With GodattaGodattasutta

At one time Venerable Godatta was staying near Macchikāsaṇḍa in the Wild Mango Grove.Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā godatto macchikāsaṇḍe viharati ambāṭakavane. Then Citta the householder went up to Venerable Godatta, bowed, and sat down to one side. Godatta said to him:Atha kho citto gahapati yenāyasmā godatto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ godattaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho cittaṁ gahapatiṁ āyasmā godatto etadavoca:

“Householder, the limitless release of the heart, and the release of the heart through nothingness, and the release of the heart through emptiness, and the signless release of the heart: do these things differ in both meaning and phrasing? Or do they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing?”“yā cāyaṁ, gahapati, appamāṇā cetovimutti, yā ca ākiñcaññā cetovimutti, yā ca suññatā cetovimutti, yā ca animittā cetovimutti, ime dhammā nānatthā nānābyañjanā udāhu ekatthā byañjanameva nānan”ti?

“Sir, there is a way in which these things differ in both meaning and phrasing.“Atthi, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā nānatthā ceva nānābyañjanā ca. But there’s also a way in which they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing.Atthi pana, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā ekatthā byañjanameva nānan”ti.

And what’s the way in which these things differ in both meaning and phrasing?“Katamo ca, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā nānatthā ceva nānābyañjanā ca?

It’s when a mendicant meditates spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.Idha, bhante, bhikkhu mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati. They meditate spreading a heart full of compassion …Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā …pe… They meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing …muditāsahagatena cetasā …pe… They meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṁ disaṁ pharitvā viharati, tathā dutiyaṁ, tathā tatiyaṁ, tathā catutthaṁ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṁ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṁ lokaṁ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati. This is called the limitless release of the heart.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, appamāṇā cetovimutti.

And what is the release of the heart through nothingness?Katamā ca, bhante, ākiñcaññā cetovimutti? It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that ‘there is nothing at all’, enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness.Idha, bhante, bhikkhu sabbaso viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ samatikkamma, ‘natthi kiñcī’ti ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ upasampajja viharati. This is called the release of the heart through nothingness.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, ākiñcaññā cetovimutti.

And what is the release of the heart through emptiness?Katamā ca, bhante, suññatā cetovimutti? It’s when a mendicant has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, and reflects like this:Idha, bhante, bhikkhu araññagato vā rukkhamūlagato vā suññāgāragato vā iti paṭisañcikkhati: ‘This is empty of a self or what belongs to a self.’‘suññamidaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā’ti. This is called the release of the heart through emptiness.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, suññatā cetovimutti.

And what is the signless heart’s release?Katamā ca, bhante, animittā cetovimutti? It’s when a mendicant, not focusing on any signs, enters and remains in the signless immersion of the heart.Idha, bhante, bhikkhu sabbanimittānaṁ amanasikārā animittaṁ cetosamādhiṁ upasampajja viharati. This is called the signless release of the heart.Ayaṁ vuccati, bhante, animittā cetovimutti.

This is the way in which these things differ in both meaning and phrasing.Ayaṁ kho, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā nānatthā ceva nānābyañjanā ca.

And what’s the way in which they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing?Katamo ca, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā ekatthā byañjanameva nānaṁ?

Greed, hate, and delusion are makers of limits.Rāgo, bhante, pamāṇakaraṇo, doso pamāṇakaraṇo, moho pamāṇakaraṇo. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of limitless release of the heart.Yāvatā kho, bhante, appamāṇā cetovimuttiyo, akuppā tāsaṁ cetovimutti aggamakkhāyati. That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.Sā kho pana akuppā cetovimutti suññā rāgena, suññā dosena, suññā mohena.

Greed is something, hate is something, and delusion is something.Rāgo kho, bhante, kiñcanaṁ, doso kiñcanaṁ, moho kiñcanaṁ. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of release of the heart through nothingness.Yāvatā kho, bhante, ākiñcaññā cetovimuttiyo, akuppā tāsaṁ cetovimutti aggamakkhāyati. That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.Sā kho pana akuppā cetovimutti suññā rāgena, suññā dosena, suññā mohena.

Greed, hate, and delusion are makers of signs.Rāgo kho, bhante, nimittakaraṇo, doso nimittakaraṇo, moho nimittakaraṇo. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā. The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of signless release of the heart.Yāvatā kho, bhante, animittā cetovimuttiyo, akuppā tāsaṁ cetovimutti aggamakkhāyati. That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.Sā kho pana akuppā cetovimutti suññā rāgena, suññā dosena, suññā mohena.

This is the way in which they mean the same thing, and differ only in the phrasing.”Ayaṁ kho, bhante, pariyāyo yaṁ pariyāyaṁ āgamma ime dhammā ekatthā byañjanameva nānan”ti.

“You’re fortunate, householder, so very fortunate,“Lābhā te, gahapati, suladdhaṁ te, gahapati. to traverse the Buddha’s deep teachings with the eye of wisdom.”Yassa te gambhīre buddhavacane paññācakkhu kamatī”ti.