Saɱyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saɱyutta
6. Upāya Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
3. The Book Called the Khandhā-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the Elements of Sensory Existence and other Subjects
22. Kindred Sayings on Elements
6. On Attachment
Sutta 56
Upādāna Parivatta Suttaɱ
Grasping (applied to) the Series[1]
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:—
The Exalted One was staying at Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One said:
"There are these five groups, brethren, that arise from grasping.
What five?
They are-the grasping body-group,
the grasping feeling-group,
the grasping perception-group,
the grasping activities-group,
the grasping consciousness-group.
■
So long, brethren, as I understood not fully,
as they really are,
these five grasping-groups,
and the fourfold series, -
just so long, brethren, was I not assured
that about this world with its devas,
its Māras,
its Brahmas,
in the realm of recluses and brahmins,
of devas and men,
I was fully enlightened
with the supreme enlightenment.
But as soon, brethren, as I fully understood,
as they really [51] are,
these five grasping-groups,
and the fourfold series, -
then, brethren, was I assured
that about this world,
with its devas,
its Māras,
its Brahmas,
in the host of recluses and brahmins,
of devas and men,
I was one fully enlightened
with the supreme enlightenment.
■
And how in a fourfold series?
I fully understood body,
I fully understood the arising of body,
I fully understood the ceasing of body,
I fully understood the way going to the ceasing of body.
I fully understood feeling,
I fully understood the arising of feeling,
I fully understood the ceasing of feeling,
I fully understood the way going to the ceasing of feeling.
I fully understood perception,
I fully understood the arising of perception,
I fully understood the ceasing of perception,
I fully understood the way going to the ceasing of perception.
I fully understood the activities,
I fully understood the arising of the activities,
I fully understood the ceasing of the activities,
I fully understood the way going to the ceasing of the activities.
I fully understood consciousness,
I fully understood the arising of consciousness,
I fully understood the ceasing of consciousness,
I fully understood the way going to the ceasing of consciousness.
§
And what, brethren, is body?
It is the four great elements,[2]
and that form which is based on
the four great elements.
That, brethren, is called body.
From the arising of food[3]
is the arising of body:
from the ceasing of food
is the ceasing of body.
And the way going to the ceasing of body
is this Ariyan Eightfold Path,
to wit:
right views[ed1]
right aims,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
fully understand body in this way,
they by fully understanding thus
the arising of body,
the ceasing of body
and the way going to the ceasing of body,
are thereby apt for the disgust at body,
for the fading out,
for the utter ceasing of body.
These are truly apt,
and they who are truly apt
are firm-grounded[4]
in this Norm and Discipline.
And whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding body,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
through disgust at body,
through the fading out
and utter ceasing of body,
are thereby liberated without grasping,[5]
they are well liberated,
they who are well [52] liberated are perfected:[6]
they who are perfected,
for them there is no more
the whirling round.[7]
■
And what, brethren, is feeling?
It is these six seats of feeling, brethren:
Feeling that is born of contact with eye,
feeling that is born of contact with ear,
feeling that is born of contact with nose,
feeling that is born of contact with tongue,
feeling that is born of contact with body (i.e., skin),
feeling that is born of contact with mind.
That, brethren, is called feeling.
Owing to the arising of contact
there is the arising of feeling;
owing to the ceasing of contact,
there is ceasing of feeling.
And the way going to the ceasing of feeling
is this Ariyan Eightfold Path,
to wit:
right views
right aims,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
fully understand feeling in this way,
they by fully understanding thus
the arising of feeling,
the ceasing of feeling
and the way going to the ceasing of feeling,
are thereby apt for the disgust at feeling,
for the fading out,
for the utter ceasing of feeling.
These are truly apt,
and they who are truly apt
are firm-grounded
in this Norm and Discipline.
And whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding feeling,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
through disgust at feeling,
through the fading out
and utter ceasing of feeling,
are thereby liberated without grasping,
they are well liberated,
they who are well liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them there is no more
the whirling round.
■
And what, brethren, is perception?
It is these six seats of perception, brethren:
Perception of sights,
perception of sounds,
perception of smells,
perception of tastes,
perception of touches,
perception of mental images.
This is called perception.
Owing to the arising of contact
there is the arising of perception;
owing to the ceasing of contact,
there is ceasing of perception.
And the way going to the ceasing of perception
is this Ariyan Eightfold Path,
to wit:
right views
right aims,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
[53] Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
fully understand perception in this way,
they by fully understanding thus
the arising of perception,
the ceasing of perception
and the way going to the ceasing of perception,
are thereby apt for the disgust at perception,
for the fading out,
for the utter ceasing of perception.
These are truly apt,
and they who are truly apt
are firm-grounded
in this Norm and Discipline.
And whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding perception,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
through disgust at perception,
through the fading out
and utter ceasing of perception,
are thereby liberated without grasping,
they are well liberated,
they who are well liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them there is no more
the whirling round.
■
And what, brethren, are the activities?
They are these six seats of will:[8]
The will for sights,
the will for sounds,
the will for smells,
the will for tastes,
the will for touches,
the will for mental images.
These, brethren, are the activities.
Owing to the arising of contact
there is the arising of the activities;
owing to the ceasing of contact,
there is ceasing of the activities.
And the way going to the ceasing of the activities
is this Ariyan Eightfold Path,
to wit:
right views
right aims,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
fully understand the activities in this way,
they by fully understanding thus
the arising of the activities,
the ceasing of the activities
and the way going to the ceasing of the activities,
are thereby apt for the disgust at the activities,
for the fading out,
for the utter ceasing of the activities.
These are truly apt,
and they who are truly apt
are firm-grounded
in this Norm and Discipline.
And whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding the activities,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
through disgust at the activities,
through the fading out
and utter ceasing of the activities,
are thereby liberated without grasping,
they are well liberated,
they who are well liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them there is no more
the whirling round.
■
And what, brethren, is consciousness?
It is these six seats of consciousness:
Eye-consciousness,
ear-consciousness,
nose-consciousness,
tongue-consciousness,
skin-consciousness,
mind-consciousness.
This, brethren, is called consciousness.
Owing to the arising of contact
there is the arising of consciousness;
owing to the ceasing of contact,
there is ceasing of consciousness.
And the way going to the ceasing of consciousness
is this Ariyan Eightfold Path,
to wit:
right views
right aims,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
[54] Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
fully understand consciousness in this way,
they by fully understanding thus
the arising of consciousness,
the ceasing of consciousness
and the way going to the ceasing of consciousness,
are thereby apt for the disgust at consciousness,
for the fading out,
for the utter ceasing of consciousness.
These are truly apt,
and they who are truly apt
are firm-grounded
in this Norm and Discipline.
And whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding consciousness,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
through disgust at consciousness,
through the fading out
and utter ceasing of consciousness,
are thereby liberated without grasping,
they are well liberated,
they who are well liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them there is no more
the whirling round."
[1] Parivaṭṭaɱ, below catu-parivaṭṭaɱ - viz., the series of the Four Truths. This is the alternative title of a sutta in the Majjhima (No. 115); see ibid., p. 67, where the 'four' are the ways in which a brother may be approved as wise and thoughtful.
[2] Or 'phenomena'; mahābhūtā. Cf. K.S. i, 23 n. Dhammasangaṇi, § 584, and n.; V.M. 590; Expos.. 404.
[3] Or 'sustenance,' or 'a condition' or 'cause.'
[4] Gadhanti.
[5] Anupādā for anupādāya. Cf. S. ii, 253; K.S. ii. 168 n.
[6] Kevalino Comy., 'sakalino kata-sabba-kiccā' 'have perfected all their tasks.' It is interesting to compare this use of the term for the recluse's ideal of saintship with the more metaphysical emphasis in the Sānkhya use of it.
[7] There is here a word-play on (pari-)vaṭṭa. Vaṭṭaɱ tesaɱ n'atthi paññāpanāya. Cf. the phrase used above, nāparaɱ itthattāya and na sankhaɱ gacchati. Comy. takes vaṭṭaɱ (a) as 'the whirling on the wheel or in the whirlpool of existence; (b) as kāraṇaɱ cause. For them nothing is left to point to as existence or as cause. Cf. S. i, 15, ettha raṭṭaɱ na vaṭṭati 'no more whirls the round.'
[8] Sañcetanā. Cf. ii, 39, 40, etc.
[ed1] Woodward has not previously translated the Way in this Nikāya. I have taken his translation of the terms from SN 5.45.1. Note that in Sutta 44, the way to the ending of body is put in terms of not regarding the khandhas as self.
