“‘That basis for spiritual power possessing concentration due to desire and volitional formations of striving is to be developed’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.
“‘That basis for spiritual power possessing concentration due to desire and volitional formations of striving has been developed’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.
“‘This is the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to energy and volitional formations of striving’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.
“‘That basis for spiritual power possessing concentration due to energy and volitional formations of striving is to be developed … has been developed’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.
“‘This is the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to mind and volitional formations of striving’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.
“‘That basis for spiritual power possessing concentration due to mind and volitional formations of striving is to be developed … has been developed’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.
“‘This is the basis for spiritual power possessing concentration due to investigation and volitional formations of striving’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.
“‘That basis for spiritual power possessing concentration due to investigation and volitional formations of striving is to be developed … has been developed’—thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.”
10 (10) The Shrine
Thus have I heard.248 On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesālī in the Great Wood in the Hall with the Peaked Roof. [259] Then, in the morning, the Blessed One dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Vesālī for alms. When he had walked for alms in Vesālī and had returned from the alms round, after his meal he addressed the Venerable Ānanda thus:
“Take a sitting cloth, Ānanda. Let us go to the Cāpāla Shrine for the day’s abiding.”
“Yes, venerable sir,” the Venerable Ānanda replied and, having taken a sitting cloth, he followed closely behind the Blessed One. The Blessed One then went to the Cāpāla Shrine and sat down on a seat that was prepared. The Venerable Ānanda, having paid homage to the Blessed One, also sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to the Venerable Ānanda:
“Delightful is Vesālī, Ānanda. Delightful is the Udena Shrine, delightful the Gotamaka Shrine, delightful the Sattamba Shrine, delightful the Bahuputta Shrine, delightful the Sārandada Shrine, delightful the Cāpāla Shrine. Whoever, Ānanda, has developed and cultivated the four bases for spiritual power, made them a vehicle, made them a basis, stabilized them, exercised himself in them, and fully perfected them could, if he so wished, live on for the aeon or for the remainder of the aeon. The Tathāgata, Ānanda, has developed and cultivated the four bases for spiritual power, made them a vehicle, made them a basis, stabilized them, exercised himself in them, and fully perfected them. If he so wished, the Tathāgata could live on for the aeon or for the remainder of the aeon.”249
But though the Venerable Ānanda was given such an obvious signal by the Blessed One, though he was given such an obvious hint, he was unable to penetrate it. He did not implore the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, let the Blessed One live on for the aeon! Let the Fortunate One live on for the aeon, for the welfare of the multitude, for the happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the good, welfare, and happiness of devas and humans.” To such an extent was his mind obsessed by Māra.250
A second time … [260] A third time the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ānanda: “Delightful is Vesālī, Ānanda…. Whoever, Ānanda, has developed and cultivated the four bases for spiritual power … could, if he so wished, live on for the aeon or for the remainder of the aeon…. If he so wished, the Tathāgata could live on for the aeon or for the remainder of the aeon.”
But again, though the Venerable Ānanda was given such an obvious signal by the Blessed One, though he was given such an obvious hint, he was unable to penetrate it…. To such an extent was his mind obsessed by Māra.
Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ānanda: “You may go, Ānanda, at your own convenience.”
“Yes, venerable sir,” the Venerable Ānanda replied, and he rose from his seat, paid homage to the Blessed One, and, keeping his right side towards him, sat down nearby at the foot of a tree.
Then, not long after the Venerable Ānanda had left, Māra the Evil One approached the Blessed One and said to him: “Venerable sir, let the Blessed One now attain final Nibbāna! Let the Fortunate One now attain final Nibbāna! Now is the time for the Blessed One’s final Nibbāna! This statement was made, venerable sir, by the Blessed One:251 [261] ‘I will not attain final Nibbāna, Evil One, until I have bhikkhu disciples who are wise, disciplined, confident, secure from bondage, learned, upholders of the Dhamma, practising in accordance with the Dhamma, practising in the proper way, conducting themselves accordingly; who have learned their own teacher’s doctrine and can explain it, teach it, proclaim it, establish it, disclose it, analyse it, and elucidate it; who can refute thoroughly with reasons the prevalent tenets of others and can teach the efficacious Dhamma.’252 But at present, venerable sir, the Blessed One has bhikkhu disciples who are wise … and who can teach the efficacious Dhamma. Venerable sir, let the Blessed One now attain final Nibbāna! Let the Fortunate One now attain final Nibbāna! Now is the time for the Blessed One’s final Nibbāna!
“And this statement was made, venerable sir, by the Blessed One: ‘I will not attain final Nibbāna, Evil One, until I have bhikkhunī disciples … until I have male lay disciples … until I have female lay disciples who are wise … and who can teach the efficacious Dhamma.’ But at present, venerable sir, the Blessed One has female lay disciples who are wise, disciplined, confident, secure from bondage, learned, upholders of the Dhamma, practising in accordance with the Dhamma, [262] practising in the proper way, conducting themselves accordingly; who have learned their own teacher’s doctrine and can explain it, teach it, proclaim it, establish it, disclose it, analyse it, and elucidate it; who can refute thoroughly with reasons the prevalent tenets of others and can teach the efficacious Dhamma. Venerable sir, let the Blessed One now attain final Nibbāna! Let the Fortunate One now attain final Nibbāna! Now is the time for the Blessed One’s final Nibbāna!
“And this statement was made, venerable sir, by the Blessed One: ‘I will not attain final Nibbāna, Evil One, until this holy life of mine has become successful and prosperous, extensive, popular, widespread, well proclaimed among devas and humans.’ That holy life of the Blessed One, venerable sir, has become successful and prosperous, extensive, popular, widespread, well proclaimed among devas and humans.253 Venerable sir, let the Blessed One now attain final Nibbāna! Let the Fortunate One now attain final Nibbāna! Now is the time for the Blessed One’s final Nibbāna!”
When this was said, the Blessed One said to Māra the Evil One: “Be at ease, Evil One. It will not be long before the Tathāgata’s final Nibbāna takes place. Three months from now the Tathāgata will attain final Nibbāna.”
Then the Blessed One, at the Cāpāla Shrine, mindfully and with clear comprehension relinquished his vital formation.254 And when the Blessed One had relinquished his vital formation, a great earthquake occurred, frightening and terrifying, and peals of thunder shook the sky.
Then, having understood the meaning of th
is, the Blessed One on that occasion uttered this inspired utterance: [263]
“Comparing the incomparable and continued existence,
The sage relinquished the formation of existence.
Rejoicing within, concentrated, he broke
Continued self-existence like a coat of armour.”255
II. THE SHAKING OF THE MANSION
11 (1) Before
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, before my enlightenment, while I was still a bodhisatta, not yet fully enlightened, it occurred to me: ‘What now is the cause and condition for the development of the bases for spiritual power?’ It occurred to me: ‘Here, a bhikkhu develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to desire and volitional formations of striving, thinking: “Thus my desire will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally.” And he dwells perceiving after and before: “As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day.” Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity. 256 [264]
“‘He develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to energy and volitional formations of striving, thinking: “Thus my energy will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally.” And he dwells perceiving after and before: “As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day.” Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.
“‘He develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to mind and volitional formations of striving, thinking: “Thus my mind will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally.” And he dwells perceiving after and before: “As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day.” Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.
“‘He develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to investigation and volitional formations of striving, thinking: “Thus my investigation will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally.” And he dwells perceiving after and before: “As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day.” Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.
“‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu wields the various kinds of spiritual power:257 having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered through a wall, through a rampart, through a mountain as though through space; he dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; he walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; [265] seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird; with his hand he touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; he exercises mastery with the body as far as the brahmā world.
“‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu, with the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, hears both kinds of sounds, the divine and human, those that are far as well as near.
“‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu understands the minds of other beings and persons, having encompassed them with his own mind. He understands a mind with lust as a mind with lust; a mind without lust as a mind without lust; a mind with hatred as a mind with hatred; a mind without hatred as a mind without hatred; a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion; a mind without delusion as a mind without delusion; a contracted mind as contracted and a distracted mind as distracted; an exalted mind as exalted and an unexalted mind as unexalted; a surpassable mind as surpassable and an unsurpassable mind as unsurpassable; a concentrated mind as concentrated and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; a liberated mind as liberated and an unliberated mind as unliberated.
“‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu recollects his manifold past abodes, that is, one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty [266] births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many aeons of world-contraction, many aeons of world-expansion, many aeons of world-contraction and expansion thus: “There I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life span; passing away from there, I was reborn elsewhere, and there too I was so named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life span; passing away from there, I was reborn here.” Thus he recollects his manifold past abodes with their modes and details.
“‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, sees beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings fare on in accordance with their kamma thus: “These beings who engaged in misconduct of body, speech, and mind, who reviled the noble ones, held wrong view, and undertook actions based on wrong view, with the breakup of the body, after death, have been reborn in a state of misery, in a bad destination, in the nether world, in hell; but these beings who engaged in good conduct of body, speech, and mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held right view, and undertook action based on right view, with the breakup of the body, after death, have been reborn in a good destination, in the heavenly world.” Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings fare on in accordance with their kamma.
“‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu, by the destruction of the taints, in this very life enters and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, realizing it for himself with direct knowledge.’” [267]
12 (2) Of Great Fruit
“Bhikkhus, these four bases for spiritual power, when developed and cultivated, are of great fruit and benefit. And how is it, bhikkhus, that the four bases for spiritual power, when developed and cultivated, are of great fruit and benefit?
“Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to desire and volitional formations of striving, thinking: ‘Thus my desire will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally.’ And he dwells perceiving after and before: ‘As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day.’ Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.
“He develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to energy … concentration due to mind … concentration due to investigation … he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.
“When, bhikkhus, the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu wields the various kinds of spiritual power: having been one, he becomes many … he exercises mastery with the body as far as the brahmā world…. [268]
“When, bhikkhus, the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu, by the destruction of the taints, in this very life enters and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, realizing it for himself with direct knowledge.”
13
(3) Concentration due to Desire
“Bhikkhus, if a bhikkhu gains concentration, gains one-pointedness of mind based upon desire,258 this is called concentration due to desire. He generates desire for the nonarising of unarisen evil unwholesome states; he makes an effort, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives. He generates desire for the abandoning of arisen evil unwholesome states; he makes an effort, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives. He generates desire for the arising of unarisen wholesome states; he makes an effort, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives. He generates desire for the maintenance of arisen wholesome states, for their nondecay, increase, expansion, and fulfilment by development; he makes an effort, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives. These are called volitional formations of striving.259 Thus this desire and this concentration due to desire and these volitional formations of striving: this is called the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to desire and volitional formations of striving.
“If, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu gains concentration, gains one-pointedness of mind based upon energy, this is called concentration due to energy. He generates desire for the nonarising of unarisen evil unwholesome states … for the maintenance of arisen wholesome states, for their nondecay, increase, expansion, and fulfilment by development; he makes an effort, arouses energy, applies his mind, and strives. These are called volitional formations of striving. Thus this energy and this concentration due to energy and these volitional formations of striving: this is called the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to energy and volitional formations of striving. [269]
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha Page 188