One Fine NightBhaddekarattasutta

So I have heard.Evaṁ me sutaṁ— At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants,Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Mendicants!”“bhikkhavo”ti.

“Venerable sir,” they replied.“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. The Buddha said this:Bhagavā etadavoca:

“I shall teach you the summary recital and the analysis of the one who has one fine night.“bhaddekarattassa vo, bhikkhave, uddesañca vibhaṅgañca desessāmi. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.

“Yes, sir,” they replied.“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. The Buddha said this:Bhagavā etadavoca:

“Don’t run back to the past,“Atītaṁ nānvāgameyya, don’t anticipate the future.nappaṭikaṅkhe anāgataṁ; What’s past is left behind,Yadatītaṁ pahīnaṁ taṁ, the future has not arrived;appattañca anāgataṁ.

and any present phenomenonPaccuppannañca yo dhammaṁ, you clearly discern in every case.Tattha tattha vipassati; The unfaltering, the unshakable:Asaṁhīraṁ asaṅkuppaṁ, having known that, foster it.Taṁ vidvā manubrūhaye.

Today’s the day to keenly work—Ajjeva kiccamātappaṁ, who knows, tomorrow may bring death!ko jaññā maraṇaṁ suve; For there is no bargain to be struckNa hi no saṅgaraṁ tena, with Death and his mighty horde.mahāsenena maccunā.

One who keenly meditates like this,Evaṁvihāriṁ ātāpiṁ, tireless all night and day:ahorattamatanditaṁ; that’s who has one fine night—Taṁ ve bhaddekarattoti, so declares the peaceful sage.santo ācikkhate muni.

And how do you run back to the past?Kathañca, bhikkhave, atītaṁ anvāgameti? You muster delight there, thinking: ‘I had such form in the past.’ … ‘I had such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the past.’‘Evaṁrūpo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁvedano ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsañño ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsaṅkhāro ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, ‘evaṁviññāṇo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti— That’s how you run back to the past.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atītaṁ anvāgameti.

And how do you not run back to the past?Kathañca, bhikkhave, atītaṁ nānvāgameti? You don’t muster delight there, thinking: ‘I had such form in the past.’ … ‘I had such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the past.’‘Evaṁrūpo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁvedano ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsañño ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁsaṅkhāro ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, ‘evaṁviññāṇo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti— That’s how you don’t run back to the past.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atītaṁ nānvāgameti.

And how do you anticipate the future?Kathañca, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ paṭikaṅkhati? You muster delight there, thinking: ‘May I have such form in the future.’ … ‘May I have such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the future.’‘Evaṁrūpo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti, evaṁvedano siyaṁ …pe… evaṁsañño siyaṁ … evaṁsaṅkhāro siyaṁ … evaṁviññāṇo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānanti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti— That’s how you anticipate the future.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ paṭikaṅkhati.

And how do you not anticipate the future?Kathañca, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ nappaṭikaṅkhati? You don’t muster delight there, thinking: ‘May I have such form in the future.’ … ‘May I have such feeling … perception … choice … consciousness in the future.’‘Evaṁrūpo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti, evaṁvedano siyaṁ … evaṁsañño siyaṁ … evaṁsaṅkhāro siyaṁ … ‘evaṁviññāṇo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānan’ti tattha nandiṁ na samanvāneti— That’s how you don’t anticipate the future.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, anāgataṁ nappaṭikaṅkhati.

And how do you falter amid presently arisen phenomena?Kathañca, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu saṁhīrati? It’s when an unlearned ordinary person has not seen the noble ones, and is neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve not seen true persons, and are neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the true persons.Idha, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano ariyānaṁ adassāvī ariyadhammassa akovido ariyadhamme avinīto sappurisānaṁ adassāvī sappurisadhammassa akovido sappurisadhamme avinīto They regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.rūpaṁ attato samanupassati, rūpavantaṁ vā attānaṁ, attani vā rūpaṁ, rūpasmiṁ vā attānaṁ; They regard feeling …vedanaṁ …pe… perception …saññaṁ … choices …saṅkhāre … consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.viññāṇaṁ attato samanupassati, viññāṇavantaṁ vā attānaṁ attani vā viññāṇaṁ, viññāṇasmiṁ vā attānaṁ— That’s how you falter amid presently arisen phenomena.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu saṁhīrati.

And how do you not falter amid presently arisen phenomena?Kathañca, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu na saṁhīrati? It’s when a learned noble disciple has seen the noble ones, and is skilled and trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve seen true persons, and are skilled and trained in the teaching of the true persons.Idha, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako ariyānaṁ dassāvī ariyadhammassa kovido ariyadhamme suvinīto sappurisānaṁ dassāvī sappurisadhammassa kovido sappurisadhamme suvinīto They don’t regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.na rūpaṁ attato samanupassati, na rūpavantaṁ vā attānaṁ, na attani vā rūpaṁ, na rūpasmiṁ vā attānaṁ; They don’t regard feeling …na vedanaṁ … perception …na saññaṁ … choices …na saṅkhāre … consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.na viññāṇaṁ attato samanupassati, na viññāṇavantaṁ vā attānaṁ, na attani vā viññāṇaṁ, na viññāṇasmiṁ vā attānaṁ— That’s how you don’t falter amid presently arisen phenomena.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, paccuppannesu dhammesu na saṁhīrati.

‘Don’t run back to the past,Atītaṁ nānvāgameyya, don’t anticipate the future.nappaṭikaṅkhe anāgataṁ; What’s past is left behind,Yadatītaṁ pahīnaṁ taṁ, the future has not arrived;appattañca anāgataṁ.

and any present phenomenonPaccuppannañca yo dhammaṁ, you clearly discern in every case.tattha tattha vipassati; The unfaltering, the unshakable:Asaṁhīraṁ asaṅkuppaṁ, having known that, foster it.taṁ vidvā manubrūhaye.

Today’s the day to keenly work—Ajjeva kiccamātappaṁ, who knows, tomorrow may bring death!ko jaññā maraṇaṁ suve; For there is no bargain to be struckNa hi no saṅgaraṁ tena, with Death and his mighty horde.mahāsenena maccunā.

One who keenly meditates like this,Evaṁvihāriṁ ātāpiṁ, tireless all night and day:ahorattamatanditaṁ; that’s who has one fine night—Taṁ ve bhaddekarattoti, so declares the peaceful sage.’santo ācikkhate munīti.

And that’s what I meant when I said: ‘I shall teach you the summary recital and the analysis of the one who has one fine night.’”‘Bhaddekarattassa vo, bhikkhave, uddesañca vibhaṅgañca desessāmī’ti—

That is what the Buddha said.Idamavoca bhagavā. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.