The Great Conditions Discourse of the Madhyama Āgama

（二）Original text: 阿难。乐受实是无常有为。缘起之法。灭尽之法。败坏之法。离欲之法。灭法也。阿难。苦受亦实是无常有为。缘起之法。灭尽之法。败坏之法。离欲之法。灭法也。阿难。不苦不乐受亦实是无常有为。缘起之法。灭尽之法。败坏之法。离欲之法。灭法也。 

Explanation: The Buddha said, Ānanda, pleasant feeling is indeed impermanent and conditioned; it is a dharma arising from various causes and conditions, a dharma that can cease entirely, a dharma subject to decay, a dharma from which one can depart through the cessation of craving for such feeling, a dharma that will perish. Ānanda, painful feeling is also indeed impermanent and conditioned, a dharma arising from causes and conditions, a dharma that can cease entirely, a dharma subject to decay, a dharma from which one can depart through the cessation of craving, a dharma that will perish. Ānanda, neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is also indeed impermanent and conditioned, a dharma arising from causes and conditions, a dharma that can cease entirely, a dharma subject to decay, a dharma from which one can depart through the cessation of craving for such feeling, a dharma that can perish. 

Original text: 若领纳乐受。还是思惟。此是我之我者。彼又依于乐受之灭。实应不得思惟。我之我灭。若领纳苦受。还是思惟。此是我之我者。彼又依于苦受之灭。实应不得思惟。我之我灭。若领纳不苦不乐受。还是思惟。此是我之我者，彼又依于不苦不乐受之灭。实应不得思惟。我之我灭。 

Explanation: If, when experiencing pleasant feeling, one still believes that this which experiences pleasant feeling is my self, then when one further sees the pleasant feeling cease, one indeed can no longer hold that the self which experiences pleasant feeling has perished. If, when experiencing painful feeling, one still believes that this which experiences painful feeling is my self, then when one sees the painful feeling cease, one indeed can no longer hold that the self which experiences painful feeling has perished. If, when experiencing neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, one still believes that this which experiences neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is my self, then when one sees the neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling cease, one indeed can no longer contemplate and practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) the view that the self which experiences neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling has perished. 

Original text: 对如是言。受是我之我者。要于现见之法。观察我是无常。乐苦皆归于消灭之生灭法。阿难。是故依此。不可能观察。受是我之我。阿难。此中又言。受实非我之我。不得感受者。即是我之我。对彼应如是言。友。无一切所受之处。于其处。还得思惟有我耶。世尊。实不然。阿难。是故依此。不可能观察。受实非我之我。不得感受者，即是我之我。 

Explanation: Regarding the claim that feeling is my self, one should, among the dharmas directly encountered in the present, observe that this self is impermanent, that both pleasant and painful feelings belong to dharmas of arising and ceasing (utpāda-nirodha-lakṣaṇa) that are subject to annihilation. Ānanda, therefore, based on this, it is impossible to observe that feeling is my self. Ānanda, here it is further said that feeling is truly not my self, but that which does not experience feeling is my self. To those holding such a wrong view (mithyā-dṛṣṭi), one should ask as follows: Good friend, in a place where there is no feeling of any kind—that is, where form, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are—would one still hold that there is a self? Ānanda replied: Truly, one should no longer hold that form, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are the self. The Buddha said: Ānanda, therefore, according to this reasoning, it is impossible to observe that feeling is truly not my self while the form, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness apart from feeling are my self.