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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

XIV. At Devadaha — SN35.136: Liking Sights (1st)

1“Mendicants, gods and humans like sights, they love them and enjoy them. But when sights perish, fade away, and cease, gods and humans live in suffering. Gods and humans like sounds … smells … tastes … touches … thoughts, they love them and enjoy them. But when thoughts perish, fade away, and cease, gods and humans live in suffering.

The Realized One has truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape of sights, so he doesn’t like, love, or enjoy them. When sights perish, fade away, and cease, the Realized One lives happily.

The Realized One has truly understood the origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape of sounds … smells … tastes … touches … thoughts, so he doesn’t like, love, or enjoy them. When thoughts perish, fade away, and cease, the Realized One lives happily.”


That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

2“Sights, sounds, tastes, smells,
touches and thoughts, the lot of them —
they’re likable, desirable, and pleasurable
as long as you can say that they exist.

3In all the world with its gods,
this is reckoned as happiness.
And where they cease
this is reckoned as suffering.

4The noble ones have seen that happiness
is the cessation of identity.
Those who see
contradict the whole world.

5What others say is happiness
the noble ones say is suffering.
What others say is suffering
the noble ones say is happiness.

6See, this teaching is hard to understand,
it confuses the ignorant.
Those who don’t see are closed off;
for them, all is blind darkness.

7But those who see are open;
for the good, it is light.
Though it’s right there, the unskilled fools
don’t understand the teaching.

8They’re mired in desire to be reborn,
flowing along the stream of lives,
mired in Māra’s sovereignty:
this teaching isn’t easy for them to understand.

9Who, apart from the noble ones,
is qualified to understand this state?
When they’ve rightly understood it,
they’re extinguished without defilements.”

1"Rūpārāmā, bhikkhave, devamanussā rūparatā rūpasammuditā. Rūpavipariṇāmavirāganirodhā dukkhā, bhikkhave, devamanussā vihāranti. Saddārāmā, bhikkhave, devamanussā saddaratā saddasammuditā. Saddavipariṇāmavirāganirodhā dukkhā, bhikkhave, devamanussā vihāranti. Gandhārāmā … rasārāmā … phoṭṭhabbārāmā … dhammārāmā, bhikkhave, devamanussā dhammaratā dhammasammuditā. Dhammavipariṇāmavirāganirodhā dukkhā, bhikkhave, devamanussā vihāranti.

Tathāgato ca kho, bhikkhave, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho rūpānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ viditvā na rūpārāmo na rūparato na rūpasammudito. Rūpavipariṇāmavirāganirodhā sukho, bhikkhave, tathāgato vihārati.

Saddānaṁ … gandhānaṁ … rasānaṁ … phoṭṭhabbānaṁ … dhammānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ viditvā na dhammārāmo, na dhammarato, na dhammasammudito. Dhammavipariṇāmavirāganirodhā sukho, bhikkhave, tathāgato vihārati". Idamavoca bhagavā.


Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā: 

2"Rūpā saddā rasā gandhā,
phassā dhammā ca kevalā;
Iṭṭhā kantā manāpā ca,
yāvatatthīti vuccati.

3Sadevakassa lokassa,
ete vo sukhasammatā;
Yattha cete nirujjhanti,
taṁ tesaṁ dukkhasammataṁ.

4Sukhaṁ diṭṭhamariyebhi,
sakkāyassa nirodhanaṁ;
Paccanīkamidaṁ hoti,
sabbalokena passataṁ.

5Yaṁ pare sukhato āhu,
tadariyā āhu dukkhato;
Yaṁ pare dukkhato āhu,
tadariyā sukhato vidū.

6Passa dhammaṁ durājānaṁ,
sammūḷhettha aviddasu;
Nivutānaṁ tamo hoti,
andhakāro apassataṁ.

7Satañca vivaṭaṁ hoti,
āloko passatāmiva;
Santike na vijānanti,
maggā dhammassa akovidā.

8Bhavarāgaparetebhi,
bhavarāgānusārībhi;
Māradheyyānupannehi,
nāyaṁ dhammo susambudho.

9Ko nu aññatra mariyebhi,
Padaṁ sambuddhumarahati;
Yaṁ padaṁ sammadaññāya,
Parinibbanti anāsavā"ti.

Tatiyaṁ.