1.
The Discourse on One by One as they Occurred
93.
Thus have I heard.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park.
There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus:
"Monks."
"Venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"Monks, Sāriputta is wise; monks, Sāriputta is of great wisdom; monks, Sāriputta is of broad wisdom; monks, Sāriputta is of joyful wisdom; monks, Sāriputta is of swift wisdom; monks, Sāriputta is of sharp wisdom; monks, Sāriputta is of penetrative wisdom; monks, Sāriputta practises step-by-step insight into phenomena for a fortnight. Herein, monks, this is Sāriputta's step-by-step insight into phenomena.
94.
"Here, monks, Sāriputta, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome mental states, enters upon and dwells in the first meditative absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with rapture and bliss born of seclusion.
And whatever mental states are in the first meditative absorption - applied thought and sustained thought and rapture and bliss and unified focus of mind, contact, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, attention -
those mental states of his are discerned one by one.
Those mental states of his arise as known, continue as known, pass away as known.
He thus understands:
'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.'
He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states.
He understands: 'There is a further escape.'
Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, enters upon and dwells in the second meditative absorption, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied thought and without sustained thought, with rapture and bliss born of concentration. And whatever mental states are in the second meditative absorption - internal confidence and rapture and bliss and unified focus of mind, contact, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, attention - those mental states of his are discerned one by one. Those mental states of his arise as known, continue as known, pass away as known. He thus understands: 'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.' He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states. He understands: 'There is a further escape.' Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the fading away of rapture, dwells equanimous, mindful and fully aware, and experiences bliss with the body. That which the noble ones declare - 'He who is equanimous and mindful dwells in bliss' - he enters upon and dwells in the third meditative absorption. And whatever mental states are in the third meditative absorption - happiness and mindfulness and full awareness and unified focus of mind, contact, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, attention - those mental states of his are discerned one by one, those mental states of his arise as known, continue as known, pass away as known. He thus understands: 'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.' He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states. He understands: 'There is a further escape.' Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the abandoning of bliss and pain, and with the prior disappearance of pleasure and displeasure, enters upon and dwells in the fourth meditative absorption, which has neither-pain-nor-bliss and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity. And whatever mental states are in the fourth meditative absorption - equanimity, neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling, non-reflective attention of the mind due to tranquillity, purity of mindfulness, and unified focus of mind; contact, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, attention - those mental states of his are discerned one by one. Those mental states of his arise as known, continue as known, pass away as known. He thus understands: 'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.' He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states. He understands: 'There is a further escape.' Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the complete transcendence of perceptions of fine-material form, with the passing away of perceptions of sensory impingement, with inattention to perceptions of diversity, aware that 'space is infinite,' enters upon and dwells in the plane of infinite space. And whatever mental states are in the plane of infinite space - perception of the plane of infinite space and unified focus of mind; contact, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, attention - those mental states of his are discerned one by one. Those mental states of his arise as known, continue as known, pass away as known. He thus understands: 'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.' He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states. He understands: 'There is a further escape.' Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the complete transcendence of the plane of infinite space, aware that 'consciousness is infinite,' enters upon and dwells in the plane of infinite consciousness. And whatever mental states are in the plane of infinite consciousness - perception of the plane of infinite consciousness and unified focus of mind; contact, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, attention - those mental states of his are discerned one by one. Those mental states of his arise as known, continue as known, pass away as known. He thus understands: 'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.' He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states. He understands: 'There is a further escape.' Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the complete transcendence of the plane of infinite consciousness, aware that 'there is nothing,' having attained the plane of nothingness, dwells. And whatever mental states are in the plane of nothingness - perception of the plane of nothingness and unified focus of mind, contact, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, attention - those mental states of his are discerned one by one. Those mental states of his arise as known, continue as known, pass away as known. He thus understands: 'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.' He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states. He understands: 'There is a further escape.' Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
95.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the complete transcendence of the plane of nothingness, enters upon and dwells in the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.
He emerges from that attainment mindful.
Having emerged from that attainment mindful, he regards those mental states that are past, ceased, changed -
'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.'
He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states.
He understands: 'There is a further escape.'
Through frequently practising that, there indeed is for him.
96.
"Furthermore, monks, Sāriputta, with the complete transcendence of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, enters upon and dwells in the cessation of perception and feeling.
And having seen with wisdom, his mental corruptions are utterly eliminated.
He emerges from that attainment mindful.
Having emerged from that attainment mindful, he regards those mental states that are past, ceased, changed -
'Thus indeed these mental states, not having been, come into being; having been, they vanish.'
He dwells unattracted, unrepelled, independent, unbound, free, unbound, with a mind rid of barriers regarding those mental states.
He understands: 'There is no further escape.'
Through the cultivation of that, it indeed does not exist for him.
97.
"Whatever, monks, one speaking rightly would say -
'One who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble morality, one who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble concentration, one who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble wisdom, one who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble liberation' - it is of Sāriputta indeed that one speaking rightly would say -
'One who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble morality, one who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble concentration, one who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble wisdom, one who has attained mastery, attained perfection in noble liberation.'
Whatever, monks, one speaking rightly would say -
'The Blessed One's son, legitimate, born from his mouth, born of the Teaching, created by the Teaching, heir to the Teaching, not an heir to worldly gain' - it is of Sāriputta indeed that one speaking rightly would say -
'The Blessed One's son, legitimate, born from his mouth, born of the Teaching, created by the Teaching, heir to the Teaching, not an heir to worldly gain.'
Sāriputta, monks, rightly keeps turning the unsurpassed wheel of the Teaching that was set in motion by the Truth-finder."
This is what the Blessed One said. Pleased, those monks delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
The Discourse on One by One as they Occurred is concluded as first.