MN19 — Two Kinds of Intentions
Thus have I heard:
At one time the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in Jetas Grove, Anāthapiṇḍikas Park.
There, the Blessed One addressed the disciples:
Disciples.
Yes, Venerable Sir, they replied.
The Blessed One said:
Disciples, before my awakening, while I was still a Bodhisattā, this reflection occurred to me: Why dont I divide intentions into two kinds?
So I set on one side intentions imbued with sensuality, intentions imbued with ill will, and harming; and on the other side, intentions directed and sustained upon renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
And as I remained thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, intentions imbued with sensuality arose in me.
I understood: intentions imbued with sensuality have arisen in me. These lead to my own affliction, to the affliction of others, to the affliction of both. They obstruct discernment, bring vexation, and do not lead to Unbinding.
When I reflected, It leads to my own affliction, it ceased in me.
When I reflected, It leads to others affliction, it ceased in me.
When I reflected, It leads to the affliction of both, it ceased in me.
When I reflected, It obstructs wisdom, causes difficulties, and leads away from Nibbāna, it ceased in me.
Whenever such intentions arose, I abandoned them, dispelled them, ended them, and let them go.
Likewise, as I remained diligent, ardent, and resolute, intentions imbued with ill will arose in me. I understood: Intentions imbued with ill will have arisen in me. These lead to my own affliction, to the affliction of others, to the affliction of both. They obstruct discernment, bring vexation, and do not lead to Unbinding.
Reflecting in this way, I abandoned them, removed them, and destroyed them.
And as I remained thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, intentions imbued with harmfulness arose in me.
I understood: Intentions imbued with harmfulness have arisen in me. These lead to my own affliction, to the affliction of others, to the affliction of both. They obstruct discernment, bring vexation, and do not lead to Unbinding.
I abandoned them, removed them, and destroyed them.
Whatever a disciple frequently intends and directs attention to becomes the inclination of the mind.
If a disciple frequently intends and directs attention to sensuality, abandoning intentions of renunciation, then the mind becomes inclined toward sensuality.
If a disciple frequently intends ill will, they abandon goodwill and incline the mind toward hostility.
If a disciple frequently intends harming, they abandon harmlessness and incline the mind toward cruelty.
Just as in the last month of the rainy season, when crops are thick, a cowherd guards his cattle by tapping and guiding them with a stick, fearing punishment, loss, or blame, so too did I see the danger in unwholesome states and the benefit in wholesome states.
Thus, as I remained diligent, ardent, and resolute, intentions of renunciation arose in me.
I understood: Intentions of renunciation have arisen in me. These do not lead to my own affliction, to the affliction of others, to the affliction of both. They foster discernment, bring no vexation, and lead to Unbinding.
Whether I inclined the mind upon it by day or by night, I saw no danger in it.
However, if I examined these intentions for too long, the body would grow tired, the mind disturbed; and a disturbed mind is far from concentration.
So I settled the body inwardly, calmed and unified the mind, and established it in concentration, so that my mind would not be disturbed.
And as I remained thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, intentions of non-aversion arose in me.
I understood: Intentions of non-aversion have arisen in me. These do not lead to my own affliction, to the affliction of others, to the affliction of both. They foster discernment, bring no vexation, and lead to Unbinding.
And as I remained thus heedful, ardent, and resolute, intentions of inner calm arose in me.
I understood: Intentions of inner calm have arisen in me. These do not lead to my own affliction, to the affliction of others, to the affliction of both. They foster discernment, bring no vexation, and lead to Unbinding.
Even if I inclined my mind and sustained attention upon them, whether by day or by night, I did not see any danger in these intentions. But if prolonged too much, the body would tire, the mind would become disturbed, and concentration would be lost. Therefore, I inwardly steadied, settled, unified, and concentrated my mind.
Whatever a disciple frequently intends and sustains attention upon, that becomes the inclination of the mind.
If one frequently intends toward renunciation, they abandon all grasping and incline the mind toward relinquishment.
If one frequently intends toward non-aversion, they abandon all resistance and incline the mind toward unbounded peace.
If one frequently intends toward inner calm, they abandon all conflict and incline the mind toward the stilling of all formations.
Just as, disciple, in the last month of summer, when all the crops have been brought into the villages, a cowherd protects the cattle. Whether sitting at the root of a tree or out in the open, he merely has to be mindful: These are the cattle.
In the same way, disciple, mindfulness alone was necessary for me: These are the states.
Then my energy was aroused and unflagging, my mindfulness was established and unmuddled, my body was tranquil and unaroused, and my mind was concentrated and unified.
Thus, quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered and dwelt in the first Jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained attention, born of seclusion, filled with rapture and happiness.
With the stilling of applied and sustained attention, by gaining inner tranquility and unification of mind,
I entered and dwelt in the second Jhana, which is without applied and sustained attention, born of concentration, filled with rapture and happiness.
With the fading away of rapture, I dwelt equanimous and mindful, fully aware, experiencing happiness with the body.
I entered and dwelt in the third Jhana, of which the noble ones declare: He dwells in equanimity, mindfulness, and happiness.
With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, I entered and dwelt in the fourth Jhana, which is neither painful nor pleasant, and includes the purification of mindfulness by equanimity.
When my mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, and imperturbable, I directed it to the knowing of recollecting past lives. I recollected my manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births, three births, four births … thus with their aspects and details I recollected my manifold past lives.
This was the first true knowing attained by me in the first watch of the night.
Ignorance was destroyed, knowing arose; darkness was destroyed, light arose, as happens in one who is diligent, ardent, and resolute.
Then, with my mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, and imperturbable, I directed it to the knowing of the passing away and reappearing of beings.
With the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human, I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and I understood how beings pass on according to their actions:
These beings, who behaved wrongly by body, speech, and mind … are reborn in a lower realm;
but those who behaved well by body, speech, and mind … are reborn in a good destination.
This was the second true knowing attained by me in the middle watch of the night.
Ignorance was destroyed, knowing arose; darkness was destroyed, light arose as happens in one who is diligent, ardent, and resolute.
Then, with my mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, and imperturbable, I directed it to the knowing of the destruction of the taints.
I understood as it really is:
This is suffering.
This is the origin of suffering.
This is the cessation of suffering.
This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering.
I understood as it really is:
These are the taints.
This is the origin of the taints.
This is the cessation of the taints.
This is the path leading to the cessation of the taints.
When I knew and saw thus, my mind was liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being,
and from the taint of ignorance.
When liberated, there came the knowing: It is liberated.
I understood: Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.
Thus, disciples, in the last watch of the night, the third true knowing was attained by me.
Ignorance was destroyed, knowing arose; darkness was destroyed, light arose, as happens in one who is diligent, ardent, and resolute.
Disciples, it is just as if, in a great forest wilderness, there were a large low-lying swampy hollow.
A great herd of deer depended on that hollow to dwell there.
Then, a man might arise who wishes them harm, not their welfare, desiring their ruin and misfortune.
He would close off the safe path leading to security, and open up a false path, he would spread out an unsafe track and set up a decoy to draw them into danger.
In this way, disciples, that great herd of deer would later meet with calamity and destruction.
But then, disciples, another man might arise who wishes them well, desiring their welfare and safety.
He would open up the safe path leading to security, and close off the false path, he would clear away the unsafe track and remove the decoy.
In this way, disciples, that great herd of deer would later attain growth, increase, and prosperity.
This simile, disciples, has been given to convey a meaning.
And this is the meaning:
The great swampy hollow, disciples, is a designation for sensual pleasures.
The great herd of deer, disciples, is a designation for beings.
The man wishing harm, disciples, is a designation for Māra the Evil One.
The false path, disciples, is a designation for the wrong eightfold path, namely:
wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration.
The unsafe track, disciples, is a designation for delight and lust.
The decoy is a designation for ignorance.
The man wishing well, disciples, is a designation for the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One.
The safe path leading to security is a designation for the Noble Eightfold Path, namely:
right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
Thus, disciples, I have opened up the safe path leading to security, closed off the false path, cleared away the unsafe track, and removed the decoy of ignorance.
Whatever a Teacher should do out of compassion for his disciples, seeking their welfare, that I have done for you.
Here are the roots of trees, here are empty huts.
Practice, disciples! Do not be negligent, lest you later regret it.
This is my instruction to you.
When the Blessed One had spoken thus, the disciples were delighted and approved of his words.