Lomasakaṅgiyabhaddekaratta sutta (MN 134) and its connection to Abhidhamma

Meditation
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Commentary to Lomasakaṅgiyabhaddekaratta sutta

Tatra bhagavāti tatra viharanto bhagavā yebhuyyena dasahi cakkavāḷasahassehi sannipatitāhi devatāhi parivuto mātaraṃ kāyasakkhiṃ katvā abhidhammapiṭakaṃ kathento gambhīraṃ nipuṇaṃ tilakkhaṇāhataṃ rūpārūpaparicchedakathaṃ paṭivijjhituṃ asakkontānaṃ devānaṃ saṃvegajananatthaṃ antarantarā bhaddekarattassa uddesañca vibhaṅgañca abhāsi. Tatrāyaṃ devaputto uggaṇhanto imā gāthā saddhiṃ vibhaṅgena uggaṇhi, devattassa pana pamādādhiṭṭhānattā dibbehi ārammaṇehi nippīḷiyamāno anupubbena suttaṃ sammuṭṭho gāthāmattameva dhāresi. Tenāha ‘‘evaṃ kho ahaṃ bhikkhu dhāremi bhaddekarattiyo gāthā’’ti

Chatgpt4
While residing there, the Blessed One (the Buddha), often surrounded by deities from ten thousand world systems, with his mother (Mahāmāyā) present as a witness in bodily form, was delivering teachings from the Abhidhamma Piṭaka. These teachings were profound, subtle, and imbued with the three characteristics (impermanence, suffering, and non-self), focusing on the distinction between form (rūpa) and formless (arūpa) realms. To inspire urgency (saṃvega) in those deities who were unable to fully comprehend such deep discourses, the Buddha intermittently expounded both the summary (uddesa) and detailed explanation (vibhaṅga) of the Bhaddekaratta Sutta.

Among those deities, one particular deva, while learning, memorized these verses along with their explanation. However, due to the inherent negligence associated with the state of being a deity and being overwhelmed by celestial sense objects, he gradually forgot the discourse, retaining only the verses. Therefore, he declared, “Thus, O Bhikkhu, I remember only the verses of the Bhaddekaratta.”

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Main point:
Alongside the Abhidhamma teaching in the deva world, the Buddha intermittently introduced the Bhaddekaratta Sutta to induce samvega and guidance on mindfulness and insight for both devas and beings in the human realm.

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It is worth looking at the Bhaddekaratta sutta in conjunction with the Lomasalangiyabhaddekaratta sutta.
Bodhi translation:

131 Bhaddekaratta Sutta
a single excellent night

  1. THUS HAVE I HEARD.1209 On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthl in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus.” - “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Blessed One said this:
  2. “Bhikkhus, I shall teach you the summary and exposition of 'One Who Has a single excellent night.'1210 Listen and attend closely to what I shall say.” - “Yes, venerable sir,” the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
 3*. "Let not a person revive the past 
> Or on the future build his hopes;1211 
> For the past has been left behind 
> And the future has not been reached. 
> Instead with insight let him see 
> Each presently arisen state;1212 
> Let him know that and be sure of it, 
> Invincibly, unshakeably.1213 
> Today the effort must be made; 
> Tomorrow Death may come, who knows? 
> No bargain with Mortality 
> Can keep him and his hordes away, 
> But one who dwells thus ardently, 
> Relentlessly, by day, by night -
> It is he, the Peaceful Sage has said,1214 
> Who Has a single excellent night.[188]
  1. "How, bhikkhus, does one revive the past? Thinking, ‘I had such material form in the past,’ one finds delight in that.1215 Thinking, ‘I had such feeling in the past,’…‘I had such percep tion in the past,’…‘I had such formations in the past,’…'Isuch consciousness in the past/ one finds delight in that. That is how one revives the past.
  2. "And how, bhikkhus, does one not revive the past? Think- ing, ‘I had such material form in the past,’ one does not find delight in that.1216 Thinking, ‘I had such feeling in the past/…! had such perception in the past/…! had such formations in the past,’…! had such consciousness in the past/ one does not find delight in that. That is how one does not revive the past.
  3. "And how, bhikkhus, does one build up hope upon the future? Thinking, 'I may have such material form in the future/1217 one finds delight in that. Thinking, ‘I may have such feeling in the future,’…'I may have such perception in the future/…! may have such formations in the future/…‘I may have such consciousness in the future,’ one finds delight in that. That is how one builds up hope upon the future.
  4. "And how, bhikkhus, does one not build up hope upon the future? Thinking, 'I may have such material form in the future/ one does not find delight in that. Thinking, ‘I may have such feeling in the future,’…‘I may have such perception in the future,’…! may have such formations in the future/…! may have such consciousness in the future/ one does not find delight in that. That is how one does not build up hope upon the future.
  5. "And how, bhikkhus, is one vanquished in regard to presently arisen states?1218 Here, bhikkhus, an untaught ordi- nary person, who has no regard for noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in fheir Dhamma, who has no regard for true men and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, regards material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self, or self as in material form. He regards feeling as self…perception as self…formations as self [189]…consciousness as self, or self as possessed of conscious- ness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. That is how one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states.
  6. "And how, bhikkhus, is one invincible in regard to presently arisen states? Here, bhikkhus, a well-taught noble disciple, who has regard for noble ones and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, who has regard for true men and is skilled and disci- plined in their Dhamma, does not regard material form as self/ or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self/ or self as in material form. He does not regard feeling aself…perception as self…formations as self…consciousness as self, or self as possessed of consciousness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. That is how one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states.
  7. "Let not a person revive the past…
    Who Has a single excellent night.
  8. “So it was with reference to this that it was said: 'Bhikkhus, I shall teach you the summary and exposition of “one Who Has a single excellent night.””
    That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
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the Thai translation (which is similar to the english translation) of the commentary on the Lomasa-Kangiya Bhaddekaratta Sutta,runs like this (by chatgpt):
286. “Evaṃ me sutaṃ” (Thus have I heard):
This introduces the Lomasa-Kangiya Bhaddekaratta Sutta.

  • “Lomasakangiyo” (Lomasakangiya):
    This refers to a revered elder named Aṅga Thera, who became widely known as Lomasakangiya due to his body being slightly hairy in appearance (īsakalomakāratā).
  • “Candano Devaputto” (Candana, the celestial being):
    During the time of the Kassapa Buddha, Candana was a wealthy lay devotee. He revered the Three Jewels by offering the four requisites (food, robes, shelter, and medicine) and was reborn in the celestial realms. Retaining his former name, he became known as “Candana Devaputta” in this existence.
  • “Paṇḍukambalasilāyaṃ” (On the Paṇḍukambala Stone):
    This stone is described as having a bright red hue, comparable to a heap of jasmine flowers (jayasumanapuṇḍarīkarāsi). Because of this radiance, it is referred to as “Paṇḍukambala Silā.”

When did the Buddha reside there?
Seven years after attaining Buddhahood, during the full moon of the Āsāḷha month, the Buddha performed the Twin Miracle (Yamaka Pāṭihāriya) in the presence of a twelve-league gathering at Sāvatthī. After completing this miracle, he descended to the Gandamba tree, sat on the prepared seat beneath it, and gave profound teachings, rescuing those burdened with ignorance.

  • The Nature of Buddhas:
    As Buddhas do not reside in the human realm after performing miracles, the Buddha, while being observed by the assembled crowd, ascended to the Tāvatiṃsa heaven and spent the rains retreat under the Pāricchattaka tree, on the Paṇḍukambala Stone, in the celestial abode. It was during this time that this discourse took place.

Tatra Bhagavā (There, the Blessed One):
While residing there, the Blessed One, surrounded by deities from ten thousand world systems, had his mother, Mahāmāyā, as a bodily witness. He taught the Abhidhamma Piṭaka—a teaching profound, subtle, and imbued with the three characteristics (tilakkhaṇa: impermanence, suffering, non-self)—expounding on the distinctions between form (rūpa) and formlessness (arūpa).

For deities unable to comprehend this intricate teaching, the Buddha occasionally spoke the summary (uddesa) and detailed analysis (vibhaṅga) of the Bhaddekaratta Sutta to inspire a sense of urgency (saṃvega).

The Role of Candana Devaputta:
During this time, Candana Devaputta, while learning, memorized the verses along with their explanation. However, due to the inherent negligence associated with being a celestial being, coupled with the distractions of celestial objects, he gradually forgot the discourse and retained only the verses.

  • The Devaputta’s Declaration:
    Thus, he declared,

“This is how I, Bhikkhu, remember only the verses of the Bhaddekaratta Sutta.”

Learning and Retention:
In the discussion on learning:

  • “Ugganhāti” (To learn): A person learns by sitting silently and listening.
  • “Pariyāpuṇāti” (To memorize): A person memorizes by engaging in recitation.
  • “Dhāreti” (To retain): A person retains the teaching by teaching or reciting it to others.

Thus, the remaining aspects of the teaching are clear and straightforward.

Closing Line:
“This concludes the commentary on the Lomasa-Kangiya Bhaddekaratta Sutta, as explained in the Papañcasūdanī, the commentary on the Majjhima Nikāya.”

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Bhikkhu Bodh’s notes:

1211.More literally the first two lines would be translated: “Let not a person run back to the past or live in expectation of the future.” The meaning will be elucidated in the expository passage of the sutta.
1212 MA: He should contemplate each presently arisen state, just where it has arisen, by way of the seven contemplations of insight (insight into impermanence, suffering, non-self, disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, relinquishment).
1213 Asaṁhīraṁ asankuppaṁ . MA explains that this is said for the purpose of showing insight and counter-insight (see n.1143); for insight is “invincible, unshakeable” because it is not vanquished or shaken by lust and other defilements. Elsewhere the expression “the invincible, the unshakeable” is used as a description of Nibbāna (e.g., Sn v.1149) or of the liberated mind (e.g., Thag v.649), but here it seems to refer to a stage in the development of insight. The recurrence of the verb form saṁhīrati in §8 and §9 suggests that the intended meaning is contemplation of the present moment without being misled into the adoption of a view of self. 1214 The “Peaceful Sage” ( santo muni ) is the Buddha.
1215 MA: One “finds delight” by bringing to bear upon the past either craving or a view associated with craving. It should be noted that it is not the mere recollection of the past through memory that causes bondage, but the reliving of past experiences with thoughts of craving. In this respect the Buddha’s teaching differs significantly from that of Krishnamurti, who seems to regard memory itself as the villain behind the scene.
1216 The syntax of the Pali allows this sentence to be inter-preted in two ways, as stating either that one thinks, “I had such form in the past,” yet does not find delight in that thought; or that one does not find delight in the past by thinking such a thought. Horner, āṇananda (in Ideal Solitude ), and Ñm (in Ms) construe the sentence in the former way; I had preserved Ñm’s rendering in the first edition. On reconsideration, I now believe that the second interpretation is more true to the intention of the text. This also ties in better with the stanzas themselves, which enjoin the disciple not to dwell in the past and the future but to contemplate “each presently arisen state” just as it presents itself.
1217 In the first edition, this sentence was rendered: “Thinking, ‘I may have such material form in the future,’ one finds delight in that.” In retrospect, it now seems to me more likely that the sentence expresses an exclamatory wish for the future.
1218 The verb here and in the next paragraph, saṁhīrati , refers back to the line in the verse, “invincibly, unshakeably.” MA glosses: “One is dragged along by craving and views because of the lack of insight.” SUTTA 133 1219 Down to §12, as at MN 18.10–15. 1220 MA: In the two previous suttas and in the one to follow the Buddha set up the outline and analysis by way of the five aggregates, but here he set it up so that it could be analysed by way of the twelve sense bases. Understanding the Buddha’s intention, Ven. Mahā Kaccāna spoke as he did, and because of his skill in grasping the method even when it was not explicitly shown, the Buddha appointed him the foremost disciple in explaining in detail a teaching stated in brief.
SUTTA 134 1221 According to the commentary to Thag, Ven. Lomasakangiya had been a bhikkhu in the time of the Buddha Kassapa. After the Buddha Kassapa had taught the Bhaddekaratta Sutta , a certain bhikkhu spoke about it to Lomasakangiya. Unable to understand it, he exclaimed: “In the future, may I be able to teach you this sutta!” The other answered: “May I ask you about it!” In the present age Lomasakangiya was born into a Sakyan family at Kapilavatthu, while the other bhikkhu became the god Candana.
1222 MA explains that this occurred in the seventh year after the Buddha’s enlightenment, at the time when he spent the three months of the rainy season in the heaven of the Thirty-three teaching the Abhidhamma to the gods who had assembled from ten thousand world-systems.”

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Thus we see that right from the beginning of teaching Abhidhamma the Buddha made it clear that it goes together with satipatthana.

Abhidhamma without any direct understanding is like memorizing lists and that is not a real refuge.

In his last talk the Buddha said to " dwell with yourselves as an island, with yourselves as a refuge, with no other refuge; with the Dhamma as an island, with the Dhamma as a refuge, with no other refuge."

And this is done by the development of satipatthana, by understanding the present moment: “with insight let him see each presently arisen state”.

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Great connections!
Maybe you can put a link to great thread on the sources proving the Abhidhamma and Commentaries.

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