On one occasion the Venerable Sariputta was dwelling at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. Then, in the morning, the Venerable Sariputta dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Savatthi for alms. Then, when he had walked for alms in Savatthi and had returned from the alms round, after his meal he went to the Blind Men's Grove for the day's abiding. Having plunged into the Blind Men's Grove, he sat down at the foot of a tree for the day's abiding.
Then, in the evening, the Venerable Sariputta emerged from seclusion and went to Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance and said to him: "Friend Sariputta, your faculties are serene, your facial complexion is pure and bright. In what dwelling has the Venerable sariputta spent the day?"
"Here, friend, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered and dwelt in the first jhana, which is accompanied by thought and examination, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the first jhana,' or 'I have attained the first jhana,' or 'I have emerged from the first jhana.'"
"It must be because I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit have been thoroughly uprooted in the Venerable Sariputta for a long time that such thoughts did not occur to him."
(Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing first absorption without any thought of self.)
SN 28.2 Avitakka Sutta: Without Thought
At Savatthi .... (as above) . . . The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance and said to him: "Friend Sariputta, your faculties are serene, your complexion is pure and bright. In what dwelling has the Venerable Sariputta spent the day?"
"Here, friend, with the subsiding of thought and examination, I entered and dwelt in the second jhana, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without thought and examination, and has rapture and happiness born of concentration. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the second jhana,' or 'I have attained the second jhana,' or 'I have emerged from the second jhana.'"
"It must be because I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit have been thoroughly uprooted in the Venerable Sariputta for a long time that such thoughts did not occur to him." (Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing second absorption without any thought of self.)
SN 28.3 Pīti Sutta: Rapture
At Savatthi.. .. The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance .... "Here, friend, with the fading away as well of rapture, I dwelt equanimous and, mindful and clearly comprehending, I experienced happiness with the body; I entered and dwelt in the third jhana of which the noble ones declare: 'He is equanimous, mindful, one who dwells happily.' Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the third jhana .. . . "' (Complete as in preceding sutta.)
(Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing third absorption without any thought of self.)
SN 28.4 Upekkhā Sutta: Equanimity
At Savatthi ... . The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance .... Here, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and displeasure, I entered and dwelt in the fourth jhana, which is neither painful nor pleasant and includes the purification of mindfulness by equanimity. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the fourth jhana ... . "'
(Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing fourth absorption without any thought of self.)
SN 28.5 Ākāsānañcāyatana Sutta: The Base of the Infinity of Space
At Savatthi .... The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance ... .. "Here, friend, with the complete transcendence of perceptions of forms, with the passing away of perceptions of sensory impingement, with non-attention to perceptions of diversity, aware that 'space is infinite,' I entered and dwelt in the base of the infinity of space. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the base of the infinity of space ... . '"
(Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing the dimension of infinite space without any thought of self.)
SN 28.6 Viññāṇañcāyatana Sutta: The Base of the Infinity of Consciousness
At Savatthi.... The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance ... . "Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of the infinity of space, aware that 'consciousness is infinite,' I entered and dwelt in the base of the infinity of consciousness. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the base of the infinity of consciousness .... '"
(Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing the dimension of infinite consciousness without any thought of self.)
SN 28.7 Ākiñcaññāyatana Sutta: The Base of Nothingness
At Savatthi .... The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance ... . "Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of the infinity of consciousness, aware that 'there is nothing,' I entered and dwelt in the base of nothingness. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the base of nothingness . . .. '"
(Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing the dimension of nothingness without any thought of self.)
SN 28.8 Nevasaññānāsaññāyatana Sutta: The Base of Neither-Perception-Nor-Nonperception
At Savatthi .... The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance .... "Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of nothingness, I entered and dwelt in the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception .... "' (Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception without any thought of self.)
SN 28.9 Nirodhasamāpatti Sutta: The Attainment of Cessation
At Savatthi .... The Venerable Ananda saw the Venerable Sariputta coming in the distance .... "Here, friend, by completely transcending the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, I entered and dwelt in the cessation of perception and feeling. Yet, friend, it did not occur to me, 'I am attaining the cessation of perception and feeling,' or 'I have attained the cessation of perception and feeling,' or 'I have emerged from the cessation of perception and feeling.'"
"'It must be because I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit have been thoroughly uprooted in the Venerable Sariputta for a long time that such thoughts did not occur to him."
(Sāriputta goes to Mirkwood for meditation, and afterwards Ānanda asks why his face is so radiant. Sāriputta replies that he was practicing the attainment of cessation without any thought of self.)
SN 28.10 Sucimukhī Sutta: Sucimukhi On one occasion the Venerable Sariputta was dwelling at Rajagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Then, in the morning, the Venerable Sariputta dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Rajagaha for alms. Then, when he had walked for alms on continuous alms round in Rajagaha, he ate that alms food leaning against a certain wall.
Then the female wanderer Sucimukhi approached the Venerable Sariputta and said to him: "Ascetic, do you eat facing downwards?" "I don't eat facing downwards, sister." "Then, ascetic, do you eat facing upwards?" "I don't eat facing upwards, sister." "Then, ascetic, do you eat facing the [four] quarters?" "I don't eat facing the [four] quarters, sister."
"Then, ascetic, do you eat facing the intermediate directions?" "I don't eat facing the intermediate directions, sister." "When you are asked, 'Ascetic, do you eat facing downwards?' ... 'Do you eat facing the intermediate directions?' you reply, 'I don't eat thus, sister.' How then do you eat, ascetic?"
"Sister, those ascetics and brahmins who earn their living by the debased art of geomancy-a wrong means of livelihood these are called ascetics and brahmins who eat facing downwards. Those ascetics and brahmins who earn their living by the debased art of astrology-a wrong means of livelihood-these are called ascetics and brahmins who eat facing upwards. Those ascetics and brahmins who earn their living by undertaking to go on errands and run messages-a wrong means of livelihood these are called ascetics and brahmins who eat facing the [four] quarters. Those ascetics and brahmins who earn their living by the debased art of palmistry-a wrong means of livelihood these are called ascetics and brahmins who eat facing the intermediate directions. "
"Sister, I do not earn my living by such wrong means of livelihood as the debased art of geomancy, or the debased art of astrology, or by undertaking to go on errands and run messages, or by the debased art of palmistry. I seek alms food righteously and, having sought it, I eat my alms food righteously."
Then the female wanderer Sucimukhi went from street to street and from square to square in Rajagaha announcing: "The ascetics following the Sakyan son eat righteous food; they eat blameless food. Give alms food to the ascetics following the Sakyan son. "
(Sāriputta encountered a female wanderer named Sucimukhī, who asks him a series of enigmatic questions regarding what direction he faces when eating. Sāriputta denies all of them, explaining that they are various kinds of wrong livelihood.)
References 1. www.accesstoinsight.org 2. https://suttacentral.net/ 3. The connected discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)