sn.46.51 Saṁyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)

Nutriment

At Savatthī. “Bhikkhus, I will teach you the nutriment and the denourishment in regard to the five hindrances and the seven factors of enlightenment. Listen to that.…

i. The nutriments for the hindrances

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen sensual desire and for the increase and expansion of arisen sensual desire? There is, bhikkhus, the sign of the beautiful: frequently giving careless attention to it is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen sensual desire and for the increase and expansion of arisen sensual desire.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen ill will and for the increase and expansion of arisen ill will? There is, bhikkhus, the sign of the repulsive: frequently giving careless attention to it is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen ill will and for the increase and expansion of arisen ill will.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen sloth and torpor and for the increase and expansion of arisen sloth and torpor? There are, bhikkhus, discontent, lethargy, lazy stretching, drowsiness after meals, sluggishness of mind: frequently giving careless attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen sloth and torpor and for the increase and expansion of arisen sloth and torpor.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen restlessness and remorse and for the increase and expansion of arisen restlessness and remorse? There is, bhikkhus, unsettledness of mind: frequently giving careless attention to it is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen restlessness and remorse and for the increase and expansion of arisen restlessness and remorse.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen doubt and for the increase and expansion of arisen doubt? There are, bhikkhus, things that are the basis for doubt: frequently giving careless attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen doubt and for the increase and expansion of arisen doubt.

ii. The nutriments for the enlightenment factors

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness? There are, bhikkhus, things that are the basis for the enlightenment factor of mindfulness: frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states? There are, bhikkhus, wholesome and unwholesome states, blameable and blameless states, inferior and superior states, dark and bright states with their counterparts: frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of energy and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of energy? There are, bhikkhus, the element of arousal, the element of endeavour, the element of exertion: frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of energy and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of energy.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of rapture and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of rapture? There are, bhikkhus, things that are the basis for the enlightenment factor of rapture: frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of rapture and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of rapture.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity? There are, bhikkhus, tranquillity of body, tranquillity of mind: frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of concentration and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of concentration? There are, bhikkhus, the sign of serenity, the sign of nondispersal: frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of concentration and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of concentration.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of equanimity and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of equanimity? There are, bhikkhus, things that are the basis for the enlightenment factor of equanimity: frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of the unarisen enlightenment factor of equanimity and for the fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of equanimity.

iii. The denourishment of the hindrances

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents unarisen sensual desire from arising and arisen sensual desire from increasing and expanding? There is, bhikkhus, the sign of foulness: frequently giving careful attention to it is the denourishment that prevents unarisen sensual desire from arising and arisen sensual desire from increasing and expanding.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents unarisen ill will from arising and arisen ill will from increasing and expanding? There is, bhikkhus, the liberation of mind through lovingkindness: frequently giving careful attention to it is the denourishment that prevents unarisen ill will from arising and arisen ill will from increasing and expanding.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents unarisen sloth and torpor from arising and arisen sloth and torpor from increasing and expanding? There are, bhikkhus, the element of arousal, the element of endeavour, the element of exertion: frequently giving careful attention to them is the denourishment that prevents unarisen sloth and torpor from arising and arisen sloth and torpor from increasing and expanding.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents unarisen restlessness and remorse from arising and arisen restlessness and remorse from increasing and expanding? There is, bhikkhus, peacefulness of mind: frequently giving careful attention to it is the denourishment that prevents unarisen restlessness and remorse from arising and arisen restlessness and remorse from increasing and expanding.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents unarisen doubt from arising and arisen doubt from increasing and expanding? There are, bhikkhus, wholesome and unwholesome states, blameable and blameless states, inferior and superior states, dark and bright states with their counterparts: frequently giving careful attention to them is the denourishment that prevents unarisen doubt from arising and arisen doubt from increasing and expanding.

iv. The denourishment of the enlightenment factors

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness from reaching fulfilment by development? There are, bhikkhus, things that are the basis for the enlightenment factor of mindfulness: not frequently giving attention to them is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of mindfulness from reaching fulfilment by development.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states from reaching fulfilment by development? There are, bhikkhus, wholesome and unwholesome states, blameable and blameless states, inferior and superior states, dark and bright states with their counterparts: not frequently giving attention to them is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of discrimination of states from reaching fulfilment by development.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of energy from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of energy from reaching fulfilment by development? There are, bhikkhus, the element of arousal, the element of endeavour, the element of exertion: not frequently giving attention to them is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of energy from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of energy from reaching fulfilment by development.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of rapture from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of rapture from reaching fulfilment by development? There are, bhikkhus, things that are the basis for the enlightenment factor of rapture: not frequently giving attention to them is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of rapture from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of rapture from reaching fulfilment by development.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity from reaching fulfilment by development? There are, bhikkhus, tranquillity of body, tranquillity of mind: not frequently giving attention to them is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity from reaching fulfilment by development.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of concentration from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of concentration from reaching fulfilment by development? There are, bhikkhus, the sign of serenity, the sign of nondispersal: not frequently giving attention to them is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of concentration from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of concentration from reaching fulfilment by development.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of equanimity from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of equanimity from reaching fulfilment by development. There are, bhikkhus, things that are the basis for the enlightenment factor of equanimity: not frequently giving attention to them is the denourishment that prevents the unarisen enlightenment factor of equanimity from arising and the arisen enlightenment factor of equanimity from reaching fulfilment by development.”

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

Nourishing

At Sāvatthī.
“Mendicants, I will teach you what fuels and what starves the five hindrances and the seven awakening factors.
Listen …
And what fuels the arising of sensual desire, or, when it has arisen, makes it increase and grow?
There is the feature of beauty.
Frequent improper attention to that
fuels the arising of sensual desire, or, when it has arisen, makes it increase and grow.
And what fuels the arising of ill will, or, when it has arisen, makes it increase and grow?
There is the feature of harshness.
Frequent improper attention to that
fuels the arising of ill will, or, when it has arisen, makes it increase and grow.
And what fuels the arising of dullness and drowsiness, or, when they have arisen, makes them increase and grow?
There is discontent, sloth, yawning, sleepiness after eating, and mental sluggishness.
Frequent improper attention to that
fuels the arising of dullness and drowsiness, or, when they have arisen, makes them increase and grow.
And what fuels the arising of restlessness and remorse, or, when they have arisen, makes them increase and grow?
There is the unsettled mind.
Frequent improper attention to that
fuels the arising of restlessness and remorse, or, when they have arisen, makes them increase and grow.
And what fuels the arising of doubt, or, when it has arisen, makes it increase and grow?
There are things that are grounds for doubt.
Frequent improper attention to them
fuels the arising of doubt, or, when it has arisen, makes it increase and grow.
And what fuels the arising of the awakening factor of mindfulness, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it?
There are things that are grounds for the awakening factor of mindfulness.
Frequent proper attention to them
fuels the arising of the awakening factor of mindfulness, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it.
And what fuels the arising of the awakening factor of investigation of principles, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it?
There are qualities that are skillful and unskillful, blameworthy and blameless, inferior and superior, and those on the side of dark and bright.
Frequent proper attention to them
fuels the arising of the awakening factor of investigation of principles, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it.
And what fuels the arising of the awakening factor of energy, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it?
There are the elements of initiative, persistence, and exertion.
Frequent proper attention to them
fuels the arising of the awakening factor of energy, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it.
And what fuels the arising of the awakening factor of rapture, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it?
There are things that are grounds for the awakening factor of rapture.
Frequent proper attention to them
fuels the arising of the awakening factor of rapture, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it.
And what fuels the arising of the awakening factor of tranquility, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it?
There is tranquility of the body and of the mind.
Frequent proper attention to that
fuels the arising of the awakening factor of tranquility, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it.
And what fuels the arising of the awakening factor of immersion, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it?
There are things that are the foundation of serenity and freedom from distraction.
Frequent proper attention to them
fuels the arising of the awakening factor of immersion, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it.
And what fuels the arising of the awakening factor of equanimity, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it?
There are things that are grounds for the awakening factor of equanimity.
Frequent proper attention to them
fuels the arising of the awakening factor of equanimity, or, when it has arisen, fully develops it.
And what starves the arising of sensual desire, or, when it has arisen, starves its increase and growth?
There is the feature of ugliness.
Frequent proper attention to that
starves the arising of sensual desire, or, when it has arisen, starves its increase and growth.
And what starves the arising of ill will, or, when it has arisen, starves its increase and growth?
There is the heart’s release by love.
Frequent proper attention to that
starves the arising of ill will, or, when it has arisen, starves its increase and growth.
And what starves the arising of dullness and drowsiness, or, when they have arisen, starves their increase and growth?
There are the elements of initiative, persistence, and exertion.
Frequent proper attention to them
starves the arising of dullness and drowsiness, or, when they have arisen, starves their increase and growth.
And what starves the arising of restlessness and remorse, or, when they have arisen, starves their increase and growth?
There is the settled mind.
Frequent proper attention to that
starves the arising of restlessness and remorse, or, when they have arisen, starves their increase and growth.
And what starves the arising of doubt, or, when it has arisen, starves its increase and growth?
There are qualities that are skillful and unskillful, blameworthy and blameless, inferior and superior, and those on the side of dark and bright.
Frequent proper attention to them
starves the arising of doubt, or, when it has arisen, starves its increase and growth.
And what starves the arising of the awakening factor of mindfulness, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development?
There are things that are grounds for the awakening factor of mindfulness.
Not frequently focusing on them
starves the arising of the awakening factor of mindfulness, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development.
And what starves the arising of the awakening factor of investigation of principles, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development?
There are qualities that are skillful and unskillful, blameworthy and blameless, inferior and superior, and those on the side of dark and bright.
Not frequently focusing on them
starves the arising of the awakening factor of investigation of principles, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development.
And what starves the arising of the awakening factor of energy, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development?
There are the elements of initiative, persistence, and exertion.
Not frequently focusing on them
starves the arising of the awakening factor of energy, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development.
And what starves the arising of the awakening factor of rapture, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development?
There are things that are grounds for the awakening factor of rapture.
Not frequently focusing on them
starves the arising of the awakening factor of rapture, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development.
And what starves the arising of the awakening factor of tranquility, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development?
There is tranquility of the body and of the mind.
Not frequently attending to that
starves the arising of the awakening factor of tranquility, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development.
And what starves the arising of the awakening factor of immersion, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development?
There are things that are the foundation of serenity and freedom from distraction.
Not frequently focusing on them
starves the arising of the awakening factor of immersion, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development.
And what starves the arising of the awakening factor of equanimity, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development?
There are things that are grounds for the awakening factor of equanimity.
Not frequently focusing on them
starves the arising of the awakening factor of equanimity, or, when it has arisen, starves its full development.”