SN12:28 Bhikkhu
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī. "Herein, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu understands aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands birth, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands existence, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands clinging sn.ii.44, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands craving, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands feeling, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands contact, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands the six sense bases, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation.
He understands name-and-form, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands consciousness, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.
He understands volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation.
2"And what, bhikkhus, is aging-and-death?
The aging of the various beings in the various orders of beings, their growing old, brokenness of teeth, greyness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of vitality, degeneration of the faculties: this is called aging.
The passing away of the various beings from the various orders of beings, their perishing, breakup, disappearance, mortality, death, completion of time, the breakup of the aggregates, the laying down of the carcass: this is called death.[n.2] Se adds, at the end of the definition of death, jīvitindriyassa upacchedo, which (according to a note in Be) is also found in the Thai and Cambodian eds. The fact that Spk does not gloss this expression may be taken as evidence that it was not in the text available to the commentator. The expression is found, however, in the definition of death at Vibh 99,23–24 and is commented upon at Vibh-a 101,8–12.
Spk: By the terms from "passing away" through "completion of time" he expounds death in worldly conventional terminology (lokasammutiya); by the expressions "breakup of the aggregates" and "the laying down of the carcass" he expounds death in the ultimate sense (paramattha). For in the ultimate sense it is only the aggregates that break up; there is no "being" that dies. When the aggregates are breaking up one says, "A being is dying," and when they have broken up it is said, "The being has died."
Thus this aging and this death are together called aging-and-death.
With the arising of birth there is the arising of aging-and-death; with the cessation of birth there is the cessation of aging-and-death.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of aging-and-death; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
3"And what, bhikkhus, is birth?
The birth of the various beings into the various orders of beings, their being born, descent into the womb, production, the manifestation of the aggregates, the obtaining of the sense bases.
This is called birth.[n.3] Spk: From "birth" through "production" the teaching is conventional (voharadesana); the last two terms are an ultimate teaching (paramatthadesana). For in the ultimate sense it is only aggregates that become manifest, not a being.
With the arising of existence there is the arising of birth. With the cessation of existence there is the cessation of birth.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of birth; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what is existence?
There are these three kinds of existence:
sense-sphere existence,
form-sphere existence,
formless-sphere existence.
This is called existence.[n.4] On the meaning of bhava, see the General Introduction, pp. 52–53. Spk: In the exposition of existence, sense-sphere existence is both kamma-existence (kammabhava) and rebirth-existence (upapattibhava). Of these, kamma-existence is just kamma that leads to sense-sphere existence; for the kamma, being the cause for rebirth-existence in that realm, is spoken of as "existence" by assigning the name of the result to the cause. Rebirth-existence is the set of five kammically acquired aggregates produced by that kamma; for this is called "existence" in the sense that "it comes to be there." The same method of explanation applies to form-sphere and formless-sphere existence (except that in formless-sphere rebirth-existence only the four mental aggregates exist).
It should be noted that in interpreting the expression upādānapaccaya bhavo, the commentaries take bhava as either kammabhava or upapattibhava, since both volitional activity and rebirth are conditioned by clinging; but in the expression bhavapaccaya jati, they confine bhava to kammabhava, since upapattibhava includes jati and thus cannot be a condition for it. See Vism 572–73 (Ppn 17:258–60) and Vism 575 (Ppn 17:270).
With the arising of clinging there is the arising of existence. With the cessation of clinging there is the cessation of existence.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of existence; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what is clinging?
There are these four kinds of clinging:
clinging to sensual pleasures,
clinging to views,
clinging to rules and vows,
clinging to a doctrine of self.
This is called clinging.[n.5] Spk defines clinging as tight grasping (upādānan ti daḷhaggahaṇaṁ vuccati). Definitions of the four kinds of clinging are at Dhs §§1214–17. In brief, clinging to sensual pleasures (kamupādāna) is identical with sensual desire, sensual lust, sensual delight, sensual craving, etc. Clinging to views (diṭṭhupādāna) is the adoption of any wrong view except those included in the third and fourth types of clinging; Dhs §1215 mentions as an example the nihilist view (see SN24.5). The expression sīlabbatupādāna is often translated "clinging to rites and rituals," but neither the canon nor commentaries supports this. I render sīla as rules and vata as vows, though the intention is actual modes of behaviour prescribed by rules and vows. The laconic definition at Dhs §1222 reads: "Clinging to rules and vows is the view of ascetics and brahmins outside of here (i.e., outside the Buddhist fold) that purification is achieved by rules, by vows, by rules and vows" (condensed). The reference is evidently to the various types of austerities that the Buddha’s contemporaries adopted in the belief that they lead to heaven or to ultimate purification. An example is the "dog rule, dog vow" (kukkurasīla, kukkuravata) at MN I 387,18–20; see too the common phrase, imina ’haṁ sīlena va vatena va tapena va brahmacariyena va devo va bhavissami devaññataro va (e.g., at MN I 102,10–11). Clinging to a doctrine of self (attavadupādāna) is defined by way of the twenty types of identity view (sakkāyadiṭṭhi), on which see SN22.7, etc.
With the arising of craving there is the arising of clinging. With the cessation of craving there is the cessation of clinging.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of clinging; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what is craving?
There are these six classes of craving:
craving for forms,
craving for sounds,
craving for odours,
craving for tastes,
craving for tactile objects,
craving for mental phenomena.
This is called craving.
With the arising of feeling there is the arising of craving. With the cessation of feeling there is the cessation of craving.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of craving; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what is feeling?
There are these six classes of feeling:
feeling born of eye-contact,
feeling born of ear-contact,
feeling born of nose-contact,
feeling born of tongue-contact,
feeling born of body-contact,
feeling born of mind-contact.
This is called feeling.
With the arising of contact there is the arising of feeling. With the cessation of contact there is the cessation of feeling.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of feeling; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what is contact?
There are these six classes of contact:
eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact.
This is called contact.
With the arising of the six sense bases there is the arising of contact. With the cessation of the six sense bases there is the cessation of contact.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of contact; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what are the six sense bases?
The eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base, the mind base.
These are called the six sense bases.
With the arising of name-and-form there is the arising of the six sense bases. With the cessation of name-and-form there is the cessation of the six sense bases.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of the six sense bases; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what is name-and-form?
Feeling, perception, volition, contact, attention: this is called name.
The four great elements and the form derived from the four great elements: this is called form.
Thus this name and this form are together called name-and-form.[n.6] On the translation of nāmarūpa, see the General Introduction, pp. 47–49. Vism 558,23–28 (Ppn 17:187) explains that nama denotes the three aggregates— of feeling, perception, and volitional formations— which are called thus because of their "bending" (namana) on to an object (in the act of cognizing it). Volition, contact, and attention belong to the aggregate of volitional formations and, according to Spk, have been selected to represent that aggregate here because they are operative even in the weakest classes of consciousness.
With the arising of consciousness there is the arising of name-and-form. With the cessation of consciousness there is the cessation of name-and-form.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of name-and-form; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
And what is consciousness?
There are these six classes of consciousness:
eye-consciousness,
ear-consciousness,
nose-consciousness,
tongue-consciousness,
body-consciousness,
mind-consciousness.
This is called consciousness.
With the arising of volitional formations there is the arising of consciousness. With the cessation of volitional formations there is the cessation of consciousness.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of consciousness; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
4And what are volitional formations?
There are these three kinds of volitional formations: the bodily volitional formation, the verbal volitional formation, the mental volitional formation.
These are called the volitional formations.[n.7] On the translation of saṅkhāra, see the General Introduction, pp. 44–47. Spk: Volitional formations have the characteristic of forming (abhisaṅkhāraṇa). The bodily volitional formation is a volitional formation that occurs through the body; the term is a designation for the twenty kinds of bodily volition (kayasañcetana)— eight sense-sphere wholesome and twelve unwholesome— that motivate activity in the body door (see CMA 1:4–7, 13). The verbal volitional formation is a volitional formation that occurs through speech; the term is a designation for the twenty kinds of verbal volition (vacisañcetana) that motivate verbal utterances (i.e., the same twenty kinds as mentioned just above, but expressed through speech rather than bodily action). The mental volitional formation is a volitional formation that occurs through the mind; the term is a designation for the twenty-nine mundane wholesome and unwholesome mental volitions (manosañcetana) that occur privately in thought without motivating action in the doors of body and speech. (The additional nine volitions are the five of the form-sphere and four of the formless-sphere cittas, states of purely meditative experience; see CMA 1:18, 22.)
This triad of saṅkhāra should not be confused with the triad discussed at SN41.6. I have added "volitional" to the present set to distinguish them from the other, though the Pali terms are identical. The latter triad is always introduced in relation to the cessation of perception and feeling and is never brought into connection with dependent origination.
With the arising of ignorance there is the arising of volitional formations. With the cessation of ignorance there is the cessation of volitional formations.
Just this Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of volitional formations; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
5"When, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu thus understands aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands birth, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands existence, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands clinging, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands craving, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands feeling, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands contact, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands the six sense bases, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands name-and-form, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands sn.ii.45 consciousness, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation;
when he thus understands volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation,
he is then called a bhikkhu who is accomplished in view, accomplished in vision, who has arrived at this true Dhamma, who sees this true Dhamma, who possesses a trainee's knowledge, a trainee's true knowledge, who has entered the stream of the Dhamma, a noble one with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless."
1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati. "Tatra kho … pe … idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu jarāmaraṇaṁ pajānāti, jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ pajānāti, jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ pajānāti, jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti,
jātiṁ pajānāti … pe …
bhavaṁ pajānāti …
upādānaṁ pajānāti …
taṇhāṁ pajānāti …
vedanāṁ pajānāti …
phassaṁ pajānāti …
saḷāyatanaṁ pajānāti …
nāmarūpaṁ pajānāti …
viññāṇaṁ pajānāti …
saṅkhāre pajānāti, saṅkhārasamudayaṁ pajānāti, saṅkhāranirodhaṁ pajānāti, saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti.
2Katamañca, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ?
Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye jarā jīraṇatā khaṇḍiccaṁ pāliccaṁ valittacatā āyuno saṁhāni indriyānaṁ paripāko – ayaṁ vuccati jarā.
Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhā tamhā sattanikāyā cuti cavanatā bhedo antaradhānaṁ maccu maraṇaṁ kālakiriyā khandhānaṁ bhedo kaḷevarassa nikkhepo; idaṁ vuccati maraṇaṁ.
Iti ayañca jarā idañca maraṇaṁ. Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, jarāmaraṇaṁ.
Jātisamudayā jarāmaraṇasamudayo; jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇanirodho.
Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminī paṭipadā. Seyyathidaṁ – sammādiṭṭhi … pe … sammāsamādhi.
3Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti … pe …
katamo ca, bhikkhave, bhavo…
katamañca, bhikkhave, upādānaṁ…
katamā ca, bhikkhave, taṇhā…
vedanā…
phasso…
saḷāyatanaṁ…
nāmarūpaṁ…
viññāṇaṁ … .
4Katame ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā? Tayome, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā – kāyasaṅkhāro, vacīsaṅkhāro, cittasaṅkhāro. Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā.
Avijjāsamudayā saṅkhārasamudayo; avijjānirodhā saṅkhāranirodho.
Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo saṅkhāranirodhagāminī paṭipadā. Seyyathidaṁ – sammādiṭṭhi … pe … sammāsamādhi.
5Yato kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu evaṁ jarāmaraṇaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇasamudayaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇanirodhaṁ pajānāti, evaṁ jarāmaraṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti,
evaṁ jātiṁ pajānāti … pe …
bhavaṁ…
upādānaṁ…
taṇhāṁ…
vedanāṁ…
phassaṁ…
saḷāyatanaṁ…
nāmarūpaṁ…
viññāṇaṁ…
saṅkhāre … saṅkhārasamudayaṁ … saṅkhāranirodhaṁ … evaṁ saṅkhāranirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ pajānāti.
Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu diṭṭhisampanno itipi, dassanasampanno itipi, āgato imaṁ saddhammaṁ itipi, passati imaṁ saddhammaṁ itipi, sekkhena ñāṇena samannāgato itipi, sekkhāya vijjāya samannāgato itipi, dhammasotaṁ samāpanno itipi, ariyo nibbedhikapañño itipi, amatadvāraṁ āhacca tiṭṭhati itipī"ti.
Aṭṭhamaṁ.