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SN 24.1PTS SN 3.2022 min read

Winds

Vātasutta

The Buddha mentions a strange view to the effect that all changing phenomena of the world are really still and motionless. Such a view arises from grasping to the five aggregates. But by seeing the aggregates, as well as what is seen, heard, thought, and known, as impermanent, such a view is given up and one becomes a stream-enterer.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 24.1Linked Discourses 24.1
  • 0.21. Sotāpattivagga1. Stream-Entry

0.3VātasuttaWinds

1.1PTS 3.202Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove.1.2Bhagavā etadavoca:The Buddha said this:

1.3“kismiṁ nu kho, bhikkhave, sati, kiṁ upādāya, kiṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati:“Mendicants, when what exists, because of grasping what and insisting on what, does the view arise:1.4‘na vātā vāyanti, na najjo sandanti, na gabbhiniyo vijāyanti, na candimasūriyā udenti vā apenti vā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā’”ti?‘Winds don’t blow; rivers don’t flow; pregnant women don’t give birth; the moon and stars neither rise nor set, but stand firm like a pillar’?”1

2.1“Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā bhagavaṁnettikā bhagavaṁpaṭisaraṇā. Sādhu vata, bhante, bhagavantaññeva paṭibhātu etassa bhāsitassa attho. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī”ti.“Our teachings are rooted in the Buddha. He is our guide and our refuge. Sir, may the Buddha himself please clarify the meaning of this. The mendicants will listen and remember it.”

2.2“Tena hi, bhikkhave, suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.“Well then, mendicants, listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”

2.3“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.“Yes, sir,” they replied.2.4Bhagavā etadavoca:The Buddha said this:

3.1PTS 3.203“Rūpe kho, bhikkhave, sati, rūpaṁ upādāya, rūpaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati:“When form exists, because of grasping form and insisting on form, the view arises:3.2‘na vātā vāyanti, na najjo sandanti, na gabbhiniyo vijāyanti, na candimasūriyā udenti vā apenti vā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā’ti.‘Winds don’t blow; rivers don’t flow; pregnant women don’t give birth; the moon and stars neither rise nor set, but stand firm like a pillar.’3.3Vedanāya sati …pe…When feeling …3.4saññāya sati …perception …3.5saṅkhāresu sati …choices …3.6viññāṇe sati, viññāṇaṁ upādāya, viññāṇaṁ abhinivissa evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjati:consciousness exists, because of grasping consciousness and insisting on consciousness, the view arises:3.7‘na vātā vāyanti, na najjo sandanti, na gabbhiniyo vijāyanti, na candimasūriyā udenti vā apenti vā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā’ti.‘Winds don’t blow; rivers don’t flow; pregnant women don’t give birth; the moon and stars neither rise nor set, but stand firm like a pillar.’

3.8Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,What do you think, mendicants?3.9rūpaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?Is form permanent or impermanent?”

3.10“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.“Impermanent, sir.”

3.11“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

3.12“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.“Suffering, sir.”

3.13“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya:“But by not grasping what’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, would the view arise:3.14‘na vātā vāyanti, na najjo sandanti, na gabbhiniyo vijāyanti, na candimasūriyā udenti vā apenti vā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā’”ti?‘Winds don’t blow; rivers don’t flow; pregnant women don’t give birth; the moon and stars neither rise nor set, but stand firm like a pillar’?”

3.15“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

4.1“Vedanā niccā vā aniccā vā”ti …“Is feeling …4.2“saññā …perception …4.3saṅkhārā …choices …4.4viññāṇaṁ niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?consciousness permanent or impermanent?”2

4.5“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.“Impermanent, sir.”

4.6“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

4.7“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.“Suffering, sir.”

4.8“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya:“But by not grasping what’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, would the view arise:4.9‘na vātā vāyanti, na najjo sandanti, na gabbhiniyo vijāyanti, na candimasūriyā udenti vā apenti vā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā’”ti?‘Winds don’t blow; rivers don’t flow; pregnant women don’t give birth; the moon and stars neither rise nor set, but stand firm like a pillar’?”

4.10“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

4.11“Yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā tampi niccaṁ vā aniccaṁ vā”ti?“That which is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, and explored by the mind: is that permanent or impermanent?”3

4.12“Aniccaṁ, bhante”.“Impermanent, sir.”

4.13“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vā taṁ sukhaṁ vā”ti?“But if it’s impermanent, is it suffering or happiness?”

4.14“Dukkhaṁ, bhante”.“Suffering, sir.”

4.15“Yaṁ panāniccaṁ dukkhaṁ vipariṇāmadhammaṁ, api nu taṁ anupādāya evaṁ diṭṭhi uppajjeyya:“But by not grasping what’s impermanent, suffering, and perishable, would the view arise:4.16‘na vātā vāyanti, na najjo sandanti, na gabbhiniyo vijāyanti, na candimasūriyā udenti vā apenti vā esikaṭṭhāyiṭṭhitā’”ti?‘Winds don’t blow; rivers don’t flow; pregnant women don’t give birth; the moon and stars neither rise nor set, but stand firm like a pillar’?”

4.17“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

5.1“Yato kho, bhikkhave, ariyasāvakassa imesu ca ṭhānesu kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti, dukkhepissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti, dukkhasamudayepissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti, dukkhanirodhepissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti, dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāyapissa kaṅkhā pahīnā hoti—“When a noble disciple has given up doubt regarding these six grounds, and has given up doubt in suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation,45.2ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako sotāpanno avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano”ti.they’re called a noble disciple who is a stream-enterer, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening.”

5.3Paṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. This doctrine of the illusory nature of change is found in Pali only in this chapter, and I have not been able to trace it elsewhere. We might call it the niccavāda, the “doctrine of permanence”. Nonetheless, the expression “standing firm like a pillar” is associated with eternalism generally (DN 1:1.33.11), and here links up with the seven uncreated substances (SN 24.8:1.3, MN 76:16.2, DN 2:26.2). This is attributed to Pakudha Kaccāyana, who is associated with the Ājivakas. Probably this is an expression of the Ājivaka belief that reality is fixed and change an illusion (Basham, History and Doctrines of the Ājīvikas, p. 236).

    ↩ sn24.1:1.4

  2. In the “six grounds for views” at MN 22:16.6, consciousness is absent, replaced by the “epistemic heptad” (see below). As a ground for views, “consciousness” means especially the states of expanded consciousness realized in deep meditation.

    ↩ sn24.1:4.4

  3. This set of seven appears at first glance to be somewhat arbitrary, as it combines four of the senses with meditation attainments. But it is not a description of sense experience. Rather, it describes how religious or spiritual beliefs come about, which is why smell, taste, and touch are omitted, and why it is introduced in this chapter. The truth, or what is believed to be the truth, is formulated from something “seen” (as a vision, or the sight of a pure being), “heard” (as teaching or scripture), “thought” (as philosophical reasoning), “known” (through understanding or meditation), or “attained, sought, and explored by the mind”, which specifically refer to meditative realization. Thus I propose referring to this set as the “epistemic heptad”. This is an extension of the more common epistemic tetrad, where meditative states are included under the “known” (MN 1:19.1).

    ↩ sn24.1:4.11

  4. Six “grounds for views” are taught at MN 22:15.1: the first four aggregates taken as self, plus the epistemic heptad taken as self, plus the eternalist view. By analogy, the “six” here would be the first four aggregates, the epistemic heptad, and the specific view which varies per discourse. This, however, results in seven. We can resolve this by assuming that the Majjhima version is correct. “Consciousness” in this context should be replaced by the epistemic heptad, and only four aggregates are mentioned as such. Presumably the Saṁyutta redactors normalized the aggregates to the standard five.

    ↩ sn24.1:5.1