Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
24. Diṭṭhi Saṃyutta
1. Sotāpatti 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
24. Kindred Sayings on Views
1. On Stream-Winning
Sutta 1
Vāta Suttaṃ
Wind
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī
at the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
And there the Exalted One addressed the brethren, saying:
"Brethren!"
"Master!" responded those brethren.
The Exalted One said:
"There being what, brethren,
by clinging to what,
by depending upon what
does such a view as this arise:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'?"[1]
"For us, lord, things have the Exalted One as their root
their guide,
their resort.
Well indeed if the meaning of these words
should show itself in the Exalted One."
■
"There being a body, brethren,
by clinging to body,
depending on body,
arises such a view as this:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'.
There being feeling, brethren,
by clinging to feeling,
depending on feeling,
arises such a view as this:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'.
There being perception, brethren,
by clinging to perception,
depending on perception,
arises such a view as this:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'.
There being the activities, brethren,
by clinging to the activities,
depending on the activities,
arises such a view as this:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'.
There being consciousness, brethren,
by clinging to consciousness,
depending on consciousness,
arises such a view as this:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'.
■
As to that, what think ye, brethren?
Is body permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Impermanent,
woeful,
by nature changeable, -
without clinging to that
can such a view as this arise:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Is feeling permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Impermanent,
woeful,
by nature changeable, -
without clinging to that
can such a view as this arise:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Is perception permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Impermanent,
woeful,
by nature changeable, -
without clinging to that
can such a view as this arise:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Are the activities permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Impermanent,
woeful,
by nature changeable, -
without clinging to that
can such a view as this arise:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
[165] "Impermanent,
woeful,
by nature changeable, -
without clinging to that
can such a view as this arise:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'?"
"Surely not, lord."
■
"Now what is seen,
heard,
sensed,
known,
attained,
sought after,
thought out by mind, -
is that permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, lord."
"That which is impermanent,
is it weal or woe?"
"Woe, lord."
"Impermanent,
woeful,
by nature changeable, -
without clinging to that
can such a view as this arise:
'Winds do not blow,
rivers do not flow,
pregnant women do not bring forth,
moon and sun neither rise nor set,
but (all) are stable as a pillar'?"
"Surely not, lord."
"But when in an Ariyan disciple
doubt as to these six points[2] is put away
when for him doubt as to suffering is put away,
doubt as to the arising of suffering,
as to the ceasing of suffering,
as to the way going to the ceasing of suffering is put away, -
then this Ariyan disciple is called
'Stream-winner,
saved from disaster,
assured,
bound for enlightenment.'"
Leso. PED has 'particle'. But the idea is 'illusion'. Their idea was that 'the world' consists of a number of unchanging illusions strung together giving rise to the further illusion of motion. Much like a number of still images strung together create the illusion of movement in a movie. Gotama's idea is that this is only one way of viewing things. We might compare the moving picture created by still photograps to the moving picture created by the changing of pixles in a video stream; a vinyl record compared to a digital CD. Further, with the modern idea of quantum mechanics, we would say that even the illusions did not have existence prior to their being the object of observation.
— p.p.
[1] Comy. says 'it is not winds that blow, but a wind-atom, they say' (vāta-leso). In reality the wind is fixed like a mountain peak. Nor does the water carry down sticks and straws, but a water-atom. The water is really immovable as a post or pillar. Perhaps a glimpse of the fact that, in a wave, not the water of itself moves. (It is reasonable to assume that a stock saying of some current theory is here quoted, not more irrational when pbilosophically explained than, say, Berkeley's view of matter, or Zeno's tortoise Cf. e.g. infra, p. 170.-(original)Ed.)
Six. The five of the khandhas and the list beginning seen, heard ..."
— p.p.
[2] Chasu ṭhānesu. It is not clear how six are made out. Bm. ed. reads ca.
