{"id":"an6.61","title":"In the Middle","languageCodes":["en","pi"],"languageNotes":{"en":"Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0","pi":"Mahāsaṅgīti edition · SuttaCentral"},"chapters":[{"id":"an6.61","title":"In the Middle","units":[{"id":"an6.61:0","sourceIds":["an6.61:0.1","an6.61:0.2","an6.61:0.3"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Aṅguttara Nikāya 6.61\n6. Mahāvagga\nMajjhesutta","en":"Numbered Discourses 6.61\n6. The Great Chapter\nIn the Middle"}},{"id":"an6.61:1","sourceIds":["an6.61:1.1","an6.61:1.2","an6.61:1.3","an6.61:1.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evaṁ me sutaṁ—\nekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā bārāṇasiyaṁ viharati isipatane migadāye.\nTena kho pana samayena sambahulānaṁ therānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantānaṁ maṇḍalamāḷe sannisinnānaṁ sannipatitānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi:\n“vuttamidaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā pārāyane metteyyapañhe:","en":"So I have heard.\nAt one time the Buddha was staying near Varanasi in the deer park at Isipatana.\nNow at that time, after the meal, on return from almsround, several senior mendicants sat together in the pavilion and this discussion came up among them,\n“Reverends, this was said by the Buddha in ‘The Way to the Far Shore’, in ‘The Questions of Metteyya’:"}},{"id":"an6.61:2","sourceIds":["an6.61:2.1","an6.61:2.2","an6.61:2.3","an6.61:2.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"‘Yo ubhonte viditvāna,\nmajjhe mantā na lippati;\nTaṁ brūmi mahāpurisoti,\nsodha sibbinimaccagā’”ti.","en":"‘The thoughtful one, knowing both ends,\nis not stuck in the middle.\nHe is a great man, I declare;\nhe has escaped the seamstress here.’"}},{"id":"an6.61:3","sourceIds":["an6.61:3.1","an6.61:3.2","an6.61:3.3","an6.61:3.4","an6.61:3.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"“Katamo nu kho, āvuso, eko anto, katamo dutiyo anto, kiṁ majjhe, kā sibbinī”ti?\nEvaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:\n“phasso kho, āvuso, eko anto, phassasamudayo dutiyo anto, phassanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;\ntaṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.\nEttāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.","en":"But what is one end? What’s the second end? What’s the middle? And who is the seamstress?”\nWhen this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:\n“Contact, reverends, is one end. The origin of contact is the second end. The cessation of contact is the middle. And craving is the seamstress,\nfor craving weaves one to being regenerated in one state of existence or another.\nThat’s how a mendicant directly knows what should be directly known and completely understands what should be completely understood. Knowing and understanding thus they make an end of suffering in this very life.”"}},{"id":"an6.61:4","sourceIds":["an6.61:4.1","an6.61:4.2","an6.61:4.3","an6.61:4.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:\n“atītaṁ kho, āvuso, eko anto, anāgataṁ dutiyo anto, paccuppannaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;\ntaṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.\nEttāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto, pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.","en":"When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:\n“The past, reverends, is one end. The future is the second end. The present is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …\nThat’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”"}},{"id":"an6.61:5","sourceIds":["an6.61:5.1","an6.61:5.2","an6.61:5.3","an6.61:5.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:\n“sukhā, āvuso, vedanā eko anto, dukkhā vedanā dutiyo anto, adukkhamasukhā vedanā majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;\ntaṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.\nEttāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto, pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.","en":"When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:\n“Pleasant feeling, reverends, is one end. Painful feeling is the second end. Neutral feeling is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …\nThat’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”"}},{"id":"an6.61:6","sourceIds":["an6.61:6.1","an6.61:6.2","an6.61:6.3","an6.61:6.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:\n“nāmaṁ kho, āvuso, eko anto, rūpaṁ dutiyo anto, viññāṇaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;\ntaṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.\nEttāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.","en":"When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:\n“Name, reverends, is one end. Form is the second end. Consciousness is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …\nThat’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”"}},{"id":"an6.61:7","sourceIds":["an6.61:7.1","an6.61:7.2","an6.61:7.3","an6.61:7.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evaṁ vutte aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:\n“cha kho, āvuso, ajjhattikāni āyatanāni eko anto, cha bāhirāni āyatanāni dutiyo anto, viññāṇaṁ majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;\ntaṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.\nEttāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.","en":"When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:\n“The six interior sense fields, reverends, are one end. The six exterior sense fields are the second end. Consciousness is the middle. And craving is the seamstress …\nThat’s how a mendicant directly knows … an end of suffering in this very life.”"}},{"id":"an6.61:8","sourceIds":["an6.61:8.1","an6.61:8.2","an6.61:8.3","an6.61:8.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evaṁ vutte aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:\n“sakkāyo kho, āvuso, eko anto, sakkāyasamudayo dutiyo anto, sakkāyanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;\ntaṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.\nEttāvatā kho, āvuso, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.","en":"When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:\n“Substantial reality, reverends, is one end. The origin of substantial reality is the second end. The cessation of substantial reality is the middle. And craving is the seamstress,\nfor craving weaves one to being regenerated in one state of existence or another.\nThat’s how a mendicant directly knows what should be directly known and completely understands what should be completely understood. Knowing and understanding thus they make an end of suffering in this very life.”"}},{"id":"an6.61:9","sourceIds":["an6.61:9.1","an6.61:9.2","an6.61:9.3","an6.61:9.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu there bhikkhū etadavoca:\n“byākataṁ kho, āvuso, amhehi sabbeheva yathāsakaṁ paṭibhānaṁ.\nĀyāmāvuso, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocessāma.\nYathā no bhagavā byākarissati tathā naṁ dhāressāmā”ti.","en":"When this was said, one of the mendicants said to the senior mendicants:\n“Each of us has spoken from the heart.\nCome, reverends, let’s go to the Buddha, and inform him about this.\nAs he answers, so we’ll remember it.”"}},{"id":"an6.61:10","sourceIds":["an6.61:10.1","an6.61:10.2","an6.61:10.3","an6.61:10.4","an6.61:10.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"“Evamāvuso”ti kho therā bhikkhū tassa bhikkhuno paccassosuṁ.\nAtha kho therā bhikkhū yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu.\nEkamantaṁ nisinnā kho therā bhikkhū yāvatako ahosi sabbeheva saddhiṁ kathāsallāpo, taṁ sabbaṁ bhagavato ārocesuṁ.\n“Kassa nu kho, bhante, subhāsitan”ti?\n“Sabbesaṁ vo, bhikkhave, subhāsitaṁ pariyāyena, api ca yaṁ mayā sandhāya bhāsitaṁ pārāyane metteyyapañhe:","en":"“Yes, reverend,” those senior mendicants replied.\nThen those senior mendicants went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side,\nand informed the Buddha of all they had discussed. They asked,\n“Sir, who has spoken well?”\n“Mendicants, you’ve all spoken well in a way. However, this is what I was referring to in ‘The Way to the Far Shore’, in ‘The Questions of Metteyya’ when I said:"}},{"id":"an6.61:11","sourceIds":["an6.61:11.1","an6.61:11.2","an6.61:11.3","an6.61:11.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"‘Yo ubhonte viditvāna,\nmajjhe mantā na lippati;\nTaṁ brūmi mahāpurisoti,\nsodha sibbinimaccagā’ti.","en":"‘The thoughtful one, knowing both ends,\nis not stuck in the middle.\nHe is a great man, I declare;\nhe has escaped the seamstress here.’"}},{"id":"an6.61:12","sourceIds":["an6.61:12.1","an6.61:12.2","an6.61:12.3","an6.61:12.4","an6.61:12.5","an6.61:12.6","an6.61:12.7"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.\n“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho therā bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.\nBhagavā etadavoca:\n“phasso kho, bhikkhave, eko anto, phassasamudayo dutiyo anto, phassanirodho majjhe, taṇhā sibbinī;\ntaṇhā hi naṁ sibbati tassa tasseva bhavassa abhinibbattiyā.\nEttāvatā kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānāti, pariññeyyaṁ parijānāti, abhiññeyyaṁ abhijānanto pariññeyyaṁ parijānanto diṭṭheva dhamme dukkhassantakaro hotī”ti.\nSattamaṁ.","en":"Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”\n“Yes, sir,” they replied.\nThe Buddha said this:\n“Contact, mendicants, is one end. The origin of contact is the second end. The cessation of contact is the middle. And craving is the seamstress,\nfor craving weaves one to being regenerated in one state of existence or another.\nThat’s how a mendicant directly knows what should be directly known and completely understands what should be completely understood. Knowing and understanding thus they make an end of suffering in this very life.”"}}]}],"sourceRevision":"afdafa92450cfe7573b280da50382888323666d2","sourceUrl":"https://suttacentral.net/an6.61/en/sujato","licence":"CC0 1.0","licenceUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/","editionNote":"Full supplied source file; inherited abbreviations are preserved. Not a reconstructed expansion of every repetition. No Malay or Mandarin translation is implied."}