Saṁyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
56. Sacca Saṁyutta
2. Dhamma-Cakka-Pavattana Vagga

Sutta 20

Tathā Suttaṁ

Such as Such Are Such as Such Are

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

 

---

 

Translator's Introduction

This sutta seems to have caused a lot of confusion even going way back. It seems to me that it is presented somewhat out of context. The context should be understood as a number of bhikkhus contemplating various aspects of the Four Aristocratic Truths. 'The Truths deal with the pain of recurrent rebirth.' 'The Truths deal with the stress of life.' 'The Truths deal with general unsatisfactoriness.' Etc. So I am going to re-cast it 'in detail' as an introduction as I believe it should be understood, using widely-understood American English terms.

Here goes:

These four, friends, are facts,
not statements of what are not facts,
not statements to be interpreted
as other than stated.

What are these four?

The statement:
'This is pain',
friends, is a statement of fact,
not a statement of what is not a fact,
not a statement to be interpreted
in any way other than as stated.

The statement:
'This is the source of pain'
is a statement of fact,
not a statement of what is not a fact,
not a statement to be interpreted
in any way other than as stated.

The statement:
'This is the end to pain'
is a statement of fact,
not a statement of what is not a fact,
not a statement to be interpreted
in any way other than as stated.

The statement:
'This is the path
following which
one arrives at the end of pain'
is a statement of fact,
not a statement of what is not a fact,
not a statement to be interpreted
in any way other than as stated.

These then, friends, are the four facts,
not statements of what are not facts,
not statements to be interpreted
as other than stated.

Therefore, friends,
be admonished to do
what makes sense to do
in connection with the statement
'this is pain'.

That is:
Understand that 'This'
means anything to which the term 'this' can be applied,
or, to give only a few
of the many ways 'this' is to be understood:
Being; Existing; The All:
the eye and sights, the ear and sounds, the nose and scents, the tongue and tastes, the body and touch, the mind and mental objects;
or,
The Khandhas:
shape, sensation, perception, own-making, consciousness.

In other words, any existing thing conceivable whatsoever is to be understood as pain.

Period no wiggle room.

But the most obvious
is what is right in front of one:
this world,
this life,
this being.

Be admonished to do
what makes sense to do
in connection with the statement
'This is a source of pain',
that is, understand The Second Aristocratic Truth:
The source of Pain is Taṇhā, Hunger/thirst.

Desire,
wanting,
craving of any sort
for anything conceivable whatsoever.

Period.

No wiggle room.

Be admonished to do
what makes sense to do
in connection with the statement:
'This is an end to pain',
that is understand the Third Aristocratic Truth:
The Ending of Taṇhā,
is the Ending of Pain.

In other words:
End the thirst.

What makes sense to do
in connection with the statement
'there is an end to pain'
is to examine the statement
in the Third Aristocratic Truth
that the end of pain
is accomplished by ending Taṇhā.

Be admonished to do
what makes sense to do
in connection with the statement
'This is the path
following which
one arrives at the end of pain',
which is to follow the steps of the path
described in the Fourth Aristocratic Truth.

The Way to behave
in order to end Taṇhā
and by the ending of Taṇhā
the ending of pain.

That is:

Consummate point of view,
consummate principles,
consummate talk,
consummate works,
consummate lifestyle,
consummate self-control,
consummate mind
consummate serenity,
consummate vision and
consummate detachment.

Second Thought

Upon reflection
upon my reflection
upon this sutta
I recalled the story of Sāriputta
being able to work out the Dhamma
from the simple instruction:
'Gotama speaks of the reasons
for the arising and ending of things
that arise from reasons.'^[i1]

So it is possible
that with the four statements made in this sutta
one could arrive at the meaning of Gotama's Dhamma.

The implications are interesting.

It is possible that what this is is just one of many alternative ways of stating the Dhamma, or it could be an early statement of what later became The Four Truths.

For this latter to be the case, however, the formulation found in the First Sutta would need to have been made up later and it would probably be better to let that one be left alone.

How could the Dhamma be worked out from the four statements found here?

Take as a working hypothesis that the four statements are true. There is no sense arguing this. The truth or falsity of the statements is to be seen or not seen by one who acts in accordance.

The first statement is seen to be true when it is seen that all things that have become, come to an end and that this is something that is felt as painful. The truth of this first statement must be seen to work out the rest.

Then taking the second statement as true we ask: What, then, is this source of all things that become that are pain? And we can arrive at the Second Aristocrat of Truths: that all things that arise arise as a consequence of wanting (aka hunger/thirst, taṇhā)

Then taking the third statement as true we can see that if all things that become are pain and that that pain arises from wanting that the ending of that pain must be the ending of that wanting. The Fourth Aristocrat of Truths.

Thinking in the orderly way of the Mind, we then work out the way to bring about the end of wanting based on the perception that we must not act out of wanting in order to accomplish the task. So we can break down the details of the behavior required: All the various aspects of 'not-doing' (That is not the same thing as doing nothing! We are to abstain from doing what wanting prompts us to do.) anything based on wanting.

Point of view: orientation not on being or not being, but on not wanting.

Principles of behavior based on this point of view: orientation not on getting or not getting, but on not creating new kamma.

Behavior of speech: Speech that avoids creating new kammic repercussions.

Behavior of body: Behavior that avoids creating new kammic repercussions.

Manner or style of living: Living in a style that focuses on letting go of repercussion-causing behavior, not acquisition creating behavior.

Developing self-control that is focused on preserving or developing the letting go of repercussion-causing behavior.

Developing the (mind) memory so as to firmly establish our experience of the truth of these truths and the freedom from pain established by detachment in the four basic modes in which beings live: body, sensation, mental states, and the Dhamma (the thoughts or teachings or rules by which we live).

Developing serenity to the point of detachment.

Seeing these Four Truths as they actually work in the world.

Seeing freedom in detachment
and in freedom, seeing freedom as freedom,
knowing:

Rebirth has been left behind,
Lived has been the best of lives
Done is duty's doing,
No more is there a this side and that side,
No more is there being any sort of "it" at any place of being "at".

And There you are!

I had thought it had to be 'there is a',
but it is 'this is the';
its all right in front of one.

 

---

^[i1] Ye dhamma hetu-p-pabhava||
tesam hetum tathagato aham||
tesañ ca yo nirodho||
evam vadi mahasamano' ti.|| ||

'Those things reason-arisen become
of these reasons the Tathāgata speaks
and of those their eradication'
thus speaks the great shaman.

"Hetu" is usually translated 'cause' an idea I try to avoid where possible. What is being spoken of is the repercussion we call 'kamma'. It is the consequence that arises having acted in thought, word and deed. The distinction is this: the repercussion from an act can take a multiplicity of forms whereas the idea of 'cause' implies a certain outcome from a certain action.

 

§

 

Such as Such Are Such as Such Are

[1][pts][than][bodh] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time The Lucky Man, Baranasi-town revisiting,
Isipatane, Deer Park.

2. These four, beggars,
are such as such are,
not such as such are,
not anything else.

What are these four?

3. 'This is pain' beggars,
is such as such is,
not such as such is,
not anything else.

4. 'This is a source of pain'
is such as such is,
not such as such is,
not anything else.

5. 'This is the end to pain'
is such as such is,
not such as such is,
not anything else.

6. 'This is the path-following
going to the end of pain'
is such as such is,
not such as such is,
not anything else.

7. These then, beggars, are the four
that are such as such are,
not such as such are,
not anything else.

Therefore, beggars,
do the 'to be done'
in connection with^[1]
'this is pain',
do the 'to be done'
in connection with
'this is the source of pain',
do the 'to be done'
in connection with
'this is the end to pain',
do the 'to be done'
in connection with
'this is the path-following
going to the end of pain',
say I.

 

---

^[1] Yogo karaṇīyo. Yoked to the to be done.