• Numbered Discourses 4.168 Aį¹…guttara Nikāya 4.168
  • 17. Practice 17. Paį¹­ipadāvagga

Sāriputta’s Practice Sāriputtasutta

Then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him. Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaį¹…kami; upasaį¹…kamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Mahāmoggallāna sat down to one side, and said to Sāriputta: SammodanÄ«yaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vÄ«tisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisÄ«di. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

ā€œReverend Sāriputta, there are four ways of practice. ā€œCatasso imā, āvuso sāriputta, paį¹­ipadā. What four? Katamā catasso?

  1. Painful practice with slow insight, Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā,
  2. painful practice with swift insight, dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā,
  3. pleasant practice with slow insight, and sukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā,
  4. pleasant practice with swift insight. sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā.

These are the four ways of practice. Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paį¹­ipadā. Which one of these four ways of practice did you rely on to free your mind from defilements by not grasping?ā€ Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paį¹­ipadānaṁ katamaṁ te paį¹­ipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttanā€ti?

ā€œReverend Moggallāna … ā€œCatasso imā, āvuso moggallāna, paį¹­ipadā. Katamā catasso? Dukkhā paį¹­ipadā dandhābhiƱƱā, dukkhā paį¹­ipadā khippābhiƱƱā, sukhā paį¹­ipadā dandhābhiƱƱā, sukhā paį¹­ipadā khippābhiƱƱā. Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paį¹­ipadā. I relied on the pleasant practice with swift insight to free my mind from defilements by not grasping.ā€ Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paį¹­ipadānaṁ yāyaṁ paį¹­ipadā sukhā khippābhiƱƱā, imaṁ me paį¹­ipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttanā€ti.

Aṭṭhamaṁ.