Saḷāyatanasaṁyutta - Connected Discourses on the Six Sense Bases

Recognizing the six internal sense bases as impermanent, unsatisfactory, and not-self leads to disenchantment, dispassion, and subsequently, liberation.

The Buddha teaches the Dhamma for the giving up of everything based on the six sense bases and the process leading up to the arising of feeling and perception.

Everything, when not directly known, not completely comprehended, not detached from, and not let go of, is incapable of resulting in the wearing away of suffering.

The Buddha explains how the six sense bases and their objects are burning with the fires of passion, aversion, and delusion, and how to become disenchanted, dispassionate, and liberated.

The Buddha teaches on how to know and see the impermanence of the six sense bases and the process leading up to the arising of feeling and perception for the abandoning of ignorance and the arising of true knowledge.

The Buddha teaches the Dhamma for the complete comprehension of all clinging through seeing the dependent co-arising of feeling through the six sense bases.

The Buddha explains how the Dhamma is directly visible, immediate, inviting verification, applicable, and to be personally experienced by the wise through the six sense bases.

The Buddha teaches the abandoning of desire for all impermanent things through recognizing the fleeting nature of the six sense bases and their associated phenomena.

When one knows and sees the sense bases, consciousness, and whatever feeling arises with contact as condition as impermanent, true knowledge arises and ignorance is abandoned.

When one learns that “nothing is worth holding on to,” they directly know and completely comprehend all things. By seeing the sense bases, their objects, and resulting feelings as not oneself, ignorance is abandoned and true knowledge arises.

The world is empty of self and what belongs to self.

The Buddha teaches the duality of the six sense bases and their respective objects.

Consciousness arises in dependence on the duality of the six sense bases and their respective objects. Contact arises through the meeting of these three things. Contacted, one feels, intends, and perceives.

The six sense bases, when untamed, unguarded, unprotected, and unrestrained, lead to suffering. The Buddha contrasts this with the happiness born of restraint and offers practical guidance for cultivating it.

The Buddha declares one who dwells negligently and one who dwells diligently through a sequence of arising mental states starting with non-restraint or restraint over the six sense bases.

The Buddha answers Sakka’s question on the causes and supporting conditions whereby some beings do not attain Nibbāna in this very life and some beings do attain Nibbāna in this very life.

The Buddha answers the householder Ugga’s question on the causes and supporting conditions whereby some beings do not attain Nibbāna in this very life and some beings do attain Nibbāna in this very life.

The Buddha contrasts the suffering experienced by gods and humans, who delight in impermanent sense objects, with the contentment of the Tathāgata who understands their true nature, highlighting the differing views of happiness held by the world and the Noble Ones.

The way of practice suitable for realizing Nibbāna is to see the impermanence of the six sense bases and their objects.

The way of practice suitable for realizing Nibbāna is to see the six sense bases and their objects as sources of discontentment.

The way of practice suitable for realizing Nibbāna is to see the six sense bases and their objects as not-self.

By radically attending to the impermanence of the six sense bases, a bhikkhu becomes disenchanted; with delight and passion worn away, the mind is well liberated.

By radically attending to the impermanence of the external sense bases, a bhikkhu becomes disenchanted; with delight and passion worn away, the mind is well liberated.

The Buddha uses the simile of an ocean to describe the six sense bases and their respective objects.

The Buddha likens the six types of desirable sense objects to baited hooks, set in the world for the misfortune of beings—those who cling to them fall under Māra’s power.

Venerable Mahākoṭṭhika asks Venerable Sāriputta if the eye is the fetter of forms or if forms are the fetter of the eye. Venerable Sāriputta explains that it is the desire and attachment that arises in dependence on both that is the fetter.

The venerable Udāyī asks the venerable Ānanda about how to see the not-self nature of consciousness.

The Buddha uses the simile of a log of wood carried by a river to explain the eight obstacles to reaching Nibbāna.

The Buddha uses a simile of a kiṁsuka tree to explain the different perspectives of the bhikkhus on the purification of vision. He then shares a simile of a lord of the city to share the importance of the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Buddha explains how to rein in the mind when desire, passion, aversion, delusion, or repulsion arises in regard to the six sense bases using the simile of a watchman and an ox and the simile of a lute.

The Buddha explains how there is non-restraint and restraint with a simile of six animals with different domains and feeding grounds. He uses strong post or pillar as a designation for mindfulness directed to the body.

The Buddha compares the senses of an uninstructed person to a sheaf of barley thrashed by six flails at a crossroads—and a seventh flail if they seek future existence. Using the parable of the captive asura lord Vepacitti, whose bonds tightened or vanished based solely on his thoughts, the Buddha illustrates how conceiving “I am” is a subtle, subjective trap.