Once[1] the Blessed One was living among the Bhaggas in the Deer Park at Bhesakala Grove, near Crocodile Haunt. At that time Ven. Maha Moggallana[2] sat nodding near the village of Kallavalaputta, in Magadha.
The Blessed One, with his purified divine eye, surpassing the human,
saw Ven. Maha Moggallana as he sat nodding near the village of
Kallavalaputta, in Magadha. As soon as he saw this — just as a strong
man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm — he
disappeared from among the Bhaggas in the Deer Park at Bhesakala Grove,
near Crocodile Haunt, and re-appeared near the village of
Kallavalaputta, in Magadha, right in front of Ven. Maha Moggallana.
There he sat down on a prepared seat. As he was sitting there, the
Blessed One said to Ven. Maha Moggallana, “Are you nodding, Moggallana?
Are you nodding?”

“Yes, lord.”

“Well then, Moggallana, whatever perception you have in mind when
drowsiness descends on you, don’t attend to that perception, don’t
pursue it. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your
drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then
recall to your awareness the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized
it, re-examine it & ponder it over in your mind. It’s possible that
by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then
repeat aloud in detail the Dhamma as you have heard & memorized it.
It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then pull
both your earlobes and rub your limbs with your hands. It’s possible
that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then get
up from your seat and, after washing your eyes out with water, look
around in all directions and upward to the major stars &
constellations. It’s possible that by doing this you will shake off your
drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then
attend to the perception of light, resolve on the perception of daytime,
[dwelling] by night as by day, and by day as by night. By means of an
awareness thus open & unhampered, develop a brightened mind. It’s
possible that by doing this you will shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then —
percipient of what lies in front & behind — set a distance to
meditate walking back & forth, your senses inwardly immersed, your
mind not straying outwards. It’s possible that by doing this you will
shake off your drowsiness.

“But if by doing this you don’t shake off your drowsiness, then —
reclining on your right side — take up the lion’s posture, one foot
placed on top of the other, mindful, alert, with your mind set on
getting up. As soon as you wake up, get up quickly, with the thought, ‘I
won’t stay indulging in the pleasure of lying down, the pleasure of
reclining, the pleasure of drowsiness.’ That is how you should train
yourself.

“Furthermore, Moggallana, should you train yourself: ‘I will not visit families with my pride[3]
lifted high.’ That is how you should train yourself. Among families
there are many jobs that have to be done, so that people don’t pay
attention to a visiting monk. If a monk visits them with his trunk
lifted high, the thought will occur to him, ‘Now who, I wonder, has
caused a split between me and this family? The people seem to have no
liking for me.’ Getting nothing, he becomes abashed. Abashed, he becomes
restless. Restless, he becomes unrestrained. Unrestrained, his mind is
far from concentration.

“Furthermore, Moggallana, should you train yourself: ‘I will speak no
confrontational speech.’ That is how you should train yourself. When
there is confrontational speech, a lot of discussion can be expected.
When there is a lot of discussion, there is restlessness. One who is
restless becomes unrestrained. Unrestrained, his mind is far from
concentration.

“It’s not the case, Moggallana, that I praise association of every
sort. But it’s not the case that I dispraise association of every sort. I
don’t praise association with householders and renunciates. But as for
dwelling places that are free from noise, free from sound, their
atmosphere devoid of people, appropriately secluded for resting
undisturbed by human beings: I praise association with dwelling places
of this sort.”

When this was said, Ven. Moggallana said to the Blessed One:
“Briefly, lord, in what respect is a monk released through the ending of
craving, utterly complete, utterly free from bonds, a follower of the
utterly holy life, utterly consummate: foremost among human &
heavenly beings?”

“There is the case, Moggallana, where a monk has heard, ‘All
phenomena are unworthy of attachment.’ Having heard that all phenomena
are unworthy of attachment, he fully knows all things. Fully knowing all
things, he fully comprehends all things. Fully comprehending all
things, then whatever feeling he experiences — pleasure, pain, neither
pleasure nor pain — he remains focused on inconstancy, focused on
dispassion, focused on cessation, focused on relinquishing with regard
to that feeling. As he remains focused on inconstancy, focused on
dispassion, focused on cessation, focused on relinquishing with regard
to that feeling, he is unsustained by[4]
anything in the world. Unsustained, he is not agitated. Unagitated, he
is unbound right within. He discerns: ‘Birth is ended, the holy life
fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.’

“It is in this respect, Moggallana, that a monk, in brief, is
released through the ending of craving, utterly complete, utterly free
from bonds, a follower of the utterly holy life, utterly consummate:
foremost among human & heavenly beings.”