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Majjhima Nikāya

Buddhist scripture, a nikaya in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Tipitaka, consisting of 152 sutras of intermediate length

The Majjhima Nikaya (Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha) is a Buddhist scripture, the second of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that compose the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism.

Such talk as deals with effacement, as favors the mind’s release, and which leads to complete disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment, and Nibbāna, that is, talk on wanting little, on contentment, seclusion, aloofness from society, arousing energy, virtue, collectedness, wisdom, deliverance, knowledge and vision of deliverance: for the sake of such talk a disciple should seek the Teacher’s company even if he is told to go away.

Quotes

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as translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi (Wisdom Publications: 1995)
  • Some misguided men learn the Dhamma—discourses, stanzas, expositions, verses, exclamations, sayings, birth stories, marvels, and answers to questions—but having learned the Dhamma, they do not examine the meaning of those teachings with wisdom. Not examining the meaning of those teachings with wisdom, they do not gain a reflective acceptance of them. Instead they learn the Dhamma only for the sake of criticising others and for winning in debates, and they do not experience the good for the sake of which they learned the Dhamma. Those teachings, being wrongly grasped by them, conduce to their harm and suffering for a long time. Why is that? Because of the wrong grasp of those teachings.
  • Here, friend Sāriputta, a bhikkhu is a forest dweller himself and speaks in praise of forest dwelling; he is an almsfood eater himself and speaks in praise of eating almsfood; he is a refuse-rag wearer himself and speaks in praise of wearing refuse-rag robes; he is a triple-robe wearer himself and speaks in praise of wearing the triple robe; he has few wishes himself and speaks in praise of fewness of wishes; he is content himself and speaks in praise of contentment; he is secluded himself and speaks in praise of seclusion; he is aloof from society himself and speaks in praise of aloofness from society; he is energetic himself and speaks in praise of arousing energy; he has attained to virtue himself and speaks in praise of the attainment of virtue; he has attained to concentration himself and speaks in praise of the attainment of concentration; he has attained to wisdom himself and speaks in praise of the attainment of wisdom; he has attained to deliverance himself and speaks in praise of the attainment of deliverance; he has attained to the knowledge and vision of deliverance himself and speaks in praise of the attainment of the knowledge and vision of deliverance. That kind of bhikkhu could illuminate this Gosinga Sāla-tree Wood.
  • Just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden, so too, the bhikkhu becomes content with robes to protect his body and with almsfood to maintain his stomach, and wherever he goes he sets out taking only these with him. Possessing this aggregate of noble virtue, he experiences within himself a bliss that is blameless.
    • Kandaraka Sutta, Sutta 51, Verse 15, p. 450
  • Any kind of material form whatever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all material form should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: “This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.”
    • Mahārāhulovāda Sutta, Sutta 62, verse 3, p. 527
  • When a monk abides [in equanimity], if his mind inclines to talking, he resolves: ‘Such talk as is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, unbeneficial, and which does not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment, and Nibbāna, that is, talk of kings, robbers, ministers, armies, dangers, battles, food, drink, clothing, beds, garlands, perfumes, relatives, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, countries, women, heroes, streets, wells, the dead, trivialities, the origin of the world, the origin of the sea, whether things are so or are not so: such talk I shall not utter.’
    • Mahasuññata Sutta, Sutta 122, verse 12, p. 974
  • A disciple should not seek the Teacher’s company for the sake of discourses, stanzas, and expositions. ... But such talk as deals with effacement, as favors the mind’s release, and which leads to complete disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment, and Nibbāna, that is, talk on wanting little, on contentment, seclusion, aloofness from society, arousing energy, virtue, collectedness, wisdom, deliverance, knowledge and vision of deliverance: for the sake of such talk a disciple should seek the Teacher’s company even if he is told to go away.
    • Mahasuññata Sutta, Sutta 122, verse 20, p. 976


  • By letting go of happiness and unhappiness,
as a result of the earlier disappearance of pleasure and pain,
I lived having attained the pure equanimity and mindfulness of the fourth absorption,
which is free of happiness and unhappiness.
  • The Dialogue with Prince Bodhi (Bodhirājakumāra-sutta) (M II 91–97), p. 184 in Gethin (2008)


  • All feeling ...
conceiving ...
volitional forces ...
consciousness whatsoever—
whether past, present, or future,
whether inside or outside,
gross or subtle,
inferior or refined,
far or near—
should be seen with proper understanding as it is:
“This is not mine,
I am not this,
this is not my self.”
...
Therefore, monks, abandon what is not yours—
your abandoning it will bring you good and happiness for a long time.
And what is it that is not yours?
Physical form is not yours.
Abandon it—
your abandoning it will bring you good and happiness for a long time.
Feeling is not yours ...
Conceiving is not yours ...
Volitional forces are not yours ...
Consciousness is not yours.
Abandon it—
your abandoning it will bring you good and happiness for a long time.
  • The Simile of the Snake (Alagaddūpama-sutta) (M I 130–142), pp. 165-6 in Gethin (2008)


  • And how does a monk live watching mind as mind?
Here, a monk knows a mind affected with desire
as a mind affected with desire;
he knows a mind unaffected with desire
as a mind unaffected with desire.
He knows a mind affected with hate
as a mind affected with hate;
he knows a mind unaffected with hate
as a mind unaffected with hate.
He knows a mind affected with delusion
as a mind affected with delusion;
he knows a mind unaffected with delusion
as a mind unaffected with delusion.
He knows a dull mind
as a dull mind;
he knows a distracted mind
as a distracted mind.
He knows a higher mind
as a higher mind;
he knows a lower mind
as a lower mind.
He knows an inferior mind
as an inferior mind;
he knows a superior mind
as a superior mind.
He knows a concentrated mind
as a concentrated mind;
he knows an unconcentrated mind
as an unconcentrated mind.
He knows a mind that is freed
as a mind that is freed;
he knows a mind that is not freed
as a mind that is not freed.
  • Establishing Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta) (M I 55–63), pp. 146-7 in Gethin (2008)


  • In this way he lives watching mind within as mind,
or he lives watching mind without as mind,
or he lives watching mind within and without as mind.
He lives watching the way things arise in the case of mind;
or he lives watching the way things pass in the case of mind;
or he lives watching the way things arise and pass in the case of mind.
Furthermore, his mindfulness that there is mind is established
so that there is knowledge and recollection in full degree;
he lives independently, not holding on to anything in the world.
This is how a monk lives watching mind as mind.
  • Establishing Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna-sutta) (M I 55–63), p. 147 in Gethin (2008)

See also

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References

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