This episode is on the topic of “The Goal of Wisdom”.
Season 3 of the Buddha’s Wisdom Podcast is based on the anthology structure provided in Bhikkhu Bodhi’s “In the Buddha’s Words - an anthology of discourses from the Pali Canon”. The translations from the original Pali are by Bhikkhu Bodhi and can be sourced from Sutta Central which uses a Creative Commons Licence for its translations.
Sutta 1 - What is Nibbana?
At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying in the land of the Magadhans near the little village of Nālaka. Then the wanderer Jambukhādaka went up to Venerable Sāriputta and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Sāriputta:
“Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘extinguishment’. What is extinguishment?”
“Reverend, the ending of greed, hate, and delusion is called extinguishment.”
“But, reverend, is there a path and a practice for realizing this extinguishment?”
“There is, reverend.”
“Well, what is it?”
“It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is the path, the practice, for realizing this extinguishment.”
“Reverend, this is a fine path, a fine practice, for realizing this extinguishment. Just this much is enough for diligence.”
SN 38:1
Sutta 2 - The Path that leads to the Unconditioned
“Mendicants, I will teach you the unconditioned and the path that leads to the unconditioned. Listen …
And what is the unconditioned? The ending of greed, hate, and delusion. This is called the unconditioned.
And what is the path that leads to the unconditioned? Serenity. This is called the path that leads to the unconditioned.
So, mendicants, I’ve taught you the unconditioned and the path that leads to the unconditioned.
Out of sympathy, I’ve done what a teacher should do who wants what’s best for their disciples. Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don’t be negligent! Don’t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.”
“Mendicants, I will teach you the unconditioned and the path that leads to the unconditioned. Listen …
And what is the unconditioned? The ending of greed, hate, and delusion. This is called the unconditioned.
And what is the path that leads to the unconditioned? Discernment. This is called the path that leads to the unconditioned. …”
“And what is the path that leads to the unconditioned?
Immersion with placing the mind and keeping it connected. … Immersion without placing the mind, merely keeping it connected. … Immersion without placing the mind or keeping it connected. …
Emptiness immersion. … Signless immersion. … Undirected immersion. …
A mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. … A mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of feelings … A mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the mind … A mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of principles …
A mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise. … A mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that bad, unskillful qualities are given up. … A mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that skillful qualities arise. … A mendicant generates enthusiasm, tries, makes an effort, exerts the mind, and strives so that skillful qualities that have arisen remain, are not lost, but increase, mature, and are fully developed. …
A mendicant develops the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to enthusiasm, and active effort. … A mendicant develops the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to energy … immersion due to mental development … immersion due to inquiry, and active effort. …
A mendicant develops the faculty of faith, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. … A mendicant develops the faculty of energy … mindfulness … immersion … wisdom, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. …
A mendicant develops the power of faith … energy … mindfulness … immersion … wisdom, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. …
A mendicant develops the awakening factor of mindfulness … investigation of principles … energy … rapture … tranquility … immersion … equanimity, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go. …
A mendicant develops right view … right purpose … right speech … right action … right livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right immersion, which relies on seclusion, fading away, and cessation, and ripens as letting go.
This is called the path that leads to the unconditioned.
So, mendicants, I’ve taught you the unconditioned and the path that leads to the unconditioned.
Out of sympathy, I’ve done what a teacher should do who wants what’s best for their disciples. Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don’t be negligent! Don’t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.”
SN 43:12
Sutta 3 - There is that dimension
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time the Buddha was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk about extinguishment. And those mendicants were paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening.
Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:
“There is, mendicants, that dimension where there is no earth, no water, no fire, no wind; no dimension of infinite space, no dimension of infinite consciousness, no dimension of nothingness, no dimension of neither perception nor non-perception; no this world, no other world, no moon or sun. There, mendicants, I say there is no coming or going or remaining or passing away or reappearing. It is not established, does not proceed, and has no support. Just this is the end of suffering.”
Ud 8:1
Sutta 4 - The Unborn
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time the Buddha was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants with a Dhamma talk about extinguishment. And those mendicants were paying attention, applying the mind, concentrating wholeheartedly, and actively listening.
Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:
“There is, mendicants, freedom from rebirth, freedom from what has been produced, made, and conditioned. If there were no freedom from rebirth, freedom from what has been produced, made, and conditioned, then you would find no escape here from rebirth, from what has been produced, made, and conditioned. But since there is freedom from rebirth, freedom from what has been produced, made, and conditioned, an escape is found from rebirth, from what has been produced, made, and conditioned.”
Ud 8:3
Sutta 5 - The Two Nibbana Elements
This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.
“There are, mendicants, these two elements of extinguishment. What two? The element of extinguishment with residue, and the element of extinguishment with no residue.
And what is the element of extinguishment with residue? It’s when a mendicant is a perfected one, with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment. Their five sense faculties still remain. So long as their senses have not gone they continue to experience the agreeable and disagreeable, to feel pleasure and pain. The ending of greed, hate, and delusion in them is called the element of extinguishment with residue.
And what is the element of extinguishment with no residue? It’s when a mendicant is a perfected one, with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment. For them, everything that’s felt, being no longer relished, will become cool right here. This is called the element of extinguishment with no residue. These are the two elements of extinguishment.”
The Buddha spoke this matter. On this it is said:
“These two elements of extinguishment have been revealed by the Clear-eyed One, the unattached, the unaffected. One element pertains to this life—that with residue though the leash to existence has ended; and that with no residue, which pertains to what follows this life, where all states of existence cease.
Those who have fully understood the unconditioned state—their minds freed, the leash to existence ended—attained to the heart of the Dhamma, they delight in ending,the unaffected ones have given upall states of existence.”
This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.
It 44
Sutta 6 - The Fire and the Ocean
MN72 - Aggivacchagotta Sutta
But does the worthy Gotama have any convictions at all?”
“A realized one has done away with convictions. For a realized one has seen: ‘Such is form, such is the origin of form, such is the disappearance of form. Such is feeling, such is the origin of feeling, such is the disappearance of feeling. Such is perception, such is the origin of perception, such is the disappearance of perception. Such are choices, such is the origin of choices, such is the disappearance of choices. Such is consciousness, such is the origin of consciousness, such is the disappearance of consciousness.’ That’s why a Realized One is freed by not grasping with the ending, fading away, cessation, giving up, and letting go of all conceiving, all churning, and all I-making, mine-making, or underlying tendency to conceit, I say.”
“But worthy Gotama, when a mendicant’s mind is freed like this, where are they reborn?”
“‘They’re reborn’ doesn’t apply, Vaccha.”
“Well then, are they not reborn?”
“‘They’re not reborn’ doesn’t apply, Vaccha.”
“Well then, are they both reborn and not reborn?”
“‘They’re both reborn and not reborn’ doesn’t apply, Vaccha.”
“Well then, are they neither reborn nor not reborn?”
“‘They’re neither reborn nor not reborn’ doesn’t apply, Vaccha.”
“Worthy Gotama, when asked all these questions, you say: ‘It doesn’t apply.’ I fail to understand this point, worthy Gotama; I’ve fallen into confusion. And I’ve now lost even the degree of clarity I had from previous discussions with the worthy Gotama.”
“No wonder you don’t understand, Vaccha, no wonder you’re confused. For this principle is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, comprehensible to the astute. It’s hard for you to understand, since you have a different view, creed, and belief, and another discipline and denomination.
Well then, Vaccha, I’ll ask you about this in return, and you can answer as you like.
What do you think, Vaccha? Suppose a fire was burning in front of you. Would you know: ‘This fire is burning in front of me’?”
“Yes, I would, worthy Gotama.”
“But Vaccha, suppose they were to ask you: ‘This fire burning in front of you: what does it depend on to burn?’ How would you answer?”
“I would answer like this: ‘This fire burning in front of me burns in dependence on grass and logs as fuel.’”
“Suppose that fire burning in front of you was extinguished. Would you know: ‘This fire in front of me is quenched’?”
“Yes, I would, worthy Gotama.”
“But Vaccha, suppose they were to ask you: ‘This fire in front of you that is quenched: in what direction did it go—east, south, west, or north?’ How would you answer?”
“It doesn’t apply, worthy Gotama. The fire depended on grass and logs as fuel. When that runs out, and no more fuel is added, the fire is reckoned to have become quenched due to lack of fuel.”
“In the same way, Vaccha, any form by which a realized one might be described has been given up, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future. A realized one is freed from reckoning in terms of form. They’re deep, immeasurable, and hard to fathom, like the ocean. ‘They’re reborn’, ‘they’re not reborn’, ‘they’re both reborn and not reborn’, ‘they’re neither reborn nor not reborn’—none of these apply.
Any feeling … perception … choices … consciousness by which a realized one might be described has been given up, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated, and unable to arise in the future. A realized one is freed from reckoning in terms of consciousness. They’re deep, immeasurable, and hard to fathom, like the ocean. ‘They’re reborn’, ‘they’re not reborn’, ‘they’re both reborn and not reborn’, ‘they’re neither reborn nor not reborn’—none of these apply.”