MN 44 Culavedalla Sutta: The Shorter Series of Questions and Answers
Thus have i heard.
On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Rajagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Sanctuary. Then the lay follower Visakha went to the bhikkhuni Dhammadinna, and after paying homage to her, he sat down at one side and asked her:
PERSONALITY
"Lady, what is called personality by the Blessed One?" "Friend Visakha, these five aggregates affected by clinging are called personality by the Blessed One; that is, the material form, the feeling, the perception, the formations and the consciousness aggregates affected by clinging." Saying, "Good, lady," the lay follower Visakha delighted and rejoiced in the bhikkhuni Dhammadinna's words.
Then he asked her a further question: "Lady, what is called the origin of personality by the Blessed One?" "Friend Visakha, it is craving, which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for being, and craving for non-being. This is called the origin of personality by the Blessed One."
"Lady, what is called the cessation of personality by the Blessed One?" "Friend Visakha, it is the remainder-less fading away and ceasing/ the giving up, relinquishing, letting go, and rejecting of that same craving. This is called the cessation of personality by the Blessed One." "Lady, what is called the way leading to the cessation of personality by the Blessed One?" "Friend Visakha, it is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration."
"Lady, is that clinging the same as these five aggregates affected by clinging, or is the clinging something apart from the five aggregates affected by clinging?" "Friend Visakha, that clinging is neither the same as these five aggregates affected by clinging nor is clinging something apart from the five aggregates affected by clinging. It is the desire and lust in regard to the five aggregates affected by clinging that is the clinging there."
PERSONALITY VIEW
"Lady, how does personality view come to be?" "Here, friend Visakha, an untaught ordinary person, who has no regard for noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, who has no regard for true men and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, regards material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self, or self as in material form. He regards feeling as self, or self as possessed of feeling, or feeling as in self, or self as in feeling. He regards perception as self, or self as possessed of perception, or perception as in self, or self as in perception. He regards formations as self, or self as possessed of formations, or formations as in self, or self as in formations. He regards consciousness as self, or self as possessed of consciousness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. That is how personality view comes to be."
"Lady, how does personality view not come to be?" "Here, friend Visakha, a well-taught noble disciple, who has regard for noble ones and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, who has regard for true men and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, does not regard material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self, or self as in material form. He does not regard feeling as self, or self as possessed of feeling, or feeling as in self, or self as in feeling. He does not regard perception as self, or self as possessed of perception, or perception as in self, or self as in perception. He does not regard formations as self, or self as possessed of formations, or formations as in self, or self as in formations. He does not regard consciousness as self, or self as possessed of consciousness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. That is how personality view does not come to be."
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
"Lady, what is the Noble Eightfold Path?" "Friend Visakha, it is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration." "Lady, is the Noble Eightfold Path conditioned or unconditioned?" "Friend Visakha, the Noble Eightfold Path is conditioned." "Lady, are the three aggregates included by the Noble Eightfold Path, or is the Noble Eightfold Path included by the three aggregates?" "The three aggregates are not included by the Noble Eightfold Path, friend Visakha, but the Noble Eightfold Path is included by the three aggregates. Right speech, right action, and right livelihood - these states are included in the aggregate of virtue. Right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration - these states are included in the aggregate of concentration. Right view and right intention - these states are included in the aggregate of wisdom."
CONCENTRATION
"Lady, what is concentration.? What is the basis of concentration? What is the equipment of concentration? What is the development of concentration?" "Unification of mind, friend Visakha, is concentration; the four foundations of mindfulness are the basis of concentration; the four right kinds of striving are the equipment of concentration; the repetition, development, and cultivation of these same states is the development of concentration therein."
FORMATIONS
"Lady, how many formations are there?" "There are these three formations, friend Visakha: the bodily formation, the verbal formation, and the mental formation." "But, lady, what is the bodily formation? What is the verbal formation? What is the mental formation?" "In-breathing and out-breathing, friend Visakha, are the bodily formation; applied thought and sustained thought are the verbal formation; perception and feeling are the mental formation." "But, lady, why are in-breathing and out-breathing the bodily formation? Why are applied thought and sustained thought the verbal formation? Why are perception and feeling the mental formation?" "Friend Visakha, in-breathing and out-breathing are bodily, these are states bound up with the body; that is why in-breathing and out-breathing are the bodily formation. First one applies thought and sustains thought, and subsequently one breaks out into speech; that is why applied thought and sustained thought are the verbal formation. Perception and feeling are mental, these are states bound up with the mind; that is why perception and feeling are the mental formation. "
THE ATTAINMENT OF CESSATION
"Lady, how does the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling come to be?" "Friend Visakha, when a bhikkhu is attaining the cessation of perception and feeling, it does not occur to him: 'I shall attain the cessation of perception and feeling,' or 'I am attaining the cessation of perception and feeling,' or 'I have attained the cessation of perception and feeling'; but rather his mind has previously been developed in such a way that it leads him to that state." "Lady, when a bhikkhu is attaining the cessation of perception and feeling, which states cease first in him: the bodily formation, the verbal formation, or the mental formation?" "Friend Visakha, when a bhikkhu is attaining the cessation of perception and feeling, first the verbal formation ceases, then the bodily formation, then the mental formation."
"Lady, how does emergence from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling come to be?" "Friend Visakha, when a bhikkhu is emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, it does not occur to him: 'I shall emerge from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling,' or 'I am emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling,' or 'I have emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling'; but rather his mind has previously been developed in such a way that it leads him to that state." "Lady, when a bhikkhu is emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, which states arise first in him: the bodily formation, the verbal formation, or the mental formation?" "Friend Visakha, when a bhikkhu is emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, first the mental formation arises, then the bodily formation, then the verbal formation."
"Lady, when a bhikkhu has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, how many kinds of contact touch him?" "Friend Visakha, when a bhikkhu has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, three kinds of contact touch him: voidness contact, signless contact, desireless contact." "Lady, when a bhikkhu has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, to what does his mind incline, to what does it lean, to what does it tend?" "Friend Visakha, when a bhikkhu has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, his mind inclines to seclusion, leans to seclusion, tends to seclusion."
FEELING
"Lady, how many kinds of feeling are there?" "Friend Visakha, there are three kinds of feeling: pleasant feeling, painful feeling, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling." "But, lady, what is pleasant feeling? What is painful feeling? What is neither painful-nor-pleasant feeling?" "Friend Visakha, whatever is felt bodily or mentally as pleasant and soothing is pleasant feeling. Whatever is felt bodily or mentally as painful and hurting is painful feeling. Whatever is felt bodily or mentally as neither soothing nor hurting is neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling."
"Lady, what is pleasant and what is painful in regard to pleasant feeling? What is painful and what is pleasant in regard to painful feeling? What is pleasant and what is painful in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling?" "Friend Visakha, pleasant feeling is pleasant when it persists and painful when it changes. Painful feeling is painful when it persists and pleasant when it changes. Neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is pleasant when there is knowledge of it and painful when there is no knowledge of it."
UNDERLYING TENDENCIES
"Lady, what underlying tendency underlies pleasant feeling? What underlying tendency underlies painful feeling? What underlying tendency underlies neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling?" "Friend Visakha, the underlying tendency to lust underlies pleasant feeling. The underlying tendency to aversion underlies painful feeling. The underlying tendency to ignorance underlies neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. " "Lady, does the underlying tendency to lust underlie all pleasant feeling? Does the underlying tendency to aversion underlie all painful feeling? Does the underlying tendency to ignorance underlie all neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling?" "Friend Visakha, the underlying tendency to lust does not underlie all pleasant feeling. The underlying tendency to aversion does not underlie all painful feeling. The underlying tendency to ignorance does not underlie all neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling."
"Lady, what should be abandoned in regard to pleasant feeling? What should be abandoned in regard to painful feeling? What should be abandoned in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling?" "Friend Visakha, the underlying tendency to lust should be abandoned in regard to pleasant feeling. The underlying tendency to aversion should be abandoned in regard to painful feeling. The underlying tendency to ignorance should be abandoned in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling." "Lady, does the underlying tendency to lust have to be abandoned in regard to all pleasant feeling? Does the underlying tendency to aversion have to be abandoned in regard to all painful feeling? Does the underlying tendency to ignorance have to be abandoned in regard to all neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling?" "Friend Visakha, the underlying tendency to lust does not have to be abandoned in regard to all pleasant feeling. The underlying tendency to aversion does not have to be abandoned in regard to all painful feeling. The underlying tendency to ignorance does not have to be abandoned in regard to all neither painful-nor-pleasant feeling. "
"Here, friend Visakha, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. With that he abandons lust, and the underlying tendency to lust does not underlie that. Here a bhikkhu considers thus: 'When shall I enter upon and abide in that base that the noble ones now enter upon and abide in?' In one who thus generates a longing for the supreme liberations, grief arises with that longing as condition. With that he abandons aversion, and the underlying tendency to aversion does not underlie that.' "
"Here, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the fourth jhana, which has neither-pain nor-pleasure and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity. With that he abandons ignorance, and the underlying tendency to ignorance does not underlie that."
COUNTERPARTS "Lady, what is the counterpart of pleasant feeling?" "Friend Visakha, painful feeling is the counterpart of pleasant feeling." "What is the counterpart of painful feeling?" "Pleasant feeling is the counterpart of painful feeling." "What is the counterpart of neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling?" "Ignorance is the counterpart of neither-painful-nor pleasant feeling." "What is the counterpart of ignorance?" "True knowledge is the counterpart of ignorance." "What is the counterpart of true knowledge?" "Deliverance is the counterpart of true knowledge." "What is the counterpart of deliverance?" "Nibbana is the counterpart of deliverance." "Lady, what is the counterpart of Nibbana?"
"Friend Visakha, you have pushed this line of questioning too far; you were not able to grasp the limit to questions For the holy life, friend Visakha, merges in Nibbana, culminates in Nibbana, ends in Nibbana. If you wish, friend Visakha, go to the Blessed One and ask him about the meaning of this. As the Blessed One explains it to you, so you should remember it."
(CONCLUSION)
Then the lay follower Visakha, having delighted and rejoiced in the bhikkhuni Dhammadinna's words, rose from his seat, and after paying homage to her, keeping her on his right, he went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to him, he sat down at one side and told the Blessed One his entire conversation with the bhikkhuni Dhammadinna. When he finished speaking, the Blessed One told him: "The bhikkhuni Dhammadinna is wise, Visakha, the bhikkhuni Dhammadinna has great wisdom. If you had asked me the meaning of this, I would have explained it to you in the same way that the bhikkhunl Dhammadinna has explained it. Such is its meaning, and so you should remember it." That is what the Blessed One said. The lay follower Visakha was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
The Culavedalla Sutta is a sutta whereby the nun Dhammadinna answered questions posted to her by her former husband Visakha who is also a member of the original Sangha. The Buddha praised Dhammadinna as one of the most knowledgeable nuns of the Sangha.
Visakha, the questioner, asked questions on the five aggregates, the noble eightfold path, concentration, formations, attainment of cessation, feelings, counterparts of feelings and nibbana.
References: 1. www.accesstoinsight.org 2. https://suttacentral.net/ 3. The Middle discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)