Saṃyuktāgama, Fascicle One (30)

Original text:如是我闻。一时。佛住王舍城迦兰陀竹园。尔时。尊者舍利弗在耆阇崛山中。时。有长者子名输屡那。日日游行。到耆阇崛山。诣尊者舍利弗。问讯起居已。却坐一面。语舍利弗言。若诸沙门婆罗门。于无常色。变易不安隐色。言我胜。我等我劣。何故沙门婆罗门作如是想。而不见真实。

若沙门婆罗门于无常。变易不安隐。受想行识。而言我胜。我等我劣。何故沙门婆罗门作如是想。而不见真实。若沙门婆罗门于无常色。不安隐色变易色。言我胜。我等我劣。何所计而不见真实。

于无常变易不安隐。受想行识。言我胜我等我劣。何所计而不见真实。输屡那。于汝意云何。色为常为无常耶。答言。无常。输屡那。若无常。为是苦耶。答言。是苦。输屡那。若无常苦。是变易法。于意云何。圣弟子于中见色是我异我相在不。答言。不也。

输屡那。于意云何。受想行识为常为无常。答言无常。若无常。是苦耶。答言。是苦。输屡那。识若无常苦。是变易法。于意云何。圣弟子于中见识是我异我相在不。答言。不也。

输屡那。当知色。若过去。若未来。若现在。若内若外。若粗若细。若好若丑。若远若近。彼一切色不是我。不异我。不相在。是名如实知。如是受想行识。若过去。若未来。若现在。若内若外。若粗若细。若好若丑。若远若近。彼一切识不是我。不异我。不相在。是名如实知。输屡那。如是于色受想行识。生厌离欲解脱。解脱知见。我生已尽。梵行已立。所作已作。自知不受后有。

Explanation: The eldest son of a wealthy family, Soṇa, said to the Venerable Śāriputra: If śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas, with regard to the impermanent aggregate of form, the changing and unstable aggregate of form, say "I am superior," or "I am equal to others," or "I am inferior to others," why do śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas give rise to such thoughts and yet fail to see the true characteristics of the aggregate of form? If śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas, with regard to the impermanent, changing, and unstable feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, say "I am superior to others," or "I am equal to others without difference," or "I am inferior to others, lower than others," why would śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas give rise to such thoughts and yet fail to see the true characteristics of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness? If śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas, with regard to the impermanent aggregate of form, the unstable aggregate of form, the changing aggregate of form, say "I am superior to others," "I am equal to others without difference," "I am inferior to others," how could they conceive of themselves as superior, inferior, or equal to others, and yet fail to see the true characteristics? When śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas, with regard to the impermanent feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, the changing feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, the unstable feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, say that they themselves are superior, inferior, or equal to others—from where do they perceive this dharma of superiority and inferiority, and yet fail to see the true characteristics?

Śāriputra asked Soṇa: What do you think? Is the aggregate of form permanent or impermanent? Soṇa replied: It is impermanent. He asked: If the aggregate of form is impermanent, is it suffering? He answered: It is suffering. Śāriputra said: If the aggregate of form is impermanent and suffering, it is a dharma of change. What do you think? Among the impermanent, suffering, and changing aggregate of form, can a noble disciple see the aggregate of form as self, as belonging to self, or as existing mutually with self? Soṇa said: One cannot see the aggregate of form as self, different from self, or existing mutually with self.

Śāriputra asked: Soṇa, what do you think—are feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness permanent or impermanent? Soṇa replied: Impermanent. Śāriputra asked: If they are impermanent, are they suffering? He answered: They are suffering. Śāriputra said: If feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are suffering, they are dharmas of change. What do you think? Among impermanent and changing dharmas, can a noble disciple see feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness as self, as belonging to self, or as mutually existing and containing one another? He answered: No—feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are not self, nor are they belonging to self; self and what belongs to self do not exist mutually. If one takes any one of the dharmas of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness as self, one would take the other dharmas among the five aggregates as belonging to self; yet none of these five aggregates is self, nor are they belonging to self—self and what belongs to self do not mutually exist or contain one another. Śāriputra said: You should know that the aggregate of form—whether past, future, or present, whether internal or external, whether coarse or subtle, whether beautiful or ugly, whether far from the body or near—all that form is not self, nor does it belong to self; self and the aggregate of form do not exist mutually; self is not within the aggregate of form, and the aggregate of form is not within self. Knowing these dharmas in this way is knowing the dharmas as they truly are.

It is the same with feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness—whether past, future, or present, whether internal or external feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, whether coarse or subtle, whether wholesome or unwholesome, whether far from the present or near—all such feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are not self, nor do they belong to self; self and what belongs to self do not mutually exist or contain one another. This is truly knowing feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness as they really are. Soṇa, in this way one will give rise to a mind of disenchantment toward form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, be able to leave behind desire and craving, and attain liberation. One is also liberated from the views of the five aggregates as self and as belonging to self, and personally realizes that this life has reached its end, that the pure holy life has been established, that all that should be done has been done, and that there will be no more future existence.