In Doubt Kaṅkheyyasutta

At one time Venerable Lomasakaṅgiya was staying in the land of the Sakyans, near Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Tree Monastery. Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo sakkesu viharati kapilavatthusmiṁ nigrodhārāme. Then Mahānāma the Sakyan went up to Venerable Lomasakaṅgiya, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, Atha kho mahānāmo sakko yenāyasmā lomasakaṁbhiyo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho mahānāmo sakko āyasmantaṁ lomasakaṁbhiyaṁ etadavoca: “Sir, is the meditation of a trainee just the same as the meditation of a realized one? Or is the meditation of a trainee different from the meditation of a realized one?” “so eva nu kho, bhante, sekho vihāro so tathāgatavihāro, udāhu aññova sekho vihāro añño tathāgatavihāro”ti?

“Reverend Mahānāma, the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are not the same; “Na kho, āvuso mahānāma, sveva sekho vihāro, so tathāgatavihāro. they are different. Añño kho, āvuso mahānāma, sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro. Those mendicants who are trainees haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring for the supreme sanctuary from the yoke. They meditate after giving up the five hindrances. Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, te pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya viharanti. What five? Katame pañca? The hindrances of sensual desire, ill will, Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahāya viharanti, byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ …pe… dullness and drowsiness, thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ … restlessness and remorse, uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ … and doubt. vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahāya viharanti.

Those who are trainee mendicants … meditate after giving up the five hindrances. Yepi te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, te ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya viharanti.

Those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—for them, the five hindrances are cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future. Ye ca kho te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. What five? Katame pañca? The hindrances of sensual desire, Kāmacchandanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ; ill will, byāpādanīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ …pe… dullness and drowsiness, thinamiddhanīvaraṇaṁ … restlessness and remorse, uddhaccakukkuccanīvaraṇaṁ … and doubt. vicikicchānīvaraṇaṁ pahīnaṁ ucchinnamūlaṁ tālāvatthukataṁ anabhāvaṅkataṁ āyatiṁ anuppādadhammaṁ.

Those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements … for them, the five hindrances are cut off at the root … and unable to arise in the future. Ye te, āvuso mahānāma, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ime pañca nīvaraṇā pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. And here’s another way to understand how Tadamināpetaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā—the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are different. aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro.

At one time the Buddha was staying in a forest near Icchānaṅgala. Ekamidaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, samayaṁ bhagavā icchānaṅgale viharati icchānaṅgalavanasaṇḍe. There he addressed the mendicants, Tatra kho, āvuso mahānāma, bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: ‘Mendicants, I wish to go on retreat for three months. ‘icchāmahaṁ, bhikkhave, temāsaṁ paṭisallīyituṁ. No-one should approach me, except for the one who brings my almsfood.’ Nāmhi kenaci upasaṅkamitabbo, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakenā’ti.

‘Yes, sir,’ replied those mendicants. And no-one approached him, except for the one who brought the almsfood. ‘Evaṁ, bhante’ti kho, āvuso mahānāma, te bhikkhū bhagavato paṭissutvā nāssudha koci bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamati, aññatra ekena piṇḍapātanīhārakena.

Then after three months had passed, the Buddha came out of retreat and addressed the mendicants: Atha kho, āvuso, bhagavā tassa temāsassa accayena paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito bhikkhū āmantesi:

‘Mendicants, if wanderers who follow another religion were to ask you: ‘sace kho, bhikkhave, aññatitthiyā paribbājakā evaṁ puccheyyuṁ: “Reverends, what was the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence?” You should answer them like this: “katamenāvuso, vihārena samaṇo gotamo vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī”ti, evaṁ puṭṭhā tumhe, bhikkhave, tesaṁ aññatitthiyānaṁ paribbājakānaṁ evaṁ byākareyyātha: “Reverends, the ascetic Gotama’s usual meditation during the rainy season residence was immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.” “ānāpānassatisamādhinā kho, āvuso, bhagavā vassāvāsaṁ bahulaṁ vihāsī”’ti.

In this regard: mindful, I breathe in. Mindful, I breathe out. Idhāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sato assasāmi, sato passasāmi.

Breathing in heavily I know: “I’m breathing in heavily.” Breathing out heavily I know: “I’m breathing out heavily.” … Dīghaṁ assasanto dīghaṁ assasāmīti pajānāmi, dīghaṁ passasanto dīghaṁ passasāmīti pajānāmi …pe…

I know: “I’ll breathe in observing letting go.” I know: “I’ll breathe out observing letting go.” paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmīti pajānāmi, paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmīti pajānāmi.

For if anything should be rightly called Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya—“noble meditation”, or else “divine meditation”, or else “a realized one’s meditation”, ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi. it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing. Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya—ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi.

For those mendicants who are trainees—who haven’t achieved their heart’s desire, but live aspiring for the supreme sanctuary from the yoke—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to the ending of defilements. Ye te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū sekhā appattamānasā anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamānā viharanti, tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato āsavānaṁ khayāya saṁvattati.

For those mendicants who are perfected—who have ended the defilements, completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and are rightly freed through enlightenment—the development and cultivation of immersion due to mindfulness of breathing leads to blissful meditation in this very life, and to mindfulness and awareness. Ye ca kho te, bhikkhave, bhikkhū arahanto khīṇāsavā vusitavanto katakaraṇīyā ohitabhārā anuppattasadatthā parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanā sammadaññāvimuttā, tesaṁ ānāpānassatisamādhi bhāvito bahulīkato diṭṭheva dhamme sukhavihārāya ceva saṁvattati satisampajaññāya ca.

For if anything should be rightly called Yañhi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya—“noble meditation”, or else “divine meditation”, or else “a realized one’s meditation”, ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipi. it’s immersion due to mindfulness of breathing.’ Ānāpānassatisamādhiṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya—ariyavihāro itipi, brahmavihāro itipi, tathāgatavihāro itipīti.

This is another way to understand how Iminā kho etaṁ, āvuso mahānāma, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ, yathā—the meditation of a trainee and a realized one are different.” aññova sekho vihāro, añño tathāgatavihāro”ti.