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Aṅguttara Nikāya | The Numerical Collection
Ones
Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Sutta
1.   A Single Thing 2.   A Pool of Water 3.   Soft 4.   Quick to Reverse Itself 5.   Luminous
6.   For the Benefit of Many People 7.   Foul-smelling
1 : 1 Ekadhamma Suttas :: A Single Thing
Short statements on the importance of training one thing: the mind.
AN 1:21–30, 39–40
21.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when undeveloped, is as unpliant as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped, is unpliant.”
22.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed, is as pliant as the mind. The mind, when developed, is pliant.”
23.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when undeveloped, leads to such great harm as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped, leads to great harm.”
24.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed, leads to great benefit.”
25.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & unapparent, leads to such great harm as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & unapparent, leads to great harm.”
26.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed & apparent, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed & apparent, leads to great benefit.”
27.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & uncultivated, leads to such great harm as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & uncultivated, leads to great harm.”
28.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, leads to great benefit.”
29.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about such suffering & stress as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about suffering & stress.”
30.“I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, brings about such happiness as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, brings about happiness.”
39.“I don’t envision a single thing that — when untamed, unguarded, unprotected, unrestrained — leads to such great harm as the mind. The mind — when untamed, unguarded, unprotected, unrestrained — leads to great harm.”
40.“I don’t envision a single thing that — when tamed, guarded, protected, restrained — leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind — when tamed, guarded, protected, restrained — leads to great benefit.”
1 : 2 Udakarahada Suttas :: A Pool of Water
The sullied and unsullied mind compared to a sullied and unsullied pond of water.
AN 1:45–46
45.“Suppose there were a pool of water — sullied, turbid, and muddy. A man with good eyesight standing there on the bank would not see shells, gravel, and pebbles, or shoals of fish swimming about and resting. Why is that? Because of the sullied nature of the water. In the same way, that a monk with a sullied mind would know his own benefit, the benefit of others, the benefit of both; that he would realize a superior human state, a truly noble distinction of knowledge & vision: Such a thing is impossible. Why is that? Because of the sullied nature of his mind.”
46.“Suppose there were a pool of water — clear, limpid, and unsullied. A man with good eyesight standing there on the bank would see shells, gravel, & pebbles, and also shoals of fish swimming about and resting. Why is that? Because of the unsullied nature of the water. In the same way, that a monk with an unsullied mind would know his own benefit, the benefit of others, the benefit of both; that he would realize a superior human state, a truly noble distinction of knowledge & vision: Such a thing is possible. Why is that? Because of the unsullied nature of his mind.”
See also: DN 2
1 : 3 Mudu Sutta :: Soft
A trained mind is pliant, like balsam.
AN 1:48
“Just as, of all trees, the balsam is foremost in terms of softness and pliancy, in the same way I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, is as soft & pliant as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, is soft & pliant
1 : 4 Lahu-parivaṭṭa Sutta :: Quick to Reverse Itself
Even the Buddha, a master of analogies, couldn’t find an analogy for how quick the mind is to reverse itself.
AN 1:49
“I don’t envision a single thing that is as quick to reverse itself as the mind — so much so that there is no satisfactory simile for how quick to reverse itself it is.”
See also: SN 22:100
1 : 5 Pabhassara Suttas :: Luminous
Discerning that the mind is luminous but
invaded by defilements enables you to develop it..
AN 1:50–53
“Luminous, monks, is the mind.[1] And it is defiled by incoming defilements.”
“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements.”
“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn’t discern that as it has come to be, which is why I tell you that — for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — there is no development of the mind.”
“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it has come to be, which is why I tell you that — for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of the mind.”
1.This statement has engendered a great deal of controversy over the centuries. The commentary maintains that “mind” here refers to the bhavaṅga-citta, the momentary mental state between periods when the mental stream adverts to objects, but this statement raises more questions than it answers. There is no reference to the bhavaṅga-citta or the mental stream in any of the suttas (they appear first in an Abhidhamma treatise, the Paṭṭhāna); and because the commentaries compare the bhavaṅga-citta to deep sleep, why is it called luminous? And why would the perception of its luminosity be a prerequisite for developing the mind? And further, if “mind” in this discourse means bhavaṅga-citta, what would it mean to develop the bhavaṅga-citta?
Another interpretation equates the luminosity of the mind with the “consciousness without surface,” described as “luminous” in MN 49 and DN 11, but this interpretation also has problems. According to MN 49, that consciousness is not mediated by anything in the describable world, not even the “Allness of the All,” so how could it possibly be defiled? And, because it’s not realized until the goal of the practice is reached, why would the perception of its luminosity be a prerequisite for developing the mind? And again, if “mind” here means consciousness without surface, how could the sutta talk of its development?
A more reasonable approach to understanding the statement can be derived from taking it in context: the luminous mind is the mind that the meditator is trying to develop. To perceive its luminosity means understanding that defilements such as greed, aversion, or delusion are not intrinsic to its nature and are not a necessary part of awareness. Without this understanding, it would be impossible to practice. With this understanding, however, one can make an effort to cut away existing defilements, leaving the mind in the stage that MN 24 calls “purity in terms of mind.” This would correspond to the luminous level of concentration described in the standard simile for the fourth jhāna: “And further, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — (the monk) enters & remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness.” From this state it is possible to develop the discernment that not only cuts away existing defilements but also uproots any potential for them to ever arise again. Only in the stages of awakening that follow on those acts of discernment would “consciousness without surface” be realized.
See also: AN 10:61
1 : 6 Bahujanahitāya Sutta :: For the Benefit of Many People
It’s for the benefit of the world that Dhamma is explained as Dhamma, and not-Dhamma as not-Dhamma.
AN 1:140–141
“Monks, any monks who explain not-Dhamma as not-Dhamma are practicing for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people, for the benefit of many people, for the welfare & happiness of human beings & devas. They amass much merit and help this True Dhamma to remain.”
“Monks, any monks who explain Dhamma as Dhamma are practicing for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people, for the benefit of many people, for the welfare & happiness of human beings & devas. They amass much merit and help this True Dhamma to remain.”
See also: SN 16:13; SN 20:7; AN 7:56
1 : 7 Duggandha Sutta :: Foul-smelling
Becoming compared to feces.
AN 1:329
“Monks, just as even a tiny amount of feces is foul-smelling, in the same way, I don’t praise even a tiny amount of becoming[2] — even as much as a finger-snap.”
2.Bhava — a sense of identity in a world of experience. According to the Commentary, the Buddha here is referring to the states of becoming that a person who has attained the first level of awakening is still subject to. In other words, this passage is meant to discourage complacency and to give rise to the sense of heedfulness that will motivate one to continue on the path to full awakening. See SN 55:40 and The Paradox of Becoming.
See also: MN 60; AN 3:77—78; AN 4:10
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