➥ nandi and nandati.

• for nandati:
  • to rejoice
• for nandi:
  • spiritually fettering delight
• for dhammanandi:
  • righteous spiritually fettering delight
• nandati: rejoice
• nandasi: rejoice
• dhammanandiyā: righteous spiritually fettering delight
• nandī: spiritually fettering delight

Renderings for nandi

Nandi has been called:

• PED: ‘joy, enjoyment, pleasure, delight in.’
• Norman: enjoyment (Snp 1115; 1055), joy (Snp 1101; 637), pleasure (Snp 175).
• Bodhi: delight (MN iii 32, SN ii 101, AN ii 11).

Nandi is spiritually fettering

We say nandi is ‘spiritually fettering’ for four reasons:

1) Through its association with saṁyojana (‘bond [to individual existence]’):

• Tethered [to individual existence] by the bond of spiritually fettering delight, Migajāla, a bhikkhu is called ‘one living with a partner.’

nandisaṁyojanasaṁyutto kho migajāla bhikkhu sadutiyavihārī ti vuccati. Taṇhā hissa dutiyā sāssa appahīnā tasmā sadutiya vihārīti vuccati. (SN iv 36)

2) Through its association with upadānaṁ (‘grasping’):

• Spiritually fettering delight in sense impression is grasping.

Yā vedanāsu nandī tadupadānaṁ. (MN i 266)

3) Through its association with saṁyojano (‘bond’):

• Spiritually fettering delight is the bond of the world [by which it is tethered to individual existence].

Nandi saṁyojano loko. (Snp 1109)

4) Through its association with rāgo (‘attachment’):

• When there is spiritually fettering delight, there is attachment.

nandiyā sati sārāgo hoti. (SN iv 36)

The objects of nandi

Spiritually fettering delight is usually associated with attractive objects, but sometimes with hostile attitudes, as follows:

• spiritually fettering delight in sensuous pleasure

kāmanandi. (AN ii 10)

• spiritually fettering delight in views

diṭṭhinandi. (AN ii 10)

• spiritually fettering delight in individual existence

bhavanandi. (AN ii 10)

• spiritually fettering delight in ill will

vyāpādanandī. (AN iii 245)

• spiritually fettering delight in maliciousness

vihesānandī. (AN iii 245)

• spiritually fettering delight in the refined material states of awareness

rūpanandī. (AN iii 246)

• spiritually fettering delight in personal identity

sakkāyanandī. (AN iii 246)

Dhammanandi: in those who practise the teaching

Spiritually fettering delight has a righteous form, dhammanandi (righteous spiritually fettering delight) that occurs in those who practise the teaching, and, according to this quote, would be equivalent to clinging:

• Thus the teaching explained by me is comparable to a raft, being for the sake of crossing [the flood of suffering], not for the sake of clinging to it. When you know that the teaching explained by me is comparable to a raft, you should abandon even what is righteous, how much more so what is unrighteous.

evameva kho bhikkhave kullūpamo mayā dhammo desito nittharaṇatthāya no gahaṇatthāya. Kullūpamaṁ vo bhikkhave dhammaṁ desitaṁ ājānantehi dhammā pi vo pahātabbā pageva adhammā. (MN i 135)

For example, see Illustrations below.

Nandati: not always unwholesome

The verb nandati is not always unwholesome. For example, though an unvirtuous bhikkhu rejoices (nandati) in schism, a sympathetic friend rejoices (nandati) in your good fortune.

Illustration: nandi, spiritually fettering delight

Whatever you know, above, below, across, and also in the middle, having thrust away spiritually fettering delight and attachment regarding these things, your stream of consciousness would not remain in existence.

Yaṁ kiñci sampajānāsi uddhaṁ adho tiriyañcāpi majjhe etesu nandiñca nivesanañca panujja viññāṇaṁ bhave na tiṭṭhe. (Snp 1055)

He takes delight in bodily form, welcomes it, and persists in cleaving to it.

rūpaṁ abhinandati abhivadati ajjhosāya tiṭṭhati

In so doing, spiritually fettering delight arises.

tassa rūpaṁ abhinandato abhivadato ajjhosāya tiṭṭhato uppajjati nandi

Spiritually fettering delight in bodily form is grasping.

Yā rūpe nandi tadupādānaṁ. (SN iii 14)

1) And how does one pursue the past? One thinks: ‘Such was my bodily form in the past, and thereby nurtures spiritually fettering delight.

Kathañca bhikkhave atītaṁ anvāgameti. Evaṁrūpo ahosiṁ atītamaddhānanti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti. (MN iii 188)

2) How does one long for the future? One thinks: ‘May my bodily form be thus in the future, and thereby nurtures spiritually fettering delight.

Katañcānanda anāgataṁ paṭikaṅkhati. Evaṁrūpo siyaṁ anāgatamaddhānanti tattha nandiṁ samanvāneti. (MN iii 188)

What is the noble truth of the origin of suffering?

dukkhasamudayo ariyasaccaṁ

It is this craving that leads to renewed states of individual existence, accompanied by spiritually fettering delight and attachment, taking delight in this and that, namely craving for sensuous pleasure, craving for states of individual existence, and craving for the cessation of states of individual existence.

yāyaṁ taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā tatra tatrābhinandinī seyyathīdaṁ kāmataṇhā bhavataṇhā vibhavataṇhā. Idaṁ vuccatāvuso dukkhasamudayo ariyasaccaṁ. (MN iii 251)

➥ nandati: (main article see: nandi)

Illustration: nandati, rejoice

In this world he rejoices, having passed on he rejoices; the doer of meritorious deeds rejoices in both places. He rejoices in the thought of having done meritorious deeds. He further rejoices having gone to heaven.

Idha nandati pecca nandati katapuñño ubhayattha nandati;
Puññaṁ me katan ti nandati bhiyyo nandati sugatiṁ gato. (Dhp 18)

An enemy does not rejoice in an enemy’s

na bhikkhave sapatto sapattassa

• good looks vaṇṇavatāya nandati
• happy sleep sukhaseyyāya nandati
• prosperity pacuratthatāya nandatī
• wealth bhogavatāya nandati
• prestige yasavatāya nandati
• popularity mittavatāya nandati
• going to heaven sugatigamanena nandati.

(AN iv 94)

The sympathetic friend is seen as loyal in four ways

• he does not rejoice in your misfortune

abhavenassa na nandati

• he rejoices in your good fortune

bhavenassa nandati. (DN iii 187)

An unvirtuous bhikkhu rejoices in schism in the community of bhikkhus

pāpabhikkhu saṅghabhedena nandati. (AN ii 240)

➥ nandasi: (main article see: nandi)

Illustration: nandasi, rejoice; nandi, spiritually fettering delight

• Do you rejoice, ascetic?

Nandasi samaṇā ti?

• Having gained what, friend?

Kiṁ laddhā āvuso ti?

• Well, do you grieve, then?

Tena hi samaṇa socasī ti?

• What is lost, friend?

Kiṁ jīyittha āvuso ti?

• Then do you neither rejoice nor grieve, ascetic?

Tena hi samaṇa neva nandasi neva socasī ti?

• That’s it, friend.

Evamāvuso ti.

• I hope you’re rid of spiritual defilement, bhikkhu; I hope no spiritually fettering delight is found in you; I hope when you sit alone that disgruntlement [with the celibate life] does not overwhelm you.

Kacci tvaṁ anigho bhikkhu kacci nandi na vijjati
Kacci taṁ ekamāsīnaṁ arati nābhikīratīti.

• Indeed, I am rid of spiritual defilement, deity; and no spiritually fettering delight is found in me. And when I am sitting alone, disgruntlement [with the celibate life] does not overwhelm me.

Anigho ve ahaṁ yakkha atho nandi na vijjati
Atho maṁ ekamāsīnaṁ arati nābhikīratīti. (SN i 54)

Comment:

If nandi is taken as unqualified ‘delight,’ as it usually is in translation, this would be hard to explain because the Buddha has said he takes delight in the woods (svāhaṁ vane nibbanatho visallo eko rame aratiṁ vippahāyā ti, SN i 180) and said that the wise man should be delighted in the woods (dhīro vanante ramito siyā, Snp 709-710). Venerable Revata said the bhikkhu who would illuminate the Gosinga Grove would be one who takes pleasure and delight in solitary retreat (paṭisallāṇārāmo hoti paṭisallāṇarato MN i 213). Taking delight in solitude (suññāgāre abhirati) is regarded as a supernormal attainment.

➥ dhammanandiyā: (main article see: nandi)

Illustration: dhammanandiyā, righteous spiritually fettering delight

Ānanda, what is the path and practice to abandon the five ties to individual existence in the low plane of existence?

Katamo cānanda maggo katamā paṭipadā pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ pahānāya?

A bhikkhu enters first jhāna; whatever of the khandhas there, he sees as aniccato dukkhato rogato gaṇḍato sallato aghato ābādhato parato palokato suññato anattato.

He averts his mind from those states.

So tehi dhammehi cittaṁ paṭivāpeti

and focuses his mind on the immortal phenomenon

so tehi dhammehi cittaṁ paṭivāpetvā amatāya dhātuyā cittaṁ upasaṁharati

“This is peaceful, this is sublime, namely the quelling of all originated phenomena, the relinquishment of the whole phenomenon of attachment, the destruction of craving, the passing away [of originated phenomena], the ending [of originated phenomena], the Untroubled.

etaṁ santaṁ etaṁ paṇītaṁ yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānan ti.

Established therein, he attains the destruction of perceptually obscuring states.

So tattha ṭhito āsavānaṁ khayaṁ pāpuṇāti;

If he does not attain the destruction of perceptually obscuring states, then because of

• that righteous attachment,

teneva dhammarāgena

• that righteous spiritually fettering delight

tāya dhammanandiyā

with the destruction of the five ties to individual existence in the low plane of existence, he arises spontaneously [in the higher planes of existence], there to attain nibbāna-without-residue, never to return from those worlds (anāvattidhammo tasmā lokā). (MN i 435-7, AN iv 421)

➥ nandī: (main article see: nandi)

Illustration: nandī, spiritually fettering delight

Friends, there are these three types of sense impression. What three? Pleasant sense impression, unpleasant sense impression, and neutral sense impression. These three types of sense impression, friends, are unlasting; whatever is unlasting is intrinsically unsatisfactory. When this was understood, spiritually fettering delight in sense impression no longer remained present in me.’

tisso kho imā āvuso vedanā katamā tisso? Sukhā vedanā dukkhā vedanā adukkhamasukhā vedanā imā kho āvuso tisso vedanā aniccā. Yadaniccaṁ taṁ dukkhan ti viditaṁ. Yā vedanāsu nandī sā na upaṭṭhāsī ti. Evaṁ puṭṭhohaṁ bhante evaṁ vyākareyyanti. (SN ii 53)