36. Vedanāsaṁyutta: On Feelings
I. With Verses — SN36.8: The Infirmary (2nd)
- © Translated from the Pali by Bhante Sujato. (More copyright information)
1At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof.
Then in the late afternoon, the Buddha came out of retreat and went to the infirmary, where he sat down on the seat spread out, and addressed the mendicants:
2“Mendicants, a mendicant should await their time mindful and aware. This is my instruction to you.
3And how is a mendicant mindful? It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. They meditate observing an aspect of feelings … They meditate observing an aspect of the mind … They meditate observing an aspect of principles — keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. That’s how a mendicant is mindful.
4And how is a mendicant aware? It’s when a mendicant acts with situational awareness when going out and coming back; when looking ahead and aside; when bending and extending the limbs; when bearing the outer robe, bowl and robes; when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting; when urinating and defecating; when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and keeping silent. That’s how a mendicant is aware.
A mendicant should await their time mindful and aware. This is my instruction to you.
5While a mendicant is meditating like this — mindful, aware, diligent, keen, and resolute — if pleasant feelings arise, they understand: ‘A pleasant feeling has arisen in me. That’s dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very contact. But this contact is impermanent, conditioned, dependently originated. So how could a pleasant feeling be permanent, since it has arisen dependent on contact that is impermanent, conditioned, and dependently originated?’ They meditate observing impermanence, vanishing, dispassion, cessation, and letting go in contact and pleasant feeling. As they do so, they give up the underlying tendency for greed for contact and pleasant feeling.
6While a mendicant is meditating like this — mindful, aware, diligent, keen, and resolute — if painful feelings arise … if neutral feelings arise, they understand: ‘A neutral feeling has arisen in me. That’s dependent, not independent. Dependent on what? Dependent on this very contact.
Expand in detail as in the previous discourse.
They understand: ‘When my body breaks up and my life is over, everything that’s felt, since I no longer take pleasure in it, will become cool right here.’
7Suppose an oil lamp depended on oil and a wick to burn. As the oil and the wick are used up, it would be extinguished due to lack of fuel.
In the same way, feeling the end of the body approaching, a mendicant understands: ‘I feel the end of the body approaching.’ Feeling the end of life approaching, they understand: ‘I feel the end of life approaching.’ They understand: ‘When my body breaks up and my life is over, everything that’s felt, since I no longer take pleasure in it, will become cool right here.’”
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā vesāliyaṁ vihārati mahāvane kūṭāgārasālāyaṁ.
Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena gilānasālā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
2"Sato, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sampajāno kālaṁ āgameyya. Ayaṁ vo amhākaṁ anusāsanī.
3Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sato hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ; vedanāsu vedanānupassī vihārati … citte cittānupassī vihārati … dhammesu dhammānupassī vihārati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sato hoti.
4Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sampajāno hoti? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu abhikkante paṭikkante sampajānakārī hoti … pe … bhāsite tuṇhībhāve sampajānakārī hoti. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sampajāno hoti.
Sato, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sampajāno kālaṁ āgameyya. Ayaṁ vo amhākaṁ anusāsanī.
5Tassa ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno evaṁ satassa sampajānassa appamattassa ātāpino pahitattassa vihārato uppajjati sukhā vedanā. So evaṁ pajānāti: ‘uppannā kho myāyaṁ sukhā vedanā; sā ca kho paṭicca, no appaṭicca. Kiṁ paṭicca? Imameva phassaṁ paṭicca. Ayaṁ kho pana phasso anicco saṅkhato paṭiccasamuppanno. Aniccaṁ kho pana saṅkhataṁ paṭiccasamuppannaṁ phassaṁ paṭicca uppannā sukhā vedanā kuto niccā bhavissatī’ti. So phasse ca sukhāya ca vedanāya aniccānupassī vihārati, vayānupassī vihārati, virāgānupassī vihārati, nirodhānupassī vihārati, paṭinissaggānupassī vihārati. Tassa phasse ca sukhāya ca vedanāya aniccānupassino vihārato, vayānupassino vihārato, virāgānupassino vihārato, nirodhānupassino vihārato, paṭinissaggānupassino vihārato yo phasse ca sukhāya ca vedanāya rāgānusayo, so pahīyati.
6Tassa ce, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno evaṁ satassa … pe … vihārato uppajjati dukkhā vedanā … pe … uppajjati adukkhamasukhā vedanā. So evaṁ pajānāti: ‘uppannā kho myāyaṁ adukkhamasukhā vedanā; sā ca kho paṭicca, no appaṭicca. Kiṁ paṭicca? Imameva phassaṁ paṭicca.
Yathā purimasutte, tathā vitthāretabbo.
Kāyassa bhedā uddhaṁ jīvitapariyādānā idheva sabbavedayitāni anabhinanditāni sītībhavissantī’ti pajānāti.
7Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, telañca paṭicca vaṭṭiñca paṭicca telappadīpo jhāyeyya, tasseva telassa ca vaṭṭiyā ca pariyādānā anāhāro nibbāyeyya;
evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanāṁ vedayamāno ‘kāyapariyantikaṁ vedanāṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti. Jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanāṁ vedayamāno ‘jīvitapariyantikaṁ vedanāṁ vedayāmī’ti pajānāti. ‘Kāyassa bhedā uddhaṁ jīvitapariyādānā idheva sabbavedayitāni anabhinanditāni sītībhavissantī’ti pajānātī"ti.
Aṭṭhamaṁ.