Sāriputta’s Practice

Then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him.When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Mahāmoggallāna sat down to one side, and said to Sāriputta:

Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

Then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him.Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Mahāmoggallāna sat down to one side, and said to Sāriputta:Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

“Reverend Sāriputta, there are four ways of practice.What four?

“Catasso imā, āvuso sāriputta, paṭipadā. Katamā catasso?

“Reverend Sāriputta, there are four ways of practice.“Catasso imā, āvuso sāriputta, paṭipadā. What four?Katamā catasso?

Painful practice with slow insight,painful practice with swift insight,pleasant practice with slow insight, andpleasant practice with swift insight.

Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā.

Painful practice with slow insight,Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, painful practice with swift insight,dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā, pleasant practice with slow insight, andsukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, pleasant practice with swift insight.sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā.

These are the four ways of practice.Which one of these four ways of practice did you rely on to free your mind from defilements by not grasping?”

Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paṭipadā. Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ katamaṁ te paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan”ti?

These are the four ways of practice.Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paṭipadā. Which one of these four ways of practice did you rely on to free your mind from defilements by not grasping?”Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ katamaṁ te paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan”ti?

“Reverend Moggallāna …I relied on the pleasant practice with swift insight to free my mind from defilements by not grasping.”

“Catasso imā, āvuso moggallāna, paṭipadā. Katamā catasso? Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā. Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paṭipadā. Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ yāyaṁ paṭipadā sukhā khippābhiññā, imaṁ me paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan”ti.

“Reverend Moggallāna …“Catasso imā, āvuso moggallāna, paṭipadā. Katamā catasso? Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā, sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā. Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paṭipadā. I relied on the pleasant practice with swift insight to free my mind from defilements by not grasping.”Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ yāyaṁ paṭipadā sukhā khippābhiññā, imaṁ me paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan”ti.