Samādhi Sutta
Thus I have heard,
Once, the Awakened One was living in Sāvatthi
He addressed the monks saying:
“Monks, cultivate collected mental calm.
Collected in mind, monks,
one understands the way things truly are.” [1]
[1. True Understanding]
What are the things one understands as they truly are?
Such are material things,
such their arising,
such their passing away; [2]
Such are experiences,
such their arising,
such their passing away;
Such are perceptions,
such their arising,
such their passing away;
Such are mental activities,
such their arising,
such their passing away;
Such is consciousness,
such its arising,
such its passing away. [3]
[2. Arising]
And what monks, is the arising of material things
The arising of experience,
The arising of perception,
The arising of activities
And the arising of consciousness?
Here, one is overjoyed,
holds dear,
and remains attached. [4]
About what?
[A. Material Things]
Here monks,
(1) One is overjoyed,
holds dear,
and remains attached to material things.
By doing so,
fondness arises. [5]
With such fondness for material things [6]
there is attachment.
Attachments produce a sense of beingness;
That sense of beingness culminates into a new birth;
A new birth comes with aging and death
bringing sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety along with it.
This is how this whole mass of trouble arises.
[B. Experiences]
(2) One is overjoyed,
holds dear,
and remains attached to experiences.
By doing so,
fondness arises.
With such fondness for experiences
there is attachment.
Attachments produce a sense of beingness;
That sense of beingness culminates into a new birth;
A new birth comes with aging and death
bringing sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety along with it.
This is how this whole mass of trouble arises.
[C. Perceptions]
(3) One is overjoyed,
holds dear,
and remains attached to perceptions.
By doing so,
fondness arises.
With such fondness for perceptions
there is attachment.
Attachments produce a sense of beingness;
That sense of beingness culminates into a new birth;
A new birth comes with aging and death
bringing sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety along with it.
This is how this whole mass of trouble arises.
[D. Mental Activities]
(4) One is overjoyed,
holds dear,
and remains attached to mental activities.
By doing so,
fondness arises.
With such fondness for mental activities
there is attachment.
Attachments produce a sense of beingness;
That sense of beingness culminates into a new birth;
A new birth comes with aging and death,
bringing sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety with it.
This is how this whole mass of trouble arises.
[E. Consciousness]
(5) One is overjoyed,
holds dear,
and remains attached to consciousness.
By doing so,
fondness arises.
With such fondness for consciousness
there is attachment.
Attachments produce a sense of beingness;
That sense of beingness culminates into a new birth;
A new birth comes with aging and death
bringing sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety along with it.
This is how this whole mass of trouble arises.
This is, monks, the arising of material things,
the arising of experiences,
the arising of perceptions
the arising of mental activities
the arising of consciousness.
[3. Passing Away]
What is the passing away of material things,
the passing away of experiences
the passing away of perceptions,
the passing away of mental activities,
the passing away of consciousness?
Here, one is not overjoyed,
does not hold dear,
or remains attached. [7]
About what?
[A. Material Things]
(1) One is not overjoyed,
does not hold dear,
or remains attached to material things.
By doing so,
fondness ceases. [8]
When fondness for material things ceases,
attachments cease.
When attachments cease,
the sense of beingness ceases;
When that sense of beingness ceases,
a new birth does not come to be;
When a new birth does not come to be,
aging and death do not come to be,
and with it, sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety all cease.
This is how this whole mass of trouble ceases.
[B. Experiences]
(2) One is not overjoyed,
does not hold dear
or remains attached to experiences.
By doing so,
fondness ceases.
When fondness for experiences ceases,
attachments cease.
When attachments cease,
the sense of beingness ceases;
When that sense of beingness ceases,
a new birth does not come to be;
When a new birth does not come to be,
aging and death do not come to be,
and with it, sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety all cease.
This is how this whole mass of trouble ceases.
[C. Perceptions]
(3) One is not overjoyed,
does not hold dear,
or remains attached to perceptions.
By doing so,
fondness ceases.
When fondness for perceptions ceases,
attachments cease.
When attachments cease,
the sense of beingness ceases;
When that sense of beingness ceases,
a new birth does not come to be;
When a new birth does not come to be,
aging and death do not come to be,
and with it, sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety all cease.
This is how this whole mass of trouble ceases.
[D. Mental Activities]
(4) One is not overjoyed,
does not hold dear,
or remains attached to mental activities.
By doing so,
fondness ceases.
When fondness for mental activities ceases,
attachments cease.
When attachments cease,
the sense of beingness ceases;
When that sense of beingness ceases,
a new birth does not come to be;
When a new birth does not come to be,
aging and death do not come to be,
and with it, sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety all cease.
This is how this whole mass of trouble ceases.
[E. Consciousness]
(4) One is not overjoyed,
does not hold dear,
or remains attached to consciousness.
By doing so,
fondness ceases.
When fondness for consciousness ceases,
attachments cease.
When attachments cease,
the sense of beingness ceases;
When that sense of beingness ceases,
a new birth does not come to be;
When a new birth does not come to be,
aging and death do not come to be,
and with it, sorrow, sadness,
trouble, depression and anxiety all cease.
This is how this whole mass of trouble ceases.
This, monks, is the passing away of material things,
The passing away of experiences,
The passing away of perceptions,
The passing away of mental activities,
and the passing away of consciousness.
[1] samādhiṃ, bhikkhave, bhāvetha; samāhito bhikkhu yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti.
[2] Rūpassa samudayañca atthaṅgamañca,
[3] Quite a profound statement to begin with. It is only by being fully devoted to meditation or samādhi that one can see clearly, the arising and passing away of all fabrics of the self but chiefly, of consciousness. This is a key aspect which demarks the Buddha’s teaching from other teachings.
[4] bhikkhu abhinandati abhivadati ajjhosāya tiṭṭhati.
[5] uppajjati nandī
[6] Yā rūpe nandī tadupādānaṃ.
[7] Idha, bhikkhave, nābhinandati nābhivadati nājjhosāya tiṭṭhati.
[8] yā rūpe nandī sā nirujjhati.
