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SN 35.71PTS SN 4.431 min read

Six Fields of Contact (1st)

Paṭhamachaphassāyatanasutta

One who does not understand the six senses’ origin, ending, gratification, drawback, and escape is no true mendicant. A mendicant speaks up, saying that he does not truly understand these things, so the Buddha teaches him further.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.71Linked Discourses 35.71
  • 0.27. Migajālavagga7. With Migajāla

0.3PaṭhamachaphassāyatanasuttaSix Fields of Contact (1st)

1.1“Yo hi koci, bhikkhave, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.“Mendicants, anyone who doesn’t truly understand the six fields of contact’s origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape1.2Avusitaṁ tena brahmacariyaṁ, ārakā so imasmā dhammavinayā”ti.has not completed the spiritual journey and is far from this teaching and training.”

2.1Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha,2.2“etthāhaṁ, bhante, anassasaṁ.“Here, sir, I’m discouraged.12.3Ahañhi, bhante, channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāmī”ti.For I don’t truly understand the six fields of contact’s origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape.”

3.1“Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, bhikkhu,“What do you think, mendicant?3.2cakkhuṁ ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasī”ti?Do you regard the eye like this: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

4.1“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

5.1“Sādhu, bhikkhu, ettha ca te, bhikkhu, cakkhu ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhaṁ bhavissati.“Good, mendicant! And regarding the eye, you will truly see clearly with right wisdom that: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’25.2Esevanto dukkhassa …pe…Just this is the end of suffering.

5.3jivhaṁ ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasī”ti?Do you regard the ear … nose … tongue … body …

6.1“No hetaṁ, bhante”.

7.1“Sādhu, bhikkhu, ettha ca te, bhikkhu, jivhā ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhaṁ bhavissati.7.2Esevanto dukkhassa …pe…7.3manaṁ ‘etaṁ mama, esohamasmi, eso me attā’ti samanupassasī”ti?Do you regard the mind like this: ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my self’?”

8.1“No hetaṁ, bhante”.“No, sir.”

9.1“Sādhu, bhikkhu, ettha ca te, bhikkhu, mano ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya sudiṭṭhaṁ bhavissati.“Good, mendicant! And regarding the mind, you will truly see clearly with right wisdom that: ‘This is not mine, I am not this, this is not my self.’9.2Esevanto dukkhassā”ti.Just this is the end of suffering.”

9.3Navamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Commentary traces anassasaṁ (variant anassāsiṁ) to √nas (perish), which Digital Pali Dictionary rejects as “unviable”. It is, rather, the present participle of na assasati, “discouraged, unconsoled”.

    ↩ sn35.71:2.2
  2. The Buddha encourages with the future tense, rather than the optative “should”. This is an example of his knowledge of where all paths leads.

    ↩ sn35.71:5.1