The "Linked Discourses on the Six Sense Bases" contains discourses focusing on the six sense bases and their corresponding objects. These teachings explore the nature of sensory experience, the arising of contact, and the role of consciousness in the process of perception. By examining the interplay between the senses and their objects, these discourses offer insights into the nature of reality and the conditions for suffering and liberation.
The "Linked Discourses on Feeling" explores the nature of felt experiences—pleasant, painful, and neutral—as a fundamental aspect of experience. These teachings examine how feelings arise, their role in shaping perception, and the underlying tendencies that lead to attachment or aversion. By understanding the conditioned nature of feeling and its cessation, these discourses offer insight into the path to liberation and the end of suffering.
The "Linked Discourses with Jambukhādaka" features a series of conversations between Venerable Sāriputta and his nephew, the wanderer Jambukhādaka. These discourses follow a systematic pattern where Jambukhādaka asks direct questions about core Buddhist concepts, such as Nibbāna, arahantship, and the purpose of the spiritual life. Sāriputta responds with clear, concise explanations that illuminate the path to liberation.
The "Linked Discourses with Citta the Householder" features Citta, the foremost lay disciple of the Buddha in giving Dhamma discourses. These discourses often involve Citta engaging in dialogues with elder bhikkhus. He skillfully discusses complex topics such as the nature of fetters, the diversity of elements, and the subtleties of meditative states. Citta's profound wisdom and clarity highlights that deep insight into the Dhamma is accessible to lay practitioners as well as monastics.
The "Linked Discourses with Headman" contains dialogues between the Buddha and village leaders, focusing on ethical conduct, social harmony, and the application of Dhamma in daily life. These teachings offer guidance on virtuous living and wise leadership, illuminating the path to personal and communal well-being. Through these conversations, the Buddha addresses the headmen's concerns, emphasizing practical principles such as right action, generosity, and moral integrity, tailored to the responsibilities and spiritual development of lay practitioners.
The "Linked Discourses on the Unconditioned" contains discourses focusing on the unconditioned, the ultimate reality beyond conditioned phenomena. These teachings explore the nature of the unconditioned, its relationship to the conditioned, and the path to realizing the unconditioned. By examining the nature of ultimate reality, these discourses offer insights into the nature of liberation and the conditions for spiritual awakening.
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 wisdom.
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 one to come and see, applicable, and to be personally experienced by the wise through the six sense bases.
The world is empty of self and what belongs to a 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 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 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.
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, illusion, 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 explains the difference between an uninstructed ordinary person and a learned noble disciple in how they experience pleasant, painful, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feelings.
The Noble Eightfold Path is the path and the way for the realization of Nibbāna.
The Noble Eightfold Path is the path and the way of practice for the realization of awakening.
Ven. Sāriputta answers the question of what is difficult to do in the teaching and discipline, and what is difficult for one who has gone forth.
When elder bhikkhus debate the meaning of ‘fetter,’ the visiting layman Citta uses an analogy of two yoked oxen to illustrate that the true fetter is the desire and attachment that arise in dependence on sense faculties and objects.
The Buddha explains the cause and condition by which a person comes to be recognized as aggressive or gentle. He illuminates how the presence or absence of passion, aversion, and illusion determines whether one is susceptible to provocation and reacts with anger, or remains unshaken.
A headman of performers asks the Buddha about a belief that those who entertain by distortion of truth are reborn among laughing deities. The Buddha explains that such a mind leads to hell, and even holding such a belief is wrong view, resulting in rebirth in hell or the animal realm.
A warrior asks the Buddha whether dying in battle leads to rebirth among heroic deities, as taught in warrior tradition. After initially refusing to respond, the Buddha explains that a mind driven by violent intent leads not to heaven but to hell. Even holding such a belief is itself wrong view, resulting in rebirth in hell or the animal realm.
The Buddha explains to the headman Bhadraka the root cause of suffering through a direct and relatable inquiry. When Bhadraka admits to feeling sorrow when those he cares about are harmed, the Buddha skillfully reveals that such sorrow arises not from the events themselves but from one’s own attachment and desire.
The unconditioned is the ending of desire, aversion, and delusion. The 37 factors leading to the unconditioned are described in brief.
The uninclined is the ending of desire, aversion, and delusion. The 37 factors leading to the uninclined are described in brief.
Several synonyms for Nibbāna are described - such as, the taintless, the truth, the far shore, the subtle, the hard to see, the unaging, the stable, the non-disintegrating, the signless, the non-proliferation, the peaceful, the deathless, the excellent, the auspicious, the safe, the wearing away of craving, the wonderful, the marvelous, the freedom from calamity, the state free from calamity, Nibbāna, the blameless, dispassion, purity, freedom, the non-clinging, the island, the security, the protection, and the shelter.
The Buddha describes the ultimate goal and the way of practice leading to the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is a synonym for Nibbāna.