The Buddha teaches on the six sense bases regarding the ocean (2nd), guiding disciples toward discernment of sense experience and release from clinging.

SN 35.229 The Ocean (2nd)

“‘Samuddo, samuddo’ti, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano bhāsati. Neso, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye samuddo. Mahā eso, bhikkhave, udakarāsi mahāudakaṇṇavo.

Santi, bhikkhave, cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṁhitā rajanīyā. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye samuddo. Etthāyaṁ sadevako loko samārako sabrahmako sassamaṇabrāhmaṇī pajā sadevamanussā yebhuyyena samunnā tantākulakajātā kulagaṇṭhikajātā muñjapabbajabhūtā, apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattati …pe….

Santi, bhikkhave, jivhāviññeyyā rasā …pe… santi, bhikkhave, manoviññeyyā dhammā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṁhitā rajanīyā. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye samuddo. Etthāyaṁ sadevako loko samārako sabrahmako sassamaṇabrāhmaṇī pajā sadevamanussā yebhuyyena samunnā tantākulakajātā kulagaṇṭhikajātā muñjapabbajabhūtā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattatīti.

Yassa rāgo ca doso ca,
Avijjā ca virājitā;
So imaṁ samuddaṁ sagāhaṁ sarakkhasaṁ,
Saūmibhayaṁ duttaraṁ accatari.

Saṅgātigo maccujaho nirupadhi,
Pahāsi dukkhaṁ apunabbhavāya;
Atthaṅgato so na puneti,
Amohayī maccurājanti brūmī”ti.

Dutiyaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“‘Samuddo, samuddo’ti, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano bhāsati.

“Mendicants, an unlearned ordinary person speaks of the ocean.

Neso, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye samuddo.

But that’s not the ocean in the training of the Noble One.

Mahā eso, bhikkhave, udakarāsi mahāudakaṇṇavo.

That’s just a large body of water, a large sea of water.

Santi, bhikkhave, cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṁhitā rajanīyā.

There are sights known by the eye, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye samuddo.

This is called the ocean in the training of the Noble One.

Etthāyaṁ sadevako loko samārako sabrahmako sassamaṇabrāhmaṇī pajā sadevamanussā yebhuyyena samunnā tantākulakajātā kulagaṇṭhikajātā muñjapabbajabhūtā, apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattati …pe….

And it’s here that this world—with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, gods and humans—is for the most part sunk. It’s become tangled like string, knotted like a ball of thread, and matted like rushes and reeds, and it doesn’t escape the places of loss, the bad places, the underworld, transmigration.

Santi, bhikkhave, jivhāviññeyyā rasā …pe… santi, bhikkhave, manoviññeyyā dhammā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṁhitā rajanīyā.

There are sounds … smells … tastes … touches … ideas known by the mind, which are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyassa vinaye samuddo.

This is called the ocean in the training of the Noble One.

Etthāyaṁ sadevako loko samārako sabrahmako sassamaṇabrāhmaṇī pajā sadevamanussā yebhuyyena samunnā tantākulakajātā kulagaṇṭhikajātā muñjapabbajabhūtā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ saṁsāraṁ nātivattatīti.

And it’s here that this world—with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, gods and humans—is for the most part sunk. It’s become tangled like string, knotted like a ball of thread, and matted like rushes and reeds, and it doesn’t escape the places of loss, the bad places, the underworld, transmigration.

Yassa rāgo ca doso ca,

Those in whom greed, hate, and ignorance

Avijjā ca virājitā;

have faded away;

So imaṁ samuddaṁ sagāhaṁ sarakkhasaṁ,

have crossed the ocean so hard to cross,

Saūmibhayaṁ duttaraṁ accatari.

with its saltwater crocodiles and monsters, its waves and dangers.

Saṅgātigo maccujaho nirupadhi,

They’ve slipped their chains, given up death, and have no attachments.

Pahāsi dukkhaṁ apunabbhavāya;

They’ve given up suffering, so there are no more future lives.

Atthaṅgato so na puneti,

They’ve disappeared, and cannot be measured;

Amohayī maccurājanti brūmī”ti.

and they’ve confounded the King of Death, I say.”

Dutiyaṁ.

Qualities:

Aversion

Aversion

A rejecting mental quality rooted in perception, where one instinctively turns away from or resists unpleasant experiences or objects; it manifests as a tendency to push away discomfort, obstructing patience and acceptance.

Also known as: animosity, hate, hostility, fault-finding mindset, upset
Pāli: dosa, paṭighasaññā, vera
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Delusion

Delusion

A fundamental distortion of reality that sustains confusion, clouds discernment, and fuels further doubt.

Also known as: illusion, hallucination, misapprehension, distorted view
Pāli: moha, micchāñāṇa
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Greed

Greed

A grasping mental quality of craving, possessiveness, or lustful wanting that clings to objects or experiences; it fuels attachment and obstructs renunciation and contentment

Also known as: acquisitiveness, avarice, covetousness, rapacity, money grabbing, grabbiness
Pāli: lobha, gedha
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Harm

Harm

Intention or action that causes injury or suffering to oneself or others. It arises from aversion and heedlessness and destroys trust and safety. The opposite of non-harm, it obscures compassion and leads to regret.

Also known as: injury causing behavior, destructiveness, bad, evil
Pāli: pāpaka
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Ignorance

Ignorance

A fundamental blindness to the true nature of reality. It is not merely a lack of information, but an active misperception that views the transient as permanent and the unsatisfactory as a source of happiness, thereby fueling the cycle of suffering.

Also known as: illusion of knowing, fundamental unawareness of the true nature of reality, misunderstanding of how things have come to be, not knowing the four noble truths
Pāli: avijjā
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Suffering

Suffering

Unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering that is inherent in conditioned existence.

Also known as: discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentedness, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, distress, affliction
Pāli: dukkha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026