1. The Connected Discourses on the Aggregates

74; 74 (66) 

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.

At that time, the Bhagavān addressed the bhikṣus: “You should always cultivate dhyāna with skilful means and quiet your minds internally. Why is that? Having cultivated dhyāna with skilful means and quieted your minds internally, you will contemplate things as they really are. How do you contemplate things as they really are? You observe this form as it really is, the arising of this form, the cessation of this form. This feeling…, perception…, formations…, this consciousness [as it really is]. The arising of this consciousness, the cessation of this consciousness. What is the arising of form? What is the arising of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness?

“O bhikṣus! Foolish, unlearned, ordinary beings do not contemplate the arising of form as it really is, the delight in form, the trouble in form, and because of separation from form, delight in that form, praise, and attachment to it, in a future life, form arises again; feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, are also explained extensively just like this. That form arises, and feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, having arisen, they are not liberated from form, they are not liberated from feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. I declare that they are not liberated from birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, affliction, and the whole great aggregate of suffering. This is called the arising of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

“What is the cessation of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness? Well-learned noble disciples, contemplate the arising of form as it really is, and the cessation of form, the delight in form, the trouble in form, and detachment from form. Because they truly understand,[1] they do not delight in form, they do not praise form, they do not delight in attachment to form, and they do not give rise to form in the future; feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are also explained extensively just like this. Form does not arise, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness do not arise, so they attain liberation from form and attain liberation from feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. I declare that they are liberated from birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, affliction, and the whole great aggregate of suffering.[2] This is called the cessation of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

“Therefore, O bhikṣus, You should always cultivate dhyāna with skilful means, quiet your minds internally, and engage in diligent effort, contemplating things as they really are.”

After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, when the bhikṣus heard what the Buddha said, they rejoiced and remembered it well.

155; 155 (43)

[3]Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, at Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.

At that time, the Bhagavān addressed the bhikṣus: “Attachment arises because of grasping, non-attachment arises from non-grasping. Listen carefully; consider this well, and I shall explain it to you.”

The bhikṣus answered the Buddha: “Indeed, we shall take up your teachings.”

The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus: “How does attachment arise because of grasping? Foolish, unlearned, ordinary beings, seeing form as self, as different from self, as having characteristics, see form as the self, as belonging to the self, and having grasped it, if that form changes and becomes different, their mind turns over it; their minds having turned over it, also give rise to attachment to what was grasped, and the mind dwells on appropriation. Because the mind dwells on appropriation, it gives rise to fear, obstruction, and mental distraction because of attachment to what was grasped. Foolish, unlearned, ordinary beings, in regard to feeling…, perception…, formations…, and consciousness, seeing them as self, as different from self, as having characteristics, and seeing consciousness as self, as belonging to the self, and having grasped it, if that consciousness changes, and becomes different, their minds turn over it; their minds having turned over it, they give rise to attachment to what was grasped, and the mind dwells on appropriation. Having so dwelt, it gives rise to fear, obstruction, and mental distraction because of attachment to what was grasped. This is called attachment to what was grasped.

“What is non-attachment to what was grasped?[4] Well-learned noble disciples, not seeing form as self, as different from self, as having characteristics, do not see form as the self, or as belonging to the self. Not seeing self, or having[5] grasped at the self, if that form changes and becomes different, their minds do not turn over them; because their minds do not turn over them, they do not give rise to attachment to what was grasped, and the mind does not dwell on appropriation. Because the mind does not dwell on appropriation, it does not give rise to fear, obstruction, and mental distraction because of non-attachment to what was grasped. Thus, for feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, they do not see them as self, as different from self, or as having characteristics. Not seeing self, or as belonging to the self, if that consciousness changes and becomes different, their minds do not turn over them; because their minds do not turn over them, they do not attach to what was grasped, nor the mind dwell on appropriation. Because the mind does not dwell on appropriation, their minds do not have fear, obstruction, and mental distraction because of non-attachment to what was grasped. This is called non-attachment to what was grasped.

“These are called attachment to what was grasped and non-attachment to what was grasped.”

After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, when the bhikṣus heard what the Buddha said, they rejoiced and remembered it well.

[1] “understand,” in the original edition, was written “understand as it truly is,” it is a redundant passage, which was by deleted based on the Song edition.

[2] The characters corresopnding to “whole great … suffering” were deficient in the original edition and were reinserted based on the Song edition.

[3] Saṃyutta Nikāya (22) “Collected Discourses on the Aggregates,” sutta 7.

[4] The character for “grasped” in the original edition was the character for “not,” which was by deleted based on the Song edition.

[5] The character for the perfective marker in the original edition was the character for “form,” which as been corrected based on the Song edition.