AN 1.378–393Inspiring Qualities
Pāli / Sanskrit:Pasādakaradhammavagga
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– Aṅguttara Nikāya
– XX. The Chapter on Meditation
1.378–393. This Is Truly So
TTC 1 Bhikkhus, this is truly one of the beneficial things: dwelling in the forest … living on alms … wearing rag robes … owning only three robes … teaching the Dhamma … upholding the discipline … being deeply learned in truth … being a long-standing elder … possessing dignified conduct … having a following gathered around oneself … being surrounded by a large assembly … coming from a good family … being handsome … speaking gently … having few wishes … and being free of illness.
TTC 2-9 If, for only the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, a bhikkhu develops the first jhāna, that bhikkhu is called one who does not dwell in jhāna in vain, who follows the Teacher’s instruction, responds to his guidance, and does not consume the country’s almsfood without purpose. How much more so if he fulfills that jhāna.
If, for only the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, a bhikkhu develops the second jhāna … the third jhāna … the fourth jhāna … develops the liberation of mind through loving-kindness … develops the liberation of mind through compassion … develops the liberation of mind through appreciative joy … develops the liberation of mind through equanimity …
TTC 10-13 If he dwells contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having subdued desire and grief for the world … contemplating feelings in feelings … mind in mind … phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having subdued desire and grief for the world …
TTC 14-17 Regarding unarisen bad, unwholesome qualities, he arouses the desire that they not arise, makes an effort, applies energy, exerts his mind, and strives … Regarding arisen bad, unwholesome qualities, he arouses the desire to abandon them, makes an effort, applies energy, exerts his mind, and strives … Regarding unarisen wholesome qualities, he arouses the desire that they arise, makes an effort, applies energy, exerts his mind, and strives … Regarding arisen wholesome qualities, he arouses the desire that they remain, not be lost, but increase, expand, be developed, and reach fulfillment; he makes an effort, applies energy, exerts his mind, and strives …
TTC 18-21 He develops the basis of spiritual power consisting of concentration due to desire and active striving … concentration due to energy and active striving … concentration due to mind and active striving … concentration due to inquiry and active striving …
TTC 22-31 He develops the faculty of faith … the faculty of energy … the faculty of mindfulness … the faculty of concentration … the faculty of wisdom … He develops the power of faith … the power of energy … the power of mindfulness … the power of concentration … the power of wisdom …
TTC 32-38 He develops the awakening factor of mindfulness … investigation of phenomena … energy … joy … tranquility … concentration … equanimity …
TTC 39-46 He develops right view … right intention … right speech … right action … right livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right concentration …
TTC 47-54 Perceiving form internally, he sees limited external forms, beautiful and ugly, and perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
Perceiving form internally, he sees boundless external forms, beautiful and ugly, and perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
Not perceiving form internally, he sees limited external forms, beautiful and ugly, and perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
Not perceiving form internally, he sees boundless external forms, beautiful and ugly, and perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
Not perceiving form internally, he sees external forms that are blue, blue in appearance, blue in color, and blue in radiance. He perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
Not perceiving form internally, he sees external forms that are yellow, yellow in appearance, yellow in color, and yellow in radiance. He perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
Not perceiving form internally, he sees external forms that are red, red in appearance, red in color, and red in radiance. He perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
Not perceiving form internally, he sees external forms that are white, white in appearance, white in color, and white in radiance. He perceives: “Having mastered them, I know and see.” …
TTC 55-62 Possessing form oneself, one sees forms. Not perceiving form internally, one sees external forms … one perceives forms as beautiful and focuses on that perception … Completely transcending perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance and without attending to perceptions of diversity, aware that “Space is infinite,” one enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite space …
Completely transcending the dimension of infinite space, aware that “Consciousness is infinite,” one enters and dwells in the dimension of infinite consciousness … Completely transcending the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that “There is nothing,” one enters and dwells in the dimension of nothingness … Completely transcending the dimension of nothingness, one enters and dwells in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception …
Completely transcending the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, one enters and dwells in the cessation of perception and feeling …
TTC 63-72 He develops the earth kasiṇa … the water kasiṇa … the fire kasiṇa … the air kasiṇa … the blue kasiṇa … the yellow kasiṇa … the red kasiṇa … the white kasiṇa … the space kasiṇa … the consciousness kasiṇa …
TTC 73-82 He develops the perception of unattractiveness … the perception of death … the perception of repulsiveness in food … the perception of dissatisfaction with the whole world … the perception of impermanence … the perception of suffering in what is impermanent … the perception of not-self in what is suffering … the perception of abandoning … the perception of dispassion … the perception of cessation …
TTC 83-92 He develops the perception of impermanence … the perception of not-self … the perception of death … the perception of repulsiveness in food … the perception of dissatisfaction with the whole world … the perception of a skeleton … a corpse eaten by worms … a livid corpse … a corpse full of holes … a bloated corpse …
TTC 93-102 He develops recollection of the Buddha … recollection of the Dhamma … recollection of the Saṅgha … recollection of virtue … recollection of generosity … recollection of deities … mindfulness of breathing in and breathing out … recollection of death … mindfulness of the body … recollection of peace …
TTC 103-112 He develops the faculty of faith together with the first jhāna … the faculty of energy together with the first jhāna … the faculty of mindfulness together with the first jhāna … the faculty of concentration together with the first jhāna … the faculty of wisdom together with the first jhāna … He develops the power of faith … the power of energy … the power of mindfulness … the power of concentration … the power of wisdom together with the first jhāna.
TTC 113-122 He develops the faculty of faith together with the second jhāna … through to the power of wisdom together with the second jhāna …
TTC 123-132 He develops the faculty of faith together with the third jhāna … through to the power of wisdom together with the third jhāna …
TTC 133-142 He develops the faculty of faith together with the fourth jhāna … through to the power of wisdom together with the fourth jhāna …
TTC 143-152 He develops the faculty of faith accompanied by loving-kindness … through to the power of wisdom accompanied by loving-kindness …
TTC 153-162 He develops the faculty of faith accompanied by compassion … through to the power of wisdom accompanied by compassion …
TTC 163-172 He develops the faculty of faith accompanied by appreciative joy … through to the power of wisdom accompanied by appreciative joy …
TTC 173-182 He develops the faculty of faith accompanied by equanimity … through to the power of wisdom accompanied by equanimity …
TTC 183-192 If he develops the faculty of faith … the faculty of energy … the faculty of mindfulness … the faculty of concentration … the faculty of wisdom … the power of faith … the power of energy … the power of mindfulness … the power of concentration … the power of wisdom … that bhikkhu is called one who does not dwell in jhāna in vain, who follows the Teacher’s instruction, responds to his guidance, and does not consume the country’s almsfood without purpose. How much more so if he fulfills that quality.
This collection was translated by Venerable Thích Minh Châu from the Pali Canon into Vietnamese in 1976–1977 and published by the Vạn Hạnh Buddhist Institute, Saigon, in 1980–1981. As part of the translation and publication of the Vietnamese Buddhist Canon, the collection was revised into 4 volumes and republished in 1996 as volumes 21, 22, 23, and 24.
These texts have been used with the kind permission of the webmaster of http://www.budsas.net/
Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.
The “…” is an abbreviation carried over from the Pāli original itself, called peyyāla. The early canon was memorized and recited, so passages repeated verbatim from a preceding discourse were commonly contracted to an elision mark rather than written out in full. Venerable Thích Minh Châu's translation preserves this convention. Some texts therefore look short — but that is the canonical form, not missing content or a truncated translation. The elided passages can be read in full in the preceding discourses of the same chapter.
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