131. Bhaddekaratta Sutta

1.Thus have I heard.¹²⁰⁹ This discourse with a lengthy introduction and notes is available separately in a translation by Bhikkhu Ñā˚ananda under the title Ideal Solitude. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus.”—“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Blessed One said this:

2.“Bhikkhus, I shall teach you the summary and exposition of ‘One Who Has Had a Single Excellent Night.’¹²¹⁰ In the first edition I followed Ñm in rendering bhaddekaratta as “one fortunate attachment.” At the suggestion of Ven. Thānissaro Bhikkhu, however, I have changed it to “a single excellent night,” which seems more likely to be correct. Ratta and ratti could be taken to represent respectively either Skt rātra and rātri (= night) or Skt rakta and rakti (= attachment). Ñm had taken the words in the latter sense, but the fact that neither MA nor Ṁ glosses ratta implies that “night” is intended; for if the word were used to mean attachment, an unwholesome state in typical Buddhist discourse, some commentarial clarification would surely have been offered. The Central Asian Skt version, the Skt title at the head of the Tibetan version, and the Tibetan translation itself all use bhadrakarātri . This confirms the identification of ratta with “night”; the change from -e- to -a- can be understood as an attempt to convert a difficult reading into a more familiar one. (I am indebted to Peter Skilling for this information.) The Chinese Madhyama Āgama has merely transliterated the title of the Skt version and thus offers no help.

Apart from this series of suttas, the expression bhaddekaratta does not occcur elsewhere in the Pali Canon. MA merely says: “‘A single-excellent-nighter’ is one with a single night who is excellent because of possessing application to insight” (bhaddekarattassā ti vipassanāyogasamannāgatattā bhaddekassa ekarattassa). Ṁ simply gives word resolutions (ek̄ ratti ekaratto; bhaddo ekaratto etassā ti bhaddekarattaṁ) and says this refers to a person cultivating insight. As the verse emphasises the urgent need to conquer death by developing insight, the title probably describes a meditator who has had a single excellent night (and day) devoted to practising insight meditation “invincibly, unshakeably.” Ñm says in Ms: “It might be supposed that the expression ‘bhaddekaratta’ was a popular phrase taken over by the Buddha and given a special sense by him, as was not infrequently done, but there seems to be no reason to do so and there is no evidence for it in this case. It is more likely to be a term coined by the Buddha himself to describe a certain aspect of development.” Listen and attend closely to what I shall say.”—“Yes, venerable sir,” the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:

3. “Let not a person revive the past
Or on the future build his hopes;¹²¹¹ More literally the first two lines would be translated: “Let not a person run back to the past or live in expectation of the future.” The meaning will be elucidated in the expository passage of the sutta.
For the past has been left behind
And the future has not been reached.
Instead with insight let him see
Each presently arisen state;¹²¹² MA: He should contemplate each presently arisen state, just where it has arisen, by way of the seven contemplations of insight (insight into impermanence, suffering, non-self, disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, relinquishment).
Let him know that and be sure of it,
Invincibly, unshakeably.¹²¹³ Asaṁhı̄raṁ asankuppaṁ. MA explains that this is said for the purpose of showing insight and counter-insight (see n.1143); for insight is “invincible, unshakeable” because it is not vanquished or shaken by lust and other defilements. Elsewhere the expression “the invincible, the unshakeable” is used as a description of Nibbāna (e.g., Sn v.1149) or of the liberated mind (e.g., Thag v.649), but here it seems to refer to a stage in the development of insight. The recurrence of the verb form saṁhı̄rati in §8 and §9 suggests that the intended meaning is contemplation of the present moment without being misled into the adoption of a view of self.
Today the effort must be made;
Tomorrow Death may come, who knows?
No bargain with Mortality
Can keep him and his hordes away,
But one who dwells thus ardently,
Relentlessly, by day, by night—
It is he, the Peaceful Sage has said,¹²¹⁴ The “Peaceful Sage” (santo muni) is the Buddha.
Who has had a single excellent night. [188]

4.“How, bhikkhus, does one revive the past? One nurtures delight there thinking, ‘I had such material form in the past.’¹²¹⁵ MA: One “finds delight” by bringing to bear upon the past either craving or a view associated with craving. It should be noted that it is not the mere recollection of the past through memory that causes bondage, but the reliving of past experiences with thoughts of craving. In this respect the Buddha’s teaching differs significantly from that of Krishnamurti, who seems to regard memory itself as the villain behind the scene. One nurtures delight there thinking, ‘I had such feeling in the past,’…‘I had such perception in the past,’…‘I had such formations in the past,’…‘I had such consciousness in the past.’ That is how one revives the past.

5.“And how, bhikkhus, does one not revive the past? One does not nurture delight there thinking, ‘I had such material form in the past.’¹²¹⁶ The syntax of the Pali allows this sentence to be inter-preted in two ways, as stating either that one thinks, “I had such form in the past,” yet does not find delight in that thought; or that one does not find delight in the past by thinking such a thought. Horner, Ñā˚ananda (in Ideal Solitude), and Ñm (in Ms) construe the sentence in the former way; I had preserved Ñm’s rendering in the first edition. On reconsideration, I now believe that the second interpretation is more true to the intention of the text. This also ties in better with the stanzas themselves, which enjoin the disciple not to dwell in the past and the future but to contemplate “each presently arisen state” just as it presents itself. One does not nurture delight there thinking, ‘I had such feeling in the past,’…‘I had such perception in the past,’…‘I had such formations in the past,’…‘I had such consciousness in the past.’ That is how one does not revive the past.

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 In the first edition, this sentence was rendered: “Thinking, ‘I may have such material form in the future,’ one finds delight in that.” In retrospect, it now seems to me more likely that the sentence expresses an exclamatory wish for the future. 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 The verb here and in the next paragraph, saṁhı̄rati, refers back to the line in the verse, “invincibly, unshakeably.” MA glosses: “One is dragged along by craving and views because of the lack of insight.” 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.