A Question About the First Absorption

At one time Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.*This chapter is similar to SN 21.There Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the mendicants:“Reverends, mendicants!”

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi: “āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

At one time Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.*This chapter is similar to SN 21.Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. There Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the mendicants:Tatra kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi: “Reverends, mendicants!”“āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Reverend,” they replied.Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this:

“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ. Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:

“Reverend,” they replied.“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ. Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this:Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:

“Just now, reverends, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind:‘They speak of this thing called the “first absorption”.What is the first absorption?’It occurred to me:‘It’s when a mendicant, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected.This is called the first absorption.’

“Idha mayhaṁ, āvuso, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ, paṭhamaṁ jhānan’ti vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho paṭhamaṁ jhānanti? Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: ‘idha bhikkhu vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. Idaṁ vuccati paṭhamaṁ jhānan’ti.

“Just now, reverends, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind:“Idha mayhaṁ, āvuso, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘They speak of this thing called the “first absorption”.‘paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ, paṭhamaṁ jhānan’ti vuccati. What is the first absorption?’Katamaṁ nu kho paṭhamaṁ jhānanti? It occurred to me:Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: ‘It’s when a mendicant, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected.‘idha bhikkhu vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. This is called the first absorption.’Idaṁ vuccati paṭhamaṁ jhānan’ti.

And so … I was entering and remaining in the first absorption.*See note on tenses at SN 21.1:2.8.While I was in that meditation, perception and focus accompanied by sensual pleasures beset me.

So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato kāmasahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti.

And so … I was entering and remaining in the first absorption.*See note on tenses at SN 21.1:2.8.So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. While I was in that meditation, perception and focus accompanied by sensual pleasures beset me.Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato kāmasahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti.

Then the BuddhaBuddhaEl nombre dado a quien redescubre por sí mismo el sendero liberador del Dhamma, tras un largo período de haber sido olvidado por el mundo. Según la tradición, una larga línea de Buddhas se extiende hasta el pasado distante. El Buddha más reciente nació como Siddhattha Gotama en la India alrededor del año 500 a.e.c. Un joven bien educado y acomodado, renunció a su familia y su herencia principesca en la flor de la vida para buscar la verdadera libertad y el fin del sufrimiento (dukkha). Después de siete años de austeridades en el bosque, redescubrió el «camino medio» y alcanzó su meta, convirtiéndose en el Buddha.Ver en el glosario came up to me with his psychic power and said,‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna!Don’t neglect the first absorption, brahmin! Settle your mind in the first absorption; unify your mind and immerse it in the first absorption.’

Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: ‘moggallāna, moggallāna. Mā, brāhmaṇa, paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ pamādo, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ samādahā’ti. *karohi → ekodikarohi (bj, pts1ed)

Then the Buddha came up to me with his psychic power and said,Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: ‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna!‘moggallāna, moggallāna. Don’t neglect the first absorption, brahmin! Settle your mind in the first absorption; unify your mind and immerse it in the first absorption.’Mā, brāhmaṇa, paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ pamādo, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ samādahā’ti. *karohi → ekodikarohi (bj, pts1ed)

So if anyone should be rightly calleda disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.”

Yañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘satthārānuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’ti, mamaṁ taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘satthārānuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’”ti.

So if anyone should be rightly calledYañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: a disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.”‘satthārānuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’ti, mamaṁ taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘satthārānuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’”ti.