Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. At one time, Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Tatra kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhikkhū āmantesi: There, Venerable Mahāmoggallāna addressed the bhikkhus: “āvuso bhikkhave”ti. “Venerable bhikkhus!”
“Āvuso”ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosuṁ. “Venerable,” they replied. Āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca: Venerable Mahāmoggallāna said this:
“Idha mayhaṁ, āvuso, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: “Just now, venerables, as I was in private retreat, this thought came to mind: ‘paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ, paṭhamaṁ jhānan’ti vuccati. ‘They speak of this thing called the “first jhāna”. Katamaṁ nu kho paṭhamaṁ jhānanti? What is the first jhāna?’ Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: It occurred to me: ‘idha bhikkhu vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. It is when a bhikkhu, having thoroughly withdrawn from sensuality, having withdrawn from unbeneficial phenomena, with thinking and with pondering, with joy and ease born of withdrawal, abides having entered upon the first jhāna. Idaṁ vuccati paṭhamaṁ jhānan’ti. This is called the first jhāna.’
So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. And so, having thoroughly withdrawn from sensuality, having withdrawn from unbeneficial phenomena, with thinking and with pondering, with joy and ease born of withdrawal, I abided having entered upon the first jhāna. Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato kāmasahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti. While I abided like this, attention to perceptions connected with sensuality beset me. *In the first jhāna, the five senses are certainly present ([AN 3.63](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=an3.63), [AN 9.42](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=an9.42)). “Attention to perceptions connected with sensuality” means that the mind was no longer established in [the context that separated it](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=mn19#mn19:12.3-mn19:12.4) from those perceptions, not that the perceptions accidentally reappeared after having completely vanished. As explained in AN 6.63, sensuality is passionate intention towards the five cords of sensuality, not those objects in themselves.
Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: Then the Auspicious One came up to me with his psychic power and said, ‘moggallāna, moggallāna. ‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna! Mā, brāhmaṇa, paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ pamādo, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, paṭhame jhāne cittaṁ samādahā’ti. Do not neglect the first jhāna, brahmin! Settle your mind in the first jhāna; unify and compose your mind in the first jhāna.’
So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ. And so, after some time, having thoroughly withdrawn from sensuality, having withdrawn from unbeneficial phenomena, with thinking and with pondering, with joy and ease born of withdrawal, I abided having entered upon the first jhāna.
Yañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: So, venerables, if anyone should be rightly called ‘satthārānuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’ti, mamaṁ taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya: a disciple who has attained to great higher knowledge with help from the Teacher, it is I.” ‘satthārānuggahito sāvako mahābhiññataṁ patto’”ti.
Paṭhamaṁ.
Origin URL: https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=sn40.1