(OPRC) Lesson 110 (January 8, 2026) | Dhammapada 92 | Bhante Dr. G. Chandima

                            

Dhammapda 92
(Sayings of the Dhamma)

Arahanta
(Fully liberated one)

92. Yesaṃ sannicayo natthi,
For whom there is no accumulation (no hoarding, no storing up).

Ye pariññāta bhojanā;
Who take food with full understanding (having comprehended food).

Suññato animitto ca,
(For whom) emptiness and the signless (liberation) are (their orientation),

Vimokkho yesaṃ gocaro;

Whose range (gocara) is liberation (vimokkha).

Ākāseva sakuntānaṃ,

Like birds in the sky,

Gati tesaṃ durannayā.

Their course (path, destination) is hard to trace.

Full Translation:

Those who do not accumulate anything, who take their food with full understanding, whose field of experience is liberation grounded in emptiness and the signless— like birds moving through the sky, their path cannot be traced.

Story: Belaṭṭhasīsa Thera Vatthu

Notes for Context:

1. Sañniccaya (accumulation or collecting) is twofold:

1. Kamma-sañniccaya – the accumulation of kamma through intentional actions.

2. Paccaya-sañniccaya – the accumulation of requisites (food, clothing, shelter, medicine).

2. Pariññāta-bhojana refers to taking food and drink with full understanding. This involves three modes of pariññā (complete understanding):

1. Ñāta-pariññā – understanding what the food consists of; knowing the elements and contents of what is consumed.

2. Tīraṇa-pariññā – understanding the danger of gluttony; critically examining craving and obsession related to eating and drinking.

3. Pahāna-pariññā – understanding the nature of kabaḷīkāra-āhāra (solid, nutriment food) and cultivating the abandonment of clinging to food and drink.

Through this practice, one weakens attachment and relates to food merely as a condition for sustaining the body, not as a source of indulgence.

3. Suññatā, animitta, and appaṇihita all point to understanding the nature of Nibbāna:

• Suññatā – Nibbāna is empty of self and self-related constructions.

• Animitta – Nibbāna is signless, free from marks and conceptual signals.

• Appaṇihita – Nibbāna is uninclined and unprojected; once awakened, there is no abiding in craving (rāga) or grasping.

Together, these teachings guide the practitioner from accumulation and consumption toward renunciation, insight, and final release.