{"collection":"Majjhima Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_mn19/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_mn19","id":"suttacentral_mn19","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/mn19/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Majjhima Nikaya"],"text":"So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near S\u0101vatth\u012b in Jeta\u2019s Grove, An\u0101thapi\u1e47\u1e0dika\u2019s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, \u201cMendicants!\u201d \u201cVenerable sir,\u201d they replied. The Buddha said this: \u201cMendicants, before my awakening\u2014when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening\u2014I thought: \u2018Why don\u2019t I meditate by continually dividing my thoughts into two classes?\u2019 So I assigned sensual, malicious, and cruel thoughts to one class. And I assigned thoughts of renunciation, good will, and harmlessness to the second class. Then, as I meditated\u2014diligent, keen, and resolute\u2014a sensual thought arose. I understood: \u2018This sensual thought has arisen in me. It leads to hurting myself, hurting others, and hurting both. It blocks wisdom, it\u2019s on the side of distress, and it doesn\u2019t lead to extinguishment.\u2019 When I reflected that it leads to hurting myself, it went away. When I reflected that it leads to hurting others, it went away. When I reflected that it leads to hurting both, it went away. When I reflected that it blocks wisdom, it\u2019s on the side of distress, and it doesn\u2019t lead to extinguishment, it went away. So I gave up, dispelled, and eliminated any sensual thoughts that arose. Then, as I meditated\u2014diligent, keen, and resolute\u2014a malicious thought arose \u2026 a cruel thought arose. I understood: \u2018This cruel thought has arisen in me. It leads to hurting myself, hurting others, and hurting both. It blocks wisdom, it\u2019s on the side of distress, and it doesn\u2019t lead to extinguishment.\u2019 When I reflected that it leads to hurting myself \u2026 hurting others \u2026 hurting both, it went away. When I reflected that it blocks wisdom, it\u2019s on the side of distress, and it doesn\u2019t lead to extinguishment, it went away. So I gave up, dispelled, and eliminated any cruel thoughts that arose. Whatever a mendicant frequently thinks about and considers becomes their heart\u2019s inclination. If they often think about and consider sensual thoughts, they\u2019ve given up the thought of renunciation to cultivate sensual thought. Their mind inclines to sensual thoughts. If they often think about and consider malicious thoughts \u2026 their mind inclines to malicious thoughts. If they often think about and consider cruel thoughts \u2026 their mind inclines to cruel thoughts. Suppose it\u2019s the last month of the rainy season, in autumn, when the crops grow closely together, and a cowherd must take care of the cattle. He\u2019d tap and poke them with his staff on this side and that to keep them in check. Why is that? For he sees that if they wander into the crops he could be executed, imprisoned, fined, or condemned. In the same way, I saw that unskillful qualities have the drawbacks of sordidness and corruption, and that skillful qualities have the benefit and cleansing power of renunciation. Then, as I meditated\u2014diligent, keen, and resolute\u2014a thought of renunciation arose. I understood: \u2018This thought of renunciation has arisen in me. It doesn\u2019t lead to hurting myself, hurting others, or hurting both. It nourishes wisdom, it\u2019s on the side of freedom from distress, and it leads to extinguishment.\u2019 If I were to keep on thinking and considering this all night \u2026 all day \u2026 all night and day, I see no danger that would come from that. Still, thinking and considering for too long would tire my body. And when the body is tired, the mind is stressed. And when the mind is stressed, it\u2019s far from immersion. So I stilled, settled, unified, and immersed my mind internally. Why is that? So that my mind would not be stressed. Then, as I meditated\u2014diligent, keen, and resolute\u2014a thought of good will arose \u2026 a thought of harmlessness arose. I understood: \u2018This thought of harmlessness has arisen in me. It doesn\u2019t lead to hurting myself, hurting others, or hurting both. It nourishes wisdom, it\u2019s on the side of freedom from distress, and it leads to extinguishment.\u2019 If I were to keep on thinking and considering this all night \u2026 all day \u2026 all night and day, I see no danger that would come from that. Still, thinking and considering for too long would tire my body. And when the body is tired, the mind is stressed. And when the mind is stressed, it\u2019s far from immersion. So I stilled, settled, unified, and immersed my mind internally. Why is that? So that my mind would not be stressed. Whatever a mendicant frequently thinks about and considers becomes their heart\u2019s inclination. If they often think about and consider thoughts of renunciation, they\u2019ve given up sensual thought to cultivate the thought of renunciation. Their mind inclines to thoughts of renunciation. If they often think about and consider thoughts of good will \u2026 their mind inclines to thoughts of good will. If they often think about and consider thoughts of harmlessness \u2026 their mind inclines to thoughts of harmlessness. Suppose it\u2019s the last month of summer, when all the crops have been gathered within a village, and a cowherd must take care of the cattle. While at the root of a tree or in the open he need only be mindful that the cattle are there. In the same way I needed only to be mindful that those things were there. My energy was roused up and unflagging, my mindfulness was established and lucid, my body was tranquil and undisturbed, and my mind was immersed and unified in sam\u0101dhi. Quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, I entered and remained in the first absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of seclusion, while placing the mind and keeping it connected. As the placing of the mind and keeping it connected were stilled, I entered and remained in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and mind at one, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. And with the fading away of rapture, I entered and remained in the third absorption, where I meditated with equanimity, mindful and aware, experiencing for themselves the bliss of which the noble ones declare, \u2018Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss.\u2019 With the giving up of pleasure and pain, and the disappearance of former happiness and sadness, I entered and remained in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. When my mind had immersed in sam\u0101dhi like this\u2014purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable\u2014I extended it toward recollection of past lives. I recollected many kinds of past lives, with features and details. This was the first knowledge, which I achieved in the first watch of the night. Ignorance was banished and knowledge arose; darkness was banished and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute. When my mind had become immersed in sam\u0101dhi like this, I extended it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, I saw sentient beings passing away and being reborn\u2014inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. I understood how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds. This was the second knowledge, which I achieved in the middle watch of the night. Ignorance was banished and knowledge arose; darkness was banished and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute. When my mind had become immersed in sam\u0101dhi like this, I extended it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. I truly understood: \u2018This is suffering\u2019 \u2026 \u2018This is the origin of suffering\u2019 \u2026 \u2018This is the cessation of suffering\u2019 \u2026 \u2018This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.\u2019 I truly understood: \u2018These are defilements\u2019 \u2026 \u2018This is the origin of defilements\u2019 \u2026 \u2018This is the cessation of defilements\u2019 \u2026 \u2018This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements.\u2019 Knowing and seeing like this, my mind was freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. I understood: \u2018Rebirth is ended; the spiritual journey has been completed; what had to be done has been done; there is nothing further for this place.\u2019 This was the third knowledge, which I achieved in the last watch of the night. Ignorance was banished and knowledge arose; darkness was banished and light arose, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute. Suppose that in a forested wilderness there was an expanse of low-lying marshes, and a large herd of deer lived nearby. Then along comes a person who wants to harm, injure, and threaten them. They close off the safe, secure path that leads to happiness, and open the wrong path. There they plant domesticated male and female deer as decoys so that, in due course, that herd of deer would fall to ruin and disaster. Then along comes a person who wants to help keep the herd of deer safe. They open up the safe, secure path that leads to happiness, and close off the wrong path. They get rid of the decoys so that, in due course, that herd of deer would grow, increase, and mature. I\u2019ve made up this simile to make a point. And this is what it means. \u2018An expanse of low-lying marshes\u2019 is a term for sensual pleasures. \u2018A large herd of deer\u2019 is a term for sentient beings. \u2018A person who wants to harm, injure, and threaten them\u2019 is a term for M\u0101ra the Wicked. \u2018The wrong path\u2019 is a term for the wrong eightfold path, that is, wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong immersion. \u2018A domesticated male deer\u2019 is a term for greed and relishing. \u2018A domesticated female deer\u2019 is a term for ignorance. \u2018A person who wants to help keep the herd of deer safe\u2019 is a term for the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. \u2018The safe, secure path that leads to happiness\u2019 is a term for the noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. So, mendicants, I have opened up the safe, secure path to happiness and closed off the wrong path. And I have got rid of the male and female decoys. Out of sympathy, I\u2019ve done what a teacher should do who wants what\u2019s best for their disciples. Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don\u2019t be negligent! Don\u2019t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.\u201d That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.","title":"Two Kinds of Thought","tradition":"Majjhima Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":1770}