Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
35. Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta
§ I: Mūla-Paññāsa
3. Sabba Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
4. The Book Called the Saḷāyatana-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the 'Six-Fold Sphere' of Sense and Other Subjects
35. Kindred Sayings the Sixfold Sphere of Sense
§ I: The First Fifty Suttas
3. The Chapter on The All
Sutta 31
Paṭhama Sappāya-Paṭipadā Suttaṃ
Helpful[1] (i)
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren."
"Lord," responded those brethren to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One said:
"I will show you, Brethren,
a way that is helpful
for uprooting all conceits.
Do ye listen to it.
What is that way
that is helpful
for uprooting all conceits?
Here, Brethren,
a brother has no conceits of being the eye
or in the eye
or coming from the eye.
He imagines not:
'I have an eye.'
He has no conceits of being an object
or in an object
or coming from an object.
He imagines not:
'I have an object.'
He has no conceits of being eye-consciousness
or in eye-consciousness
or coming from eye-consciousness.
He imagines not:
'I have eye-consciousness.'
He has no conceits of being eye-contact
or in eye-contact
or coming from eye-contact.
He imagines not:
'I have eye-contact.'
Whatever weal or woe or neutral state arises, experienced through eye-contact, -
he has no conceit of being that,
or in that
or coming from that,
thinking:
'That is mine.'
Whatever conceit one has, Brethren,
and by whatsoever means
and in whatsoever way,
in thinking:
'It is mine', -
therein is instability.
The world delights in becoming
because it is based on change,
because it is entangled in becoming.[2]
■
He has no conceits of being the ear
or in the ear
or coming from the ear.
He imagines not:
'I have an ear.'
He has no conceits of being a sound
or in a sound
or coming from a sound.
He imagines not:
'I have a sound.'
He has no conceits of being ear-consciousness
or in ear-consciousness
or coming from ear-consciousness.
He imagines not:
'I have ear-consciousness.'
He has no conceits of being ear-contact
or in ear-contact
or coming from ear-contact.
He imagines not:
'I have ear-contact.'
Whatever weal or woe or neutral state arises, experienced through ear-contact, -
he has no conceit of being that,
or in that
or coming from that,
thinking:
'That is mine.'
Whatever conceit one has, Brethren,
and by whatsoever means
and in whatsoever way,
in thinking:
'It is mine', -
therein is instability.
The world delights in becoming
because it is based on change,
because it is entangled in becoming.
■
He has no conceits of being the nose
or in the nose
or coming from the nose.
He imagines not:
'I have an nose.'
He has no conceits of being a scent
or in a scent
or coming from a scent.
He imagines not:
'I have a scent.'
He has no conceits of being nose-consciousness
or in nose-consciousness
or coming from nose-consciousness.
He imagines not:
'I have nose-consciousness.'
He has no conceits of being nose-contact
or in nose-contact
or coming from nose-contact.
He imagines not:
'I have nose-contact.'
Whatever weal or woe or neutral state arises, experienced through nose-contact, -
he has no conceit of being that,
or in that
or coming from that,
thinking:
'That is mine.'
Whatever conceit one has, Brethren,
and by whatsoever means
and in whatsoever way,
in thinking:
'It is mine', -
therein is instability.
The world delights in becoming
because it is based on change,
because it is entangled in becoming.
■
He has no conceits of being the tongue
or in the tongue
or coming from the tongue.
He imagines not:
'I have an tongue.'
He has no conceits of being a savour
or in a savour
or coming from a savour.
He imagines not:
'I have a savour.'
He has no conceits of being tongue-consciousness
or in tongue-consciousness
or coming from tongue-consciousness.
He imagines not:
'I have tongue-consciousness.'
He has no conceits of being tongue-contact
or in tongue-contact
or coming from tongue-contact.
He imagines not:
'I have tongue-contact.'
Whatever weal or woe or neutral state arises, experienced through tongue-contact, -
he has no conceit of being that,
or in that
or coming from that,
thinking:
'That is mine.'
Whatever conceit one has, Brethren,
and by whatsoever means
and in whatsoever way,
in thinking:
'It is mine', -
therein is instability.
The world delights in becoming
because it is based on change,
because it is entangled in becoming.
■
He has no conceits of being the body
or in the body
or coming from the body.
He imagines not:
'I have a body.'
He has no conceits of being a thing tactile
or in a thing tactile
or coming from a thing tactile.
He imagines not:
'I have a thing tactile.'
He has no conceits of being body-consciousness
or in body-consciousness
or coming from body-consciousness.
He imagines not:
'I have body-consciousness.'
He has no conceits of being body-contact
or in body-contact
or coming from body-contact.
He imagines not:
'I have body-contact.'
Whatever weal or woe or neutral state arises, experienced through body-contact, -
he has no conceit of being that,
or in that
or coming from that,
thinking:
'That is mine.'
Whatever conceit one has, Brethren,
and by whatsoever means
and in whatsoever way,
in thinking:
'It is mine', -
therein is instability.
The world delights in becoming
because it is based on change,
because it is entangled in becoming.
■
He has no conceits of being the mind
or in the mind
or coming from the mind.
He imagines not:
'I have a mind.'
He has no conceits of being a mind-state
or in a mind-state
or coming from a mind-state.
He imagines not:
'I have a mind-state.'
He has no conceits of being mind-consciousness
or in mind-consciousness
or coming from mind-consciousness.
He imagines not:
'I have mind-consciousness.'
He has no conceits of being mind-contact
or in mind-contact
or coming from mind-contact.
He imagines not:
'I have mind-contact.'
Whatever weal or woe or neutral state arises, experienced through mind-contact, -
he has no conceit of being that,
or in that
or coming from that,
thinking:
'That is mine.'
Whatever conceit one has, Brethren,
and by whatsoever means
and in whatsoever way,
in thinking:
'It is mine', -
therein is instability.
The world delights in becoming
because it is based on change,
because it is entangled in becoming.
§
So far as there is
'aggregate,' (or)
'condition,' (or)
'sphere,'[3]
a brother has no conceit of being that,
or in
or from that, -
no conceit of:
That is mine.
Thus having no conceits
he grasps at nothing in the world.
Being free from grasping he is not troubled.
Being untroubled
he is by himself set free.
Thus he realizes:
'Rebirth is destroyed,
lived is the righteous life,
done is the task.
For life in these conditions
there is no hereafter.'
This, Brethren, is the way
helpful for the uprooting of all conceits."
[1] Sappāya. Cf. infra. §§ 146-9.
[2] Bhava-satto. Comy. explains satto exegetically thus: bhavesu laggo laggito palibuddho ayaṇ loko bhavaṇ yeva abhinandati: 'hanging, hung on to rebirths, this world delights in rebirth (lit. 'bccoinmg'). satto means (a) having being, (b) attached to.
[3] The basis of birth of the pañca-kkhandhā (fivefold personality) in the eighteen dhātus (physical elements) and the twelve āyatanas (spheres of sense). Read 'khandha-dhātu-āyatanaṇ.' Cf. Pss. Sisters, ver. 73.
