Ten Abodes of the Noble Ones The Mind is Liberated by Wisdom

Monks, there are these ten abodes of the Noble Ones in which the Noble Ones reside in the past, present, or future.

What ten?

Here, a Monk has abandoned five factors; possesses six factors; has a single guard and four supports; has eliminated personal beliefs, totally renounced seeking, purified his intentions, calmed bodily activity, and become well liberated in mind and well liberated, by wisdom.

1. And how has a Monk abandoned five factors? Here, a Monk has abandoned sensual desire, ill will, complacency, restlessness and worry, and doubt. It is in this way that a Monk has abandoned five factors.

2. And how does a Monk possess six factors? Here, having seen a form with the eye, a Monk is neither happy nor saddened, but resides equanimous, mindful, and clearly comprehending. Having heard a sound with the ear... Having smelled an odor with the nose... Having tasted a flavor with the tongue... Having touched a physical object with the body… Having recognized a mental object with the mind, a Monk is neither happy nor saddened, but resides equanimous, mindful, and clearly comprehending. It is in this way that a Monk possesses six factors.

3. And how does a Monk have a single guard? Here, a Monk possesses a mind guarded by mindfulness. It is in this way that a Monk has a single guard.

4. And how does a Monk have four supports? Here, having reflected, a Monk uses some things, patiently endures other things, avoids still other things, and dispels still other things. It is in this way that a Monk has four supports.

5. And how has a Monk eliminated personal beliefs? Here, whatever ordinary personal beliefs may be held by ordinary Ascetics and Brāhmin — that is, The world is eternal or The world is not eternal; The world is finite or The world is infinite; The soul and the body are the same or The soul is one thing and the body another; The Tathāgata exists after death or The Tathāgata does not exist after death or The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death or The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death — a Monk has discarded and dispelled them all, given them up, rejected them, let go of them, abandoned and relinquished them. It is in this way that a Monk has eliminated personal beliefs.

6. And how has a Monk totally renounced seeking? Here, a Monk has abandoned the search for sensual pleasures and the search for existence and has eliminated the search for a spiritual life. It is in this way that a Monk has totally renounced seeking.

7. And how has a Monk purified his intentions? Here, a Monk has abandoned sensual intention, intention of ill will, and intention of harming. It is in this way that a Monk has purified his intentions.

8. And how has a Monk calmed bodily activity? Here, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous fading away of former gladness and sadness, a Monk enters and resides in the fourth Jhāna, which is beyond pleasure and pain, and purified by equanimity and mindfulness. It is in this way that a Monk has calmed bodily activity.

9. And how is a Monk well liberated in mind? Here, a Monk’s mind is liberated from craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality). It is in this way that a Monk is well liberated in mind.

10. And how is a Monk well liberated by wisdom? Here, a Monk understands: I have abandoned craving, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising; I have abandoned anger, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising; abandoned ignorance (unknowing of true reality), cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising. It is in this way that a Monk is well liberated by wisdom.

Monks, whatever Noble Ones in the past resided in noble abodes, all resided in these same ten noble abodes. Whatever Noble Ones in the future will reside in noble abodes, all will reside in these same ten noble abodes. Whatever Noble Ones at present reside in noble abodes, all reside in these same ten noble abodes.

These are the ten abodes of the Noble Ones in which the Noble Ones reside in the past, present, or future. 

(Reference: AN 10.20)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares “The Ten Abodes” or the ten (10) qualities and practices of a “Noble One”, or in other words, an Enlightened being. All Enlightened beings that exist in the past, present, and future will have developed these qualities.

(1) An Enlightened being will have eliminated sensual desire, ill will, complacency, restlessness and worry, and doubt. These are referred to as The Five Hindrances as these aspects of the mind will hinder one from the attainment of Enlightenment. The most significant hindrance to Enlightenment is ignorance (unknowing of true reality) but The Five Hindrances are a more detailed description of specific hindrances that a Practitioner will need to overcome to attain Enlightenment.

For more details on The Five Hindrances, you can use the below resources where I taught an online class on this topic.

(Youtube)

(Group Learning Program) - The Five Hindrances to Enlightenment & The Seven Factors of Enlightenment

https://youtu.be/mY8xw5wPRiQ

(Podcast)

Ep. 290 - (Group Learning Program) - The Five Hindrances to Enlightenment & The Seven Factors of Enlightenment

https://anchor.fm/buddhadailywisdom/episodes/Ep--290---Group-Learning-Program---The-Five-Hindrances-to-Enlightenment--The-Seven-Factors-of-Enlightenment-e1gduid

(2) An Enlightened being will have eliminated the fetter/taint/pollution of mind described as “sensual desire” no longer being affected by agreeable or disagreeable forms, sounds, odors, flavors, physical objects, or mental objects experienced through The Six Sense Bases. The Enlightened mind will not experience conditioned happiness or sadness. The Enlightened mind has been trained to be unaffected by agreeable or disagreeable experiences through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind. The unEnlightened mind will base its inner feelings on impermanent conditions experienced through The Six Sense Bases causing discontentedness in the mind. The unEnlightened mind is not yet liberated from the effects of agreeable or disagreeable contact through The Six Sense Bases and will, therefore, continue to experience discontentedness.

(3) An Enlightened being will have a well developed practice of mindfulness described as Right Mindfulness in The Eight Fold Path. In general, mindfulness is “awareness of mind” but there is much more development to the awareness of mind found in The Teaching of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness that an Enlightened being will need to cultivate. A being would be unable to attain Enlightenment without a well developed practice of mindfulness as described in The Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

The Buddha describes mindfulness as a “single guard” because a Practitioner who has a well developed practice of mindfulness (awareness of mind) will be able to guard the mind from unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings from arising training it to the point where unwholesomeness does not arise in the mind. All unwholesome thoughts, ideas, and feelings have been eliminated from the Enlightened mind and are no longer subject to future arising.

Detailed explanation of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness is available in this same book series found in Chapter 5 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).

(4) An Enlightened being will have a well developed practice being able to observe with mindfulness what is the truth and how to use that in wise decision making or discernment. To move the mind to Enlightenment, a Practitioner will need to employ countless wise decisions along The Path to Enlightenment informed by the wisdom of these Teachings. The Teachings of The Buddha guide a Practitioner in understanding The Natural Laws of Existence and through having developed that wisdom, an Enlightened mind will need to make wise decisions in life. They will need to “use some things, patiently endures other things, avoids still other things, and dispels still other things” based on being able to observe the truth through direct experience.

The Buddha refers to this as “four supports”.

(5) An Enlightened being will have a well developed practice being able to determine the truth to acquire wisdom. They would have needed to deeply learn, reflect, and practice these Teachings to be able to determine the truth to acquire wisdom and in that investigation would understand that The Buddha left these Teachings as undeclared:

• The world is eternal or The world is not eternal;

• The world is finite or The world is infinite;

• The soul and the body are the same or The soul is one thing and the body another;

• The Tathāgata exists after death or The Tathāgata does not exist after death or The Tathāgata both exists and does not exist after death or The Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist after death

While there are many Teachings that The Buddha did declare as part of this Path to Enlightenment, these are Teachings that he did not declare. One might speculate as to why he did not share these Teachings, but that would be just speculation. The truth is, that the answer to these questions are not needed to attain Enlightenment. The mind needs to be comfortable and content with not knowing the answer to these questions as if the mind has craving/desire/attachment to understanding these questions, it will cause discontentedness and ultimately rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth should one die with this craving/desire/attachment.

The Buddha encourages Students to “discard and dispel them all, give them up, reject them, let go of them, abandon and relinquish them. It is in this way that a Monk has eliminated personal beliefs”.

A Practitioner of these Teachings will not have beliefs but instead, investigate to discover the truth to acquire wisdom. The mind is not liberated based on belief but instead, through investigation to determine the truth to acquire wisdom.

Nothing in Gotama Buddha's Teachings is based on belief. All his Teachings can be learned and practiced to independently observe the truth as the mind "gradually" acquires wisdom through independent verification of his Teachings through practice of his Teachings. It is a real struggle to exist in a world that the unEnlightened mind does not understand.

This new found wisdom gradually improves the way the mind functions in the world through eliminating discontentedness of mind. The mind can completely eliminate all discontent feelings such as sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, annoyance, guilt, shame, fears, boredom, loneliness, shyness, jealousy, resentment, stress, anxiety, etc. on The Path to Enlightenment.

Through actively learning and practicing Gotama Buddha's Teachings with guidance, the mind becomes Enlightened in that you can observe the improvement in the condition of the mind as you eliminate all discontent feelings where the mind can reside peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy - permanently. You are not believing The Teachings wishing for a positive outcome at some point in the future or after death. Instead, you are observing the improvements to the condition of the mind right now - in the present moment.

(6) An Enlightened being will have eliminated seeking pleasure through The Six Sense Bases described as “sensual pleasure”. The mind will know that craving/desire through The Six Sense Bases leads to discontentedness and continued seeking through The Six Sense Bases only leads to temporary pleasure and ultimately invites into the mind painful feelings and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant. Through the elimination of the fetter/taint/pollution of mind described as “sensual desire” the mind can reside peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy - permanently.

An Enlightened being will have also eliminated craving/desire/attachment to existence and existing in this world. The mind will not be holding on to the world or anything in the world.

An Enlightened being will have understood these Teachings so well and be experiencing such peacefulness, calmness, serenity, and contentedness with joy that they will no longer be in “search for a spiritual life” because they would have already found it in these Teachings. They would already be leading a holy life untainted and unblemished.

(7) An Enlightened being will have eliminated any intentions for pleasure through The Six Sense Bases or “sensual intention” described as “intention of renunciation” as part of Right Intention on The Eight Fold Path. A Practitioner will have eliminated the “intention of ill will” and “intention of harming”. These are also taught as part of The Eight Fold Path as Right Intention.

An Enlightened being will have needed to purify their life practice as part of The Eight Fold Path focusing on developing each individual step to include Right Intention.

Detailed explanation of Right Intention is available in this same book series found in Chapter 5 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).

(8) An Enlightened being will have experienced all of the four (4) Jhānas as preliminary phases the mind experiences prior to the first Stage of Enlightenment which will produce multiple benefits including the calming of bodily activities. A Practitioner will no longer have harsh or aggressive bodily movements but instead, be able to move about the world with ease and peacefulness.

(9) An Enlightened being will have eliminated all craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) known as The Three Unwholesome Roots and will be practicing The Three Wholesome Roots of generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom at all times. The mind would have observed the harm caused by craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and would have no interest in continuing to make decisions through these aspects of the mind. Instead, the Enlightened mind will have been transformed to practice generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom making wise decisions that produce only wholesome outcomes.

“Liberation” from craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) is to be free of, freedom from, or to have abandoned all craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality).

(10) An Enlightened being will have deeply cultivated wisdom through a well developed life practice of these Teachings. If one thinks of the unEnlightened mind like a wild bush that is growing in all directions without restraint, then training the mind to attain Enlightenment is to cut back this wild bush back to the “stump” and “roots” so that it will no longer grow ever again.

Through The Path to Enlightenment, an Enlightened being will have cut off all craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) eliminating any chance for the “future arising” of these unwholesome qualities of mind. To accomplish this goal, a Practitioner will need to acquire the wisdom of what is craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), how to identify it when it arises, and understand how to cut it off “obliterating it so that it is no more subject to future arising”.

Detailed explanation of The Three Unwholesome Roots is available in this same book series found in Chapter 8 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).