Paṭhamasamayavimutta Sutta
“Five qualities lead one to fall away
from temporary release monks. [1]
What five?
(1) Taking delight in work, [2]
(2) taking delight in talk,
(3) taking delight in sleep,
(4) taking delight in gatherings,
(5) and not reflecting upon the liberation of one’s mind. [3]
These five qualities lead one to fall away
from temporary release.
Five qualities lead one to maintain
one’s temporary release.
What five?
(1) Not taking delight in work,
(2) not taking delight in talk,
(3) not taking delight in sleep,
(4) not taking delight in gatherings,
(5) and reflecting upon the liberation of one’s mind.
Five qualities lead one to maintain
one’s temporary release monks.
[1] Samayavimuttassa: Variations: Temporary liberation, momentary release, freed for a moment, momentary freedom, partial liberation, occasional release… PED seems to be slightly off with their “finally liberated.” In the comy. we find: samayavimuttassāti appitappitakkhaṇeyeva vikkhambhitehi kilesehi vimuttattā samayavimuttisaṅkhātāya lokiyavimuttiyā vimuttacittassa. To quote F.L. Woodward in his note on the same sutta: “Were it not that the idea of ‘temporary release’ recurs at Sn. 54, one might judge it to be a late development. It occurs seldom.” The passage at Snp 3.54 Khaggavisāṇa Sutta “Aṭṭhānataṁ saṅgaṇikāratassa, Yaṁ phassaye sāmayikaṁ vimuttiṁ; Ādiccabandhussa vaco nisamma, Eko care khaggavisāṇakappo”. “It cannot be that those who are fond of gatherings, experience temporary release, attending to the words of the kinsman of the sun, one should go alone like a rhino’s horn.” Other mentions missed by the PTS footnote are at MN 29, MN 122 and SN I 4.23 Godhika. In the latter, where it refers to it as “Sāmayika cetovimutti.” The comy. on this sutta points to ‘lokiya samāpatti’ or wordly attainments of the material and immaterial jhānas. BB’s footnote again refers to absorption concentration. In MN 29 Mahāsāropama Sutta, it mentions “asamayavimokkaṃ” and “asamayavimuttiyā” as the heartwood of this holy life. In MN 122 Mahāsuññata Sutta we find the terms “sāmāyikaṁ vā kantaṁ cetovimuttiṁ” and “asāmāyikaṁ vā akuppanti” juxtaposed which give us a little clearer idea of the principle: The temporary and blissful liberation of the mind and the one that is permanent and unshakeable. It is also alluded to at both AN X 75 Migasālā and AN VI 44 Migasālā Sutta: “sāmāyikampi vimuttiṁ na labhati.” The commentary to AN VI 44 says: “Sāmāyikampi vimuttiṃ na labhatīti kālānukālaṃ dhammassavanaṃ nissāya pītipāmojjaṃ na labhati.” One does not get the joy and happiness that comes from listening to Dhamma (!). The Ptsb has mentions also. In the abhidhamma Pp 1. Ekakapuggalapaññatti, we find mention also: Katamo ca puggalo samayavimutto? Idhekacco puggalo kālena kālaṁ samayena samayaṁ aṭṭha vimokkhe kāyena phusitvā viharati, paññāya cassa disvā ekacce āsavā parikkhīṇā honti—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “samayavimutto”.
[2] Kammārāmatā, bhassārāmatā, niddārāmatā, saṅgaṇikārāmatā, yathāvimuttaṁ cittaṁ na paccavekkhati. Katamo ca puggalo asamayavimutto? Idhekacco puggalo na heva kho kālena kālaṁ samayena samayaṁ aṭṭha vimokkhe kāyena phusitvā viharati, paññāya cassa disvā āsavā parikkhīṇā honti—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “asamayavimutto”. Sabbepi ariyapuggalā ariye vimokkhe asamayavimuttā. Mentions also found in Kv in permutation format: Parihāyati arahā arahattāti? (…) Samayavimutto arahā arahattā parihāyati, asamayavimutto arahā arahattā na parihāyatīti. Samayavimutto arahā arahattā parihāyatīti? Āmantā. Asamayavimutto arahā arahattā parihāyatīti? Na hevaṁ vattabbe.
[3] Bhante Sujato: “And they don’t review the extent of their mind’s freedom.” Woodward: “and he looks at the mind apart as released.”