Skip to content
True DhammaLibrary · Community
SN 35.31PTS SN 4.232 min read

The Practice Conducive to Uprooting (1st)

Paṭhamasamugghātasappāyasutta

The way to uproot all conceivings is to not conceive in relation to the six sense fields.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.31Linked Discourses 35.31
  • 0.23. Sabbavagga3. All

0.3PaṭhamasamugghātasappāyasuttaThe Practice Conducive to Uprooting (1st)

1.1PTS 4.24“Sabbamaññitasamugghātasappāyaṁ vo, bhikkhave, paṭipadaṁ desessāmi.“Mendicants, I will teach you the practice that’s conducive to uprooting all conceiving.11.2Taṁ suṇātha.Listen …

1.3Katamā ca sā, bhikkhave, sabbamaññitasamugghātasappāyā paṭipadā?And what is the practice that’s conducive to uprooting all conceiving?1.4Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cakkhuṁ na maññati, cakkhusmiṁ na maññati, cakkhuto na maññati, cakkhuṁ meti na maññati.It’s when a mendicant does not conceive anything to be the eye, does not conceive it in the eye, does not conceive it as the eye, and does not conceive that ‘the eye is mine.’1.5Rūpe na maññati …pe…They don’t conceive anything to be sights …1.6cakkhuviññāṇaṁ na maññati, cakkhusamphassaṁ na maññati, yampidaṁ cakkhusamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi na maññati, tasmimpi na maññati, tatopi na maññati, taṁ meti na maññati.eye consciousness … eye contact. And they don’t conceive anything to be the pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact. They don’t conceive it in that, they don’t conceive it as that, and they don’t conceive that ‘that is mine.’

1.7Yañhi, bhikkhave, maññati, yasmiṁ maññati, yato maññati, yaṁ meti maññati, tato taṁ hoti aññathā.For whatever you conceive it to be, whatever you conceive it in, whatever you conceive it as, and whatever you conceive to be ‘mine’: that becomes something else.1.8Aññathābhāvī bhavasatto loko bhavamevābhinandati …pe…The world is attached to being, taking pleasure only in being, yet it becomes something else.2

1.9jivhaṁ na maññati, jivhāya na maññati, jivhāto na maññati, jivhā meti na maññati.They don’t conceive anything to be the ear … nose … tongue …1.10Rase na maññati …pe…1.11jivhāviññāṇaṁ na maññati, jivhāsamphassaṁ na maññati.1.12Yampidaṁ jivhāsamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi na maññati, tasmimpi na maññati, tatopi na maññati, taṁ meti na maññati.1.13Yañhi, bhikkhave, maññati, yasmiṁ maññati, yato maññati, yaṁ meti maññati, tato taṁ hoti aññathā.1.14Aññathābhāvī bhavasatto loko bhavamevābhinandati …pe…body …1.15manaṁ na maññati, manasmiṁ na maññati, manato na maññati, mano meti na maññati.mind …1.16Dhamme na maññati …pe…1.17manoviññāṇaṁ na maññati, manosamphassaṁ na maññati.1.18Yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi na maññati, tasmimpi na maññati, tatopi na maññati, taṁ meti na maññati.They don’t conceive anything to be the pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact. They don’t conceive it in that, they don’t conceive it as that, and they don’t conceive that ‘that is mine.’

1.19Yañhi, bhikkhave, maññati, yasmiṁ maññati, yato maññati, yaṁ meti maññati, tato taṁ hoti aññathā.For whatever you conceive it to be, whatever you conceive it in, whatever you conceive it as, and whatever you conceive to be ‘mine’: that becomes something else.1.20Aññathābhāvī bhavasatto loko bhavamevābhinandati.The world is attached to being, taking pleasure only in being, yet it becomes something else.

1.21Yāvatā, bhikkhave, khandhadhātuāyatanaṁ tampi na maññati, tasmimpi na maññati, tatopi na maññati, taṁ meti na maññati.As far as the aggregates, elements, and sense fields extend, they don’t conceive anything to be that, they don’t conceive it in that, they don’t conceive it as that, and they don’t conceive that ‘that is mine.’1.22So evaṁ amaññamāno na ca kiñci loke upādiyati.Not conceiving, they don’t grasp at anything in the world.1.23Anupādiyaṁ na paritassati. Aparitassaṁ paccattaññeva parinibbāyati.Not grasping, they’re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished.

1.24‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānāti.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.’

1.25Ayaṁ kho sā, bhikkhave, sabbamaññitasamugghātasappāyā paṭipadā”ti.This is the practice that’s conducive to uprooting all conceiving.”

1.26Navamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. “Conducive to” (sappāya) is a synonym of “fit for” (sāruppa) in the previous discourse.

    ↩ sn35.31:1.1
  2. Bhava means “existence” or “being”, not “becoming”. Those who are “attached to being” are not attached to “becoming” something else; that would be vibhavataṇhā, “craving for nonexistence”. They are are attached to a state of eternal existence, to continuing to exist in another life (bhavataṇhā). They conceive this to be an eternal self, but their conceiving is ultimately derived from sense experience, which is always changing.

    ↩ sn35.31:1.8