• Numbered Discourses 3.103 Aį¹…guttara Nikāya 3.103
  • 11. Awakening 11. Sambodhavagga

Before Awakening Pubbevasambodhasutta

ā€œMendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought: ā€œPubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi: ā€˜What’s the gratification in the world? What’s the drawback? What’s the escape?’ ā€˜ko nu kho loke assādo, ko ādÄ«navo, kiṁ nissaraṇan’ti?

Then it occurred to me: Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi: ā€˜The pleasure and happiness that arise from the world: this is its gratification. ā€˜yaṁ kho lokaṁ paį¹­icca uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ, ayaṁ loke assādo.

That the world is impermanent, suffering, and perishable: this is its drawback. Yaṁ loko anicco dukkho vipariṇāmadhammo, ayaṁ loke ādÄ«navo.

Removing and giving up desire and greed for the world: this is its escape.’ Yo loke chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṁ, idaṁ loke nissaraṇan’ti.

As long as I didn’t truly understand the world’s gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I didn’t announce my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans. YāvakÄ«vaƱcāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ lokassa assādaƱca assādato ādÄ«navaƱca ādÄ«navato nissaraṇaƱca nissaraṇato yathābhÅ«taṁ nābbhaƱƱāsiṁ, neva tāvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ā€˜anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaƱƱāsiṁ.

But when I did truly understand the world’s gratification, drawback, and escape in this way for what they are, I announced my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans. Yato ca khvāhaṁ, bhikkhave, evaṁ lokassa assādaƱca assādato ādÄ«navaƱca ādÄ«navato nissaraṇaƱca nissaraṇato yathābhÅ«taṁ abbhaƱƱāsiṁ, athāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya ā€˜anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti paccaƱƱāsiṁ.

Knowledge and vision arose in me: ÑāṇaƱca pana me dassanaṁ udapādi: ā€˜My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there’ll be no more future lives.ā€™ā€ ā€˜akuppā me vimutti, ayamantimā jāti, natthi dāni punabbhavoā€™ā€ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.