Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme …
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in Jeta’s grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park.
“assutavā, bhikkhave, puthujjano imasmiṁ cātumahābhūtikasmiṁ kāyasmiṁ nibbindeyyapi virajjeyyapi vimucceyyapi. Taṁ kissa hetu? Dissati, bhikkhave, imassa cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa ācayopi apacayopi ādānampi nikkhepanampi. Tasmā tatrāssutavā puthujjano nibbindeyyapi virajjeyyapi vimucceyyapi.
“An |uninstructed::uninitiated, untaught, untrained [assutavant]| ordinary person, bhikkhus, might become |disenchanted with::disinterested in, disillusioned with [nibbindati]|, |detached from::dispassionate towards [virajjati]|, and freed from this body |composed of the four great elements::The four great elements are of earth (solidity), water (cohesion), fire (temperature), and air (movement). This classification offered by the Buddha is based on how the body is experienced—as structure, fluidity, energy, and motion. It forms a basis for further insights into the nature of body and mind. [cātumahābhūtika]|. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, it is seen that this body composed of the four great elements undergoes |accumulation::e.g. growth of tissues such as muscle and fat gain, storage of energy such as fat stores, water retention [ācaya]| and |reduction::e.g. gradual loss of strength due to aging; tissue breakdown or cell death during illness; fat and muscle breakdown for energy during fasting or exercise; nails, hair, skin renewal as part of natural shedding [apacaya]|, |taking up::absorbing nutrients when eating food and drink; breathing in air [ādāna]| and |casting off::e.g. removal of solid and liquid waste during excretion; breathing out during exhalation; sweating, shedding of skin; releasing body heat to regulate temperature [nikkhepana]|. Therefore, an uninstructed ordinary person might become disenchanted with, detached from, and freed from it.
Yañca kho etaṁ, bhikkhave, vuccati cittaṁ itipi, mano itipi, viññāṇaṁ itipi, tatrāssutavā puthujjano nālaṁ nibbindituṁ nālaṁ virajjituṁ nālaṁ vimuccituṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Dīgharattañhetaṁ, bhikkhave, assutavato puthujjanassa ajjhositaṁ mamāyitaṁ parāmaṭṭhaṁ: ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti. Tasmā tatrāssutavā puthujjano nālaṁ nibbindituṁ nālaṁ virajjituṁ nālaṁ vimuccituṁ.
But, bhikkhus, as to that which is called ‘mind’, or ‘intellect’, or ‘consciousness’—in regard to that, the uninstructed ordinary person is not able to become disenchanted with it, not able to become detached from it, and not able to be freed from it. For what reason? Because, for a long time, bhikkhus, this has been |clung to::attached to, fixed on [ajjhosita]|, |appropriated as ‘mine’::treasured, cherished [mamāyita]|, and misapprehended by the uninstructed ordinary person as: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self.’ Therefore, the uninstructed ordinary person is not able to become disenchanted with it, not able to become detached from it, and not able to be freed from it.
Varaṁ, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano imaṁ cātumahābhūtikaṁ kāyaṁ attato upagaccheyya, na tveva cittaṁ. Taṁ kissa hetu? Dissatāyaṁ, bhikkhave, cātumahābhūtiko kāyo ekampi vassaṁ tiṭṭhamāno dvepi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno tīṇipi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno cattāripi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno pañcapi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno dasapi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno vīsatipi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno tiṁsampi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno cattārīsampi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno paññāsampi vassāni tiṭṭhamāno vassasatampi tiṭṭhamāno, bhiyyopi tiṭṭhamāno.
It would be better, bhikkhus, for an uninstructed ordinary person to take as self this body composed of the four great elements rather than the mind. For what reason? Because this body composed of the four great elements is seen |persisting::remaining [tiṭṭhamāna]| for one year, for two years, persisting for three, four, five, or ten years, for twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years, persisting for a hundred years, or even longer.
Yañca kho etaṁ, bhikkhave, vuccati cittaṁ itipi, mano itipi, viññāṇaṁ itipi, taṁ rattiyā ca divasassa ca aññadeva uppajjati aññaṁ nirujjhati. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, makkaṭo araññe pavane caramāno sākhaṁ gaṇhati, taṁ muñcitvā aññaṁ gaṇhati, taṁ muñcitvā aññaṁ gaṇhati; evameva kho, bhikkhave, yamidaṁ vuccati cittaṁ itipi, mano itipi, viññāṇaṁ itipi, taṁ rattiyā ca divasassa ca aññadeva uppajjati aññaṁ nirujjhati.
But that which is called ‘mind’, or ‘intellect’, or ‘consciousness’ |appears::arises [uppajjati]| as one thing and |ceases::finishes, vanishes [nirujjhati]| as another by day and by night. Just as a monkey wandering through a forest grabs hold of one branch, lets go of it and grabs another, then lets that go and grabs yet another; so too, that which is called ‘mind’, or ‘intellect’, or ‘consciousness’ appears as one thing and ceases as another by day and by night.
Tatra, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako paṭiccasamuppādaṁyeva sādhukaṁ yoniso manasi karoti: ‘iti imasmiṁ sati idaṁ hoti, imassuppādā idaṁ uppajjati; imasmiṁ asati idaṁ na hoti, imassa nirodhā idaṁ nirujjhati—
Therein, bhikkhus, a learned disciple of the Noble Ones, carefully and |wisely::properly, prudently, thoroughly, carefully [yoniso]| applies the mind to |dependent co-arising::the process of arising together from a cause, chain of causation, dependent origination [paṭiccasamuppāda]| thus: ‘When this exists, that comes to be, with the arising of this, that arises; when this does not exist, that does not come to be, with the cessation of this, that ceases—
yadidaṁ avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā;saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṁ; viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpaṁ; nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatanaṁ; saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso; phassapaccayā vedanā; vedanāpaccayā taṇhā; taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṁ; upādānapaccayā bhavo; bhavapaccayā jāti; jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti. Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.
Namely, |dependent on::contingent on, supported by, grounded on [paṭicca]| |ignorance::fundamental unawareness or misunderstanding of the true nature of reality, not experientially understanding the four noble truths [avijjā]|, bhikkhus, |intentional constructs::intentions, volitions, and choices expressed as mental, verbal, and bodily activities; thought formations and constructed experiences (including proliferative tendencies); processes that produce kamma [saṅkhāra]| [arise]; dependent on intentional constructs, |consciousness::quality of awareness — distinctive knowing that arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object [viññāṇa]| arises; dependent on consciousness, |name and form::mentality and materiality—the integrated structure of mental capacities (intention, attention, contact, feeling, perception) and physical form that together constitute and sustain an individual being [nāmarūpa]| arise; dependent on name and form, the |six sense bases::The six internal sense bases—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—are the faculties that enable sensory contact and experience. They are not the physical organs themselves, but the functional conditions that enable consciousness to meet an object [saḷāyatana]| arise; dependent on the six sense bases, |contact::sense impingement, raw experience, touch [phassa]| arises; dependent on contact, |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| arises; dependent on felt experience, |craving::wanting, yearning, longing, attachment, lit. thirst [taṇha]| arises; dependent on craving, |clinging::grasping, acquiring, appropriating, taking possession, identifying [upādāna]| arises; dependent on clinging, |existence::continued conditional existence, the karmically conditioned mode of being that leads to future rebirth [bhava]| arises; dependent on existence, |birth::rebirth, conception, coming into existence [jāti]| arises; dependent on birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair arise. Thus is the arising of this whole mass of suffering.
Avijjāya tveva asesavirāganirodhā saṅkhāranirodho; saṅkhāranirodhā viññāṇanirodho; viññāṇanirodhā nāmarūpanirodho; nāmarūpanirodhā saḷāyatananirodho; saḷāyatananirodhā phassanirodho; phassanirodhā vedanānirodho; vedanānirodhā taṇhānirodho; taṇhānirodhā upādānanirodho; upādānanirodhā bhavanirodho; bhavanirodhā jātinirodho; jātinirodhā jarāmaraṇaṁ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā nirujjhanti. Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti’ti.
With the |complete fading away and ending::remainderless dispassion and cessation [asesavirāganirodha]| of ignorance comes the ending of intentional constructs; with the ending of intentional constructs, ending of consciousness; with the ending of consciousness, ending of name and form; with the ending of name and form, ending of the six sense bases; with the ending of the six sense bases, ending of contact; with the ending of contact, ending of felt experience; with the ending of felt experience, ending of craving; with the ending of craving, ending of clinging; with the ending of clinging, ending of existence; with the ending of existence, ending of birth; with the ending of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair cease. Thus is the ending of this whole mass of suffering.’
Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako rūpasmimpi nibbindati, vedanāyapi nibbindati, saññāyapi nibbindati, saṅkhāresupi nibbindati, viññāṇasmimpi nibbindati; nibbindaṁ virajjati, virāgā vimuccati, vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ hoti.
Seeing thus, bhikkhus, the |learned::well-studied, instructed [sutavant]| disciple of the Noble Ones becomes |disenchanted with::disillusioned with [nibbindati]| |form::a visible object such as a beautiful sight, a face, an expression, art, ornament, possession, status symbol, admired appearance, or enticing scenery—anything seen that can produce desire, attachment, or self-view [rūpa]|, becomes disenchanted with |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling, second of the five aggregates [vedanā]|, becomes disenchanted with |perception::The mental process of recognizing and giving meaning to experience. It marks things by signs, labels, or associations drawn from memory and the field of contact. Perception shapes how one experiences the world; third of the five aggregates [sañña]|, becomes disenchanted with |intentional constructs::intentions, volitions, and choices expressed as mental, verbal, and bodily activities; thought formations and constructed experiences (including proliferative tendencies); processes that produce kamma [saṅkhāra]|, becomes disenchanted with |consciousness::quality of awareness — distinctive knowing that arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object [viññāṇa]|. Experiencing disenchantment, they become |detached::dispassionate [virajjati]|; through detachment, there is release. When released, there arises the knowledge: ‘Released.’
‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī”ti.
They understand: ‘Birth is ended, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of existence.’”