Knowledge of the Past

THUS have I heard:

The Exalted One once addressed the brethren, saying:

"Brethren."

"Lord" responded those brethren to the Exalted One.

The Exalted One thus spoke:

Formerly, brethren,
before my enlightenment,
when I was not yet fully enlightened,
but a Bodhisatta,
this thought occurred to me:

What now are feelings?

What is the arising of feelings?

What is the ceasing of feelings?

What the way leading to the ceasing of feelings?

What is the satisfaction,
what is the misery of feelings?

What is the way of escape from feelings?

■

Then, brethren, I thought thus:

There are these three feelings:

They are pleasant, painful and neutral feelings.

These are called 'the three feelings.'

From the arising of contact
comes the arising of feelings.

Craving is the way
leading to the arising of feelings.

By the ceasing of contact
comes the ceasing of feeling.

This Ariyan Eightfold Path, to wit:
right view
right intention [aim]^ed1
right speech,
right doing [action],
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right [concentration] contemplation,
is the way leading to the ceasing of feelings.

The pleasure and happiness
which arise owing to feeling, -
that is the satisfaction in feeling.

The misery of feeling
is the impermanence,
the pain,
the unsubstantial nature of feeling.

The abolishing of desire and lust,
the abandoning of desire and lust, -
that is the escape from feelings.'

■

At the thought, brethren,

'This is feeling,'-

things not heard of before¹
there arose in me vision,
there arose in me knowledge,
insight arose,
wisdom arose,
light arose.

At the thought:

'This is the arising of feeling,'-