Saṃyutta Nikāya:
IV. Saḷāyatana Vagga
35: Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta
Paññāsako Dutiyo
3. Gilāna Vagga
Sutta 80
Avijjā Suttaṃ
Blindness
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
[1][pts][than][bodh] I Hear Tell:
Once upon a time in Sāvatthī another bhikkhu drew near to The Lucky Man.
Drawing near,
he saluted and exchanged greetings with Bhagava
and took a seat to one side.
Seated to one side then,
this beggar asked The Lucky Man this:
"Is there, bhante, one thing,
which when let go by a beggar,
blindness is let go,
vision is born?"
"There is, beggar, one thing,
which when let go by a beggar,
blindness is let go,
vision is born."
"Following up, Bhante,
what one thing
which when let go by a beggar,
is blindness let go,
vision born?"
"Here, beggar, a beggar has heard:
'All things[1] are hollow over-indulgences.'
Thus having heard, beggar, that:
'All things are hollow over-indulgences,'
he understands all things,
comprehends all things,
thoroughly knows all things,
sees all signs[2] as 'alien.'[3]
He sees the eye as alien,
sees forms as alien,
sees eye-consciousness as alien,
sees eye-contact as alien,
whatever pleasure or
pain or
not-painful-but-not-pleasant
born as a result of eye-contact,
sees that too as alien.
He sees the ear as alien,
sees sounds as alien,
sees ear-consciousness as alien,
sees ear-contact as alien,
whatever pleasure or
pain or
not-painful-but-not-pleasant
born as a result of ear-contact,
sees that too as alien.
He sees the nose as alien,
sees scents as alien,
sees nose-consciousness as alien,
sees nose-contact as alien,
whatever pleasure or
pain or
not-painful-but-not-pleasant
born as a result of nose-contact,
sees that too as alien.
He sees the tongue as alien,
sees flavours as alien,
sees tongue-consciousness as alien,
sees tongue-contact as alien,
whatever pleasure or
pain or
not-painful-but-not-pleasant
born as a result of tongue-contact,
sees that too as alien.
■
He sees the body as alien,
sees touch as alien,
sees body-consciousness as alien,
sees body-contact as alien,
whatever pleasure or
pain or
not-painful-but-not-pleasant
born as a result of body-contact,
sees that too as alien.
■
He sees the mind as alien,
sees things[4] as alien,
sees mind-consciousness as alien,
sees mind-contact as alien,
whatever pleasure or
pain or
not-painful-but-not-pleasant
born as a result of mind-contact,
sees that too as alien.
Thus knowing then, beggar,
in a beggar thus seeing
blindness is let go,
vision is born".
[1] Meaning 'endeavors.'
[2] Nimittā. Signs, indications, marks, signatures. Of any thing.
[3] Aññato, Another. Woodward has translated the word 'aññato' by 'changeable'. This is, with a certain amount of contortion, not incorrect, but misses the idea which is that the eye, etc. should be regarded as 'alien'. That is other than the self or one's own. One can regard a thing as changeable but still regard it as one's own or one's self. Bhk. Bodhi has 'differently'; Bhk. Thanissaro: 'something separate'. Something different or separate can also be regarded as one's own.
[4] Dhammas. All things. The mind here being spoken of is the mind of the individual which acts as a sense organ in this case receiving its sense-stimula from the other sense-organs and memory (mind perceiving mental objects).
