Moggallāna’s PracticeMahāmoggallānasutta

Then Venerable Sāriputta went up to Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, and exchanged greetings with him.Atha kho āyasmā sāriputto yenāyasmā mahāmoggallāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā mahāmoggallānena saddhiṁ sammodi. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, Sāriputta sat down to one side and said to Mahāmoggallāna:Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā sāriputto āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca:

“Reverend Moggallāna, there are four ways of practice.“Catasso imā, āvuso moggallāna, paṭipadā. What four?Katamā catasso?

1. Painful practice with slow insight,Dukkhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā,
2. painful practice with swift insight,dukkhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā,
3. pleasant practice with slow insight, andsukhā paṭipadā dandhābhiññā,
4. pleasant practice with swift insight.sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā.

These are the four ways of practice.Imā kho, āvuso, catasso paṭipadā. Which one of these four ways of practice did you rely on to free your mind from defilements by not grasping?”Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ katamaṁ te paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan”ti?

“Reverend Sāriputta …“Catasso imā, āvuso sāriputta, paṭipadā. I relied on the painful practice with swift insight to free my mind from defilements by not grasping.”Imāsaṁ, āvuso, catunnaṁ paṭipadānaṁ yāyaṁ paṭipadā dukkhā khippābhiññā, imaṁ me paṭipadaṁ āgamma anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan”ti.