Karmasataka Sutra, Volume I

(3) Original Text: I heard this from the World-Honored One: Bhikkhus, you should know that when one fetter is severed among sentient beings in the world, all other fetters are also severed along with it. What is that one fetter? It is the fetter of conceit. Why is that? Because all fetters, whether subtle, intermediate, or coarse, all have conceit as their root. They are born from conceit and nurtured by conceit. Therefore, when the single fetter of conceit is severed, all other fetters are also severed along with it. It is like the central pillar of a multi-storied pavilion in the world, upon which all parts of the pavilion depend. If the central pillar collapses, the rest also collapses along with it. Similarly, conceit is the basis upon which all fetters depend. If conceit is severed, the others are also extinguished along with it. If bhikkhus have severed conceit, you should know they have severed the other fetters. If bhikkhus have severed the other fetters, you should know they have reached the end of suffering, have cultivated right knowledge, are well liberated in mind, well liberated in wisdom, and have no more future existence.

Explanation: I heard this teaching from the World-Honored One: Bhikkhus, you should know that when one fetter binding sentient beings is severed, all other fetters are entirely severed along with it. What is this fetter? It is the fetter of conceit. Why is that? Because all fetters, whether subtle or coarse, take conceit as their fundamental root. They arise from conceit and are nourished by conceit. Therefore, when the fetter of conceit is severed, all other fetters are entirely severed along with it. It is like the center of a multi-storied building in the world; the surrounding parts of the building all stand supported by and dependent on this center. If the central part collapses, the surrounding parts of the building also collapse.

The fetter of conceit is like this; it is the basis upon which the other fetters depend. If conceit is severed, the other fetters are also severed along with it. If the bhikkhus have already severed the fetter of conceit, you should know they have severed the remaining fetters; if the bhikkhus have already severed the other fetters, you should know they have reached the end of suffering, have perfected right knowledge, their minds are well liberated, their wisdom is well liberated, and there is no more existence in future lives.

Original Text: At that time, the World-Honored One, reiterating this meaning, spoke this verse:

The mind and wisdom are well liberated; future existence is utterly nonexistent.

Explanation: At that time, the World-Honored One reiterated this teaching and spoke this verse: Just as the center of a pavilion is the basis upon which its other parts depend, if the center collapses, the remaining parts all fall down. Conceit is like this; it is the basis upon which the other fetters depend. When the fetter of conceit is severed, all other fetters are extinguished along with it. If a bhikkhu severs the fetter of conceit, the other fetters are all severed. Once the other fetters are severed, the end of suffering is reached. Having reached the end of suffering, it is called having perfected right knowledge. After the mind and wisdom are well liberated, existence within the three realms is completely ended.

Conceit is a mental affliction (klesha) of the mental faculty (manas). It is rooted in the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), because it takes the five aggregates and eighteen elements as 'I' and 'mine'. Comparing one's own five aggregates and eighteen elements with those of other sentient beings, one considers one's own to be superior and more excellent, thus giving rise to conceit and looking down upon other beings. Other afflictions are induced by the affliction of conceit; with conceit at the center, when the affliction of conceit is completely severed, the other afflictions are all severed without remainder. This also includes all afflictive mental factors (caittas) of the six consciousnesses; they are all rooted in the afflictive mental factors of the mental faculty. When the root afflictions are severed, the branch afflictions also disappear entirely. Branch afflictions are easy to sever, but because the root afflictions remain unsevered, branch afflictions will still arise and grow based on the root afflictions; severing only the branches is futile.

To sever the affliction of conceit in the mental faculty, one must eradicate the view of self (ātma-dṛṣṭi) in the mental faculty, eliminating the wrong view that the five aggregates and eighteen elements constitute 'I' and 'mine'. When the mental faculty is without self, gradually there will be no conceit, and all afflictions of sentient beings will be completely severed. Therefore, to eradicate the view of self, one must focus on enabling the mental faculty to sever it. If the mental faculty does not sever the view of self, the branch view of self in the consciousness, dependent on the root view of self in the mental faculty, will still arise and can never be permanently cut off. Therefore, wise people who study the Buddha-Dharma should not focus their effort only on the branches; they should emphasize the root. Only after severing the root will all branches be permanently severed.