At the Nunsâ Residence Bhikkhunâupassaya Sutta (SN 47:10)
- suttas - - evening talks - short morning talks - lectures - guided meditations - talk collections - other themes - chants - - - - à¹à¸à¸¢ - Franā§ais - Espaā±ol - - Portuguāªs - Ð ÑÑÑкий - - - УкÑаÑнÑÑка Submit Search - Home - Suttas - SN - SN 47:10 At the Nunsâ Residence ## Browse Suttas Go to Saṃyutta Nikṅya index SN index ## At the Nunsâ Residence Bhikkhunâupassaya Sutta  (SN 47:10) The Blessed One was staying in Sṅvatthī. Then Ven. ṅnanda, early in the morning—having adjusted his lower robe and taking his bowl & outer robe—went to a certain nunsâ residence. On arrival, he sat down on a seat laid out. Then a large number of nuns went to Ven. ṅnanda and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they said to him, "Here, Ven. ṅnanda, a large number of nuns dwelling with their minds well-established in the four establishings of mindfulness are perceiving grand, successive distinctions." "Thatâs the way it is, sisters. Thatâs the way it is. Any monk or nun who dwells with mind well-established in the four establishings of mindfulness may be expected to perceive grand, successive distinctions." Then Ven. ṅnanda, having gone for alms in Sṅvatthī, after the meal, returning from his alms round, went to the Blessed One. On arrival, having bowed down to him, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there he (reported his conversation with the nuns.) "Thatâs the way it is, ṅnanda. Thatâs the way it is. Any monk or nun who dwells with mind well-established in the four establishings of mindfulness, he/she may be expected to perceive grand, successive distinctions. "There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. As he remains thus focused on the body in & of itself, a fever based on the body arises within his body, or there is sluggishness in his awareness, or his mind becomes scattered externally. He should then direct his mind to any inspiring theme. As his mind is directed to any inspiring theme, gladness is born within him. In one who is gladdened, rapture is born. In one whose heart is enraptured, the body grows calm. His body calm, he feels pleasure. Feeling pleasure, his mind grows concentrated. He reflects, ),
# Right single quote
('â', I have attained the aim to which my mind was directed. Let me withdraw (my mind from the inspiring theme).â He withdraws & engages neither in directed thought nor in evaluation. He discerns that ),
# Right single quote
('â', I am not thinking or evaluating. I am inwardly mindful & at ease.â "And further, he remains focused on feelings⦠mind⦠mental qualities in & of themselves—ardent, alert, & mindful—subduing greed & distress with reference to the world. As he remains thus focused on mental qualities in & of themselves, a fever based on mental qualities arises within his body, or there is sluggishness in his awareness, or his mind becomes scattered externally. He should then direct his mind to any inspiring theme. As his mind is directed to any inspiring theme, gladness is born within him. In one who is gladdened, rapture is born. In one whose heart is enraptured, the body grows calm. His body calm, he feels pleasure. Feeling pleasure, his mind grows concentrated. He reflects, ),
# Right single quote
('â', I have attained the aim to which my mind was directed. Let me withdraw.â He withdraws & engages neither in directed thought nor in evaluation. He discerns that ),
# Right single quote
('â', I am not thinking or evaluating. I am inwardly mindful & at ease.â "This, ṅnanda, is development based on directing. And what is development based on not directing? A monk, when not directing his mind to external things, discerns that ),
# Right single quote
('â', My mind is not directed to external things. It is unconstricted [asaṃkhitta] front & back—released & undirected. And then, I remain focused on the body in & of itself. I am ardent, alert, mindful, & at ease.â "When not directing his mind to external things, he discerns, ),
# Right single quote
('â', My mind is not directed to external things. It is unconstricted front & back—released & undirected. And then, I remain focused on feelings⦠mind⦠mental qualities in & of themselves. I am ardent, alert, mindful, & at ease.â "This, ṅnanda, is development based on not directing.1 "Now, ṅnanda, I have taught you development based on directing and development based on not directing. What a teacher should do out of compassion for his disciples, seeking their welfare, that have I done for you. Over there are (places to sit at) the roots of trees; over there, empty dwellings. Practice jhṅna, ṅnanda. Donât be heedless. Donât later fall into remorse. That is our message to you all." That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. ṅnanda delighted in the Blessed Oneâs words. Note 1. There is a controversy over how to understand the distinction drawn here between directing and not-directing the mind. One interpretation, assuming that jhṅna and the establishing of mindfulness are two radically different practices, argues that directing the mind refers to jhṅna practice; and not-directing the mind, to mindfulness practice: the former inducing a narrow range of awareness; the latter, a broader, unconstricted one. However, unconstricted doesnât mean a broad range of awareness. According to SN 51:20, constricted simply means slothful or drowsy. So unconstricted means free of sloth and drowsiness. And the Buddha never drew a radical distinction between mindfulness and jhṅna: The four establishings are the themes of jhṅna (MN 44) and are themselves counted as a type of concentration (AN 8:70). Thus it is more likely that this discourse is addressing a different issue entirely: how to deal with the mind both when it is amenable to settling down with any of the four frames of reference used in establishing mindfulness and when it is not. When the mind is not amenable, the meditator can follow the instructions for directing it. Call to mind a subsidiary theme that will gladden it or chasten it and allow it to settle down. When itâs firmly settled, drop any thinking connected with the subsidiary theme, and this will bring the mind to a state of mindful ease equivalent to the second jhṅna, free from directed thought and evaluation. On other occasions, when the mind settles down easily—when it drops thoughts about external preoccupations and at the same time isnât slothful or drowsy—the meditator can follow the instructions for non-directing the mind. Simply note that the mind is released from distraction and drowsiness, and it will naturally settle into the activities of any one of the establishings of mindfulness. This in turn will provide a theme for the practice of jhṅna. In this way, the instructions here parallel the observation in MN 101 that there are times when problems in the mind respond to simple on-looking equanimity, and other times when they require conscious fabrication. - --> - - - -