Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saṃyutta
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 57
Satta-ṭ-Ṭhāna Suttaṃ
The Seven Points
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1][than][bodh] Thus have I heard:—
The Exalted One was staying at Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One said:
"A brother who is skilled in the seven points,[1] brethren,
who is an investigator of the three ways,[2]
he is called "accomplished[3] in this Norm and Discipline,
one who has reached mastership,[4]
superman."[5]
And how, brethren, is a brother
skilled in the seven points?
Herein, brethren, a brother
fully knows body,
fully knows the arising of body,
fully knows the ceasing of body
fully knows the way going to the ceasing of body.
He fully knows the satisfaction there is in body,
fully knows the misery that is in body,
fully knows the escape from body.
■
Herein, brethren, a brother
fully knows feeling,
fully knows the arising of feeling,
fully knows the ceasing of feeling
fully knows the way going to the ceasing of feeling.
He fully knows the satisfaction there is in feeling,
fully knows the misery that is in feeling,
fully knows the escape from feeling.
■
Herein, brethren, a brother
fully knows perception,
fully knows the arising of perception,
fully knows the ceasing of perception
fully knows the way going to the ceasing of perception.
He fully knows the satisfaction there is in perception,
fully knows the misery that is in perception,
fully knows the escape from perception.
■
Herein, brethren, a brother
fully knows the activities,
fully knows the arising of the activities,
fully knows the ceasing of the activities
fully knows the way going to the ceasing of the activities.
He fully knows the satisfaction there is in the activities,
fully knows the misery that is in the activities,
fully knows the escape from the activities.
■
[55] Herein, brethren, a brother
fully knows consciousness,
fully knows the arising of consciousness,
fully knows the ceasing of consciousness
fully knows the way going to the ceasing of consciousness.
He fully knows the satisfaction there is in consciousness,
fully knows the misery that is in consciousness,
fully knows the escape from consciousness.
§
And what, brethren, is body?
It is the four great elements,
and that form which is based on
the four great elements.
That, brethren, is called body.
From the arising of food
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
right aims,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
That ease,
that pleasure
which arises because of body,
that is the satisfaction that is in body.
In so far as body is impermanent,
is fraught with suffering
and unstable,
that is the misery that is in body.
That restraint of desire and lust,
that putting away of desire and lust
that are in body,
that is the escape from body.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding body,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of body,
the misery of body,
and the way of escape from body,
are apt at disgust,
apt at the fading out of body,
the ceasing of body, -
they are truly apt.
They that are truly apt
are firm grounded in this Norm and Discipline.
Moreover, brethren, whatsoever recluses or brahmins,
by thus fully understanding body,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of body,
the misery of body,
and the way of escape from body,
they who are apt at disgust for body,
apt at the fading out,
the ceasing of body,
are liberated without grasping, -
they are truly liberated
they who are truly liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them it may be said
'there is no more the whirling round.'
■
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 [56] 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.
That ease,
that pleasure
which arises because of feeling,
that is the satisfaction that is in feeling.
In so far as feeling is impermanent,
is fraught with suffering
and unstable,
that is the misery that is in feeling.
That restraint of desire and lust,
that putting away of desire and lust
that are in feeling,
that is the escape from feeling.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding feeling,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of feeling,
the misery of feeling,
and the way of escape from feeling,
are apt at disgust,
apt at the fading out of feeling,
the ceasing of feeling, -
they are truly apt.
They that are truly apt
are firm grounded in this Norm and Discipline.
Moreover, brethren, whatsoever recluses or brahmins,
by thus fully understanding feeling,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of feeling,
the misery of feeling,
and the way of escape from feeling,
they who are apt at disgust for feeling,
apt at the fading out,
the ceasing of feeling,
are liberated without grasping, -
they are truly liberated
they who are truly liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them it may be said
'there is no more the whirling round.'
■
And what, brethren, is perception?
It is these six seats of perception, brethren:
Perception of body,
perception of sounds,
perception of smells,
perception of tastes,
perception of tangibles,
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.
That ease,
that pleasure
which arises because of perception,
that is the satisfaction that is in perception.
In so far as perception is impermanent,
is fraught with suffering
and unstable,
that is the misery that is in perception.
That restraint of desire and lust,
that putting away of desire and lust
that are in perception,
that is the escape from perception.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding perception,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of perception,
the misery of perception,
and the way of escape from perception,
are apt at disgust,
apt at the fading out of perception,
the ceasing of perception, -
they are truly apt.
They that are truly apt
are firm grounded in this Norm and Discipline.
Moreover, brethren, whatsoever recluses or brahmins,
by thus fully understanding perception,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of perception,
the misery of perception,
and the way of escape from perception,
they who are apt at disgust for perception,
apt at the fading out,
the ceasing of perception,
are liberated without grasping, -
they are truly liberated
they who are truly liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them it may be said
'there is no more the whirling round.'
■
And what, brethren, are the activities?
They are these six seats of will:[6][ed1]
The will that is in body,
the will that is in sounds,
the will that is in smells,
the will that is in tastes,
the will that is in tangibles,
the will that is in 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.
That ease,
that pleasure
which arises because of the activities,
that is the satisfaction that is in the activities.
In so far as the activities are impermanent,
are fraught with suffering
and unstable,
that is the misery that is in the activities.
That restraint of desire and lust,
that putting [57] away of desire and lust
that are in the activities,
that is the escape from the activities.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding the activities,
their arising,
their ceasing
and the way going to their ceasing,
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of the activities,
the misery of the activities,
and the way of escape from the activities,
are apt at disgust,
apt at the fading out of the activities,
the ceasing of the activities, -
they are truly apt.
They that are truly apt
are firm grounded in this Norm and Discipline.
Moreover, brethren, whatsoever recluses or brahmins,
by thus fully understanding the activities,
their arising,
their ceasing
and the way going to their ceasing
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of the activities,
the misery of the activities,
and the way of escape from the activities,
they who are apt at disgust for the activities,
apt at the fading out,
the ceasing of the activities,
are liberated without grasping, -
they are truly liberated
they who are truly liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them it may be said
'there is no more the whirling round.'
■
And what, brethren, is consciousness?
It is these six seats of consciousness:
Sight[ed2]-consciousness,
hearing-consciousness,
smelling-consciousness,
tasting-consciousness,
touching-consciousness,
mind-consciousness.
This, brethren, is called consciousness.
Owing to the arising of name-and-shape[ed3] (comes)
the arising of consciousness;
from the ceasing of name-and-shape,
the 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.
These six seats of consciousness:,
sight-consciousness,
hearing-,
smelling-,
tasting-,
touching-,
and mind-consciousness.
This, brethren, is called consciousness.
From the arising of name and shape[7] (comes) the arising of consciousness;
from their ceasing its ceasing.
The way going to its ceasing is just that Ariyan Eightfold Path,
to wit:
right views
right aims,
right speech,
right action,
right living,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right concentration.
That ease,
that pleasure
which arises because of consciousness,
that is the satisfaction that is in consciousness.
In so far as consciousness is impermanent,
is fraught with suffering
and unstable,
that is the misery that is in consciousness.
That restraint of desire and lust,
that putting away of desire and lust
that are in consciousness,
that is the escape from consciousness.
Whatsoever recluses or brahmins, brethren,
by thus fully understanding consciousness,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing,
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of consciousness,
the misery of consciousness,
and the way of escape from consciousness,
are apt at disgust,
apt at the fading out of consciousness,
the ceasing of consciousness, -
they are truly apt.
They that are truly apt
are firm grounded in this Norm and Discipline.
Moreover, brethren, whatsoever recluses or brahmins,
by thus fully understanding consciousness,
its arising,
its ceasing
and the way going to its ceasing
by thus fully understanding the satisfaction of consciousness,
the misery of consciousness,
and the way of escape from consciousness,
they who are apt at disgust for consciousness,
apt at the fading out,
the ceasing of consciousness,
are liberated without grasping, -
they are truly liberated
they who are truly liberated are perfected:
they who are perfected,
for them it may be said
'there is no more the whirling round.'
§
In this way, brethren, a brother
is skilled in the seven points.
And how, brethren, is a brother
an investigator of the three ways?
As to that, brethren, a brother
investigates things by way of the elements,[8]
investigates things by way of the sense-spheres,
investigates things by way of causal happening.
That is how he is an investigator of the three ways.
A brother who is skilled in the seven points, brethren,
who is an investigator of the three ways, -
he is called 'accomplished in this Norm and Discipline,
one who has reached mastership,
superman.'"
[1] Satta-ṭṭhānā. Comy. okāsā. Comy. calls this sutta 'excellent, pre-eminent, alluring.'
[2] These were apparently not an obvious category. The Comy. gives two alternatives - viz., according to the view of elements, of domain, and of causal arising; or of things in themselves, their sphere of action, and the manner of their action.
[3] Kevalī. Cf. above, p. 52.
[4] Vusitavā. Cf. M. i, 4. Papañc. Sūd. 42; - 'garu-saṇvāse pi ariya-magge pi ariyavāsesu pi vasi, parivasi, vuttho, parivuttho: so vutthavāso ciṇṇacaraṇo ti: synonyms of 'abiding in.'
[5] Uttamapuriso. Cf. Dialog. iii, 132-6; Dhp. 97; D. iii, 142.
[6] Cetanā. Lit.; thinking.
[7] Nāmarūpa.
[8] Dhātuso. Comy., 'dhātū sabhāvena passati, 'sees the elements in their real nature.'
[ed1] Cetanā here but sañcetanā in SN 3.22.56, both translated 'will'.
[ed2] Translated in SN 3.22.56, eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, skin-, mind-.
[ed3] Nāmarūpa. both here and in SN 3.22.56, but there translated 'mind-and-body'.
