Imprisoned by the aggregates, the uninstructed ordinary person does not see the near shore or the far shore, grows old in bondage, dies in bondage, and passes from this world to the next still bound.

SN 22.117  Bandhana sutta - Imprisoned

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

At Sāvatthi.

“Idha, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano ariyānaṁ adassāvī ariyadhammassa akovido ariyadhamme avinīto, sappurisānaṁ adassāvī sappurisadhammassa akovido sappurisadhamme avinīto rūpaṁ attato samanupassati, rūpavantaṁ attānaṁ; attani rūpaṁ, rūpasmiṁ attānaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano rūpabandhanabaddho santarabāhirabandhanabaddho atīradassī apāradassī, baddho jīyati baddho mīyati baddho asmā lokā paraṁ lokaṁ gacchati.

“Here, bhikkhus, an |uninstructed::uninitiated, untaught, untrained [assutavant]| ordinary person, |who has no regard for::lit. who has not seen [adassāvī]| the Noble Ones and is unskilled and untrained in the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| of the Noble Ones; who has no regard for the persons of integrity and is unskilled and untrained in the Dhamma of the persons of integrity, perceives |form::materiality, material existence, experience of the material world, i.e. encompassing both one’s body and external objects, whether near or far, gross or subtle, deficient or refined; first of the five aggregates [rūpa]| as self, or self as possessing form, or form as being in self, or self as being in form. This, bhikkhus, is called an uninstructed ordinary person who is |imprisoned by form::held captive by material form [rūpabandhanabaddha]|, imprisoned both internally and externally, |who sees neither the near shore::who does not see the cycle of existence [atīradassī]| nor the |far shore::beyond, across, over, epithet of Nibbāna [pāra]|, who grows old in bondage, dies in bondage, and, passes from this world to the next still bound.

Vedanaṁ attato samanupassati, vedanavantaṁ attānaṁ; attani vedanaṁ, vedanasmiṁ attānaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano vedanābandhanabaddho santarabāhirabandhanabaddho atīradassī apāradassī, baddho jīyati baddho mīyati baddho asmā lokā paraṁ lokaṁ gacchati.

He perceives |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling felt on contact through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; second of the five aggregates [vedanā]| as self, or self as possessing felt experience, or felt experience as being in self, or self as being in felt experience. This, bhikkhus, is called an uninstructed ordinary person who is imprisoned by felt experience, imprisoned both internally and externally, who sees neither the near shore nor the far shore, who grows old in bondage, dies in bondage, and, passes from this world to the next world still bound.

Saññaṁ attato samanupassati, saññavantaṁ attānaṁ; attani saññaṁ, saññasmiṁ attānaṁ. Saṅkhāre attato samanupassati, saṅkhāravantaṁ attānaṁ; attani saṅkhāraṁ, saṅkhārasmiṁ attānaṁ. Viññāṇaṁ attato samanupassati, viññāṇavantaṁ attānaṁ; attani viññāṇaṁ, viññāṇasmiṁ attānaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano viññāṇabandhanabaddho santarabāhirabandhanabaddho atīradassī apāradassī, baddho jīyati baddho mīyati baddho asmā lokā paraṁ lokaṁ gacchati.

He perceives |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]| as self, or self as possessing perception, or perception as being in self, or self as being in perception. He perceives |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]| as self, or self as possessing intentional constructs, or intentional constructs as being in self, or self as being in intentional constructs. He perceives |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]| as self, or self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as being in self, or self as being in consciousness. This, bhikkhus, is called an uninstructed ordinary person who is imprisoned by [perception, intentional constructs, and] consciousness, imprisoned both internally and externally, who sees neither the near shore nor the far shore, who grows old in bondage, dies in bondage, and, passes from this world to the next still bound.

Sutavā ca kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako ariyānaṁ dassāvī ariyadhammassa kovido ariyadhamme suvinīto, sappurisānaṁ dassāvī sappurisadhammassa kovido sappurisadhamme suvinīto na rūpaṁ attato samanupassati, na rūpavantaṁ attānaṁ; na attani rūpaṁ, na rūpasmiṁ attānaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako na rūpabandhanabaddho, na santarabāhirabandhanabaddho, tīradassī, pāradassī; ‘parimutto so dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.

A learned disciple of the Noble Ones, bhikkhus, who has regard for the Noble Ones and is skilled and trained in the Dhamma of the Noble Ones; who has regard for the persons of integrity and is skilled and trained in the Dhamma of the persons of integrity, does not perceive form as self, or self as possessing form, or form as being in self, or self as being in form. This, bhikkhus, is called a learned disciple of the Noble Ones who is not imprisoned by form, not imprisoned either internally or externally, who sees the near shore and who sees the far shore. I say that he is freed from |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|.

Na vedanaṁ attato samanupassati, na vedanavantaṁ attānaṁ; na attani vedanaṁ, na vedanasmiṁ attānaṁ. Na saññaṁ attato samanupassati, na saññavantaṁ attānaṁ; na attani saññaṁ, na saññasmiṁ attānaṁ. Na saṅkhāre attato samanupassati, na saṅkhāravantaṁ attānaṁ; na attani saṅkhāraṁ, na saṅkhārasmiṁ attānaṁ. Na viññāṇaṁ attato samanupassati, na viññāṇavantaṁ attānaṁ; na attani viññāṇaṁ, na viññāṇasmiṁ attānaṁ. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako na viññāṇabandhanabaddho, na santarabāhirabandhanabaddho, tīradassī, pāradassī, ‘parimutto so dukkhasmā’ti vadāmī”ti.

He does not perceive felt experience as self, or self as possessing felt experience, or felt experience as being in self, or self as being in felt experience. He does not perceive perception as self, or self as possessing perception, or perception as being in self, or self as being in perception. He does not perceive intentional constructs as self, or self as possessing intentional constructs, or intentional constructs as being in self, or self as being in intentional constructs. He does not perceive consciousness as self, or self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as being in self, or self as being in consciousness. This, bhikkhus, is called a learned disciple of the Noble Ones who is not imprisoned by [felt experience, perception, intentional constructs, and] consciousness, not imprisoned either internally or externally, who sees the near shore and who sees the far shore. I say that he is freed from suffering.”

Last updated on October 9, 2025

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