The Connected Discourses of the Buddha
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82 (1) A Teacher
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, one who does not know and see as it really is aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation, should search for a teacher in order to know this as it really is.217 [131]
“Bhikkhus, one who does not know and see as it really is birth … existence … clinging … craving … feeling … contact ... the six sense bases … name-and-form … consciousness … volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation, should search for a teacher in order to know this as it really is.”
83 (2) Training
“Bhikkhus, one who does not know and see as it really is aging-and-death … volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation, should practise the training in order to know this as it really is.”
84 (3)–93 (12) Exertion, Etc.
“Bhikkhus, one who does not know and see as it really is aging-and-death … volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation, should make an exertion … [132] arouse a desire … arouse enthusiasm … be unremitting … arouse ardour … apply energy … practise perseverance … practise mindfulness … practise clear comprehension … practise diligence in order to know this as it really is.”
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Chapter II
13 Abhisamayasaṃyutta Connected Discourses on the Breakthrough
1 The Fingernail
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthı̄ in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. Then the Blessed One took up a little bit of soil in his fingernail and addressed the bhikkhus thus:
“Bhikkhus, what do you think, which is more: the little bit of soil that I have taken up in my fingernail or this great earth?”
“Venerable sir, the great earth is more. The little bit of soil that the Blessed One has taken up in his fingernail is trifling. It does not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the great earth.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple, a person accomplished in view who has made the breakthrough, the suffering that has been destroyed and eliminated is more, while that which remains is trifling.218 The latter does not amount to a hundredth part, [134] or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the former mass of suffering that has been destroyed and eliminated, as there is a maximum of seven more lives. Of such great benefit, bhikkhus, is the breakthrough to the Dhamma, of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”219
2 The Pond
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, suppose there was a pond fifty yojanas long, fifty yojanas wide, and fifty yojanas deep, full of water, overflowing so that a crow could drink from it, and a man would draw out some water from it on the tip of a blade of kusa grass. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the water drawn out on the tip of the blade of kusa grass or the water in the pond?”220
“Venerable sir, the water in the pond is more. The water drawn out on the tip of the blade of kusa grass is trifling. It does not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the water in the pond.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple, a person accomplished in view who has made the breakthrough, the suffering that has been destroyed and eliminated is more, while that which remains is trifling…. Of such great benefit, bhikkhus, is the breakthrough to the Dhamma, of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
3 Water at the Confluence (1)
At Sāvatthı̄. [135] “Bhikkhus, suppose that in the place where these great rivers meet and converge—that is, the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Aciravatı̄, the Sarabhū, and the Mahı̄—a man would draw out two or three drops of water. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: these two or three drops of water that have been drawn out or the water at the confluence?”
“Venerable sir, the water at the confluence is more. The two or three drops of water that have been drawn out are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the water at the confluence.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple … of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
4 Water at the Confluence (2)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, suppose that in the place where these great rivers meet and converge—that is, the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Aciravatı̄, the Sarabhū, and the Mahı̄—their water would be destroyed and eliminated except for two or three drops. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the water at the confluence that has been destroyed and eliminated or the two or three drops of water that remain?”
“Venerable sir, the water at the confluence that has been destroyed and eliminated is more. The two or three drops of water that remain are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the water that has been destroyed and eliminated.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple … of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
5 The Earth (1)
At Sāvatthı̄. [136] “Bhikkhus, suppose that a man would place seven little balls of clay the size of jujube kernels on the great earth. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: those seven little balls of clay the size of jujube kernels that have been placed there or the great earth?”
“Venerable sir, the great earth is more. The seven little balls of clay the size of jujube kernels are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the great earth.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple … of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
6 The Earth (2)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, suppose that the great earth would be destroyed and eliminated except for seven little balls of clay the size of jujube kernels. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the great earth that has been destroyed and eliminated or the seven little balls of clay the size of jujube kernels that remain?”
“Venerable sir, the great earth that has been destroyed and eliminated is more. The seven little balls of clay the size of jujube kernels that remain are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the great earth that has been destroyed and eliminated.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple … of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
7 The Ocean (1)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, suppose that a man would draw out two or three drops of water from the great ocean. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the two or three drops of water that have been drawn out or the water in the great ocean?” [137]
“Venerable sir, the water in the great ocean is more. The two or three drops of water that have been drawn out are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the water in the great ocean.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple … of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
8 The Ocean (2)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, suppose that the great ocean would be destroyed and eliminated except for two or three drops of water. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the water in the great ocean that has been destroyed and eliminated or the two or three drops of water that remain?”
“Venerable sir, the water in the great ocean that has been destroyed and eliminated is more. The two or three drops of water that remain are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the water in the great ocean that has been destroyed and eliminated.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple … of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
9 The Mountain (1)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, suppose that
a man would place on the Himalayas, the king of mountains, seven grains of gravel the size of mustard seeds. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the seven grains of gravel the size of mustard seeds that have been placed there or the Himalayas, the king of mountains?”
“Venerable sir, the Himalayas, the king of mountains, is more. The seven grains of gravel the size of mustard seeds are trifling. [138] They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the Himalayas, the king of mountains.
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple … of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
10 The Mountain (2)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, suppose that the Himalayas, the king of mountains, would be destroyed and eliminated except for seven grains of gravel the size of mustard seeds. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the portion of the Himalayas, the king of mountains, that has been destroyed and eliminated or the seven grains of gravel the size of mustard seeds that remain?”
“Venerable sir, the portion of the Himalayas, the king of mountains, that has been destroyed and eliminated is more. The seven grains of gravel the size of mustard seeds that remain are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the portion of the Himalayas, the king of mountains, that has been destroyed and eliminated.”
“So too, bhikkhus, for a noble disciple, a person accomplished in view who has made the breakthrough, the suffering that has been destroyed and eliminated is more, while that which remains is trifling. The latter does not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the former mass of suffering that has been destroyed and eliminated, as there is a maximum of seven more lives. Of such great benefit, bhikkhus, is the breakthrough to the Dhamma, of such great benefit is it to obtain the vision of the Dhamma.”
11 The Mountain (3)
At Sāvatthı̄. [139] “Bhikkhus, suppose that a man would place on Sineru,221 the king of mountains, seven grains of gravel the size of mung beans. What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the seven grains of gravel the size of mung beans that have been placed there or Sineru, the king of mountains?”
“Venerable sir, Sineru, the king of mountains, is more. The seven grains of gravel the size of mung beans are trifling. They do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of Sineru, the king of mountains.”
“So too, bhikkhus, the achievements of ascetics, brahmins, and wanderers of other sects do not amount to a hundredth part, or a thousandth part, or a hundred thousandth part of the achievement of a noble disciple, a person accomplished in view who has made the breakthrough. So great in achievement, bhikkhus, is a person accomplished in view, so great in direct knowledge.”222
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Chapter III
14 Dhātusaṃyutta Connected Discourses on Elements
I. DIVERSITY
(Internal Pentad)
1 (1) Diversity of Elements
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, I will teach you the diversity of elements. 223 Listen to that and attend closely, I will speak.”
“Yes, venerable sir,” those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“And what, bhikkhus, is the diversity of elements? The eye element, form element, eye-consciousness element; the ear element, sound element, ear-consciousness element; the nose element, odour element, nose-consciousness element; the tongue element, taste element, tongue-consciousness element; the body element, tactile-object element, body-consciousness element; the mind element, mental-phenomena element, mind-consciousness element. This, bhikkhus, is called the diversity of elements.”224
2 (2) Diversity of Contacts
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, it is in dependence on the diversity of elements that there arises the diversity of contacts. And what, bhikkhus, is the diversity of elements? The eye element, the ear element, the nose element, the tongue element, the body element, the mind element. This is called the diversity of elements.
“And how is it, bhikkhus, that in dependence on the diversity of elements there arises the diversity of contacts? In dependence on the eye element there arises eye-contact; in dependence on the ear element there arises ear-contact; in dependence on the nose element there arises nose-contact; [141] in dependence on the tongue element there arises tongue-contact; in dependence on the body element there arises body-contact; in dependence on the mind element there arises mind-contact.225 It is in this way, bhikkhus, that in dependence on the diversity of elements there arises the diversity of contacts.”
3 (3) Not Diversity of Contacts
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, it is in dependence on the diversity of elements that there arises the diversity of contacts. The diversity of elements does not arise in dependence on the diversity of contacts.
“And what, bhikkhus, is the diversity of elements? The eye element … the mind element. This is called the diversity of elements.
“And how is it, bhikkhus, that in dependence on the diversity of elements there arises the diversity of contacts; that the diversity of elements does not arise in dependence on the diversity of contacts?
“In dependence on the eye element there arises eye-contact; the eye element does not arise in dependence on eye-contact…. In dependence on the mind element there arises mind-contact; the mind element does not arise in dependence on mind-contact.226 It is in this way, bhikkhus, that in dependence on the diversity of elements there arises the diversity of contacts; that the diversity of elements does not arise in dependence on the diversity of contacts.”
4 (4) Diversity of Feelings (1)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, it is in dependence on the diversity of elements that there arises the diversity of contacts; in dependence on the diversity of contacts that there arises the diversity of feelings.
“And what, bhikkhus, is the diversity of elements? [142] The eye element ... the mind element. This is called the diversity of elements.
“And how is it, bhikkhus, that in dependence on the diversity of elements there arises the diversity of contacts; that in dependence on the diversity of contacts there arises the diversity of feelings? In dependence on the eye element there arises eye-contact; in dependence on eye-contact there arises feeling born of eye-contact. In dependence on the ear element there arises ear-contact; in dependence on ear-contact there arises feeling born of ear-contact. In dependence on the nose element there arises nose-contact; in dependence on nose-contact there arises feeling born of nose-contact. In dependence on the tongue element there arises tongue-contact; in dependence on tongue-contact there arises feeling born of tongue-contact. In dependence on the body element there arises body-contact; in dependence on body-contact there arises feeling born of body-contact. In dependence on the mind element there arises mind-contact; in dependence on mind-contact there arises feeling born of mind-contact.
“It is in this way, bhikkhus, that in dependence on the diversity of elements there arises the diversity of contacts; that in dependence on the diversity of contacts there arises the diversity of feelings.”
5 (5) Diversity of Feelings (2)
At Sāvatthı̄. “Bhikkhus, it is in dependence on the diversity of elements that there arises the diversity of contacts; in dependence on the diversity of contacts that there arises the diversity of feelings. The diversity of contacts does not arise in dependence on the diversity of feelings; the diversity of elements does not arise in dependence on the diversity of contacts.
“And what, bhikkhus, is the diversity of elements? The eye element … the mind element. This is called the diversity of elements.
“And how is it, bhikkhus, that in dependence on the diversity of elements there arises the diversity of contacts; that in dependence on the diversity of contacts there arises the diversity of feelings? That the diversity of contacts does not arise in dependence on the diversity of feelings; that the diversity of elements does not arise in depende
nce on the diversity of contacts?
“In dependence on the eye element there arises eye-contact; in dependence on eye-contact there arises feeling born of eye-contact. Eye-contact does not arise in dependence on feeling born of eye-contact; [143] the eye element does not arise in dependence on eye-contact…. In dependence on the mind element there arises mind-contact; in dependence on mind-contact there arises feeling born of mind-contact. Mind-contact does not arise in dependence on feeling born of mind-contact; the mind element does not arise in dependence on mind-contact.