Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
24. Diṭṭhi Saṃyutta
1. Sotāpatti Vagga
The Constituent Aspects of Individuality
Sutta 1
Vāta Suttaṃ
Wind
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.
There then The Lucky Man addressed the beggars, saying:
"Beggars!"
And the beggars responding "Bhante!"
The Lucky Man said this to them:
"There being what, beggars,
bound to what
adhering to what
does this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'?"
"For us Bhante,
things are best resorted to
rooted in The Lucky Man,
channeled through The Lucky Man.
It would be good, Bhante,
if further explanation of this point
were given by The Lucky Man.
That which is said
by the Lucky Man
will be held in memory
by the beggars."
"Then give ear, beggars,
pay good attention!
I will speak!"
Then, the beggars saying
"Even so, Bhante!"
in response,
the Lucky Man said this to them:
"There being form, beggars,
bound to form,
adhering to form,
even thus does this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'
There being sense-experience, beggars,
bound to sense-experience,
adhering to sense-experience,
even thus does this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'
There being perception, beggars,
bound to perception,
adhering to perception,
even thus does this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'
There being own-making, beggars,
bound to own-making,
adhering to own-making,
even thus does this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'
There being consciousness, beggars,
bound to consciousness,
adhering to consciousness,
even thus does this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'
■
What do you think, beggars?
Is form permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent —
painful or
pleasant?"
"Unpleasant, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent,
painful,
a thing subject to change —
without being bound to that —
can this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'?"
"No indeed, Bhante."
■
"Is sense-experience permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent —
painful or
pleasant?"
"Unpleasant, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent,
painful,
a thing subject to change —
without being bound to that —
can this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'?"
"No indeed, Bhante."
■
"Is perception permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent —
painful or
pleasant?"
"Unpleasant, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent,
painful,
a thing subject to change —
without being bound to that —
can this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'?"
"No indeed, Bhante."
■
"Is own-making permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent —
painful or
pleasant?"
"Unpleasant, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent,
painful,
a thing subject to change —
without being bound to that —
can this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'?"
"No indeed, Bhante."
■
"Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent —
painful or
pleasant?"
"Unpleasant, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent,
painful,
a thing subject to change —
without being bound to that —
can this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'?"
"No indeed, Bhante."
■
"That which is seen,
heard,
sensed,
cognized,
attained,
yearned after,
pondered over in mind —
is that permanent
or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent —
painful or
pleasant?"
"Unpleasant, Bhante."
"That which is impermanent,
painful,
a thing subject to change —
without being bound to that —
can this view arise:
'There blows no wind,
no rivers flow,
no pregnant woman gives birth,
no moon or sun rises or sets,
they stand,
as stable as a pillar.'?"
"No indeed, Bhante."
§
"So then, beggars,
when in the student of the aristocrats
doubt as to these six positions[1] has been abandoned,
doubt as to pain[2] has been abandoned,
doubt as to the arising of pain[3] has been abandoned,
doubt as to the ending of pain[4] has been abandoned,
doubt as to the walk-to-walk to the ending of pain[5] has been abandoned —
this is said to be, beggars,
a student of the aristocrats
a stream-winner
one aimed at self-awakening."
[1] The five khandhas and that which is seen, heard, sensed, intuited, attained, yearned after, pondered over in mind.
[2] The first Aristocratic Truth: Whatever has come to be all that will come to an end. All own-made things are transient and painful in that they come to an end.
[3] Pain arises as a result of thirst for personal experience of sense pleasures through identification with the intent to create such by way of thought, word and deed.
[4] The ending of pain is achieved by the ending of thirst.
[5] The walk-to-walk is the Aristocratic Multidimensional High Way:Ariyo Aṭṭhaṇgiko Magga.
[1] Sammā Diṭṭhi: Consummate view:
This is pain.
The origin of this pain is thirst.
The ending of this pain is the ending of thirst.
The walk-to-walk to the ending of this pain is the Aristocratic Multi-Dimensional High Way:
consummate view, consummate principles, consummate talk, consummate works, consummate lifestyle, consummate self-control, consummate mind, consummate serenity, consummate vision, consummate detachment.
[2] Sammā Sankappa: Consummate Principles: let it go, inflict no mental harm, inflict no physical pain.
[3] Sammā Vaca: Consummate Talk: let go of lies, malicious speech, gossip, slander, harsh speech.
[4] Sammā Kammanta: Consummate Works: abstain from intentional taking of life, theft, giving up ethical conduct in the pursuit of pleasure; in one's commerce, mantras, or acts of thought, speech, or body.
[5] Sammā Ajiva: Consummate Lifestyle: consummate Lifestyle is the style or process of living in accordance with this system. Identifying an element of one's lifestyle that is clearly seen by one's self as low, harmful, detrimental to one's self or others one abandons it, lets it go, drops it, renounces it, restrains it, eradicates it.
[6] Sammā Vayama: Consummate Self-control, restrain low conditions that are present in this visible thing, refrain from low conditions that are not yet present in this visible thing, retain high conditions that are present in this visible thing, and obtain high conditions that are not yet present in this visible thing.
[7] Sammā Sati: Consummate Mind: Live in a body, in sense experience, mental states, and in the Dhamma, seeing bodies, sense experience, mental states, and the Dhamma, as they really are, seeing how they come to be, seeing how they burn out, living above it all, without carelessness, insightful and calmed down, overcoming any hunger and thirst that may appear, downbound to nothing at all in the world.
[8] Sammā Samādhi: Consummate Serenity: get high on the appreciation of the peace and calm of solitude, get high on getting high, get high with ease, on the sweet sensations of ease, get high off the all round, clean clear through, bright shiny, radiance of detachment.
