Selected Lectures on Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 1

Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume One  Five

The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: One who craves the aggregate of form is just like one who craves and delights in suffering; one who delights in suffering cannot attain liberation from suffering, cannot eradicate ignorance, and cannot depart from greed and craving. One who craves the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness is one who craves suffering. One who craves and delights in suffering cannot attain liberation from suffering, cannot eradicate ignorance, and cannot depart from greed and craving. Why is one who craves and delights in the aggregate of form, the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness one who delights in suffering? Because craving and delighting is a defiled mind, which is not pure. One who craves and delights in the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) is bound by the five aggregates; the mind becomes stuck fast and cannot attain liberation.

The manas of sentient beings has the affliction of self-love (ātma-sneha); they cling to their own five aggregates and are unwilling to extinguish the five aggregates. When life ends, there will be an intermediate-state body (antarābhava). Within the intermediate-state body, because the manas clings to self and wishes to have a material body in the future life, it goes to take rebirth in a womb, and thus the five aggregates of the next life arise. Where there are the five aggregates, there is suffering feeling; birth, aging, sickness, death, and immeasurable sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa) appear without cease. Therefore, craving and delighting in the five aggregates is delighting in suffering. The World-Honored One further told the bhikṣus: One who does not crave and delight in the aggregate of form is just like one who does not delight in suffering feeling; one who does not delight in suffering feeling can attain liberation from suffering feeling.

Likewise, one who does not crave and delight in the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness is one who does not delight in suffering feeling; one who does not delight in suffering feeling can be liberated from suffering feeling. The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: If one does not know the aggregate of form and does not clearly comprehend it, one cannot depart from greed and craving; without departing from greed and craving, the mind cannot attain liberation. If the mind of greed is not eradicated and there is no liberation, then suffering feeling cannot be eradicated and one cannot be liberated from suffering feeling; likewise, if one does not know the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness, and does not clearly comprehend them, one cannot depart from greed and craving; without departing from greed and craving, the mind cannot attain liberation; if the mind does not attain liberation, suffering cannot be eradicated.

The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: If one can know the aggregate of form and clearly comprehend it, one can depart from greed and craving; if one can depart from greed and craving, the mind can attain liberation; one whose mind has attained liberation can eradicate suffering. Likewise, with regard to the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness, if one can know them and clearly comprehend them, one can depart from greed and craving; if one can depart from greed and craving, the mind can attain liberation; one whose mind has attained liberation can extinguish suffering.