SN24:7 Cause
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, when what exists, by clinging to what, by adhering to what, does such a view as this arise:[n.256] The doctrine of noncausality (ahetukavāda) is ascribed to Makkhali Gosāla at DN I 53,25–33, but at SN22.60 a portion of it is attributed to Pūraṇa Kassapa; see above n. 92. For the commentary, see Fruits of Recluseship, pp. 70–72. Strict determinism (niyativāda) is known to have been the main plank of Makkhali's Ājīvika philosophy, discussed in detail by Basham, History and Doctrines of the Ājīvikas, pp. 224–39. The sentence in brackets is brought in from DN I 53,28–29, but is not in the SN text or in the version at MN I 516,33–517,3.
‘There is no cause or condition for the defilement of beings; beings are defiled without cause or condition. There is no cause or condition for the purification of beings; beings are purified without cause or condition.
(There is no action by self, no action by others, no manly action.) There is no power, no energy, no manly strength, no manly exertion.
All beings, all living beings, all creatures, all souls are without mastery, power, and energy; moulded by destiny, circumstance, and nature, they experience pleasure and pain in the six classes’?"[n.257] The six classes (chaḷabhijātiyo)— the black, the blue, the red, the yellow, the white, and the ultimate white— represent stages along the Ājīvika road to perfection; see Fruits of Recluseship, pp. 73–75. At AN III 383,18–84,7 this scheme is ascribed to Pūraṇa Kassapa, which again shows the connection between the two systems (a point noted by Basham, pp. 23–24).
"Venerable sir, our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One … ."
2"When there is form, bhikkhus, when there is feeling … perception … volitional formations … consciousness, by clinging to any of these things, by adhering to any of these things, such a view as this arises:
‘There is no cause or condition for the defilement of beings; …
There is no cause or condition for the purification of beings; …
All beings … are without mastery, power, and energy; moulded by destiny, circumstance, and nature, they experience pleasure and pain in the six classes.’
3"What do you think, bhikkhus, is form permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir."
"Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?"
"Suffering, venerable sir."
"But without clinging to what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, could such a view as that arise?"
"No, venerable sir."
"Is feeling … perception … volitional formations … consciousness permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir."
"Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?"
"Suffering, venerable sir."
"But without clinging to what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, could such a view as that arise?"
"No, venerable sir."
"That which is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, and ranged over by the mind:[n.250] This is a fourfold classification of all objects. According to Spk, the seen (diṭṭha) is the visible-form base; the heard (suta), the sound base; the sensed (muta), the objects of smell, taste, and touch; and the cognized (viññāta), the other seven bases (i.e., the six internal sense bases and the mental-phenomena base). The words "attained, sought after, and ranged over by the mind" (pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā) are just an elaboration of the fourth. is that permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir."
"Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?"
"Suffering, venerable sir."
"But without clinging to what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, could such a view as that arise?"
"No, venerable sir."
4"When, bhikkhus, a noble disciple has abandoned perplexity in these six cases,[n.251] I read imesu chasu ṭhānesu, with Se and Ee, as against Be imesu ca ṭhānesu. Spk is silent, but it seems the six cases are the five aggregates and the tetrad of sense objects taken collectively as one. Cp. MN I 135,34–36, where the tetrad of sense objects actually replaces viññāṇa as a basisfor wrong views (diṭṭhiṭṭhāna).
and when, sn.iii.211 further, he has abandoned perplexity about suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the way leading to the cessation of suffering,
he is then called a noble disciple who is a stream-enterer, no longer bound to the nether world, fixed in destiny, with enlightenment as his destination."
1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. "Kismiṁ nu kho, bhikkhave, sati, kiṁ upādāya, kiṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati:
‘Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo sattānaṁ saṅkilesāya. Ahetū appaccayā sattā saṅkilissanti. Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo sattānaṁ visuddhiyā. Ahetū appaccayā sattā visujjhanti.
Natthi balaṁ natthi vīriyaṁ natthi purisathāmo natthi purisaparakkamo.
Sabbe sattā sabbe pāṇā sabbe bhūtā sabbe jīvā avasā abalā avīriyā niyatisaṅgatibhāvapariṇatā chasvevābhijātīsu sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedentī’"ti?
"Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā … pe …
2"Rūpe kho, bhikkhave, sati, rūpaṁ upādāya, rūpaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati: ‘Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedentī’ti. Vedanāya sati … pe … saññāya sati … saṅkhāresu sati … viññāṇe sati, viññāṇaṁ upādāya, viññāṇaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati:
‘Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedentī’ti.
3Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā"ti? "Aniccaṁ, bhante … pe
… vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya: ‘Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedentī’"ti? "No hetaṁ, bhante".
"Vedanā … saññā … saṅkhārā … viññāṇaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā"ti? "Aniccaṁ, bhante … pe
… api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya: ‘Natthi hetu, natthi paccayo … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedentī’"ti? "No hetaṁ, bhante".
"Yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā tampi niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā"ti? "Aniccaṁ, bhante … pe
… api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya: ‘Natthi hetu natthi paccayo … pe … sukhadukkhaṁ paṭisaṁvedentī’"ti? "No hetaṁ, bhante".
4"Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa imesu ca ṭhānesu kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti,
dukkhepissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti … pe … dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāyapissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti –
ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano"ti.
Sattamaṁ.