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SN 35.23PTS SN 4.151 min read

All

Sabbasutta

The “all” consists of the six interior and exterior sense fields.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.23Linked Discourses 35.23
  • 0.23. Sabbavagga3. All

0.3SabbasuttaAll

1.1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.

1.2“Sabbaṁ vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi.“Mendicants, I will teach you the all.11.3Taṁ suṇātha.Listen …

1.4Kiñca, bhikkhave, sabbaṁ?And what is the all?1.5Cakkhuñceva rūpā ca, sotañca saddā ca, ghānañca gandhā ca, jivhā ca rasā ca, kāyo ca phoṭṭhabbā ca, mano ca dhammā ca—It’s just the eye and sights, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the body and touches, and the mind and ideas.1.6idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sabbaṁ.This is called the all.

1.7Yo, bhikkhave, evaṁ vadeyya:Mendicants, suppose someone was to say:21.8‘ahametaṁ sabbaṁ paccakkhāya aññaṁ sabbaṁ paññāpessāmī’ti, tassa vācāvatthukamevassa;‘I’ll deny this all and describe another all.’ They’d have no grounds for that claim,1.9puṭṭho ca na sampāyeyya, uttariñca vighātaṁ āpajjeyya.they’d be stumped by questions, and, in addition, they’d get frustrated.1.10Taṁ kissa hetu?Why is that?1.11Yathā taṁ, bhikkhave, avisayasmin”ti.Because they’re out of their element.”3

1.12Paṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. While most teaching templates are shared between the six senses and the aggregates, only the six senses are declared to be the “all”. This is because the six senses cover the entirety of experience, whereas the aggregates select the aspects most prominently grasped as self. For context, see SN 35.28 and notes.

    ↩ sn35.23:1.2

  2. The “someone” would be a philosopher of the Upaniṣads, for whom the metaphysical notion of “all” is crucial. The same phrasing is used of the rejection of the “duality” of the senses; see SN 35.92 and notes.

    ↩ sn35.23:1.7

  3. The brahmins of the Upaniṣads show off their rhetorical prowess through elevated debates. These debates, however, are exceedingly specialized, making sense only for those steeped in Vedic culture and ritual.

    ↩ sn35.23:1.11