this very life.
(2) “And how does a person attain nibbāna through exertion with the breakup of the body? Here, a bhikkhu dwells contemplating the unattractiveness of the body … and he has the perception of death well established internally. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the powers of faith … and wisdom. These five faculties arise in him feebly: the faculties of faith … and wisdom. Because these five faculties are feeble, he attains nibbāna through exertion with the breakup of the body. This is how a person attains nibbāna through exertion with the breakup of the body.
(3) “And how does a person attain nibbāna without exertion in this very life? Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the first jhāna … the fourth jhāna. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the powers of faith … and wisdom. These five faculties arise in him prominently: the faculties of faith … and wisdom. Because these five faculties are prominent, he attains nibbāna without exertion in this very life. This is how a person attains nibbāna without exertion in this very life.
(4) “And how does a person attain nibbāna without exertion with the breakup of the body? Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the first jhāna … the fourth jhāna. He dwells depending upon these five trainee powers: the powers of faith … and wisdom. These five faculties arise in him feebly: the faculties of faith … and wisdom. Because these five faculties are feeble, he attains nibbāna without exertion with the breakup of the body. This is how a person attains nibbāna without exertion with the breakup of the body.
“These, bhikkhus, are the four kinds of persons found existing in the world.”
170 (10) In Conjunction
On one occasion the Venerable Ānanda was dwelling at Kosambī in Ghosita’s Park. There the Venerable Ānanda addressed the bhikkhus:
“Friends, bhikkhus!”
“Friend,” those bhikkhus replied. The Venerable Ānanda said this: [157]
“Friends, whatever bhikkhu or bhikkhunī has declared the attainment of arahantship in my presence has done so by these four paths857 or by a certain one among them. What four?
(1) “Here, a bhikkhu develops insight preceded by serenity. As he is developing insight preceded by serenity, the path is generated.858 He pursues this path, develops it, and cultivates it. As he is pursuing, developing, and cultivating this path, the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies are uprooted.859
(2) “Again, a bhikkhu develops serenity preceded by insight.860 As he is developing serenity preceded by insight, the path is generated. He pursues this path, develops it, and cultivates it. As he is pursuing, developing, and cultivating this path, the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies are uprooted.
(3) “Again, a bhikkhu develops serenity and insight in conjunction.861 As he is developing serenity and insight in conjunction, the path is generated. He pursues this path, develops it, and cultivates it. As he is pursuing, developing, and cultivating this path, the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies are uprooted.
(4) “Again, a bhikkhu’s mind is seized by restlessness about the Dhamma.862 But there comes an occasion when his mind becomes internally steady, composed, unified, and concentrated. Then the path is generated in him. He pursues this path, develops it, and cultivates it. As he is pursuing, developing, and cultivating this path, the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies are uprooted.
“Whatever bhikkhu or bhikkhunī, friends, has declared the attainment of arahantship in my presence has done so by these four paths or by a certain one among them.”
849 Ce is missing the uddāna verse at the end of this vagga. Hence I base the titles on Be.
850 In Pāli: dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā.
851 Ānantariyaṃ pāpuṇāti āsavānaṃ khayāya. The word ānantariya is of rare occurrence, so its meaning must be determined inferentially. One clue is the Ratana Sutta, which says: yam buddhaseṭṭho parivaṇṇayī suciṃ samādhim ānantarikaññam āhu (Sn 226). Any difference between ānantarika and ānantariya is insignificant, as the terminations -iya and -ika are often interchangeable. Another clue is SN 22:81, at III 96–99, where the Buddha addresses the question: “How should one know and see to attain immediately (lit. ‘without interval’) the destruction of the taints?” (evaṃ … jānato evaṃ passato anantarā āsavānaṃ khayo hoti). Other AN suttas—3:102, I 158,7–12, and 5:23, III 16,29–17,2—speak about the mind being “properly concentrated for the destruction of the taints” (sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṃ khayāya). See too 5:170, III 202,27–33, which speaks about certain conditions “such that immediately afterward the destruction of the taints occurs” (anantarā āsavānaṃ khayo hoti). Thus, the “immediacy condition” spoken of here seems to be a state in which the mind is properly concentrated and, at the same time, has acquired the insight that brings about the destruction of the taints. Mp explains ānantariya with reference to the Abhidhamma concept of an immediate succession between path and fruit: “The ‘immediacy condition’ is the concentration of the path, which immediately yields its result (anantaravipākadāyakaṃ maggasamādhiṃ).” Though the suttas do not employ the scheme of the cognitive process that underlies the concept of path and fruition moments, the expression “immediacy condition” does suggest a state of complete ripeness for the breakthrough to arahantship.
852 The trainee powers (sekhabalāni), defined at 5:2, partly differ from the five powers included among the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment.
853 Here, sameti, “calms [it] down,” is an addition to the usual formula, intended to subsume this discipline under “the calming practice.”
854 Mp says that for Moggallāna, the first three paths were achieved by pleasant practice and sluggish direct knowledge, but the path of arahantship was won by pleasant practice and quick direct knowledge. In 7:61 it is seen that Moggallāna often had to struggle with drowsiness in his practice for arahantship. He often regressed and needed the help of the Buddha to progress further, as shown in SN 40:1–9, IV 262–69.
855 In this sutta the phrase kāyassa bhedā, “with the breakup of the body,” is not followed by paraṃ maraṇā, “after death,” as it normally is. The omission seems deliberate. Perhaps the purpose is to indicate that the person being described can attain nibbāna at the very moment of death, without having to continue on to another existence.
856 According to this sutta, the distinction between the use of repugnant objects and the jhānas determines whether one attains nibbāna through exertion (sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī) or without exertion (asaṅkhāraparinibbāyī). The distinction between prominent faculties and feeble faculties determines whether one attains nibbāna in this very life (diṭṭh’eva dhamme) or with the breakup of the body (kāyassa bhedā). Mp says that the first and second persons are dry-insight meditators (sukkhavipassakā) who attend to conditioned phenomena as their meditation object (saṅkhāranimittaṃ upaṭṭhapenti). Sasaṅkhārena is glossed with sappayogena, which supports my rendering “through exertion.” The third and fourth persons are those who take serenity as their vehicle (samathayānikā).
857 With Ce and Be I read maggehi, as against Ee aṅgehi. The latter is likely to be an editorial error. Though Mp does not provide a gloss here, the passage is cited at Paṭis II 92,9, and commented on at Paṭis-a III 584,24–25, in a way that requires maggehi: Catūhi maggehī ti upari vuccamānehi catūhi paṭipadāmaggehi, na ariyamaggehi (“By four paths: by the four paths of practice spoken about below, not by the noble paths”).
858 Mp explains this as the first world-transcending path, but Mp-ṭ says: “This is said with reference to the path of stream-entry (sotāpattimagga), but the meaning of this passage can be understand simply by way of the mundane [preparatory] path” (lokiyamaggavasen’eva).
859 Mp and Mp-ṭ, read together, say that because there is no development and cultivation of the world-transcending path, which lasts for only one mind-moment, he develops and cultivates the preparatory mundane path (pubbabhāgiyo lokiyamaggo) for the purpose of attaining the higher world-transcending paths. Then the fetters are abandoned and the underlying tendencies are uprooted by the successive paths (maggappaṭipāṭiya pahīyanti byantī honti).
860 Mp: “This is a person who naturally gains insight. Based on insight, he produces concentration.”
861 Yuganaddhaṃ bhāveti. Mp says that each time he attains a meditative attainment (samāpatti), he explores it by way of its conditioned phenomena. And having explored its conditioned phenomena, he enters the next attainment. Thus, having attained the first jhāna, he emerges and explores its conditioned phenomena as impermanent, etc. Then he enters the second jhāna, emerges, and explores its conditioned phenomena, and so on up to the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Since, however, yuganaddha means literally “yoked together,” some interpret the term to mean that in this mode of practice serenity and insight occur simultaneously. The commentarial system does not acknowledge this possibility but several suttas might be read as suggesting that insight can occur within the jhāna and does not require the meditator to withdraw before beginning contemplation. In AN, see in particular 9:36; see too MN 52.4–14, I 350–52; MN 64.9–15, I 435–37.
862 The readings vary. Ee has dhammuddhaccaviggahītamanā; the termination -manā is suspicious. Be has -viggahitaṃ mānasaṃ. Ce has -viggahītaṃ mānaṃ. While manā and mānasaṃ can both be translated as “mind,” mānaṃ normally means “conceit.” The Sinhala translation seems to support this by rendering mānaṃ as adhimānaya (Pāli adhimāna), “overestimation of oneself,” but to speak of “conceit”—as opposed to “mind”—as being “grasped by restlessness” does not make good sense. Mp glosses the term without specifying the subject: “Grasped, thoroughly grasped, by restlessness, which consists of the ten corruptions of insight (dasa vipassan’upakkilesā; see Vism 633–38, Ppn 20.105–28) in regard to the dhammas of serenity and insight.” Nothing in the text itself suggests the corruptions of insight are involved. I understand the person being described here as a practitioner who reflects deeply on the Dhamma, acquires a sense of urgency, and then finally settles down and gains insight when meeting with favorable supporting conditions. In the next sentence of the text, the word rendered “mind” is cittaṃ.