The Buddha teaches on the internal and external sense bases regarding a question on the world, analyzing the eye, sights, consciousness, contact, and feeling for insight and release.

SN 35.82 A Question On the World

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

“‘Loko, loko’ti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, lokoti vuccatī”ti?

“‘Lujjatī’ti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccati. Kiñca lujjati? Cakkhu kho, bhikkhu, lujjati. Rūpā lujjanti, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ lujjati, cakkhusamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ cakkhusamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ dukkhaṁ adukkhamasukhaṁ tampi lujjati …pe…

jivhā lujjati …pe… mano lujjati, dhammā lujjanti, manoviññāṇaṁ lujjati, manosamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ dukkhaṁ adukkhamasukhaṁ tampi lujjati.

Lujjatīti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccatī”ti.

Navamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha … and said to him:

“‘Loko, loko’ti, bhante, vuccati.

“Sir, they speak of this thing called ‘the world’.

Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, lokoti vuccatī”ti?

How is the world defined?”

“‘Lujjatī’ti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccati.

“It wears away, mendicant, that’s why it’s called ‘the world’.

Kiñca lujjati?

And what is wearing away?

Cakkhu kho, bhikkhu, lujjati.

The eye is wearing away.

Rūpā lujjanti, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ lujjati, cakkhusamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ cakkhusamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ dukkhaṁ adukkhamasukhaṁ tampi lujjati …pe…

Sights … eye consciousness … eye contact is wearing away. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact is also wearing away.

jivhā lujjati …pe…

The ear … nose … tongue … body …

mano lujjati, dhammā lujjanti, manoviññāṇaṁ lujjati, manosamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ dukkhaṁ adukkhamasukhaṁ tampi lujjati.

The mind … ideas … mind consciousness … mind contact is wearing away. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact is also wearing away.

Lujjatīti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccatī”ti.

It wears away, mendicant, that’s why it’s called ‘the world’.”

Navamaṁ.

Qualities:

Ending

Ending

The complete exhaustion and ending of craving, aversion, and delusion—the three roots of suffering. It refers to both the gradual wearing away of defilements through practice and the final cessation that constitutes Nibbāna.

Also known as: cessation, exhaustion, gradual ending, wearing away
Pāli: khaya, khīṇa, nirodha
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026