AN 3.71 - AN 3:72 To Channa the Wanderer | Channa Sutta Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu Source: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN3_72.html License: CC-BY-NC-4.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Copyright: Copyright 2014 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Revised edition 2017 License notice: Copyright 2014 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Revised edition 2017 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported. To see a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. “Commercial” shall mean any sale, whether for commercial or non-profit purposes or entities. Questions about this book may be addressed to Metta Forest Monastery Valley Center, CA 92082-1409 U.S.A. Additional resources More Dhamma talks, books and translations by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu are available to download in digital audio and various ebook formats at dhammatalks.org. Printed copy A paperback copy of this book is available free of charge. To request one, write to: Book Request, Metta Forest Monastery, PO Box 1409, Valley Center, CA 92082 USA. Attribution: From Handful of Leaves, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu; https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/SuttaPitaka_251113.epub. Copyright 2014 Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, Revised edition 2017 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported. To see a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. “Commercial” shall mean any sale, whether for commercial or non-profit purposes or entities. Questions about this book may be addressed to Metta Forest Monastery Valley Center, CA 92082-1409 U.S.A. Additional resources More Dhamma talks, books and translations by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu are available to download in digital audio and various ebook formats at dhammatalks.org. Printed copy A paperback copy of this book is available free of charge. To request one, write to: Book Request, Metta Forest Monastery, PO Box 1409, Valley Center, CA 92082 USA. Publisher references (not part of the sutta): See also: SN 22:2; SN 51:15; AN 3:73 Changes: Presentation only: original HTML markup reflowed into plain text; wording, numbering and source repetitions retained. No repetitions expanded. Completeness: ABBREVIATED. Every source-unit character is preserved, including introductions, notes and verse structure. Thanissaro's collection-level note explicitly states that repetitions were cut: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/about.html. This is evidence about the translation method, not an assertion that every individual unit contains an omission; no repetitions reconstructed. To Channa the Wanderer Channa Sutta (AN 3:72) On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then Channa the wanderer1 went to Ven. Ānanda and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to Ven. Ānanda, “Do you, too, friend Ānanda, advocate the abandoning of passion? Do you advocate the abandoning of aversion? Do you advocate the abandoning of delusion?” “Yes, friend, we advocate the abandoning of passion, the abandoning of aversion, & the abandoning of delusion.” “But, friend Ānanda, seeing what drawbacks in passion do you advocate the abandoning of passion? Seeing what drawbacks in aversion do you advocate the abandoning of aversion? Seeing what drawbacks in delusion do you advocate the abandoning of delusion?” “A person impassioned, his mind bound up, overcome with passion, wills for his own detriment, wills for the detriment of others, wills for the detriment of both. He also experiences mental stress & sorrow. But having abandoned passion, he doesn’t will for his own detriment, doesn’t will for the detriment of others, doesn’t will for the detriment of both. He doesn’t experience mental stress or sorrow. “A person impassioned, his mind bound up, overcome with passion, engages in bodily misconduct, in verbal misconduct, in mental misconduct. But having abandoned passion, he doesn’t engage in bodily misconduct, in verbal misconduct, or in mental misconduct. “A person impassioned, his mind bound up, overcome with passion, doesn’t discern, as it has come to be, what is of profit to himself, what is of profit to others, what is of profit to both. But having abandoned passion, he discerns, as it has come to be, what is of profit to himself, what is of profit to others, what is of profit to both. “Passion, my friend, makes you blind, makes you sightless, makes you ignorant. It brings about the cessation of discernment, is conducive to trouble, and does not lead to unbinding. “An aversive person, his mind bound up, overcome with aversion, wills for his own detriment, wills for the detriment of others, wills for the detriment of both. He also experiences mental stress & sorrow. But having abandoned aversion, he doesn’t will for his own detriment, doesn’t will for the detriment of others, doesn’t will for the detriment of both. He doesn’t experience mental stress or sorrow. “An aversive person, his mind bound up, overcome with aversion, engages in bodily misconduct, in verbal misconduct, in mental misconduct. But having abandoned aversion, he doesn’t engage in bodily misconduct, in verbal misconduct, or in mental misconduct. “An aversive person, his mind bound up, overcome with aversion, doesn’t discern, as it has come to be, what is of profit to himself, what is of profit to others, what is of profit to both. But having abandoned aversion, he discerns, as it has come to be, what is of profit to himself, what is of profit to others, what is of profit to both. “Aversion, my friend, makes you blind, makes you sightless, makes you ignorant. It brings about the cessation of discernment, is conducive to trouble, and does not lead to unbinding. “A deluded person, his mind bound up, overcome with delusion, wills for his own detriment, wills for the detriment of others, wills for the detriment of both. He also experiences mental stress & sorrow. But having abandoned delusion, he doesn’t will for his own detriment, doesn’t will for the detriment of others, doesn’t will for the detriment of both. He doesn’t experience mental stress or sorrow. “A deluded person, his mind bound up, overcome with delusion, engages in bodily misconduct, in verbal misconduct, in mental misconduct. But having abandoned delusion, he doesn’t engage in bodily misconduct, in verbal misconduct, or in mental misconduct. “A deluded person, his mind bound up, overcome with delusion, doesn’t discern, as it has come to be, what is of profit to himself, what is of profit to others, what is of profit to both. But having abandoned delusion, he discerns, as it has come to be, what is of profit to himself, what is of profit to others, what is of profit to both. “Delusion, my friend, makes you blind, makes you sightless, makes you ignorant. It brings about the cessation of discernment, is conducive to trouble, and does not lead to unbinding. “Seeing these drawbacks in passion we advocate the abandoning of passion. Seeing these drawbacks in aversion we advocate the abandoning of aversion. Seeing these drawbacks in delusion we advocate the abandoning of delusion.” “But is there, my friend, a path, is there a way to the abandoning of that passion, aversion, & delusion?” “Yes, my friend, there is a path, there is a way to the abandoning of that passion, aversion, & delusion.” “And what is that path, my friend, what is that way to the abandoning of that passion, aversion, & delusion?” “Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the path, my friend, this is the way to the abandoning of that passion, aversion, & delusion.” “It is an auspicious path, my friend, it is an auspicious way to the abandoning of that passion, aversion, & delusion—enough, friend Ānanda, for the sake of heedfulness.” Note 1. This is not the same Channa as the one mentioned in DN 16, SN 22:90, or the origin story to Saṅghādisesa 12.