{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an11.9/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an11.9","id":"suttacentral_an11.9","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an11.9/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"At one time the Buddha was staying at \u00d1\u0101tika in the brick house. Then Venerable Sandha went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him: \u201cSandha, meditate like a thoroughbred, not like a wild colt. And how does a wild colt meditate? A wild colt, tied up by the feeding trough, meditates: \u2018Fodder, fodder!\u2019 Why is that? Because it doesn\u2019t occur to the wild colt tied up by the feeding trough: \u2018What task will the horse trainer have me do today? How should I respond?\u2019 Tied up by the feeding trough they just meditate: \u2018Fodder, fodder!\u2019 In the same way, take a certain wild person who has gone to the forest, the root of a tree, or an empty hut. Their heart is overcome and mired in sensual desire, and they don\u2019t truly understand the escape from sensual desire that has arisen. Harboring sensual desire within they meditate and concentrate and contemplate and ruminate. Their heart is overcome by ill will \u2026 dullness and drowsiness \u2026 restlessness and remorse \u2026 doubt \u2026 Harboring doubt within they meditate and concentrate and contemplate and ruminate. They meditate dependent on earth, water, fire, and air. They meditate dependent on the dimension of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, or neither perception nor non-perception. They meditate dependent on this world or the other world. They meditate dependent on what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind. That\u2019s how a wild colt meditates. And how does a thoroughbred meditate? A fine thoroughbred, tied up by the feeding trough, doesn\u2019t meditate: \u2018Fodder, fodder!\u2019 Why is that? Because it occurs to the fine thoroughbred tied up by the feeding trough: \u2018What task will the horse trainer have me do today? How should I respond?\u2019 Tied up by the feeding trough they don\u2019t meditate: \u2018Fodder, fodder!\u2019 For that fine thoroughbred regards the use of the goad as a debt, a bond, a loss, a misfortune. In the same way, take a certain fine thoroughbred person who has gone to the forest, the root of a tree, or an empty hut. Their heart is not overcome and mired in sensual desire, and they truly understand the escape from sensual desire that has arisen. Their heart is not overcome by ill will \u2026 dullness and drowsiness \u2026 restlessness and remorse \u2026 doubt \u2026 They don\u2019t meditate dependent on earth, water, fire, and air. They don\u2019t meditate dependent on the dimension of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, or neither perception nor non-perception. They don\u2019t meditate dependent on this world or the other world. They don\u2019t meditate dependent on what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind. Yet they do meditate. When a fine thoroughbred meditates like this, the gods together with Indra, the Divinity, and the Progenitor worship them from afar: \u2018Homage to you, O thoroughbred! Homage to you, supreme among men! We don\u2019t understand the basis of your absorption.\u2019\u201d When he said this, Venerable Sandha asked the Buddha, \u201cBut sir, how does that fine thoroughbred meditate?\u201d \u201cSandha, for a fine thoroughbred person, the perception of earth has vanished in relation to earth. The perception of water \u2026 fire \u2026 air has vanished in relation to air. The perception of the dimension of infinite space has vanished in relation to the dimension of infinite space. The perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness \u2026 nothingness \u2026 neither perception nor non-perception has vanished in relation to the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. The perception of this world has vanished in relation to this world. The perception of the other world has vanished in relation to the other world. And the perception of what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind has vanished. That\u2019s how that fine thoroughbred person doesn\u2019t meditate dependent on earth, water, fire, and air. They don\u2019t meditate dependent on the dimension of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, or neither perception nor non-perception. They don\u2019t meditate dependent on this world or the other world. They don\u2019t meditate dependent on what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind. Yet they do meditate. When a fine thoroughbred person meditates like this, the gods together with Indra, the Divinity, and the Progenitor worship them from afar: \u2018Homage to you, O thoroughbred! Homage to you, supreme among men! We don\u2019t understand the basis of your absorption.\u2019\u201d","title":"With Sandha","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":740}