Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saṃyutta
9. Thera 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
9. The Elders
Sutta 83
Ānanda Suttaṃ
Ānanda
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:—
Once the venerable Ānanda was staying near Sāvatthī
in Jeta Grove,
at Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
Then the venerable Ānanda addressed the brethren thus:
"Brethren! Friends!"
"Yes, brother!"
they replied to the venerable Ānanda.
The venerable Ānanda thus spoke:
"Puṇṇa,[1] friends, the venerable son of Mantānī
was very helpful to us
when we were novices.
With this instruction he instructed us:
'Owing to a cause[2]
comes the conceit
"I am," friend Ānanda,
and not without a cause.
And how comes the conceit
"I am"
by a cause
and not without a cause?
Owing to body
comes the conceit
"I am"
by a cause
and not without a cause.
Owing to feeling
comes the conceit
"I am"
by a cause
and not without a cause.
Owing to perception
comes the conceit
"I am"
by a cause
and not without a cause.
Owing to the activities
comes the conceit
"I am"
by a cause
and not without a cause.
Owing to consciousness
comes the conceit
"I am"
by a cause
and not without a cause.
■
Suppose, friend Ānanda, that a woman
or a man
or a young lad
fond of self-adornment,
should gaze at the image of his face
in a minor that is clean and spotless,
or in a bowl of clear water, -
he would behold it
owing to a cause
and not otherwise.
Even so, friend Ānanda,
through the cause 'body'
comes the conceit 'I am,'
not otherwise.
Through the cause 'feeling'
comes the conceit 'I am,'
not otherwise.
Through the cause 'perception'
comes the conceit 'I am,'
not otherwise.
Through the cause 'the activities'
comes the conceit 'I am,'
not otherwise.
Through the cause 'consciousness'
comes the conceit 'I am,'
not otherwise.
■
What think you, friend Ānanda?
Is body permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, friend."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, friend."
"But that which is impermanent,
woeful,
unstable in nature,
is it right to regard it thus:
'This is mine,
this am I
this is the Self of me?'"
"Surely not, friend."
■
"Is feeling permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, friend."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, friend."
"But that which is impermanent,
woeful,
unstable in nature,
is it right to regard it thus:
'This is mine,
this am I
this is the Self of me?'"
"Surely not, friend."
■
"Is perception permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, friend."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, friend."
"But that which is impermanent,
woeful,
unstable in nature,
is it right to regard it thus:
'This is mine,
this am I
this is the Self of me?'"
"Surely not, friend."
■
"Are the activities permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, friend."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, friend."
"But that which is impermanent,
woeful,
unstable in nature,
is it right to regard it thus:
'This is mine,
this am I
this is the Self of me?'"
"Surely not, friend."
■
"Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, friend."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, friend."
"But that which is impermanent,
woeful,
unstable in nature,
is it right to regard it thus:
'This is mine,
this am I
this is the Self of me?'"
"Surely not, friend."
■
"Therefore, friend Ānanda, every body whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every body should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:
'This is not mine.
This I am not.
This is not the Self of me.'
■
Every feeling whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every feeling should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:
'This is not mine.
This I am not.
This is not the Self of me.'
■
Every perception whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every perception should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:
'This is not mine.
This I am not.
This is not the Self of me.'
■
Every activity whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every activity should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:
'This is not mine.
This I am not.
This is not the Self of me.'
■
Every consciousness whatever,
be it past,
future
or present,
be it inward or outward,
gross or subtle,
low or high,
far or near, -
every consciousness should be thus regarded,
as it really is,
by right insight:
'This is not mine.
This I am not.
This is not the Self of me.'
■
Wherefore, friend Ānanda, he who thus sees
conceives disgust at body,
at feeling,
at perception,
at the activities,
at consciousness.
Being disgusted
he is repelled by them;
by that repulsion he is released;
by that release he is set free;
knowledge arises:
in the freed man is the freed thing,
and he knows:
"Destroyed is rebirth;
lived is the righteous life;
done is the task;
for life in these conditions
there is no hereafter."'
§
Punna, friends,
the venerable son of Mantani,
was very helpful to us
when we were novices.
And this was the instruction
with which he instructed us.
When I heard the Norm-teaching of the venerable Punna, Mantani's son,
I fully understood the Norm."[3]
[1] Proclaimed chief preacher of the Norm by the Master Cf. M. i, 146 f.; Brethren pp. 8-9; A. i, 23; S. ii, 156.
[2] Comy., Upādāya = 'āgamma, ārabbha, sandhāya, paṭicca.'
[3] 'So as to become a Stream-winner.' C.
