So I have heard. Evaṁ me sutaṁ—At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. There Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the mendicants: Tatra kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi: “Reverends, mendicants!” “āvuso bhikkhave”ti.

“Reverend,” they replied. “Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ.

Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this: Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:

“Just now, reverends, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind: “idha mayhaṁ, āvuso, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘They speak of this thing called “noble silence”. ‘ariyo tuṇhībhāvo, ariyo tuṇhībhāvoti vuccati. What then is this noble silence?’ Katamo nu kho ariyo tuṇhībhāvo’ti?

It occurred to me: Tassa mayhaṁ āvuso, etadahosi: ‘As the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, a mendicant enters and remains in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and mind at one, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. ‘idha bhikkhu vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. This is called noble silence.’ Ayaṁ vuccati ariyo tuṇhībhāvo’ti.

And so, as the placing of the mind and keeping it connected were stilled, I was entering and remaining in the second absorption, which has the rapture and bliss born of immersion, with internal clarity and mind at one, without placing the mind and keeping it connected. So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihariṁ.

While I was in that meditation, perception and focus accompanied by placing the mind beset me. Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato vitakkasahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti.

Then the Buddha came up to me with his psychic power and said, Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: ‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna! Don’t neglect noble silence, brahmin! Settle your mind in noble silence; unify your mind and bring it to immersion in noble silence.’ ‘moggallāna moggallāna, mā, brāhmaṇa, ariyaṁ tuṇhībhāvaṁ pamādo, ariye tuṇhībhāve cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, ariye tuṇhībhāve cittaṁ ekodibhāvaṁ karohi, ariye tuṇhībhāve cittaṁ samādahā’ti.

And so, after some time, as the placing of the mind and keeping it connected were stilled, I entered and remained in the second absorption … So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi.

So if anyone should be rightly called Yañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: a disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.” ‘satthārā anuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’ti, mamaṁ taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘satthārā anuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’”ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.