Before My Awakening (Interior)Paṭhamapubbesambodhasutta

At Sāvatthī.Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

“Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought:“Pubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi: ‘What’s the gratification, the drawback, and the escape when it comes to the eye …‘ko nu kho cakkhussa assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇaṁ? ear …Ko sotassa …pe… nose …ko ghānassa … tongue …ko jivhāya … body …ko kāyassa … and mind?’ko manassa assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṁ nissaraṇan’ti?

Then it occurred to me:Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi: ‘The pleasure and happiness that arise from the eye: this is its gratification.‘yaṁ kho cakkhuṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ cakkhussa assādo. That the eye is impermanent, suffering, and perishable: this is its drawback.Yaṁ cakkhuṁ aniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, ayaṁ cakkhussa ādīnavo. Removing and giving up desire and greed for the eye: this is its escape.Yo cakkhusmiṁ chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ cakkhussa nissaraṇaṁ.

The pleasure and happiness that arise from the ear …Yaṁ sotaṁ …pe… nose …yaṁ ghānaṁ …pe… tongue …yaṁ jivhaṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ jivhāya assādo. body …Yaṁ kāyaṁ …pe… mind: this is its gratification.yaṁ manaṁ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ manassa assādo. That the mind is impermanent, suffering, and perishable: this is its drawback.Yaṁ mano anicco dukkho vipariṇāmadhammo, ayaṁ manassa ādīnavo. Removing and giving up desire and greed for the mind: this is its escape.’Yo manasmiṁ chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ manassa nissaraṇan’ti.

As long as I didn’t truly understand these six interior sense fields’ gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I didn’t announce my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans.Yāvakīvañcāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ channaṁ ajjhattikānaṁ āyatanānaṁ evaṁ assādañca assādato, ādīnavañca ādīnavato, nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ nābbhaññāsiṁ, neva tāvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ.

But when I did truly understand these six interior sense fields’ gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I announced my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans.Yato ca khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, imesaṁ channaṁ ajjhattikānaṁ āyatanānaṁ evaṁ assādañca assādato, ādīnavañca ādīnavato, nissaraṇañca nissaraṇato yathābhūtaṁ abbhaññāsiṁ, athāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaññāsiṁ.

Knowledge and vision arose in me:Ñāṇañca pana me dassanaṁ udapādi: ‘My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there’ll be no more future lives.’”‘akuppā me vimutti, ayamantimā jāti, natthi dāni punabbhavo’”ti.