Samyukta Agama, Volume 1, Section 7

The World-Honored One told the bhikkhus: If a person is attached to and fond of the form aggregate, it is equivalent to being fond of suffering; one who is fond of suffering will not be liberated from suffering. Because of attachment to the form aggregate, the view of self is not severed, and one becomes bound by the form aggregate; the mind will then grasp and cling to the form aggregate. If this attachment persists, the mental faculty’s fixation on the form aggregate remains unbroken. At the end of life, due to this fixation, the mental faculty constantly desires the existence of the form aggregate, thus giving rise to an intermediate state body.

The intermediate state body perishes every seven days, with a maximum of seven such bodies. Knowing that the intermediate state body is impermanent, the mental faculty rushes to take rebirth in order to preserve the form aggregate for the next life. After rebirth, the form aggregate of the next life arises, bringing forth the immeasurable sorrows, griefs, and sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Thus, the great mass of suffering is produced. Sentient beings then endure these immeasurable sorrows, griefs, and sufferings, unable to be liberated from the suffering of birth and death; the suffering continues unceasingly. Therefore, the World-Honored One said that being attached to the form aggregate is being attached to suffering.

Once, the World-Honored One led his disciples to a seaside, where they saw a female corpse lying on the sand. The corpse was swollen and bloated, with a small insect crawling on its face. The World-Honored One told his disciples: In her previous life, this woman was extremely beautiful and was very fond of her own appearance. Every day, she gazed at herself in a mirror, admiring her face. At the end of her life, due to her attachment and unwillingness to let go of her self-love, she was reborn as an insect crawling on her own face, continuing to cling to her face. This story teaches us that whatever we are attached to, we become bound by it, unable to break free, unable to be liberated. This inevitably leads to the birth, aging, sickness, and death of future lives, unable to escape sorrow, grief, and suffering, and failing to attain liberation from the suffering of birth and death. The World-Honored One urges us to sever attachment, which is to sever suffering, liberate the mind, and transcend the cycle of birth and death.

The World-Honored One told the bhikkhus that if one is attached to and fond of the feeling aggregate, perception aggregate, volitional formations aggregate, and consciousness aggregate, it is equivalent to being fond of suffering; one who is fond of suffering will not be liberated from suffering, and suffering will continue unceasingly. Because of attachment to these four aggregates, one becomes bound and stuck by them; the mind will grasp and cling to these four aggregates. If this grasping persists, future existence remains unbroken. At the end of life, due to the fixation of the mental faculty, an intermediate state body arises, which then takes rebirth, leading to the birth of the feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness aggregates in the next life. Thus, the immeasurable sorrows, griefs, and sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death are produced, causing sentient beings to suffer unceasingly, unable to be liberated from the suffering of the cycle of birth and death.

The World-Honored One further told the bhikkhus that if one no longer clings to or is fond of the form aggregate, one will not be bound by it; the mind will no longer grasp the form aggregate, and no intermediate state body will arise. Alternatively, the mental faculty may cause the intermediate state body to extinguish itself, preventing rebirth. Thus, the form aggregate of the future life will not be born, and the immeasurable sorrows, griefs, and sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death will cease. The mind will be liberated and freed from the suffering of the cycle of birth and death.

The World-Honored One also told the bhikkhus that if one no longer clings to or is fond of the feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness aggregates, one will not be bound or stuck by these four aggregates; the mind will no longer grasp them, and no intermediate state body will arise. Alternatively, the mental faculty may cause the intermediate state body to extinguish itself, preventing rebirth. Thus, the four aggregates of the future life will not be born, and the immeasurable sorrows, griefs, and sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death will cease. The mind will be liberated and freed from the suffering of the cycle of birth and death.