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10. The achievement of mastery

On one occasion the Venerable Sāriputta was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. 1 Then one morning he dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Sāvatthī for alms. When he had walked for alms in Sāvatthī and had returned from the almsround, after his meal he went to the Blind Men’s Grove for the day’s abiding. Having plunged into the Blind Men’s Grove, he sat down at the foot of a tree for the day’s abiding.

Then, in the evening, the Venerable Sāriputta emerged from seclusion and went to Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. The Venerable Ānanda saw him coming in the distance and said to him: “Friend Sāriputta, your faculties are serene, your facial complexion is pure and bright. In what dwelling have you spent the day?”

“Here, friend, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered and dwelled in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by thought and examination, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the first jhāna,’ or ‘I have attained the first jhāna,’ or ‘I have emerged from the first jhāna.’”

“It must be because I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit have been thoroughly uprooted in your mind for a long time that such thoughts did not occur to you.” 2

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, with the subsiding of thought and examination, I entered and dwelled in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without thought and examination, and has rapture and happiness born of concentration. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the second jhāna,’ or ‘I have attained the second jhāna,’ or ‘I have emerged from the second jhāna.’”

“It must be because I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit have been thoroughly uprooted in your mind for a long time that such thoughts did not occur to you.”

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, with the fading away as well of rapture, I dwelled equanimous and, mindful and clearly comprehending, I experienced happiness with the body; I entered and dwelled in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare: ‘He is equanimous, mindful, one who dwells happily.’ Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the third jhāna….’” [Complete as above. ]

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and displeasure, I entered and dwelled in the fourth jhāna, which is neither painful nor pleasant and includes the purification of mindfulness by equanimity. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the fourth jhāna….’”

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, with the complete transcending of perceptions of forms, with the passing away of perceptions of sensory impingement, with nonattention to perceptions of diversity, aware that ‘space is infinite,’ I entered and dwelled in the base of the infinity of space. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the base of the infinity of space….’”

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of the infinity of space, aware that ‘consciousness is infinite,’ I entered and dwelled in the base of the infinity of consciousness. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the base of the infinity of consciousness….’”

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of the infinity of consciousness, aware that ‘there is nothing,’ I entered and dwelled in the base of nothingness. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the base of nothingness….’”

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of nothingness, I entered and dwelled in the base of neither-perception-nor-nonperception. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the base of neither-perception-nor-nonperception…. ’”

[On another occasion the Venerable Sāriputta said:] “Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of neither-perception-nor-nonperception, I entered and dwelled in the cessation of perception and feeling. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, ‘I am attaining the cessation of perception and feeling,’ or ‘I have attained the cessation of perception and feeling,’ or ‘I have emerged from the cessation of perception and feeling.’” 3

“It must be because I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit have been thoroughly uprooted in your mind for a long time that such thoughts did not occur to you.”

(SN 28:1–9, combined; III 235–38)

Footnotes

  1. Sāriputta was one of the Buddha’s two chief disciples, the one who excelled in wisdom. For a biography, see Nyanaponika and Hecker, Great Disciples of the Buddha, chapter 1. ↩

  2. “I-making” (ahaṅkāra ) is the function of view of self; “mine-making” (mamaṅkāra ), of craving. The root conceit is the conceit “I am” (asmimāna ), so the “underlying tendency to conceit” is also responsible for “I-making.” ↩

  3. Saññāvedayitanirodha. Also known as nirodhasamāpatti, the attainment of cessation, this is a special meditative attainment said to be accessible solely to nonreturners and arahants. As its name suggests, it involves the total cessation of perceptual and affective functions, and according to the commentaries, of consciousness and all its associated mental factors. For a detailed discussion according to the commentarial system, see Vism 702–9; Ppn 23:16–52. ↩

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