The Exhortation to Anṅthapiṃṇika Anṅthapiṃṇikovṅda Sutta (MN 143)
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('â', Lord, Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder is diseased, in pain, severely ill. He pays homage with his head to the Blessed Oneâs feet.â Then go to Ven. Sṅriputta and, on arrival, pay homage to his feet with your head in my name and say ),
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('â', Venerable sir, Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder is diseased, in pain, severely ill. He pays homage with his head to your feet.â Then say: ),
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('â', It would be good if Ven. Sṅriputta would visit Anṅthapiṃṇikaâs home, out of sympathy for him.â" Responding, "As you say, lord," to Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder, the man went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said, "Lord, Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder is diseased, in pain, severely ill. He pays homage with his head to the Blessed Oneâs feet." Then he went to Ven. Sṅriputta and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said, "Venerable sir, Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder is diseased, in pain, severely ill. He pays homage with his head to your feet." Then he said, "It would be good if Ven. Sṅriputta would visit Anṅthapiṃṇikaâs home, out of sympathy for him." Then Ven. Sṅriputta—having adjusted his lower robe and taking his bowl & outer robe—went to the home of Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder with Ven. ṅnanda as his attendant. On arrival, he sat down on a seat made ready and said to Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder: "I hope you are getting better, householder. I hope you are comfortable. I hope that your pains are lessening and not increasing. I hope that there are signs of their lessening, and not of their increasing." [Anṅthapiṃṇika:] "I am not getting better, venerable sir. I am not comfortable. My extreme pains are increasing, not lessening. There are signs of their increasing, and not of their lessening. Extreme forces slice through my head, just as if a strong man were slicing my head open with a sharp sword.⦠Extreme pains have arisen in my head, just as if a strong man were tightening a turban made of tough leather straps around my head.⦠Extreme forces carve up my stomach cavity, just as if a butcher or his apprentice were to carve up the stomach cavity of an ox.⦠There is an extreme burning in my body, just as if two strong men, grabbing a weaker man by the arms, were to roast and broil him over a pit of hot embers. I am not getting better, venerable sir. I am not comfortable. My extreme pains are increasing, not lessening. There are signs of their increasing, and not of their lessening." [Ven. Sṅriputta:] "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to the eye; my consciousness will not be dependent on the eye.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. ),
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('â', I wonât cling to the ear⦠nose⦠tongue⦠body; my consciousness will not be dependent on the body.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on the intellect.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to forms⦠sounds⦠smells⦠tastes⦠tactile sensations; my consciousness will not be dependent on tactile sensations.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to ideas; my consciousness will not be dependent on ideas.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to eye-consciousness⦠ear-consciousness⦠nose-consciousness⦠tongue-consciousness⦠body-consciousness; my consciousness will not be dependent on body-consciousness.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to intellect-consciousness; my consciousness will not be dependent on intellect-consciousness.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to contact at the eye⦠contact at the ear⦠contact at the nose⦠contact at the tongue⦠contact at the body; my consciousness will not be dependent on contact at the body.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to contact at the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on contact at the intellect.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to feeling born of contact at the eye⦠feeling born of contact at the ear⦠feeling born of contact at the nose⦠feeling born of contact at the tongue⦠feeling born of contact at the body; my consciousness will not be dependent on feeling born of contact at the body.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to feeling born of contact at the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on feeling born of contact at the intellect.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to the earth property⦠liquid property⦠fire property⦠wind property⦠space property; my consciousness will not be dependent on the space property.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to the consciousness property; my consciousness will not be dependent on the consciousness property.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to form⦠feeling⦠perception⦠fabrications; my consciousness will not be dependent on fabrications.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to consciousness; my consciousness will not be dependent on consciousness.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to the dimension of the infinitude of space⦠the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness⦠the dimension of nothingness; my consciousness will not be dependent on the dimension of nothingness.â ⦠),
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('â', I wonât cling to the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception; my consciousness will not be dependent on the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to this world; my consciousness will not be dependent on this world⦠I wonât cling to the world beyond; my consciousness will not be dependent on the world beyond.â Thatâs how you should train yourself. "Then, householder, you should train yourself in this way: ),
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('â', I wonât cling to what is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, pondered by the intellect; my consciousness will not be dependent on that.â Thatâs how you should train yourself." When this was said, Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder wept and shed tears. Ven. ṅnanda said to him, "Are you sinking, householder? Are you foundering?" "No, venerable sir. Iâm not sinking, nor am I foundering. Itâs just that for a long time I have attended to the Teacher, and to the monks who inspire my heart, but never before have I heard a talk on the Dhamma like this." "This sort of talk on the Dhamma, householder, is not given to lay people clad in white. This sort of talk on the Dhamma is given to those gone forth." "In that case, Ven. Sṅriputta, please let this sort of talk on the Dhamma be given to lay people clad in white. There are clansmen with little dust in their eyes who are wasting away through not hearing (this) Dhamma. There will be those who will understand it." Then Ven. Sṅriputta and Ven. ṅnanda, having given this instruction to Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder, got up from their seats and left. Then, not long after they left, Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder died and reappeared in the Tusita heaven. Then Anṅthapiṃṇika the devaâs son, in the far extreme of the night, his extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jetaâs Grove, went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, stood to one side. As he was standing there, he addressed the Blessed One with this verse: This blessed Jetaâs Grove, home to the community of seers, where there dwells the Dhamma King: the source of rapture for me. Action, clear-knowing, & mental qualities,1 virtue, the highest (way of) life: Through this are mortals purified, not through clan or wealth. Thus the wise, seeing their own benefit, investigating the Dhamma appropriately, should purify themselves right there. As for Sṅriputta: Any monk who has gone beyond, at best can only equal him in discernment, virtue, & calm. That is what Anṅthapiṃṇika the devaâs son said. The Teacher approved. Then Anṅthapiṃṇika the devaâs son, (knowing,) "The Teacher has approved of me," bowed down to him, circled him three times, keeping him to his right, and then disappeared right there. Then when the night had past, The Blessed One addressed the monks: "Last night, monks, a certain devaâs son in the far extreme of the night, his extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jetaâs Grove, came to me and, on arrival, having bowed down to me, stood to one side. As he was standing there, he addressed me with this verse: This blessed Jetaâs Grove, home to the community of seers, where there dwells the Dhamma King: the source of rapture for me. Action, clear-knowing, & mental qualities,1 virtue, the highest (way of) life: Through this are mortals purified, not through clan or wealth. Thus the wise, seeing their own benefit, investigating the Dhamma appropriately, should purify themselves right there. As for Sṅriputta: Any monk who has gone beyond, at best can only equal him in discernment, virtue, & calm. "That is what the devaâs son said. And (thinking,) ),
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('â', The Teacher has approved of me,â he bowed down to me, circled me three times, and then disappeared right there." When this was said, Ven. ṅnanda said to the Blessed One, "Lord, that must have been Anṅthapiṃṇika the devaâs son. Anṅthapiṃṇika the householder had supreme confidence in Ven. Sṅriputta." "Very good, ṅnanda. Very good, to the extent that you have deduced what can be arrived at through logic. That was Anṅthapiṃṇika the devaâs son, and no one else." That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. ṅnanda delighted in the Blessed Oneâs words. Note 1. The Thai edition, which I have followed here, reads dhammṅ: mental qualities. Other editions read dhammo: the Dhamma. The Commentary maintains that this refers to the mental qualities conducive to concentration. See also: MN 97; MN 138; SN 2:19; SN 10:8; SN 12:38; SN 12:64; SN 22:54; SN 22:88; SN 41:10; SN 55:54; AN 4:184; AN 6:16; AN 7:58; AN 11:10; Ud 8:1; Sn 5:4 - --> - - - -