{"collection":"Anguttara Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_an6.46/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_an6.46","id":"suttacentral_an6.46","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/an6.46/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Anguttara Nikaya","Early Buddhist Texts"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time Venerable Mah\u0101cunda was staying in the land of the Cetis at Sahaj\u0101ti. There he addressed the mendicants: \u201cReverends, mendicants!\u201d \u201cReverend,\u201d they replied. Venerable Mah\u0101cunda said this: \u201cTake a case where mendicants who practice discernment of principles rebuke mendicants who practice absorption: \u2018They say, \u201cWe practice absorption meditation! We practice absorption meditation!\u201d And they meditate and concentrate and contemplate and ruminate. Why do they practice absorption meditation? In what way do they practice absorption meditation? How do they practice absorption meditation?\u2019 In this case the mendicants who practice discernment of principles are not inspired, and the mendicants who practice absorption are not inspired. And they\u2019re not acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans. Now, take a case where mendicants who practice absorption meditation rebuke mendicants who practice discernment of principles: \u2018They say, \u201cWe practice discernment of principles! We practice discernment of principles!\u201d But they\u2019re haughty, insolent, fickle, scurrilous, loose-tongued, unmindful, lacking situational awareness and immersion, with straying minds and undisciplined faculties. Why do they practice discernment of principles? In what way do they practice discernment of principles? How do they practice discernment of principles?\u2019 In this case the mendicants who practice absorption are not inspired, and the mendicants who practice discernment of principles are not inspired. And they\u2019re not acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans. Now, take a case where mendicants who practice discernment of principles praise only others like them, not mendicants who practice absorption. In this case the mendicants who practice discernment of principles are not inspired, and the mendicants who practice absorption are not inspired. And they\u2019re not acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans. And take a case where mendicants who practice absorption praise only others like them, not mendicants who practice discernment of principles. In this case the mendicants who practice absorption are not inspired, and the mendicants who practice discernment of principles are not inspired. And they\u2019re not acting for the welfare and happiness of the people, for the people, for the benefit, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans. So you should train like this: \u2018As mendicants who practice discernment of principles, we will praise mendicants who practice absorption.\u2019 That\u2019s how you should train. Why is that? Because it\u2019s rare to find such incredible individuals in the world who have direct meditative experience of the element free of death. So you should train like this: \u2018As mendicants who practice absorption, we will praise mendicants who practice discernment of principles.\u2019 That\u2019s how you should train. Why is that? Because it\u2019s incredibly rare to find individuals in the world who see the meaning of a deep saying with penetrating wisdom.\u201d","title":"By Mah\u0101cunda","tradition":"Anguttara Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":487}