The Affection Sutra

Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; "Discourse on Affection" (Pema Sutta, AN 4.200)

Gazing at the massive Buddha at Thimphu in Bhutan (Nikolas Schrader)

 
"Meditators, four things are born. What are the four? [More] affection is born of affection. Aversion is born of affection. Affection is born of aversion. And aversion is born of aversion.
 
What?

"How is affection born of affection? An individual is [considered] pleasing, appealing, and charming. Others treat that person as pleasing, appealing, and charming, and someone thinks, 'This individual is pleasing, appealing, and charming to me [too. After all,] others treat this individual this way.'  One gives rise to affection. This is how affection is born of affection [popularity].

 

"How is aversion born of affection? An individual is pleasing, appealing, and charming to someone. Yet others treat that individual as displeasing, unappealing, and not charming, and one thinks, 'This individual is pleasing, appealing, and charming to me, yet others treat this individual as displeasing, unappealing, and not charming.' One gives rise to aversion for them. This is how aversion is born of affection.

 

I'm not an attention hog. My meditation and yoga are really cooking (Hilaria Baldwin)

 
"How is affection born of aversion? An individual is displeasing, unappealing, and not charming to someone. And others treat that individual as displeasing, unappealing, and not charming, and one thinks, 'This individual is displeasing, unappealing, and not charming to me, and others treat this individual as displeasing, unappealing, and not charming.' One gives rise to affection for them. This is how affection is born of aversion.

 

"How is aversion born of aversion? An individual is displeasing, unappealing, and not charming to someone, yet others treat that individual as pleasing, appealing, and charming, and one thinks, 'This individual is displeasing, unappealing, and not charming to me, yet others treat this individual as pleasing, appealing, and charming.' One gives rise to aversion for them. This is how aversion is born of aversion.

 

"Meditators, these are four things that are born.

 

"Now, when a meditator, withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful states, enters and remains in the first meditative absorption (jhana) -- with rapture and bliss born of withdrawal, accompanied by initial and sustained attention -- then any affection born of affection does not arise. Any aversion born of affection... any affection born of aversion... any aversion born of aversion does not arise.

 

"When a meditator... enters and remains in the second meditative absorption... enters and remains in the third meditative absorption... enters and remains in the fourth meditative absorption, then any affection born of affection does not arise. Any aversion born of affection... any affection born of aversion... any aversion born of aversion does not arise.

 

"When a meditator, by abandoning mental defilements, enters and remains in the defilement-free release of the heart and release by wisdom, having known and verified them for oneself right here and now, then any affection born of affection is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump [a tree that does not regrow when topped off], deprived of supporting conditions, not destined for rearising. Any aversion born of affection... any affection born of aversion... any aversion born of aversion is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of supporting conditions, not destined for rearising.

 

"This is said to be a meditator who does not draw in, does not push away, does not smolder, does not flare up, and does not burn [again].

 

Self

1,000 alabaster Buddha statues (LarryE251/flickr.com)

 
"How does a meditator pull in? One assumes FORM to be THE SELF, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. One assumes FEELING to be the self, or the self as possessing feeling, or feeling as in the self, or the self as in feeling. One assumes PERCEPTION to be the self, or the self as possessing perception, or perception as in the self, or the self as in perception. One assumes FORMATIONS to be the self, or the self as possessing formations, or formations as in the self, or the self as in formations. One assumes CONSCIOUSNESS [as happens in Hinduism and therefore in Mahayana Buddhism] to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. This is how a meditator pulls in.

 

Kwan Yin meditation (buddhism.about.com)

"How does one not pull in? A meditator does not assume form to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. One does not assume feeling to be the self... does not assume perception to be the self... does not assume formations to be the self... does not assume consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. This is how one does not pull in.

 

"How does a meditator push away? A meditator returns insult to one who has given insult, returns anger to one who is angry, quarrels with one who is quarreling. This is how one pushes away.

 

"How does one not push away? A meditator does not return insult to one who insults, does not return anger to one who is angry, does not quarrel with one who is quarreling. This is how one does not push away.

 

"How does one smolder? One may reason, There being 'I am,' there comes to be 'I am here,' there comes to be 'I am like this'... 'I am otherwise'... 'I am bad'... 'I am good'... 'I might be'... 'I might be here'... 'I might be like this'... 'I might be otherwise'... 'May I be'... 'May I be here'... 'May I be like this'... 'May I be otherwise'... 'I will be'... 'I will be here'... 'I will be like this'... 'I will be otherwise.'

 

"How does one not smolder? One knows, There not being 'I am,' there does not come to be 'I am here,' there does not come to be 'I am like this'... 'I am otherwise'... 'I am bad'... 'I am good'... 'I might be'... 'I might be here'... 'I might be like this'... 'I might be otherwise'... 'May I be'... 'May I be here'... 'May I be like this'... 'May I be otherwise'... 'I will be'... 'I will be here'... 'I will be like this'... 'I will be otherwise.'

 

"How does one flare up? One reasons, There being 'I am because of this (or by means of this),' there comes to be 'I am here because of this,' there comes to be 'I am like this because of this'... 'I am otherwise because of this'... 'I am bad because of this'... 'I am good because of this'... 'I might be because of this'... 'I might be here because of this'... 'I might be like this because of this'... 'I might be otherwise because of this'... 'May I be because of this'... 'May I be here because of this'... 'May I be like this because of this'... 'May I be otherwise because of this'... 'I will be because of this'... 'I will be here because of this'... 'I will be like this because of this'... 'I will be otherwise because of this.'

 

"How does one not flare up? One knows, There not being 'I am because of this (or by means of this),' there does not come to be 'I am here because of this,' there does not come to be 'I am like this because of this'... 'I am otherwise because of this'... 'I am bad because of this'... 'I am good because of this'... 'I might be because of this'... 'I might be here because of this'... 'I might be like this because of this'... 'I might be otherwise because of this'... 'May I be because of this'... 'May I be here because of this'... 'May I be like this because of this'... 'May I be otherwise because of this'... 'I will be because of this'... 'I will be here because of this'... 'I will be like this because of this'... 'I will be otherwise because of this.'

 

"How does one burn? A meditator's conceit (mana) of 'I am' is not abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of supporting conditions, not destined for rearising. This is how one burns.

 

"How does one not burn? A meditator's conceit of 'I am' is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. This is how one does not burn."