The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [497]
6. “And how, bhikkhus, does one build up hope upon the future? One nurtures delight there thinking, ‘May I have such material form in the future!’1217 One nurtures delight there thinking, ‘May I have such feeling in the future!’…‘May I have such perception in the future!’…‘May I have such formations in the future!’…‘May I have such consciousness in the future!’ That is how one builds up hope upon the future.
7. “And how, bhikkhus, does one not build up hope upon the future? One does not nurture delight there thinking, ‘May I have such material form in the future!’ One does not nurture delight there thinking, ‘May I have such feeling in the future!’…‘May I have such perception in the future!’…‘May I have such formations in the future!’…‘May I have such consciousness in the future!’ That is how one does not build up hope upon the future.
8. “And how, bhikkhus, is one vanquished in regard to presently arisen states?1218 Here, bhikkhus, an untaught ordinary person, who has no regard for noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, who has no regard for true men and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, regards material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self, or self as in material form. He regards feeling as self…perception as self…formations as self [189]…consciousness as self, or self as possessed of consciousness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. That is how one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states.
9. “And how, bhikkhus, is one invincible in regard to presently arisen states? Here, bhikkhus, a well-taught noble disciple, who has regard for noble ones and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, who has regard for true men and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, does not regard material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self, or self as in material form. He does not regard feeling as self…perception as self…formations as self…consciousness as self, or self as possessed of consciousness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. That is how one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states.
10. “Let not a person revive the past…
Who has had a single excellent night.
11. “So it was with reference to this that it was said: ‘Bhikkhus, I shall teach you the summary and exposition of “One Who Has Had a Single Excellent Night.”’”
That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
Ānandabhaddekaratta Sutta
Ānanda and
A Single Excellent Night
1. THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.
2. Now on that occasion the venerable Ānanda was instructing, urging, rousing, and gladdening [190] the bhikkhus with talk on the Dhamma in the assembly hall. He was reciting the summary and exposition of “One Who Has Had a Single Excellent Night.”
Then, in the evening, the Blessed One rose from meditation and went to the assembly hall. He sat down on a seat made ready and asked the bhikkhus: “Bhikkhus, who has been instructing, urging, rousing, and gladdening the bhikkhus with talk on the Dhamma in the assembly hall? Who has been reciting the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has Had a Single Excellent Night’?”
“It was the venerable Ānanda, venerable sir.”
Then the Blessed One asked the venerable Ānanda: “Ānanda, how were you instructing, urging, rousing, and gladdening the bhikkhus with talk on the Dhamma, and reciting the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has Had a Single Excellent Night’?”
3–10. “I was doing so thus, venerable sir: [191]
‘Let not a person revive the past…
(Repeat the whole of the last sutta, §§3–10 up to:)
Who has had a single excellent night.’
11. “I was instructing, urging, rousing, and gladdening the