It Is Natural
I’ve been getting ready for my upcoming retreat with Ajahn Sucitto by listening to some of the dharma talks he gave at his last retreat. The talk I listened to last night was especially wonderful. The title is The Natural Stream to Liberation and he starts by reading this selection from the Numerical Discourses. (The talk is an hour long, but it would almost be enough just to listen to him read this sutta, which is on the first 7 minutes of the tape. To listen, click here.)
For a virtuous person, one whose behavior is virtuous,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let non-regret arise in me.”
It is natural that non-regret
arises in a virtuous person, one whose behavior is virtuous.
For one without regret,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let joy arise in me.”
It is natural that joy arises in one without regret.
For one who is joyful,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let rapture arise in me.”
It is natural that rapture arises in one who is joyful.
For one with a rapturous mind,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let my body be tranquil.”
It is natural that the body of one with a rapturous mind is tranquil.
For one tranquil in body,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let me feel pleasure.”
It is natural that one tranquil in body feels pleasure.
For one feeling pleasure,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let my mind be concentrated.”
It is natural that the mind of one feeling pleasure is concentrated.
For one who is concentrated
no volition need be exerted:
“Let me know and see things as they really are.”
It is natural that one who is concentrated knows and see things as they really are.
For one who knows and sees things as they really are,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let me be disenchanted and dispassionate.”
It is natural that one who knows and sees things as they really are is disenchanted and dispassionate.
For one who is disenchanted and dispassionate,
no volition need be exerted:
“Let me realize the knowledge and vision of liberation.”
It is natural that one who is disenchanted and dispassionate realized the knowledge and vision of liberation.
Thus Bhikkhus, the knowledge and vision of liberation is the purpose and benefit of disenchantment and dispassion.
Disenchantment and dispassion are the purpose and benefit of the knowledge and vision of things as they really are.
The knowledge and vision of things as they really are is the purpose and benefit of concentration.
Concentration is the purpose and benefit of pleasure.
Pleasure is the purpose and benefit of tranquility.
Tranquility is the purpose and benefit of rapture.
Rapture is the purpose and benefit of joy.
Joy is the purpose and benefit of non-regret.
And non-regret is the purpose and benefit of virtuous behavior.
Thus, Bhikkhus, one stage flows into the next stage,
one stage fills up the next stage,
for going from the near shore
to the far shore.
(Anguttara Nykaya, The Book of the Nines.)