1At one time Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita were staying near Benares, in the deer park at Isipatana. Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita came out of retreat, went 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 Sāriputta:

2“Reverend Sāriputta, which is it? Is the eye the fetter of sights, or are sights the fetter of the eye? Is the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind the fetter of thoughts, or are thoughts the fetter of the mind?”

3“Reverend Koṭṭhita, the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind is not the fetter of thoughts, nor are thoughts the fetter of the mind. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.

4Suppose there was a black ox and a white ox yoked by a single harness or yoke. Would it be right to say that the black ox is the yoke of the white ox, or the white ox is the yoke of the black ox?”

“No, reverend. The black ox is not the yoke of the white ox, nor is the white ox the yoke of the black ox. The yoke there is the single harness or yoke that they’re yoked by.”

5“In the same way, the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind is not the fetter of thoughts, nor are thoughts the fetter of the mind. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.

6-9If the eye were the fetter of sights, or if sights were the fetter of the eye, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering would not be found. However, since this is not the case, but the fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering is found.
If the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind were the fetter of thoughts, or if thoughts were the fetter of the mind, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering would not be found. However, since this is not the case, but the fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them, this living of the spiritual life for the complete ending of suffering is found.
This too is a way to understand how this is so.

10The Buddha has an eye with which he sees a sight. But he has no desire and greed, for his mind is well freed. The Buddha has an ear … nose … tongue … The Buddha has a body with which he senses touch. But he has no desire and greed, for his mind is well freed.

The Buddha knows thought with his mind. But he has no desire and greed, for his mind is well freed.

11This too is a way to understand how the eye is not the fetter of sights, nor are sights the fetter of the eye. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind is not the fetter of thoughts, nor are thoughts the fetter of the mind. The fetter there is the desire and greed that arises from the pair of them.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko bārāṇasiyaṁ vihāranti isipatane migadāye. Atha kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā sāriputto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā sāriputtena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca: 

2"Kiṁ nu kho, āvuso sāriputta, cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ … pe … jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ … pe … mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, dhammā manassa saṁyojanan"ti?

3"Na kho, āvuso koṭṭhika, cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ … pe … na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ … pe … na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

4Seyyathāpi, āvuso, kāḷo ca balībaddo odāto ca balībaddo ekena dāmena vā yottena vā saṁyuttā assu. Yo nu kho evaṁ vadeyya: ‘kāḷo balībaddo odātassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ, odāto balībaddo kāḷassa balībaddassa saṁyojanan’ti, sammā nu kho so vadamāno vadeyyā"ti? "No hetaṁ, āvuso".

"Na kho, āvuso, kāḷo balībaddo odātassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ, na odāto balībaddo kāḷassa balībaddassa saṁyojanaṁ. Yena ca kho te ekena dāmena vā yottena vā saṁyuttā taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

5Evameva kho, āvuso, na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ … pe … na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ … pe … na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

6Cakkhu vā, āvuso, rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ abhavissa, rūpā vā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ, nayidaṁ brahmacariyavāso paññāyetha sammā dukkhakkhayāya. Yasmā ca kho, āvuso, na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ; yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ, tasmā brahmacariyavāso paññāyati sammā dukkhakkhayāya … pe … .

7Jivhā, āvuso, rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ abhavissa, rasā vā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ, nayidaṁ brahmacariyavāso paññāyetha sammā dukkhakkhayāya. Yasmā ca kho, āvuso, na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ; yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ, tasmā brahmacariyavāso paññāyati sammā dukkhakkhayāya … pe … .

8Mano vā, āvuso, dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ abhavissa, dhammā vā manassa saṁyojanaṁ, nayidaṁ brahmacariyavāso paññāyetha sammā dukkhakkhayāya. Yasmā ca kho, āvuso, na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ; yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ, tasmā brahmacariyavāso paññāyati sammā dukkhakkhayāya.

9Imināpetaṁ, āvuso, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ … pe … na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ … pe … na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ. Yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ.

10Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato cakkhu. Passati bhagavā cakkhunā rūpaṁ. Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. Suvimuttacitto bhagavā. Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato sotaṁ. Suṇāti bhagavā sotena saddaṁ. Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. Suvimuttacitto bhagavā. Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato ghānaṁ. Ghāyati bhagavā ghānena gandhaṁ. Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. Suvimuttacitto bhagavā. Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato jivhā. Sāyati bhagavā jivhāya rasaṁ. Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. Suvimuttacitto bhagavā. Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato kāyo. Phusati bhagavā kāyena phoṭṭhabbaṁ. Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. Suvimuttacitto bhagavā.

Saṁvijjati kho, āvuso, bhagavato mano. Vijānāti bhagavā manasā dhammaṁ. Chandarāgo bhagavato natthi. Suvimuttacitto bhagavā.

11Iminā kho etaṁ, āvuso, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā na cakkhu rūpānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rūpā cakkhussa saṁyojanaṁ; yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ. Na sotaṁ … na ghānaṁ … na jivhā rasānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na rasā jivhāya saṁyojanaṁ; yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo taṁ tattha saṁyojanaṁ. Na kāyo … na mano dhammānaṁ saṁyojanaṁ, na dhammā manassa saṁyojanaṁ; yañca tattha tadubhayaṁ paṭicca uppajjati chandarāgo, taṁ tattha saṁyojanan"ti.

Pañcamaṁ.