MN19 — Two Kinds of Intentions

Thus have I heard.

At one time the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

There the Blessed One addressed the disciples:

Disciples.

Venerable sir, they replied.

The Blessed One said this:

Before my awakening while I was still an unawakened bodhisatta, it occurred to me: ‘What if I were to divide my intentions into two distinct categories?

So whatever intentions of sense satisfaction, intentions of ill will, and intentions of cruelty arose, this I made into one category.

Whatever intentions of renunciation, intentions of non-ill will, and intentions of non-cruelty arose, this I made into the second category.

As I dwelled thus, diligent, ardent, and resolute, an intention of sense satisfaction arose.

I knew it thus:

‘This intention of sense satisfaction has arisen in me. It leads to my own affliction, it leads to the affliction of others, and it leads to the affliction of both. It obstructs wisdom, promotes distress, and does not lead to Nibbāna.

When I reflected, ‘It leads to my own affliction, it subsided.

When I reflected, ‘It leads to the affliction of others, it subsided.

When I reflected, ‘It leads to the affliction of both, it subsided.

When I reflected, ‘It obstructs wisdom, promotes distress, and does not lead to Nibbāna, it subsided.

So whenever an intention of sense satisfaction arose, I abandoned it, dispelled it, and brought it to an end.

As I dwelled thus, diligent, ardent, and resolute, an intention of ill will arose...

an intention of cruelty arose.

I knew it thus:

‘This intention of cruelty has arisen in me. It leads to my own affliction, it leads to the affliction of others, and it leads to the affliction of both. It obstructs wisdom, promotes distress, and does not lead to Nibbāna.

When I reflected, ‘It leads to my own affliction, it subsided.

When I reflected, ‘It leads to the affliction of others, it subsided.

When I reflected, ‘It leads to the affliction of both, it subsided.

When I reflected, ‘It obstructs wisdom, promotes distress, and does not lead to Nibbāna, it subsided.

So whenever an intention of cruelty arose, I abandoned it, dispelled it, and brought it to an end.

Whatever a disciple frequently directs and sustains attention upon, the mind develops an inclination toward that.

If a disciple frequently directs and sustains attention upon sense satisfaction, he has abandoned the intention of renunciation to cultivate the intention of sense satisfaction. Consequently, his mind inclines toward intentions of sense satisfaction.

If a disciple frequently directs and sustains attention upon ill will, he has abandoned the intention of goodwill to cultivate the intention of ill will. Consequently, his mind inclines toward intentions of ill will.

If a disciple frequently directs and sustains attention upon cruelty, he has abandoned the intention of non-cruelty to cultivate the intention of cruelty. Consequently, his mind inclines toward intentions of cruelty.

Suppose in the last month of the rainy season, in the autumn, when the crops are thick, a cow herder is guarding his cows.

He would strike, drive back, check, and restrain them with a stick.

Why is that?

Because the cow herder sees that if they wander into the crops, it would result in him being beaten, imprisoned, fined, or blamed.

In the same way I saw the danger, degradation, and defilement of unskillful states, and I saw the benefit and the cleansing side of renunciation in skillful states.

As I dwelled thus, diligent, ardent, and resolute, an intention of renunciation arose.

I knew it thus:

‘This intention of renunciation has arisen in me. It does not lead to my own affliction, it does not lead to the affliction of others, and it does not lead to the affliction of both. It promotes wisdom, is free from distress, and leads to Nibbāna.

If I were to direct and sustain attention upon it for a night, I see no danger arising from that.

If I were to direct and sustain attention upon it for a day, I see no danger arising from that.

If I were to direct and sustain attention upon it for a night and a day, I see no danger arising from that.

However, if I direct and sustain attention upon it for too long, my body would tire. When the body is tired, the mind becomes strained. When the mind is strained, it is far from concentration.

So I steadied my mind internally, settled it, unified it, and concentrated it.

Why is that?

So that my mind would not become strained.

As I dwelled thus, diligent, ardent, and resolute, an intention of non-ill will arose...

an intention of non-cruelty arose.

I knew it thus:

‘This intention of non-cruelty has arisen in me. It does not lead to my own affliction, it does not lead to the affliction of others, and it does not lead to the affliction of both. It promotes wisdom, is free from distress, and leads to Nibbāna.

If I were to direct and sustain attention upon it for a night, I see no danger arising from that.

If I were to direct and sustain attention upon it for a day, I see no danger arising from that.

If I were to direct and sustain attention upon it for a night and a day, I see no danger arising from that.

However, if I direct and sustain attention upon it for too long, my body would tire. When the body is tired, the mind becomes strained. When the mind is strained, it is far from concentration.

So I steadied my mind internally, settled it, unified it, and concentrated it.

Why is that?

So that my mind would not become strained.

Whatever a disciple frequently directs and sustains attention upon, the mind develops an inclination toward that.

Suppose in the last month of the hot season, when all the crops have been brought into the village, a cowherd is guarding his cows. While resting at the root of a tree or in the open air, he needs only to establish mindfulness: ‘There are the cows.

In the same way I needed only to establish mindfulness: ‘There are these phenomena.

My energy was roused and untiring, my mindfulness was established and unconfused, my body was tranquil and undisturbed, and my mind was concentrated and unified.

Quite secluded from sensory entanglement, secluded from unskillful states, I entered and remained in the first jhāna, which includes directed and sustained attention, with the energetic joy and happiness born of seclusion.

With the stilling of directed and sustained attention, I entered and remained in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, without directed and sustained attention, with the energetic joy and happiness born of concentration.

With the fading away of energetic joy, I dwelled equanimous, mindful, and fully aware, and experienced happiness with the body. I entered and remained in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare: ‘Equanimous and mindful, one dwells happily.

With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and sorrow, I entered and remained in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure, and has purity of mindfulness due to equanimity.

When my mind was concentrated like this, completely pure, bright, unblemished, rid of defilements, malleable, workable, steady, and imperturbable, I directed it to the knowing of recollecting past lives.

I recollected my many kinds of past lives. That is, one birth... thus with their details and particulars I recollected my many kinds of past lives.

This was the first true knowing I attained in the first watch of the night.

Ignorance was destroyed; knowing arose. Darkness was destroyed; light arose, just as it does for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.

With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, I saw beings passing away and being reborn... ‘These beings, having engaged in bodily misconduct... thus with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, I saw beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in good destinations and bad destinations. I knew how beings pass on according to their actions.

This was the second true knowing I attained in the middle watch of the night.

Ignorance was destroyed; knowing arose. Darkness was destroyed; light arose, just as it does for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.

I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is suffering. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the origin of suffering. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the cessation of suffering. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of suffering.

I directly knew as it actually is: ‘These are the taints. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the origin of the taints. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the cessation of the taints. I directly knew as it actually is: ‘This is the path leading to the cessation of the taints.

Knowing and seeing thus, my mind was liberated from the taint of sense satisfaction, liberated from the taint of existence, and liberated from the taint of ignorance. When it was liberated, the knowing arose: ‘It is liberated.

I directly knew: ‘Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.

This was the third true knowing I attained in the last watch of the night.

Ignorance was destroyed; knowing arose. Darkness was destroyed; light arose, just as it does for one who dwells diligent, ardent, and resolute.

Suppose there was a large, low-lying marsh in a forest thicket, and a large herd of deer lived near it.

Then a man would come along desiring their ruin, harm, and bondage.

He would block off the safe, sound, and joyful path, open up a false path, plant a decoy deer, and set up a deer-lure.

As a result later on that large herd of deer would come to disaster and ruin.

But suppose a man would come along desiring their benefit, welfare, and safety from bondage.

He would open up the safe, sound, and joyful path, block off the false path, remove the decoy, and destroy the lure.

As a result later on that large herd of deer would grow, increase, and flourish.

Disciples, I have made up this simile to convey a meaning. This is its meaning:

The large, low-lying marsh stands for sensory entanglement.

The large herd of deer stands for beings.

The man desiring their ruin, harm, and bondage stands for Māra, the Evil One.

The false path stands for the wrong eightfold path, namely: wrong view, wrong intention, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong concentration.

The decoy stands for delight and greed.

The lure stands for ignorance.

The man desiring their benefit, welfare, and safety from bondage stands for the Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Awakened One.

The safe, sound, and joyful path stands for the Noble Eightfold Path, namely: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

And so I have opened the safe, sound, and joyful path; I have closed off the false path; I have removed the decoy; I have destroyed the lure.

Whatever should be done by a teacher seeking the welfare of his disciples out of compassion, that I have done for you.

Here are the roots of trees, disciples; here are empty dwellings. Contemplate, disciples! Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later. This is my instruction to you.

The Blessed One said this.

Satisfied, the disciples delighted in the Blessed One’s words.