Saṁyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
14. Dhātu-Saṁyuttaṁ
I. Nānatta Vagga Paṭhama
1. Ajjhatta-Pañcakaṁ

Sutta 2

Samphassa
[Phassa-Nānatta]
Suttaṁ

Touch^[1]

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 

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[1][pts][bodh] I HEAR TELL:

Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.

"The diversity of data, beggars,
rebounds^[2] as what comes to be^[3] the diverse touches.

And what, beggars, are the diverse data?^[4]

Eye data
ear data,
nose data,
tongue data,
body data,
mind data.

These beggars,
are what are called the diverse data.

And what, beggars,
are the diverse touches
that come to be
as the rebound off the diversity of data?

Eye data, beggars
rebounds as the diversity of eye touch;

Ear data
rebounds as the diversity of ear touch;

Nose data
rebounds as the diversity of nose touch;

Tongue data
rebounds as the diversity of tongue touch;

Body data
rebounds as the diversity of body touch;

Mind data
rebounds as the diversity of mind touch.

Such then, beggars,
are the diverse touches
that come to be
rebounding off the diverse data."

 

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^[1] Samphassa. Sam = own, with, con; phassa = touch, con-tact. PED: [saṇ + phassa] contact, reaction. My somewhat awkward "own-" is to overcome the general bypassing of this aspect of the idea expressed in this term by our common use of the word contact, that is, that bound up in the idea is the notion of self, ownership.

^[2] Paṭicca. Pati = rebound, bounce, percuss, result. As in PED following, meaning to return upon, double back upon. PED: Paṭi (indecl.) [Ved, prati, to Idg. *preti as in Latin pretium (from *pretios) "price" (cp. precious), i.e. equivalent; Gr. πρές (aeol.), προτί, πρός against] directional prefix in well-defined meaning of "back (to), against, towards, in opposition to, opposite." As preposition (with acc. and usually postponed) towards, near by, at; usually spelt pati. Paticca = rebounded-stuff; pati+ cca = k-kha, but always of a living being with the six senses, usually just 'human': PED: grounded on, on account of, concerning, because.

^[3] Uppajjati. Up = up (go figure); pa = pass; jati = birth (jump, burn this, this burns): Up pa birth; up-pass-born; appearance, arising, re-production, production.

^[4] Note the difference between this and the statement in the first sutta. This correctly follows the Pāḷi and is necessary for the following suttas to have been recorded correctly. Additionally the first category 'eye data', etc. can encompass (stand in for) the other two categories: "form data, eye-consciousness data".