1At one time the venerables Ānanda and Udāyī were staying near Kosambi, in Ghosita’s Monastery.

Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Udāyī came out of retreat, went to Venerable Ānanda, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Ānanda:

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2“Reverend Ānanda, the Buddha has explained, opened, and illuminated in many ways how this body is not-self. Is it possible to explain consciousness in the same way? To teach, assert, establish, open, analyze, and make it clear how consciousness is not-self?”

3“It is possible, Reverend Udāyī.

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4Does eye consciousness arise dependent on the eye and sights?”

“Yes, reverend.”

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“If the cause and condition that gives rise to eye consciousness were to totally and utterly cease without anything left over, would eye consciousness still be found?”

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“No, reverend.”

“In this way, too, it can be understood how consciousness is not-self.

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5-6Does ear … nose … tongue … body … mind consciousness arise dependent on the mind and thoughts?”

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“Yes, reverend.”

“If the cause and condition that gives rise to mind consciousness were to totally and utterly cease without anything left over, would mind consciousness still be found?”

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“No, reverend.”

“In this way, too, it can be understood how consciousness is not-self.

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7Suppose there was a person in need of heartwood. Wandering in search of heartwood, they’d take a sharp axe and enter a forest. There they’d see a big banana tree, straight and young and grown free of defects. They’d cut it down at the base, cut off the root, cut off the top, and unroll the coiled sheaths. But they wouldn’t even find sapwood, much less heartwood.

In the same way, a mendicant sees these six fields of contact as neither self nor belonging to self. So seeing, they don’t grasp anything in the world. Not grasping, they’re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished.

They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca ānando āyasmā ca udāyī kosambiyaṁ vihāranti ghositārāme.

Atha kho āyasmā udāyī sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yenāyasmā ānando tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmatā ānandena saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā udāyī āyasmantaṁ Ānandaṁ etadavoca: 

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2"Yatheva nu kho, āvuso Ānanda, ayaṁ kāyo bhagavatā anekapariyāyena akkhāto vivaṭo pakāsito: ‘itipāyaṁ kāyo anattā’ti, sakkā evameva viññāṇaṁ pidaṁ ācikkhituṁ desetuṁ paññapetuṁ paṭṭhapetuṁ vivarituṁ vibhajituṁ uttānīkātuṁ: ‘itipidaṁ viññāṇaṁ anattā’"ti?

3"Yatheva kho, āvuso udāyī, ayaṁ kāyo bhagavatā anekapariyāyena akkhāto vivaṭo pakāsito: ‘itipāyaṁ kāyo anattā’ti, sakkā evameva viññāṇaṁ pidaṁ ācikkhituṁ desetuṁ paññapetuṁ paṭṭhapetuṁ vivarituṁ vibhajituṁ uttānīkātuṁ: ‘itipidaṁ viññāṇaṁ anattā’"ti.

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4"Cakkhuñca, āvuso, paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjati cakkhuviññāṇan"ti?

"Evamāvuso"ti.

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"Yo cāvuso, hetu, yo ca paccayo cakkhuviññāṇassa uppādāya, so ca hetu, so ca paccayo sabbena sabbaṁ sabbathā sabbaṁ aparisesaṁ nirujjheyya. Api nu kho cakkhuviññāṇaṁ paññāyethā"ti?

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"No hetaṁ, āvuso".

"Imināpi kho etaṁ, āvuso, pariyāyena bhagavatā akkhātaṁ vivaṭaṁ pakāsitaṁ: ‘itipidaṁ viññāṇaṁ anattā’"ti … pe … .

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5"Jivhañcāvuso, paṭicca rase ca uppajjati jivhāviññāṇan"ti? "Evamāvuso"ti. "Yo cāvuso, hetu yo ca paccayo jivhāviññāṇassa uppādāya, so ca hetu, so ca paccayo sabbena sabbaṁ sabbathā sabbaṁ aparisesaṁ nirujjheyya, api nu kho jivhāviññāṇaṁ paññāyethā"ti? "No hetaṁ, āvuso". "Imināpi kho etaṁ, āvuso, pariyāyena bhagavatā akkhātaṁ vivaṭaṁ pakāsitaṁ: ‘itipidaṁ viññāṇaṁ anattā’"ti … pe … .

6"Manañcāvuso, paṭicca dhamme ca uppajjati manoviññāṇan"ti?

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"Evamāvuso"ti.

"Yo cāvuso, hetu, yo ca paccayo manoviññāṇassa uppādāya, so ca hetu, so ca paccayo sabbena sabbaṁ sabbathā sabbaṁ aparisesaṁ nirujjheyya, api nu kho manoviññāṇaṁ paññāyethā"ti?

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"No hetaṁ, āvuso".

"Imināpi kho etaṁ, āvuso, pariyāyena bhagavatā akkhātaṁ vivaṭaṁ pakāsitaṁ: ‘itipidaṁ viññāṇaṁ anattā’ti.

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7Seyyathāpi, āvuso, puriso sāratthiko sāragavesī sārapariyesanaṁ caramāno tiṇhaṁ kuṭhāriṁ ādāya vanaṁ paviseyya. So tattha passeyya mahantaṁ kadalikkhandhaṁ ujuṁ navaṁ akukkukajātaṁ. Tamenaṁ mūle chindeyya; mūle chetvā agge chindeyya; agge chetvā pattavaṭṭiṁ vinibbhujeyya. So tattha pheggumpi nādhigaccheyya, kuto sāraṁ.

Evameva kho, āvuso, bhikkhu chasu phassāyatanesu nevattānaṁ na attaniyaṁ samanupassati. So evaṁ asamanupassanto na kiñci loke upādiyati. Anupādiyaṁ na paritassati. Aparitassaṁ paccattaññeva parinibbāyati.

‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī"ti.

Sattamaṁ.