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Saṁyutta Nikāya — The Linked Discourses

Vol 1:
Verses
SN1-11
Vol 2:
Causation
SN12-21
Vol 3:
Aggregates
SN22-34
Vol 4:
Sense Bases
SN35-44
Vol 5:
Great Book
SN45-56

35. Saḷāyatanasaṁyutta: On the Six Sense Fields

XII. The World and the Kinds of Sensual Stimulation — SN35.120: Sāriputta and the Pupil

1At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then a certain mendicant went up to Venerable Sāriputta, and exchanged greetings with him.

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Reverend Sāriputta, a mendicant pupil of mine has rejected the training and returned to a lesser life.”


2“That’s how it is, reverend, when someone doesn’t guard the sense doors, eats too much, and is not committed to wakefulness. It’s not possible for such a mendicant to maintain the full and pure spiritual life for the rest of their life. But it is possible for a mendicant to maintain the full and pure spiritual life for the rest of their life if they guard the sense doors, eat in moderation, and are committed to wakefulness.

3And how does someone guard the sense doors? When a mendicant sees a sight with the eyes, they don’t get caught up in the features and details. If the faculty of sight were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of desire and aversion would become overwhelming. For this reason, they practice restraint, protecting the faculty of sight, and achieving its restraint. When they hear a sound with their ears … When they smell an odor with their nose … When they taste a flavor with their tongue … When they feel a touch with their body … When they know a thought with their mind, they don’t get caught up in the features and details. If the faculty of mind were left unrestrained, bad unskillful qualities of desire and aversion would become overwhelming. For this reason, they practice restraint, protecting the faculty of mind, and achieving its restraint. That’s how someone guards the sense doors.

4And how does someone eat in moderation? It’s when a mendicant reflects properly on the food that they eat: ‘Not for fun, indulgence, adornment, or decoration, but only to sustain this body, to avoid harm, and to support spiritual practice. In this way, I shall put an end to old discomfort and not give rise to new discomfort, and I will live blamelessly and at ease.’ That’s how someone eats in moderation.


5And how is someone committed to wakefulness? It’s when a mendicant practices walking and sitting meditation by day, purifying their mind from obstacles. In the evening, they continue to practice walking and sitting meditation. In the middle of the night, they lie down in the lion’s posture — on the right side, placing one foot on top of the other — mindful and aware, and focused on the time of getting up. In the last part of the night, they get up and continue to practice walking and sitting meditation, purifying their mind from obstacles. That’s how someone is committed to wakefulness.

So you should train like this: ‘We will guard the sense doors, eat in moderation, and be committed to wakefulness.’ That’s how you should train.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sāriputto sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

"saddhivihāriko, āvuso sāriputta, bhikkhu sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvatto"ti.


2"Evametaṁ, āvuso, hoti indriyesu aguttadvārassa, bhojane amattaññuno, jāgariyaṁ ananuyuttassa. ‘So vatāvuso, bhikkhu indriyesu aguttadvāro bhojane amattaññū jāgariyaṁ ananuyutto yāvajīvaṁ paripuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ santānessatī’ti netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati. ‘So vatāvuso, bhikkhu indriyesu guttadvāro, bhojane mattaññū, jāgariyaṁ anuyutto yāvajīvaṁ paripuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ santānessatī’ti ṭhānametaṁ vijjati.

3Kathañcāvuso, indriyesu guttadvāro hoti? Idhāvuso, bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṁ disvā na nimittaggāhī hoti nānubyañjanaggāhī. Yatvādhikaraṇamenaṁ cakkhundriyaṁ asaṁvutaṁ vihārantaṁ abhijjhādomanassā pāpakā akusalā dhammā anvāssaveyyuṁ tassa saṁvarāya paṭipajjati, rakkhati cakkhundriyaṁ, cakkhundriye saṁvaraṁ āpajjati. Sotena saddaṁ sutvā … ghānena gandhaṁ ghāyitvā … jivhāya rasaṁ sāyitvā … kāyena phoṭṭhabbaṁ phusitvā … manasā dhammaṁ viññāya na nimittaggāhī hoti nānubyañjanaggāhī. Yatvādhikaraṇamenaṁ manindriyaṁ asaṁvutaṁ vihārantaṁ abhijjhādomanassā pāpakā akusalā dhammā anvāssaveyyuṁ, tassa saṁvarāya paṭipajjati, rakkhati manindriyaṁ, manindriye saṁvaraṁ āpajjati. Evaṁ kho, āvuso, indriyesu guttadvāro hoti.

4Kathañcāvuso, bhojane mattaññū hoti? Idhāvuso, bhikkhu paṭisaṅkhā yoniso āhāraṁ āhāreti: ‘neva davāya, na madāya, na maṇḍanāya, na vibhūsanāya, yāvadeva imassa kāyassa ṭhitiyā yāpanāya, vihiṁsūparatiyā, brahmacariyānuggahāya. Iti purāṇañca vedanāṁ paṭihaṅkhāmi, navañca vedanāṁ na uppādessāmi, yātrā ca me bhavissati, anavajjatā ca phāsuvihāro cā’ti. Evaṁ kho, āvuso, bhojane mattaññū hoti.


5Kathañcāvuso, jāgariyaṁ anuyutto hoti? Idhāvuso, bhikkhu divasaṁ caṅkamena nisajjāya āvaraṇīyehi dhammehi cittaṁ parisodheti. Rattiyā paṭhamaṁ yāmaṁ caṅkamena nisajjāya āvaraṇīyehi dhammehi cittaṁ parisodheti. Rattiyā majjhimaṁ yāmaṁ dakkhiṇena passena sīhaseyyaṁ kappeti pāde pādaṁ accādhāya sato sampajāno, uṭṭhānasaññaṁ manasi karitvā. Rattiyā pacchimaṁ yāmaṁ paccuṭṭhāya caṅkamena nisajjāya āvaraṇīyehi dhammehi cittaṁ parisodheti. Evaṁ kho, āvuso, jāgariyaṁ anuyutto hoti.

Tasmātihāvuso, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘indriyesu guttadvārā bhavissāma, bhojane mattaññuno, jāgariyaṁ anuyuttā’ti. Evañhi vo, āvuso, sikkhitabban"ti.

Sattamaṁ.