Linked Discourses
1. The Chapter on In Private

On the Bank of the Sutanu

Saṁyutta Nikāya
1. Rahogatavagga
Sutanusutta
Linked Discourses
1. The Chapter on In Private
On the Bank of the Sutanu
Saṁyutta Nikāya
1. Rahogatavagga
Sutanusutta
On the Bank of the Sutanu

When some mendicants ask Anuruddha how he attained such higher knowledge, he replies it is from developing the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.

Ruta suttaSN 52.3Sutta Piṭaka › Saṃyutta Nikāya › 5. Mahāvaggasaṁyutta › 52. Anuruddhasaṁyutta › 1. Rahogatavagga › Sutanusutta
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Vista:

At one time Venerable Anuruddha was staying near Sāvatthī on the bank of the Sutanu.*The Sutanu (“slender”) river is mentioned only here. Anuruddha is often depicted in these out-of-the-way settings.Then several mendicants went up to Venerable Anuruddha, and exchanged greetings with him.When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side, and said to him:

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā anuruddho sāvatthiyaṁ viharati sutanutīre. Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yenāyasmā anuruddho tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā anuruddhena saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ anuruddhaṁ etadavocuṁ:

At one time Venerable Anuruddha was staying near Sāvatthī on the bank of the Sutanu.*The Sutanu (“slender”) river is mentioned only here. Anuruddha is often depicted in these out-of-the-way settings.
Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā anuruddho sāvatthiyaṁ viharati sutanutīre.
Then several mendicants went up to Venerable Anuruddha, and exchanged greetings with him.
Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yenāyasmā anuruddho tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā anuruddhena saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu.
When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side, and said to him:
Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ anuruddhaṁ etadavocuṁ:

At one time Venerable Anuruddha was staying near Sāvatthī on the bank of the Sutanu.*The Sutanu (“slender”) river is mentioned only here. Anuruddha is often depicted in these out-of-the-way settings.Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā anuruddho sāvatthiyaṁ viharati sutanutīre. Then several mendicants went up to Venerable Anuruddha, and exchanged greetings with him.Atha kho sambahulā bhikkhū yenāyasmā anuruddho tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā anuruddhena saddhiṁ sammodiṁsu. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side, and said to him:Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinnā kho te bhikkhū āyasmantaṁ anuruddhaṁ etadavocuṁ:

“What things has Venerable Anuruddha developed and cultivated to attain great direct knowledge?”

“katamesaṁ āyasmā anuruddho dhammānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto”ti?

“What things has Venerable Anuruddha developed and cultivated to attain great direct knowledge?”
“katamesaṁ āyasmā anuruddho dhammānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto”ti?

“What things has Venerable Anuruddha developed and cultivated to attain great direct knowledge?”“katamesaṁ āyasmā anuruddho dhammānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto”ti?

“Reverends, I attained great direct knowledge by developing and cultivating the four kinds of mindfulnesssatiAtención plena, memoria, poderes de referencia y retención. En algunos contextos, la palabra sati cuando se usa sola cubre también la alerta (sampajañña).Ver en el glosario meditation.What four?I meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.I meditate observing an aspect of feelings …mind …principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.I attained great direct knowledge by developing and cultivating these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.

“Catunnaṁ khvāhaṁ, āvuso, satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto. Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ? Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, kāye kāyānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu …pe… citte …pe… dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ—imesaṁ khvāhaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto.

“Reverends, I attained great direct knowledge by developing and cultivating the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.
“Catunnaṁ khvāhaṁ, āvuso, satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto.
What four?
Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ?
I meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.
Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, kāye kāyānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ;
I meditate observing an aspect of feelings …
vedanāsu …pe…
mind …
citte …pe…
principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.
dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ—
I attained great direct knowledge by developing and cultivating these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.
imesaṁ khvāhaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto.

“Reverends, I attained great direct knowledge by developing and cultivating the four kinds of mindfulness meditation.“Catunnaṁ khvāhaṁ, āvuso, satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto. What four?Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ? I meditate observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, kāye kāyānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; I meditate observing an aspect of feelings …vedanāsu …pe… mind …citte …pe… principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.dhammesu dhammānupassī viharāmi ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ—I attained great direct knowledge by developing and cultivating these four kinds of mindfulness meditation.imesaṁ khvāhaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā mahābhiññataṁ patto.

And it was by developing and cultivating these four kinds of mindfulness meditation that I directly knew the lower principle as lower, the middle principle as middle, and the higher principle as higher.”*The exact sense of “lower”, “middle”, and “higher” dhammas here is unclear. Given the context of Anuruddha’s psychic powers, I follow Bodhi’s suggestion that we interpret in line with AN 3.76, understanding dhamma as the “principle” governing the relationship between mental quality and states of rebirth (SN 12.20:2.3). The commentary, alternatively, cites the Abhidhamma Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Ds 1.1:40.1), which has the three as one of its triads in the sense of good, mundane wholesome, and transcendent mental phenomena. This analysis, however, does not really reflect Sutta usage, which typically speaks of simply lower and higher dhammas (SN 46.2:10.2). Moreover, we would expect a plural in that case.

Imesañca panāhaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā hīnaṁ dhammaṁ hīnato abbhaññāsiṁ, majjhimaṁ dhammaṁ majjhimato abbhaññāsiṁ, paṇītaṁ dhammaṁ paṇītato abbhaññāsin”ti.

And it was by developing and cultivating these four kinds of mindfulness meditation that I directly knew the lower principle as lower, the middle principle as middle, and the higher principle as higher.”*The exact sense of “lower”, “middle”, and “higher” dhammas here is unclear. Given the context of Anuruddha’s psychic powers, I follow Bodhi’s suggestion that we interpret in line with AN 3.76, understanding dhamma as the “principle” governing the relationship between mental quality and states of rebirth (SN 12.20:2.3). The commentary, alternatively, cites the Abhidhamma Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Ds 1.1:40.1), which has the three as one of its triads in the sense of good, mundane wholesome, and transcendent mental phenomena. This analysis, however, does not really reflect Sutta usage, which typically speaks of simply lower and higher dhammas (SN 46.2:10.2). Moreover, we would expect a plural in that case.
Imesañca panāhaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā hīnaṁ dhammaṁ hīnato abbhaññāsiṁ, majjhimaṁ dhammaṁ majjhimato abbhaññāsiṁ, paṇītaṁ dhammaṁ paṇītato abbhaññāsin”ti.

And it was by developing and cultivating these four kinds of mindfulness meditation that I directly knew the lower principle as lower, the middle principle as middle, and the higher principle as higher.”*The exact sense of “lower”, “middle”, and “higher” dhammas here is unclear. Given the context of Anuruddha’s psychic powers, I follow Bodhi’s suggestion that we interpret in line with AN 3.76, understanding dhamma as the “principle” governing the relationship between mental quality and states of rebirth (SN 12.20:2.3). The commentary, alternatively, cites the Abhidhamma Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Ds 1.1:40.1), which has the three as one of its triads in the sense of good, mundane wholesome, and transcendent mental phenomena. This analysis, however, does not really reflect Sutta usage, which typically speaks of simply lower and higher dhammas (SN 46.2:10.2). Moreover, we would expect a plural in that case.Imesañca panāhaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ satipaṭṭhānānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā hīnaṁ dhammaṁ hīnato abbhaññāsiṁ, majjhimaṁ dhammaṁ majjhimato abbhaññāsiṁ, paṇītaṁ dhammaṁ paṇītato abbhaññāsin”ti.

Tatiyaṁ.

Tatiyaṁ.

Tatiyaṁ.