Pubbenivāsānussatiñāṇa
— Knowledge of the recollection of former living places —
[pubbe+nivāsa+anussati+ñāṇa]

This is the stock formula describing the first of the three vijjās attainable on the basis of the fourth jhāna, which consists in remembering one's past lives.



Note: info·bubbles on all words


So evaṃ samāhite citte parisuddhe pariyodāte an·aṅgaṇe vigat·ūpakkilese mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñja·p·patte pubbe·nivās·ānussati·ñāṇāya cittaṃ abhininnāmeti. So aneka·vihitaṃ pubbe·nivāsaṃ anussarati, seyyathidaṃ: ekam·pi jātiṃ dve·pi jātiyo tisso·pi jātiyo catasso·pi jātiyo pañca·pi jātiyo dasa·pi jātiyo vīsam·pi jātiyo tiṃsam·pi jātiyo cattālīsam·pi jātiyo paññāsam·pi jātiyo jāti·satam·pi jāti·sahassam·pi jāti·sata·sahassam·pi aneke·pi saṃvaṭṭa·kappe aneke·pi vivaṭṭa·kappe aneke·pi saṃvaṭṭa·vivaṭṭa·kappe:amutr·āsiṃ evaṃ·nāmo evaṃ·gotto evaṃ·vaṇṇo evam·āhāro evaṃ·sukha·dukkha·p·paṭisaṃvedī evam·āyu·pariyanto, so tato cuto amutra udapādiṃ; tatrā·p·āsiṃ evaṃ·nāmo evaṃ·gotto evaṃ·vaṇṇo evam·āhāro evaṃ·sukha·dukkha·p·paṭisaṃvedī evam·āyu·pariyanto, so tato cuto idh·ūpapannoti. Iti s·ākāraṃ sa·uddesaṃ aneka·vihitaṃ pubbe·nivāsaṃ anussarati.

With a citta thus composed, purified, cleansed, without impurity, rid of upakkilesas, malleable wieldy, firm, having become imperturbable, he directs citta towards pubbe-nivās-ānussati-ñāṇā. He recollects many former living places, that is to say: one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births, ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births, many kappas of [world] expansion many kappas of [world] contraction, many kappas of expansion and contraction:there I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such appearence,{1} such [was my] āhāra,{2} experiencing such sukha and dukkha,{3} such [was] the end of [my] life,{4} passing away from this place I reappeared in that place; there, I was of such a name, of such a clan, of such appearence, such [was my] āhāra, experiencing such sukha and dukkha, such [was] the end of [my] life, passing away from there I reappeared here’. Thus, he recollects many former living places with [their] context and [their] details.

{So} evaṃ samāhite citte

With a citta thus composed,
parisuddhe pariyodāte an·aṅgaṇe vigat·ūpakkilese

purified, cleansed, without impurity, rid of upakkilesas,
mudubhūte kammaniye ṭhite āneñja·p·patte

malleable wieldy, firm, having become imperturbable,
pubbe·nivās·ānussati·ñāṇāya cittaṃ abhininnāmesiṃ.

{he} directs citta towards pubbe-nivās-ānussati-ñāṇā.
So aneka·vihitaṃ pubbe·nivāsaṃ anussarati,

He recollects many former living places,
seyyathidaṃ: ekam·pi jātiṃ dve·pi jātiyo

that is to say: one birth, two births,
tisso·pi jātiyo catasso·pi jātiyo pañca·pi jātiyo

three births, four births, five births,
dasa·pi jātiyo vīsam·pi jātiyo tiṃsam·pi jātiyo

ten births, twenty births, thirty births,
cattālīsam·pi jātiyo paññāsam·pi jātiyo jāti·satam·pi

forty births, fifty births, a hundred births,
jāti·sahassam·pi jāti·sata·sahassam·pi

a thousand births, a hundred thousand births,
aneke·pi saṃvaṭṭa·kappe

many kappas of [world] expansion
aneke·pi vivaṭṭa·kappe

many kappas of [world] contraction,
aneke·pi saṃvaṭṭa·vivaṭṭa·kappe:

many kappas of expansion and contraction:
amutr·āsiṃ evaṃ·nāmo evaṃ·gotto

there I was of such a name, of such a clan,
evaṃ·vaṇṇo evam·āhāro

of such appearence,{1} such [was my] āhāra,{2}
evaṃ·sukha·dukkha·p·paṭisaṃvedī

experiencing such sukha and dukkha,
evam·āyu·pariyanto,

such [was] the end of [my] life,{3}
so tato cuto amutra udapādiṃ;

passing away from this place I reappeared in that place;
tatrā·p·āsiṃ evaṃ·nāmo evaṃ·gotto

there, I was of such a name, of such a clan,
evaṃ·vaṇṇo evam·āhāro

of such appearence, such [was my] āhāra,
evaṃ·sukha·dukkha·p·paṭisaṃvedī

experiencing such sukha and dukkha,
evam·āyu·pariyanto,

such [was] the end of [my] life,{4}
so tato cuto idh·ūpapannoti.

passing away from there I reappeared here’.
Iti

Thus, {he recollects many former living places}
s·ākāraṃ sa·uddesaṃ

with [their] context and [their] details.
{aneka·vihitaṃ pubbe·nivāsaṃ anussarati}.




Bodhi leaf