Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
36. Vedanā Saṃyutta
1. Sagāthā 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
36. Kindred Sayings about Feeling
1. With Verses
Sutta 8
Dutiya Gelañña Suttaṃ
Sickness (ii)
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][nypo][bodh] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was staying near Vesālī,
in Great Grove,
at the Hall of the Peaked Gable.
Then the Exalted One
at eventide
rising from his solitude
went to visit the sick-ward,
and on reaching it
sat down on a seat made ready.
So seated the Exalted One addressed the Brethren, saying: -
"Brethren, a brother should meet his end
collected and composed.
This is our instruction to you.
§
And how, Brethren, is one collected?
Herein, Brethren, a brother dwells,
as regards body,
contemplating body as transient,
ardent,
composed
and thoughtful,
by having put away
in this world
the dejection arising from craving.
■
He dwells,
as regards feeling,
contemplating feeling as transient,
ardent,
composed
and thoughtful,
by having put away
in this world
the dejection arising from craving.
■
He dwells,
as regards mind,
contemplating mind as transient,
ardent,
composed
and thoughtful,
by having put away
in this world
the dejection arising from craving.
■
He dwells,
as regards mind-states,
contemplating mind-states as transient,
ardent,
composed
and thoughtful,
by having put away
in this world
the dejection arising from craving.
■
Thus, Brethren, is a brother collected.
§
And how, Brethren, is a brother composed?
Herein, Brethren, in his going forth
and in his returning
a brother acts composedly.
In looking in front
and looking behind,
he acts composedly.
In bending or relaxing (his limbs)
he acts composedly.
In wearing his robe
and bearing outer robe and bowl,
in eating,
drinking,
chewing,
and tasting
he acts composedly.
In easing himself,
in going,
standing,
sitting,
sleeping,
waking,
in speaking
and keeping silence
he acts composedly.
Thus, Brethren, is a brother composed.
Brethren, a brother should meet his end collected and composed.
This is our instruction to you.
§
Now, Brethren, as that brother dwells collected,
composed,
earnest,
ardent,
strenuous,
there arises in him
feeling that is pleasant,
and he thus understands:
'There is arisen in me
this pleasant feeling.
Now that is owing to something,
not without cause.
Owing to what?
Owing to this contact.
Now this contact is impermanent,
compounded,
arisen owing to something.
Owing to this impermanent contact,
which has so arisen,
this pleasant feeling has arisen:
How can that be permanent?[ed1]
Thus he dwells contemplating impermanence
in contact and pleasant feeling,
contemplating their transience,
their waning,
their ceasing,
the giving of them up.
As he thus dwells
contemplating impermanence
in contact and pleasant feeling,
contemplating their transience,
their waning,
their ceasing,
the giving of them up
the lurking tendency to lust
for contact and pleasant feeling
is abandoned.
■
Now, Brethren, as that brother dwells collected,
composed,
earnest,
ardent,
strenuous,
there arises in him
feeling that is painful,
and he thus understands:
'There is arisen in me
this painful feeling.
Now that is owing to something,
not without cause.
Owing to what?
Owing to this contact.
Now this contact is impermanent,
compounded,
arisen owing to something.
It is owing to this impermanent contact,
which has so arisen,
this painful feeling has arisen,
and how can that be permanent?'
Thus he dwells contemplating impermanence
in contact and painful feeling,
he dwells contemplating their transience,
their waning,
their ceasing,
the giving of them up.
As he thus dwells
contemplating impermanence
in contact and painful feeling,
contemplating their transience,
their waning,
their ceasing,
the giving of them up
the lurking tendency to repugnance
for contact and painful feeling
is abandoned.
■
Now, Brethren, as that brother dwells collected,
composed,
earnest,
ardent,
strenuous,
there arises in him
feeling that is neutral,
and he thus understands:
'There is arisen in me
this neutral feeling.
Now that is owing to something,
not without cause.
Owing to what?
Owing to this same contact.
Now this contact is impermanent,
compounded,
arisen owing to something.
It is owing to this impermanent contact,
which has so arisen,
that neutral feeling has arisen,
and how can that be permanent?'
Thus he dwells contemplating impermanence
in contact and neutral feeling,
he dwells contemplating their transience,
their waning,
their ceasing,
the giving of them up.
As he thus dwells
contemplating impermanence
in contact and neutral feeling,
contemplating their transience,
their waning,
their ceasing,
the giving of them up
the lurking tendency to ignorance
for contact and neutral feeling
is abandoned.
§
If he feels a pleasant feeling he understands:
'That is impermanent,
I do not cling to it.
It has no lure for me.'
If he feels a painful feeling he understands:
'That is impermanent,
I do not cling to it.
It has no lure for me.'
If he feels a neutral feeling he understands:
'That is impermanent,
I do not cling to it.
It has no lure for me.'
■
If he feels a pleasant feeling,
he feels it as one released from bondage to it.
If he feels a painful feeling,
he feels it as one released from bondage to it.
If he feels a neutral feeling,
he feels it as one released from bondage to it.
■
When he feels a feeling
that his bodily endurance has reached its limit.
He understands:
'My bodily endurance has reached its limit.
When he feels a feeling that life has reached its limit.
He understands:
'Life has reached its limit'
He understands:
'When body breaks up,
after life is used up,
all my experiences in this world
will lose their lure
and grow cold.'
Just as, Brethren, because of oil
and because of a wick
a lamp keeps burning,
but, when oil and wick are used up,
the lamp would go out
because it is not fed.
Even so, Brethren, a brother,
when he feels a feeling
that his bodily endurance has reached its limit.
He understands:
'My bodily endurance has reached its limit.
When he feels a feeling that life has reached its limit.
He understands:
'Life has reached its limit'
He understands:
'When body breaks up,
after life is used up,
all my experiences in this world
will lose their lure
and grow cold.'"
[ed1] Here Woodward has placed this sentence in quotes, but the whole of this thought is already in quotes.
