The Connected Discourses of the Buddha
Page 99
“Understood, Blessed One! Understood, Fortunate One!”
“In what way, bhikkhu, do you understand in detail the meaning of what was stated by me in brief?”
“In seeking delight in form, venerable sir, one is bound by Māra; by not seeking delight in it one is freed from the Evil One. In seeking delight in feeling … in perception … in volitional formations … in consciousness one is bound by Māra; by not seeking delight in it one is freed from the Evil One. [76]
“It is in such a way, venerable sir, that I understand in detail the meaning of what was stated by the Blessed One in brief.”
“Good, good, bhikkhu! It is good that you understand in detail the meaning of what was stated by me in brief. In seeking delight in form, bhikkhu, one is bound by Māra … (as above in full) … by not seeking delight in it one is freed from the Evil One. It is in such a way that the meaning of what was stated by me in brief should be understood in detail.”
… And that bhikkhu became one of the arahants.
66 (4) Impermanent
At Sāvatthī. Then a certain bhikkhu approached the Blessed One … and said to him:
“Venerable sir, it would be good if the Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma in brief….”
“Bhikkhu, you should abandon desire for whatever is impermanent.”
“Understood, Blessed One! Understood, Fortunate One!”
“In what way, bhikkhu, do you understand in detail the meaning of what was stated by me in brief?”
“Form, venerable sir, is impermanent; I should abandon desire for it. Feeling is impermanent … Perception is impermanent … Volitional formations are impermanent … Consciousness is impermanent; I should abandon desire for it.
“It is in such a way, venerable sir, that I understand in detail the meaning of what was stated by the Blessed One in brief.”
“Good, good, bhikkhu! It is good that you understand in detail the meaning of what was stated by me in brief. Form is impermanent … Consciousness is impermanent; you should abandon desire for it. It is in such a way that the meaning of what was stated by me in brief should be understood in detail.” [77]
… And that bhikkhu became one of the arahants.
67 (5) Suffering
(Opening as in preceding sutta:)
… “Bhikkhu, you should abandon desire for whatever is suffering.” …
68 (6) Nonself
… “Bhikkhu, you should abandon desire for whatever is nonself.” … [78]
69 (7) What Does Not Belong to Self
… “Bhikkhu, you should abandon desire for whatever does not belong to self.”… [79]
70 (8) Whatever Appears Tantalizing
… “Bhikkhu, you should abandon desire for whatever appears tantalizing.”…
71 (9) Rādha
At Sāvatthī. Then the Venerable Rādha approached the Blessed One, [80] paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:98
“Venerable sir, how should one know, how should one see so that, in regard to this body with consciousness and in regard to all external signs, I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit no longer occur within?”
“Any kind of form whatsoever, Rādha, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near—one sees all form as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’
“Any kind of feeling whatsoever … Any kind of perception whatsoever … Any kind of volitional formations whatsoever … Any kind of consciousness whatsoever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near—one sees all consciousness as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’
“When one knows and sees thus, Rādha, then in regard to this body with consciousness and in regard to all external signs, I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit no longer occur within.”
Then the Venerable Rādha … became one of the arahants.
72 (10) Surādha
At Sāvatthī. Then the Venerable Surādha approached the Blessed One … and said to him:
“Venerable sir, how should one know, how should one see so that, in regard to this body with consciousness and in regard to all external signs, the mind is rid of I-making, mine-making, and conceit, has transcended discrimination, and is peaceful and well liberated?”
“Any kind of form whatsoever, Surādha, whether past, future, or present … far or near—having seen all form as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self,’ one is liberated by nonclinging.
“Any kind of feeling whatsoever … Any kind of perception whatsoever … Any kind of volitional formations whatsoever … [81] Any kind of consciousness whatsoever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near—having seen all consciousness as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self,’ one is liberated by nonclinging.
“When one knows and sees thus, Surādha, then in regard to this body with consciousness and in regard to all external signs, the mind is rid of I-making, mine-making, and conceit, has transcended discrimination, and is peaceful and well liberated.”
Then the Venerable Surādha … became one of the arahants.
III. BEING DEVOURED
73 (1) Gratification
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, the uninstructed worldling does not understand as it really is the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.
“But, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple [82] understands as it really is the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.”
74 (2) Origin (1)
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, the uninstructed worldling does not understand as it really is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.
“But, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple understands as it really is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.”
75 (3) Origin (2)
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple understands as it really is the origin and the passing away, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.”
76 (4) Arahants (1)
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, form is impermanent. What is impermanent is suffering. What is suffering is nonself. What is nonself [83] should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ “Feeling is impermanent…. Perception is impermanent…. Volitional formations are impermanent…. Consciousness is impermanent. What is impermanent is suffering. What is suffering is nonself. What is nonself should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’
“Seeing thus, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple experiences revulsion towards form, revulsion towards feeling, revulsion towards perception, revulsion towards volitional formations, revulsion towards consciousness. Experiencing revulsion, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion [his mind] is liberated. When it is liberated there comes the knowledge: ‘It’s liberated.’ He understands: ‘Destroyed is birth, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.’
“To whatever extent, bhikkhus, there are abodes of beings, even up to the pinnacle of existence,99 these are the foremost in the world, these are the best, that is, the arahants.”
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the F
ortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:“Happy indeed are the arahants!
No craving can be found in them.
Cut off is the conceit ‘I am,’
Burst asunder is delusion’s net.
“They have reached the unstirred state,100
Limpid are their minds;
They are unsullied in the world—
The holy ones, without taints.
“Having fully understood the five aggregates,
Ranging in the seven good qualities,101
Those praiseworthy superior men
Are the Buddha’s bosom sons.
“Endowed with the seven gems,
Trained in the threefold training,102
Those great heroes wander about
With fear and trembling abandoned.
“Endowed with the ten factors,
Those great nāgas, concentrated,
Are the best beings in the world:
No craving can be found in them.103
“The adepts’ knowledge has arisen in them:
‘This body is the last I bear.’
In regard to the core of the holy life
They no longer depend on others. [84]
“They do not waver in discrimination,104
They are released from renewed existence.
Having reached the stage of the tamed,
They are the victors in the world.
“Above, across, and below,
Delight is no more found in them.
They boldly sound their lion’s roar:
‘The enlightened are supreme in the world.’”
77 (5) Arahants (2)
(This sutta is identical with the preceding one except that the verses are omitted.)
78 (6) The Lion
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, in the evening the lion, the king of beasts, comes out from his lair. Having come out, he stretches himself, surveys the four quarters all around, and roars his lion’s roar three times. Then he sets out in search of game. [85]
“When the lion, the king of beasts, roars, whatever animals hear the sound are for the most part filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror. Those who live in holes enter their holes; those who live in the water enter the water; those who live in the woods enter the woods; and the birds fly up into the air. Even those royal bull elephants, bound by strong thongs in the villages, towns, and capital cities, burst and break their bonds asunder; frightened, they urinate and defecate and flee here and there. So powerful, bhikkhus, is the lion, the king of beasts, among the animals, so majestic and mighty.
“So too, bhikkhus, 105 when the Tathāgata arises in the world, an arahant, perfectly enlightened, accomplished in true knowledge and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One, he teaches the Dhamma thus: ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away; such is feeling … such is perception … such are volitional formations … such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away.’106
“Then, bhikkhus, when those devas who are long-lived, beautiful, abounding in happiness, dwelling for a long time in lofty palaces, hear the Tathāgata’s teaching of the Dhamma, they are for the most part filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror, [saying]: ‘It seems, sir, that we are impermanent, though we thought ourselves permanent; it seems, sir, that we are unstable, though we thought ourselves stable; it seems, sir, that we are noneternal, though we thought ourselves eternal. It seems, sir, that we are impermanent, unstable, noneternal, included within identity.’107 So powerful, bhikkhus, is the Tathāgata over this world together with its devas, so majestic and mighty.”
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this: [86]“When the Buddha, through direct knowledge,
Sets in motion the Wheel of Dhamma,
The peerless Teacher in this world
With its devas [makes this known]:
“The cessation of identity
And the origin of identity,
Also the Noble Eightfold Path
That leads to suffering’s appeasement.
“Then those devas with long life spans,
Beautiful, ablaze with glory,
Are struck with fear, filled with terror,
Like beasts who hear the lion’s roar.
“‘We’ve not transcended identity;
It seems, sir, we’re impermanent,’
[So they say] having heard the utterance
Of the Arahant, the released Stable One.”
79 (7) Being Devoured
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, those ascetics and brahmins who recollect their manifold past abodes all recollect the five aggregates subject to clinging or a certain one among them.108 What five?
“When recollecting thus, bhikkhus: ‘I had such form in the past,’ it is just form that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such a feeling in the past,’ it is just feeling that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such a perception in the past,’ it is just perception that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such volitional formations in the past,’ it is just volitional formations that one recollects. When recollecting: ‘I had such consciousness in the past,’ it is just consciousness that one recollects.
“And why, bhikkhus, do you call it form?109 ‘It is deformed,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called form.110 Deformed by what? Deformed by cold, deformed by heat, deformed by hunger, deformed by thirst, deformed by contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and serpents. ‘It is deformed,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called form.
“And why, bhikkhus, do you call it feeling? ‘It feels,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called feeling.111 And what does it feel? It feels pleasure, it feels pain, [87] it feels neither-pain-nor-pleasure. ‘It feels,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called feeling.
“And why, bhikkhus, do you call it perception? ‘It perceives,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called perception. And what does it perceive? It perceives blue, it perceives yellow, it perceives red, it perceives white. ‘It perceives,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called perception.
“And why, bhikkhus, do you call them volitional formations? ‘They construct the conditioned,’ bhikkhus, therefore they are called volitional formations.112 And what is the conditioned that they construct? They construct conditioned form as form;113 they construct conditioned feeling as feeling; they construct conditioned perception as perception; they construct conditioned volitional formations as volitional formations; they construct conditioned consciousness as consciousness. ‘They construct the conditioned,’ bhikkhus, therefore they are called volitional formations.
“And why, bhikkhus, do you call it consciousness? ‘It cognizes, ’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called consciousness. And what does it cognize? It cognizes sour, it cognizes bitter, it cognizes pungent, it cognizes sweet, it cognizes sharp, it cognizes mild, it cognizes salty, it cognizes bland. ‘It cognizes,’ bhikkhus, therefore it is called consciousness.114
“Therein, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple reflects thus: ‘I am now being devoured by form.115 In the past too I was devoured by form in the very same way that I am now being devoured by present form. If I were to seek delight in future form, then in the future too I shall be devoured by form in the very same way that I am now being devoured by present form.’ Having reflected thus, he becomes indifferent towards past form, he does not seek delight in future form, and he is practising for revulsion towards present form, for its fading away and cessation.
“[He reflects thus:] ‘I am now being devoured by feeling.’ … [88] … ‘I am now being devoured by perception.’ … ‘I am now being devoured by volitional formations.’ … ‘I am now being devoured by consciousness. In the past too I was devoured by consciousness in the very same way that I am now being devoured by present consciousness. If I were to seek delight in future consciousness, then in the future too I shall be devoured by consciousness in the ve
ry same way that I am now being devoured by present consciousness.’ Having reflected thus, he becomes indifferent towards past consciousness, he does not seek delight in future consciousness, and he is practising for revulsion towards present consciousness, for its fading away and cessation.
“What do you think, bhikkhus, is form permanent or impermanent? … Is feeling … perception … volitional formations … [89] consciousness permanent or impermanent?”116 - “Impermanent, venerable sir.” - “Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?” - “Suffering, venerable sir.” - “Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?” - “No, venerable sir.”