Majjhima Nikāya
III. Upari-Paṇṇāsa
1. Devadaha Vagga
Sacred Books of the Buddhists
Volume VI
Dialogues of the Buddha
Part V
Further Dialogues of the Buddha
Volume II
Translated from the Pali
by Lord Chalmers, G.C.B.
Sometime Governor of Ceylon
London
Humphrey Milford
Oxford University Press
1927
Public Domain
Sutta 109
Mahā Puṇṇama Suttaɱ
The Personality Craze
[1][pts][than][upal] THUS have I heard:
Once when the Lord was staying in the palace of Migāra's mother
in the Old Pleasaunce at Sāvatthī,
the Lord was seated,
as it was the sabbath of the full moon,
with the Confraternity around him in the moonlight,
when an Almsman arose
and respectfully asked
if he might put a question to the Lord.
Bidden to resume his seat
and put his question,
that Almsman said to the Lord: -
Are there, sir, five factors of attachment, -
[16] to wit,
form,
feeling,
perception,
the constituents
and consciousness.
Yes.
To his grateful thanks
the Almsman added the further question: -
From what root do these five factors grow?
From desire.
Is attachment identical
with the factors of attachment.
Or is there attachment
apart from the factors?
The answer to the first part of your question is in the negative,
and in the affirmative to the second part.
The passion of desire in the factors
constitutes attachment.
Does that passion of desire, sir,
vary in the five factors?
It does.
Take a man whose thought is
in the hereafter either to have
this or that form,
or these or those feelings,
or these or those perceptions,
or these or those constituents,
or this or that consciousness, -
this is how the passion of desire
varies in the five factors of attachment.
How far, sir,
can the factors be defined?
The form-factor
is any form -
[17] the feeling-factor is any feeling -
the perception-factor is any perception -
the constituents-factor is any constituent -
and the consciousness-factor is any consciousness -
belonging to past,
future
or present,
internal or external,
gross [165] or delicate,
lowly or debonair,
far or near.
Thus far, Almsman,
can the factors be defined.
What is the cause and condition
for affirming each of these factors, respectively?
The four prime elements
(earth, water, fire and air)
are the cause and condition
for affirming the form-factor,
as is Contact (phassa)
for affirming the feeling-factor,
the perception-factor
and the constituents-factor.
The Name-and-Form of the individual
(nāma-rūpa) are the cause and condition
for affirming the consciousness-factor.
How does the Personality view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) come about?
Take the case of the uninstructed everyday man
who has no vision of the Noble Ones
and is unversed and untrained in the Doctrine of the Noble Ones,
who has no vision of the Excellent Ones
and is unversed and untrained in the Doctrine of the Excellent Ones;
-such a one views form as Self,
or Self as possessing form,
or form in Self,
or Self in form.
He does the same with feeling and perception,
with the constituents
and with consciousness.
[18] This is how the Personality view comes about.
How does it not come about?
Take the case of an instructed disciple of the Noble Ones,
who has got vision of the Noble Ones
and is versed and trained in their Doctrine,
who has got vision of the Excellent Ones
and is versed and trained in their Doctrine;
such a one does not view form as Self,
nor Self as possessing form,
nor form in Self,
nor Self in form.
He behaves similarly
with feeling and perception,
with the constituents and with consciousness.
This is how the Personality view does not come about.
What is the satisfaction,
what is the peril,
and what is the escape
in the case of each of the five, respectively?
The satisfaction in form
is the pleasure and content that arises from form.
The fact that form is fleeting,
charged with Ill
and subject to change
is form's peril.
[166] The removal and discarding
of the passion of desire for form
is the escape from form.
And the same applies to feeling and the rest.
What must a man know and see
in order that,
alike in his conscious body
and externally in phenomena in general,
there should not come about
a trend to pride in 'I' and 'mine'?
He sees and fully knows,
causally and truly,
that no form whatsoever -
past present or future,[sic]
internal or external,
gross or delicate,
lowly or [19] debonair,
far or near -
is either 'mine'
or 'I'
or 'Self of mine.'
And this too he sees and knows
equally of feelings,
perceptions,
the constituents
and consciousness.
This is how that trend to pride does not come about.
Here to another Almsman's mind
there presented itself
the following consideration: -
So it appears that there is no Self in feeling
or perception
or the constituents
or in consciousness.
With what Self
will self-less happenings find contact?
Reading with his heart
that Almsman's heart and thoughts,
the Lord went on to say to the Almsmen: -
But the case may arise
that some foolish person,
without knowledge
and in his ignorance,
with a heart dominated by Craving,
may imagine the Master's teaching
is to be superseded by the idea that,
as it appears there is no Self in feeling
or in perception
or in the constituents
or in consciousness,
with what Self will self-less happenings find contact?
Now you, Almsmen,
who have been by me trained in causal sequence,
everywhere and in every thing, -
what do you say?
Is form permanent or transient?
Transient, sir.
Is the transient a weal or an Ill?
An Ill, sir.
Is it proper to regard
the transient Ill
which is the creature of change
as 'mine' or 'I' or 'my Self'?
No, sir.
Is it the same with feeling and the rest?
[20] Yes, sir.
Consequently,
you have to see and fully know,
[167] causally and truly,
that no form whatsoever -
no feeling whatsoever -
no perception whatsoever -
no constituents whatsoever -
no consciousness whatsoever -
be they past present or future,[sic]
internal or external,
gross or delicate,
lowly or debonair,
far or near, - is either 'mine' or 'I' or 'Self of mine.'
Seeing this clearly,
the instructed disciple of the Noble Ones
is aweary of form,
aweary of feeling,
aweary of perception,
aweary of the constituents,
and aweary of consciousness;
and,
being aweary,
comes to be passionless
and by passionlessness finds Deliverance;
being Delivered,
he comes to know his Deliverance in the conviction: -
Rebirth is no more;
I have lived the highest life;
my task is done;
and now for me there is no more of what 1 have been.
Thus spoke the Lord.
Glad at heart,
those Almsmen rejoiced in what the Lord had said.
During the course of this exposition,
the hearts of full sixty Almsmen
were by detachment
Delivered from the Cankers.
