From Buddha-to-be to Teacher

The Awakening

10. Finding the Right Path MN 36, 85, 100.

Then this occurred to me: ‘Those ascetics and brahmins in the past times who felt acute pain, sharp, harsh, and bitter feelings, there is nothing beyond or superior to this.

Those ascetics and brahmins in the future times who will feel acute pain, sharp, harsh, and bitter feelings, there is nothing beyond or superior to this.

Those ascetics and brahmins who now feel acute pain, sharp, harsh, and bitter feelings, there is nothing beyond or superior to this.

But even by undergoing this bitter austerity I did not attain a state beyond ordinary human beings, a distinction of what is truly noble knowledge and insight.

I wonder is there another path to Awakening?’

Then this occurred to me: ‘I recall that while my Sakyan Father was at work, while I was sitting in the cool of the shade of the Rose-Apple tree, quite secluded from sense desires, secluded from unwholesome things, having thinking, reflection, and the happiness and rapture born of seclusion, I dwelt having attained the first absorption. I wonder if this is the path to Awakening?’

Then to me in conformity with that recollection I became conscious: ‘This is the path to Awakening.’

Then this occurred to me: ‘Why am I afraid of that pleasure? That pleasure is one thing, and unwholesome sensual pleasures are another thing.’

Then this occurred to me: ‘I am not afraid of that pleasure. That pleasure is one thing, and unwholesome sensual pleasures are another thing.’

Then this occurred to me: ‘It is not easy to attain that pleasure with the body so excessively emaciated, what if I were to take gross food, boiled rice and milk?’

Then I took gross food, boiled rice and milk. But at that time the group-of-five monks were present, thinking: ‘This ascetic Gotama will attain Dhamma, and he will inform us.’

When I took gross food, boiled rice and milk, then the group-of-five monks being disgusted, left me, thinking: ‘This ascetic Gotama is given to luxury, he has forsaken the striving, he has gone back to luxury.’

11. The Absorptions MN 36, 85, 100.

Then having taken gross food and regained strength, quite secluded from sense desires, secluded from unwholesome things, having thinking, reflection, and the happiness and rapture born of seclusion, I dwelt having attained the first absorption.

With the ending of thinking and reflection, with internal clarity, and one-pointedness of mind, being without thinking, without reflection, having the happiness and rapture born of concentration, I dwelt having attained the second absorption.

With the fading away of rapture I dwelt equanimous, mindful, clearly knowing, experiencing happiness through the body, about which the Noble Ones declare: “He lives pleasantly, mindful, and equanimous,” thus I dwelt having attained the third absorption.

Having given up pleasure, given up pain, and with the previous disappearence of mental well-being and sorrow, without pain, without pleasure, and with complete purity of mindfulness owing to equanimity, I dwelt having attained the fourth absorption.

12. The Three Knowledges MN 36, 85, 100.

Then with a mind well-concentrated, and complete purity that comes from a cleansed mind, being passionless, free of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, imperturbable, I directed my mind to knowledge and recall of previous existences.

I recollected various previous existences, such as: one life, two lives, three lives, four lives, five lives, ten lives, twenty lives, thirty lives, forty lives, fifty lives, a hundred lives, a thousand lives, a hundred thousand lives, innumerable aeons of devolution, innumerable aeons of evolution, innumerable aeons of devolution and evolution: in such and such a place I had this name, this family, this class, this food, this experience of pleasure and pain, this life term; passing away from there I arose in another state of existence, and in that place I had this name, this family, this class, this food, this experience of pleasure and pain, this life term, and passing away from there I arose here, and so with their characteristics and with their details I recollected my various previous existences.

This to me in the first watch of the night, was the first knowledge I attained, ignorance was abandoned, knowledge arose, darkness was abandoned, light arose, as I was living heedful, ardent, and resolute in this way.

* * *

With the divine eye which is purified and surpasses that of normal men I saw the passing away and arising of beings, inferior, superior, beautiful, ugly, in a good destiny, in a bad destiny, and I knew beings arise according to their good and bad actions.

This to me in the middle watch of the night, was the second knowledge I attained, ignorance was abandoned, knowledge arose, darkness was abandoned, light arose, as I was living heedful, ardent, and resolute in this way.

* * *

I knew, as it really is: ‘This is suffering,’
I knew, as it really is: ‘This is the arising of suffering,’
I knew, as it really is: ‘This is the cessation of suffering,’
I knew, as it really is: ‘This is the practice going to the cessation of suffering,’

I knew, as it really is: ‘These are pollutants,’
I knew, as it really is: ‘This is the arising of pollutants,’
I knew, as it really is: ‘This is the cessation of pollutants,’
I knew, as it really is: ‘This is the practice going to the cessation of pollutants.’

Then knowing in this way, seeing in this way, my mind was free from the pollutant of sensuality, my mind was free from the pollutant of craving for continued existence, my mind was free from the pollutant of ignorance.

In freedom there was the knowledge: ‘This is freedom,’

‘Destroyed is rebirth,
accomplished is the spiritual life,
done is what ought to be done,
there is no more of this mundane state,’ this I knew.

This to me in the last watch of the night, was the third knowledge I attained, ignorance was abandoned, knowledge arose, darkness was abandoned, light arose, as I was living heedful, ardent, and resolute in this way.

13. Liberation of Mind for the Buddha MN 26.

Then I, being myself subject to birth,
after understanding the danger in being subject to birth,
while seeking the birthless, supreme, secure Nibbāna,
attained the birthless, supreme, secure Nibbāna.

Being myself subject to old-age,
after understanding the danger in being subject to old-age,
while seeking the ageless, supreme, secure Nibbāna,
attained the ageless, supreme, secure Nibbāna.

Being myself subject to sickness,
after understanding the danger in being subject to sickness,
while seeking the sickless, supreme, secure Nibbāna,
attained the sickless, supreme, secure Nibbāna.

Being myself subject to death,
after understanding the danger in being subject to death,
while seeking the deathless, supreme, secure Nibbāna,
attained the deathless, supreme, secure Nibbāna.

Being myself subject to grief,
after understanding the danger in being subject to grief,
while seeking the griefless, supreme, secure Nibbāna,
attained the griefless, supreme, secure Nibbāna.

Being myself subject to defilements,
after understanding the danger in being subject to defilements,
while seeking the undefiled, supreme, secure Nibbāna,
attained the undefiled, supreme, secure Nibbāna.

To me knowledge and insight arose:

Sure is my liberation of mind,
this is my last birth,
now there is no continuation of existence.