True DhammaLibrary · Community
SN 35.82PTS SN 4.521 min read

A Question On the World

Lokapañhāsutta

The “world” consisting of six sense experience is said to be falling apart.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.82Linked Discourses 35.82
  • 0.28. Gilānavagga8. Sick

0.3LokapañhāsuttaA Question On the World

1.1Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha … and said to him:

2.1“‘Loko, loko’ti, bhante, vuccati.“Sir, they speak of this thing called ‘the world’.2.2Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, lokoti vuccatī”ti?How is the world defined?”

2.3“‘Lujjatī’ti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccati.“It wears away, mendicant, that’s why it’s called ‘the world’.12.4Kiñca lujjati?And what is wearing away?2.5Cakkhu kho, bhikkhu, lujjati.The eye is wearing away.2.6Rūpā lujjanti, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ lujjati, cakkhusamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ cakkhusamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi lujjati …pe…Sights … eye consciousness … eye contact is wearing away. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on eye contact is also wearing away.

2.7jivhā lujjati …pe…The ear … nose … tongue … body ….2.8mano lujjati, dhammā lujjanti, manoviññāṇaṁ lujjati, manosamphasso lujjati, yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi lujjati.The mind … ideas … mind consciousness … mind contact is wearing away. The painful, pleasant, or neutral feeling that arises dependent on mind contact is also wearing away.

2.9Lujjatīti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā lokoti vuccatī”ti.It wears away, mendicant, that’s why it’s called ‘the world’.”

2.10Navamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. The Pali puns lujjati (“wear away”) with loka (“world”). Normally lujjati is “fall apart, disintegrate” (see SN 22.93), but where it puns with “world” (here and SN 35.84) I translate as “wear away”, which is justified by the use at AN 3.132:1.7. This pun might seem obvious to “world-weary” folks of today, but it is the deliberate opposite of loka’s underlying sense. It originally referred to “light”, especially the bright lights of the heavens, hence “cosmos” and “world” generally. See note on MN 7:19.6 for details.

    ↩ sn35.82:2.3