Nibbedhabhāgiyasutta — Reader

Helping Penetration

Nibbedhabhāgiyasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you a path that helps penetration. Listen … And what is the path that helps penetration?

“Nibbedhabhāgiyaṁ vo, bhikkhave, maggaṁ desessāmi; taṁ suṇātha. Katamo ca, bhikkhave, nibbedhabhāgiyo maggo? Yadidaṁ—

It is the seven awakening factors. What seven? The awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity.” When he said this, Udāyī said to him:

satta bojjhaṅgā. Katame satta? Satisambojjhaṅgo …pe… upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo”ti. Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā udāyī bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“Sir, how are the seven awakening factors developed and cultivated so as to lead to penetration?” “Udāyī, it’s when a mendicant develops the awakening factor of mindfulness, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. And it is abundant, expansive, limitless, and free of ill will. With a mind that has developed the awakening factor of mindfulness, they penetrate and shatter the mass of greed,

“kathaṁ bhāvitā nu kho, bhante, satta bojjhaṅgā kathaṁ bahulīkatā nibbedhāya saṁvattantī”ti? “Idha, udāyi, bhikkhu satisambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ vipulaṁ mahaggataṁ appamāṇaṁ abyāpajjaṁ. So satisambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāvitena cittena anibbiddhapubbaṁ appadālitapubbaṁ lobhakkhandhaṁ nibbijjhati padāleti;

the mass of hate, and the mass of delusion for the first time. … A mendicant develops the awakening factor of equanimity, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. And it is abundant, expansive, limitless, and free of ill will. With a mind that has developed the awakening factor of equanimity, they penetrate and shatter the mass of greed,

anibbiddhapubbaṁ appadālitapubbaṁ dosakkhandhaṁ nibbijjhati padāleti; anibbiddhapubbaṁ appadālitapubbaṁ mohakkhandhaṁ nibbijjhati padāleti …pe… upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāveti vivekanissitaṁ virāganissitaṁ nirodhanissitaṁ vossaggapariṇāmiṁ vipulaṁ mahaggataṁ appamāṇaṁ abyāpajjaṁ. So upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṁ bhāvitena cittena anibbiddhapubbaṁ appadālitapubbaṁ lobhakkhandhaṁ nibbijjhati padāleti;

the mass of hate, and the mass of delusion for the first time. This is how are the seven awakening factors are developed and cultivated so as to lead to penetration.”