Samyutta Nikaya XII.31
Bhutamidam Sutta
This Has Come Into Being
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

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On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. There he addressed Ven. Sariputta, "Sariputta, it is said in Ajita's Question in the Way to the Further Shore [Sn V.1]:
Those here who have fathomed the Dhamma,
those who are learners,
those who are run-of-the-mill:
When you, dear sir, astute,
are asked this,
tell me their manner of life.
"How is the detailed meaning of this brief statement to be understood?"
When this was said, Ven. Sariputta remained silent.

A second time... A third time the Blessed One addressed Ven. Sariputta, "Sariputta, it is said in Ajita's Question in the Way to the Further Shore:

Those here who have fathomed the Dhamma,
those who are learners,
those who are run-of-the-mill:
When you, dear sir, astute,
are asked this,
tell me their manner of life.
"How is the detailed meaning of this brief statement to be understood?"
A third time, Ven. Sariputta remained silent.

"Do you see, Sariputta, that 'this has come into being'?"

"One sees with right discernment, lord, that 'this has come into being.' Seeing with right discernment that 'this has come into being,' one practices for disenchantment with, for dispassion toward, for the cessation of what has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment.' Seeing with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment,' one practices for disenchantment with, for dispassion toward, for the cessation of the nutriment by which it has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation.' Seeing with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation,' one practices for disenchantment with, for dispassion toward, for the cessation of what is subject to cessation. This is how one is a learner.

"And how, lord, is one a person who has fathomed the Dhamma?

"One sees with right discernment, lord, that 'this has come into being.' Seeing with right discernment that 'this has come into being,' one is -- through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, through lack of clinging/sustenance -- released from what has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment.' Seeing with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment,' one is -- through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, through lack of clinging/sustenance -- released from the nutriment by which it has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation.' Seeing with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation,' one is -- through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, through lack of clinging/sustenance -- released from what is subject to cessation. This is how one is a person who has fathomed the Dhamma.

"It is in this way, lord, that I understand the detailed meaning of the brief statement in Ajita's Question in the Way to the Further Shore:

Those here who have fathomed the Dhamma,
those who are learners,
those who are run-of-the-mill:
When you, dear sir, astute,
are asked this,
tell me their manner of life."
"Excellent, Sariputta. Excellent. One sees with right discernment that 'this has come into being.' Seeing with right discernment that 'this has come into being,' one practices for disenchantment with, for dispassion toward, for the cessation of what has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment.' Seeing with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment,' one practices for disenchantment with, for dispassion toward, for the cessation of the nutriment by which it has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation.' Seeing with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation,' one practices for disenchantment with, for dispassion toward, for the cessation of what is subject to cessation. This is how one is a learner.
"And how is one a person who has fathomed the Dhamma?

"One sees with right discernment that 'this has come into being.' Seeing with right discernment that 'this has come into being,' one is -- through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, through lack of clinging/sustenance -- released from what has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment.' Seeing with right discernment that 'it has come into being from this nutriment,' one is -- through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, through lack of clinging/sustenance -- released from the nutriment by which it has come into being. One sees with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation.' Seeing with right discernment that 'from the cessation of this nutriment, what has come into being is subject to cessation,' one is -- through disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, through lack of clinging/sustenance -- released from what is subject to cessation. This is how one is a person who has fathomed the Dhamma.

"It is in this way that the detailed meaning of the brief statement in Ajita's Question in the Way to the Further Shore is to be understood:

Those here who have fathomed the Dhamma,
those who are learners,
those who are run-of-the-mill:
When you, dear sir, astute,
are asked this,
tell me their manner of life."

Samyutta Nikaya IV.8
Nandana Sutta
Delight
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

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Translator's note: In this discourse, Mara and the Buddha are speaking different languages. By "acquisitions" Mara means one's family and physical possessions. The Buddha uses the same word to mean a sense of possession for anything -- physical or mental -- at all.
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I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Then Mara the Evil One went to the Blessed One and recited this verse in his presence:
Those with children
delight
because of their children.
Those with cattle
delight
because of their cows.
A person's delight
comes from acquisitions,
since a person with no acquisitions
doesn't delight.
[The Buddha:]

Those with children
grieve
because of their children.
Those with cattle
grieve
because of their cows.
A person's grief
comes from acquisitions,
since a person with no acquisitions
doesn't grieve.
Then Mara the Evil One -- sad & dejected at realizing, "The Blessed One knows me; the One Well-Gone knows me" -- vanished right there.
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Samyutta Nikaya IV.8
Nandana Sutta
Delight
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

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Issattha Sutta
Archery Skills

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

At Savatthi. As he was sitting to one side, King Pasenadi Kosala said to the Blessed One:

"Where, lord, should a gift be given?"
"Wherever the mind feels confidence, great king."

"But a gift given where, lord, bears great fruit?"

"This [question] is one thing, great king -- 'Where should a gift be given?' -- while this -- 'A gift given where bears great fruit?' -- is something else entirely. What is given to a virtuous person -- rather than to an unvirtuous one -- bears great fruit. In that case, great king, I will ask you a counter-question. Answer as you see fit.

"What do you think, great king? There is the case where you have a war at hand, a battle imminent. A noble-warrior youth would come along -- untrained, unpracticed, undisciplined, undrilled, fearful, terrified, cowardly, quick to flee. Would you take him on? Would you have any use for a man like that?"

"No, lord, I wouldn't take him on. I wouldn't have any use for a man like that."

"Then a brahman youth... a merchant youth... a laborer youth would come along -- untrained, unpracticed, undisciplined, undrilled, fearful, terrified, cowardly, quick to flee. Would you take him on? Would you have any use for a man like that?"

"No, lord, I wouldn't take him on. I wouldn't have any use for a man like that."

"Now, what do you think, great king? There is the case where you have a war at hand, a battle imminent. A noble-warrior youth would come along -- trained, practiced, disciplined, drilled, fearless, unterrified, not cowardly, not quick to flee. Would you take him on? Would you have any use for a man like that?"

"Yes, lord, I would take him on. I would have use for a man like that."

"Then a brahman youth... a merchant youth... a laborer youth would come along -- trained, practiced, disciplined, drilled, fearless, unterrified, not cowardly, not quick to flee. Would you take him on? Would you have any use for a man like that?"

"Yes, lord, I would take him on. I would have use for a man like that."

"In the same way, great king. When someone has gone forth from the home life into homelessness -- no matter from what clan -- and he has abandoned five factors and is endowed with five, what is given to him bears great fruit.

"And which five factors has he abandoned? He has abandoned sensual desire... ill will... sloth & drowsiness... restlessness & anxiety... uncertainty. These are the five factors he has abandoned. And with which five factors is he endowed? He is endowed with the aggregate of virtue of one beyond training... the aggregate of concentration of one beyond training... the aggregate of discernment of one beyond training... the aggregate of release of one beyond training... the aggregate of knowledge & vision of release of one beyond training. These are the five factors with which he is endowed.

"What is given to one who has abandoned five factors and is endowed with five factors in this way bears great fruit."

That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:

"As a king intent on battle
would hire a youth
in whom there are
archery skills,
persistence,
& strength,
and not, on the basis of birth,
a coward;
so, too, you should honor
a person of noble conduct, wise,
in whom are established
composure
& patience,
even though
his birth may be lowly.
Let donors build
pleasant hermitages
and there invite the learned to stay.
Let them make reservoirs
in dry forests
and walking paths
where it's rough
Let them, with a clear, calm awareness,
give food, drink, snacks,
clothing, & lodgings
to those who've become
straightforward.

Just as a hundred-peaked,
lightning-garlanded,
thundering cloud,
raining on the fertile earth,
fills the plateaus & gullies,
even so
a person of conviction & learning,
wise,
having stored up provisions,
satisfies wayfarers
with food & drink.
Delighting in distributing alms,
'Give to them!
Give!'
he says.
That
is his thunder,
like a raining cloud's.
That shower of merit,
abundant,
rains back on the one
who gives

Anguttara Nikaya VII.60
Kodhana Sutta
An Angry Person
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.
Read an alternate translation by Ñanamoli Thera

"These seven things -- pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim -- come to a man or woman who is angry. Which seven?
"There is the case where an enemy wishes of an enemy, 'O, may this person be ugly!' Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy's good looks. Now, when a person is angry -- overcome with anger, oppressed with anger -- then regardless of the fact that he may be well-bathed, well-anointed, dressed in white clothes, his hair & beard neatly trimmed, he is ugly nevertheless, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the first thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

"Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, 'O, may this person sleep badly!' Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy's restful sleep. Now, when a person is angry -- overcome with anger, oppressed with anger -- then regardless of the fact that he sleeps on a bed spread with a white blanket, spread with a woolen coverlet, spread with a flower-embroidered bedspread, covered with a rug of deerskins, with a canopy overhead, or on a sofa with red cushions at either end, he sleeps badly nevertheless, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the second thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

"Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, 'O, may this person not profit!' Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy's profits. Now, when a person is angry -- overcome with anger, oppressed with anger -- then even when he suffers a loss, he thinks, 'I've gained a profit'; and even when he gains a profit, he thinks, 'I've suffered a loss.' When he has grabbed hold of these ideas that work in mutual opposition [to the truth], they lead to his long-term suffering & loss, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the third thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

"Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, 'O, may this person not have any wealth!' Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy's wealth. Now, when a person is angry -- overcome with anger, oppressed with anger -- then whatever wealth he has, earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow -- righteous wealth righteously gained -- the king orders it sent to the royal treasury [in payment of fines levied for his behavior] all because he is overcome with anger. This is the fourth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

"Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, 'O, may this person not have any reputation!' Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy's reputation. Now, when a person is angry -- overcome with anger, oppressed with anger -- whatever reputation he has gained from being heedful, it falls away, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the fifth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

"Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, 'O, may this person not have any friends!' Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy's having friends. Now, when a person is angry -- overcome with anger, oppressed with anger -- his friends, companions, & relatives will avoid him from afar, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the sixth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

"Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, 'O, may this person, on the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad bourn, the lower realms, in hell!' Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy's going to heaven. Now, when a person is angry -- overcome with anger, oppressed with anger -- he engages in misconduct with the body, misconduct with speech, misconduct with the mind. Having engaged in misconduct with the body, misconduct with speech, misconduct with the mind, then -- on the break-up of the body, after death -- he reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad bourn, the lower realms, in hell, all because he was overcome with anger. This is the seventh thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

"These are the seven things -- pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy's aim -- that come to a man or woman who is angry."

An angry person is ugly & sleeps poorly.
Gaining a profit, he turns it into a loss,
having done damage with word & deed.
A person overwhelmed with anger
destroys his wealth.
Maddened with anger,
he destroys his status.
Relatives, friends, & colleagues avoid him.
Anger brings loss.
Anger inflames the mind.
He doesn't realize
that his danger is born from within.
An angry person doesn't know his own benefit.
An angry person doesn't see the Dhamma.
A man conquered by anger is in a mass of darkness.
He takes pleasure in bad deeds as if they were good,
but later, when his anger is gone,
he suffers as if burned with fire.
He is spoiled, blotted out,
like fire enveloped in smoke.
When anger spreads,
when a man becomes angry,
he has no shame, no fear of evil,
is not respectful in speech.
For a person overcome with anger,
nothing gives light.

I'll list the deeds that bring remorse,
that are far from the teachings.
Listen!
An angry person kills his father,
kills his mother,
kills Brahmans
& people run-of-the-mill.
It's because of a mother's devotion
that one sees the world,
yet an angry run-of-the-mill person
can kill this giver of life.
Like oneself, all beings hold themselves most dear,
yet an angry person, deranged,
can kill himself in many ways:
with a sword, taking poison,
hanging himself by a rope in a mountain glen.

Doing these deeds
that kill beings and do violence to himself,
the angry person doesn't realize that he's ruined.

This snare of Mara, in the form of anger,
dwelling in the cave of the heart:
cut it out with self-control,
discernment, persistence, right view.
The wise man would cut out
each & every form of unskillfulness.
Train yourselves:
'May we not be blotted out.'

Free from anger & untroubled,
free from greed, without longing,
tamed, your anger abandoned,
free from fermentation,
you will be unbound

Samyutta Nikaya XXII.23
Pariñña Sutta
Comprehension
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

At Savatthi. "Monks, I will teach you the phenomena to be comprehended, as well as comprehension. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak."
"As you say, lord," the monks responded.

The Blessed One said, "And which are the phenomena to be comprehended? Form is a phenomenon to be comprehended. Feeling ... Perception ... Fabrications ... Consciousness is a phenomenon to be comprehended. These are called phenomena to be comprehended.

"And which is comprehension? Any ending of passion, ending of aversion, ending of delusion. [1] This is called comprehension."

Samyutta Nikaya XXXV.82
Loka Sutta
The World
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

Then a certain monk went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One: "'The world, the world (loka),'[1] it is said. In what respect does the word 'world' apply?
"Insofar as it disintegrates (lujjati), monk, it is called the 'world.' Now what disintegrates? The eye disintegrates. Forms disintegrate. Consciousness at the eye disintegrates. Contact at the eye disintegrates. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too disintegrates.

"The ear disintegrates. Sounds disintegrate...

"The nose disintegrates. Aromas disintegrate...

"The tongue disintegrates. Tastes disintegrate...

"The body disintegrates. Tactile sensations disintegrate...

"The intellect disintegrates. Ideas disintegrate. Consciousness at the intellect consciousness disintegrates. Contact at the intellect disintegrates. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too disintegrates.

"Insofar as it disintegrates, it is called the 'world.'"

Anguttara Nikaya IV.5
Anusota Sutta
With the Flow
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For free distribution only.

"These four types of individuals are to be found existing in the world. Which four? The individual who goes with the flow, the individual who goes against the flow, the individual who stands fast, and the one who has crossed over, gone beyond, who stands on firm ground: a brahman.
"And who is the individual who goes with the flow? There is the case where an individual indulges in sensual passions and does evil deeds. This is called the individual who goes with the flow.

"And who is the individual who goes against the flow? There is the case where an individual doesn't indulge in sensual passions and doesn't do evil deeds. Even though it may be with pain, even though it may be with sorrow, even though he may be crying, his face in tears, he lives the holy life that is perfect & pure. This is called the individual who goes against the flow.

"And who is the individual who stands fast? There is the case where an individual, with the total ending of the first set of five fetters, is due to be reborn [in the Pure Abodes], there to be totally unbound, never again to return from that world. This is called the individual who stands fast.

"And who is the individual who has crossed over, gone beyond, who stands on firm ground: a brahman? There is the case where an individual, through the ending of the mental fermentations, enters & remains in the fermentation-free awareness-release & discernment-release, having known & made them manifest for himself right in the here & now. This is called the individual who has crossed over, gone beyond, who stands on firm ground: a brahman.

"These are the four types of individuals to be found existing in the world."

People unrestrained
in sensual passions,
not devoid
of passion,
indulging
in sensuality:
they return to birth & aging,
again & again --
seized by craving,
going with the flow.
Thus the enlightened one,
with mindfulness here established,
not indulging
in sensuality & evil,
though it may be with pain,
would abandon sensuality.
They call him
one who goes against
the flow.

Whoever,
having abandoned
the five defilements,
is
perfect in training,
not destined to fall back,
skilled in awareness,
with faculties composed:
he's called
one who stands fast

In one who, having known,
qualities high & low
have been destroyed,
have gone to their end,
do not exist:
He's called
a master of knowledge,
one who has fulfilled the holy life,
gone to the world's end, gone

beyond.