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SN 35.140PTS SN 4.1291 min read

Interior and Cause Are Impermanent

Ajjhattaaniccahetusutta

Since the causes of the six interior sense fields are impermanent, how can the senses be permanent?

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.140Linked Discourses 35.140
  • 0.214. Devadahavagga14. At Devadaha

0.3AjjhattaaniccahetusuttaInterior and Cause Are Impermanent

1.1PTS 4.130“Cakkhuṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ.“Mendicants, the eye is impermanent.11.2Yopi hetu, yopi paccayo cakkhussa uppādāya, sopi anicco.The cause and reason that gives rise to the eye is also impermanent.1.3Aniccasambhūtaṁ, bhikkhave, cakkhu kuto niccaṁ bhavissati …pe…Since the eye is produced by what is impermanent, how could it be permanent?

1.4jivhā aniccā.The ear … nose … tongue … body …1.5Yopi hetu, yopi paccayo jivhāya uppādāya sopi anicco.1.6Aniccasambhūtā, bhikkhave, jivhā kuto niccā bhavissati …pe…1.7mano anicco.mind is impermanent.1.8Yopi, bhikkhave, hetu yopi paccayo manassa uppādāya, sopi anicco.The cause and reason that gives rise to the mind is also impermanent.1.9Aniccasambhūto, bhikkhave, mano kuto nicco bhavissati.Since the mind is produced by what is impermanent, how could it be permanent?

1.10Evaṁ passaṁ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmimpi nibbindati …pe… jivhāyapi nibbindati …pe… manasmimpi nibbindati,Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.1.11nibbindaṁ virajjati; virāgā vimuccati; vimuttasmiṁ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṁ hoti.Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed.

1.12‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī”ti.They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’”

1.13Sattamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. SN 35.140–145 parallel SN 22.18–20.

    ↩ sn35.140:1.1