Synopsis

SN 46.4 vattha

vatthasuttaṃ n (SN 46.4)	Clothes, Vattha Sutta (SN 46:4)

♦ 185. ekaṃ samayaṃ āyasmā sāriputto sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi — “āvuso, bhikkhavo”ti!	On one occasion Ven. Sāriputta was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There he addressed the monks, “Friend monks!”

“āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū	“Yes, friend,” the monks responded to him.

āyasmato sāriputtassa paccassosuṃ. āyasmā sāriputto etadavoca —	Ven. Sāriputta said,
♦ “sattime, āvuso, bojjhaṅgā. katame satta? satisambojjhaṅgo, dhammavicayasambojjhaṅgo, vīriyasambojjhaṅgo, pītisambojjhaṅgo, passaddhisambojjhaṅgo, samādhisambojjhaṅgo, upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo — ime kho, āvuso, satta bojjhaṅgā.	“Friends, there are these seven factors for awakening. Which seven? Mindfulness as a factor for awakening, analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening, persistence as a factor for awakening, rapture as a factor for awakening, calm as a factor for awakening, concentration as a factor for awakening, & equanimity as a factor for awakening. These are the seven factors for awakening.

(he abides in any combination of 7sb factors any time of day he chooses)


imesaṃ khvāhaṃ, āvuso, sattannaṃ bojjhaṅgānaṃ	“Whichever factor for awakening among these seven factors for awakening
yena yena bojjhaṅgena ākaṅkhāmi pubbaṇhasamayaṃ viharituṃ,	I want to dwell in during the morning,
tena tena bojjhaṅgena pubbaṇhasamayaṃ viharāmi;	I dwell in that factor for awakening during the morning.
yena yena bojjhaṅgena ākaṅkhāmi majjhanhikaṃ samayaṃ viharituṃ,	Whichever factor for awakening I want to dwell in during the middle of the day,
tena tena bojjhaṅgena majjhanhikaṃ samayaṃ viharāmi;	I dwell in that factor for awakening during the middle of the day.
yena yena bojjhaṅgena ākaṅkhāmi sāyanhasamayaṃ viharituṃ,	Whichever factor for awakening I want to dwell in during the late afternoon,
tena tena bojjhaṅgena sāyanhasamayaṃ viharāmi.	I dwell in that factor for awakening during the late afternoon.

(These 7sb factors can be analyzed within jhāna with S&S)


satisambojjhaṅgo iti ce me, āvuso, hoti,	“If the thought occurs to me, ‘mindfulness as a factor for awakening,’
‘appamāṇo’ti me hoti,	the thought occurs to me, ‘It is immeasurable’;
‘susamāraddho’ti me hoti,	the thought occurs to me, ‘It is well-mastered.’
tiṭṭhantañca naṃ ‘tiṭṭhatī’ti pajānāmi.	While it remains, I discern, ‘It remains.’
sacepi me cavati, ‘idappaccayā me cavatī’ti pajānāmi	If it falls away from me, I discern, ‘It has fallen away from me because of this condition.’

... pe ...	[Similarly with analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening, persistence as a factor for awakening, rapture as a factor for awakening, calm as a factor for awakening, and concentration as a factor for awakening.]

upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo iti ce me, āvuso, hoti, ‘appamāṇo’ti me hoti, ‘susamāraddho’ti me hoti, tiṭṭhantañca naṃ ‘tiṭṭhatī’ti pajānāmi. sacepi me cavati, ‘idappaccayā me cavatī’ti pajānāmi.	“If the thought occurs to me, ‘equanimity as a factor for awakening,’ the thought occurs to me, ‘It is immeasurable’; the thought occurs to me, ‘It is well-mastered.’ While it remains, I discern, ‘It remains.’ If it falls away from me, I discern, ‘It has fallen away from me because of this condition.’

(simile of king wearing any clothes he wants, anytime)


♦ “seyyathāpi, āvuso, rañño vā rājamahāmattassa vā nānārattānaṃ dussānaṃ dussakaraṇḍako pūro assa. so yaññadeva dussayugaṃ ākaṅkheyya pubbaṇhasamayaṃ pārupituṃ, taṃ tadeva dussayugaṃ pubbaṇhasamayaṃ pārupeyya; yaññadeva dussayugaṃ ākaṅkheyya majjhanhikaṃ samayaṃ pārupituṃ, taṃ tadeva dussayugaṃ majjhanhikaṃ samayaṃ pārupeyya; yaññadeva dussayugaṃ ākaṅkheyya sāyanhasamayaṃ pārupituṃ, taṃ tadeva dussayugaṃ sāyanhasamayaṃ pārupeyya.	“Suppose, friends, that a king or king’s minister had a wardrobe full of many-colored clothes. Whichever set of clothes he might want to wear during the morning, he would wear that set of clothes during the morning. Whichever set of clothes he might want to wear during the middle of the day, he would wear that set of clothes during the middle of the day. Whichever set of clothes he might want to wear during the late afternoon, he would wear that set of clothes during the late afternoon.

evameva khvāhaṃ, āvuso, imesaṃ sattannaṃ bojjhaṅgānaṃ yena yena bojjhaṅgena ākaṅkhāmi pubbaṇhasamayaṃ viharituṃ, tena tena bojjhaṅgena pubbaṇhasamayaṃ viharāmi; yena yena bojjhaṅgena ākaṅkhāmi majjhanhikaṃ samayaṃ viharituṃ, tena tena bojjhaṅgena majjhanhikaṃ samayaṃ viharāmi; yena yena bojjhaṅgena ākaṅkhāmi sāyanhasamayaṃ viharituṃ, tena tena bojjhaṅgena sāyanhasamayaṃ viharāmi.	“In the same way, whichever factor for awakening among these seven factors for awakening I want to dwell in during the morning, I dwell in that factor for awakening during the morning. Whichever factor for awakening I want to dwell in during the middle of the day, I dwell in that factor for awakening during the middle of the day. Whichever factor for awakening I want to dwell in during the late afternoon, I dwell in that factor for awakening during the late afternoon.

(repeat of section: These 7sb factors can be analyzed within jhāna)


satisambojjhaṅgo iti ce me, āvuso, hoti, ‘appamāṇo’ti me hoti, ‘susamāraddho’ti me hoti, tiṭṭhantañca naṃ ‘tiṭṭhatī’ti pajānāmi. sacepi me cavati, ‘idappaccayā me cavatī’ti pajānāmi ...	“If the thought occurs to me, ‘mindfulness as a factor for awakening,’ the thought occurs to me, ‘It is immeasurable’; the thought occurs to me, ‘It is well-mastered.’ While it remains, I discern, ‘It remains.’ If it falls away from me, I discern, ‘It has fallen away from me because of this condition.’

pe ...	[Similarly with analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening, persistence as a factor for awakening, rapture as a factor for awakening, calm as a factor for awakening, and concentration as a factor for awakening.]

upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo iti ce me, āvuso, hoti, ‘appamāṇo’ti me hoti, ‘susamāraddho’ti me hoti, tiṭṭhantañca naṃ ‘tiṭṭhatī’ti pajānāmi. sacepi me cavati, ‘idappaccayā me cavatī’ti pajānāmī”ti. catutthaṃ.	“If the thought occurs to me, ‘equanimity as a factor for awakening,’ the thought occurs to me, ‘It is immeasurable’; the thought occurs to me, ‘It is well-mastered.’ While it remains, I discern, ‘It remains.’ If it falls away from me, I discern, ‘It has fallen away from me because of this condition.’”

See also: SN 22:122; SN 52:9; SN 52:10; SN 54:11

Thanissaro commentary

This sutta and the following one make the point that the factors for awakening are not factors of awakening. In other words, they lead to the experience of awakening, but they do not constitute the features of the awakened state. In this sutta, Ven. Sāriputta, an arahant, notes that he can observe the factors for awakening arising and passing away within him. If they were features of the awakened state, they would not pass away, as the awakened state is deathless. In the next sutta, the Buddha clearly states that the factors for awakening—or, in the Pali formulation, awakening-factors—are called that because they lead to awakening. Nowhere does he say that they constitute the features of the awakened state.