Audio Texts..""Master Gotama, it's when the eye sees no sight and the ear hears no sound. That's how Parasariya teaches his disciples the development of the faculties." "In that case, Uttara, a blind person and a deaf person will have developed faculties according to what Parasariya says. For a blind person sees no sight with the eye and a deaf person hears no sound with the ear." When he said this, Uttara sat silent, embarrassed, shoulders drooping, downcast, depressed, with nothing to say.
Knowing this, the Buddha addressed Venerable Ananda, "Ananda, the development of the faculties taught by Parasariya is quite different from the supreme development of the faculties in the training of the noble one."
"Now is the time, Blessed One! Now is the time, Holy One. Let the Buddha teach the supreme development of the faculties in the training of the noble one. The mendicants will listen and remember it."
"Well then, Ananda, listen and pay close attention, I will speak."
"Yes, sir," Ananda replied. The Buddha said this:
"And how, Ananda, is there the supreme development of the faculties in the training of the noble one? When a mendicant sees a sight with their eyes, liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking come up in them. They understand: 'Liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking have come up in me. That's conditioned, coarse, and dependently originated. But this is peaceful and sublime, namely equanimity.' Then the liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking that came up in them cease, and equanimity becomes stabilized. It's like how a person with good sight might open their eyes then shut them; or might shut their eyes then open them. Such is the speed, the swiftness, the ease with which any liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking at all that came up in them cease, and equanimity becomes stabilized. In the training of the noble one this is called the supreme development of the faculties regarding sights known by the eye.
Furthermore, when a mendicant hears a sound with their ears, liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking come up in them. They understand: 'Liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking have come up in me. That's conditioned, coarse, and dependently originated. But this is peaceful and sublime, namely equanimity.' Then the liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking that came up in them cease, and equanimity becomes stabilized. It's like how a strong person can effortlessly snap their fingers. Such is the speed, the swiftness, the ease with which any liking, disliking, and both liking and disliking at all that came up in them cease, and equanimity becomes stabilized. In the training of the noble one this is called the supreme development of the faculties regarding sounds known by the ear.
…"
Majjhima Nikaya
Middle Length Discourses
Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato
suttacentral.net
Middle Discourses 152
The Development of the Faculties
MN_152_BhikkhuSujato_MajjhimaNikaya.pdf - Adobe Acrobat Pro 2020-03-01 16-50-39.mp4
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