198. [First Discourse to Rāhula] (SA198)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying at Rājagaha on Mount Vulture Peak.

At that time the venerable Rāhula approached the Buddha, paid respect with his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to stand to one side, and said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One, how [should] one know and how [should] one see so that in this body of mine with consciousness within and all external signs [the sense of] ‘I’, ‘mine’, and the underlying tendency, fetter, and attachment to the I-conceit will not be caused to arise?”

Then the Blessed One said to Rāhula: “It is well, Rāhula, you are able to ask the Tathāgata about what has a very profound meaning.”

The Buddha said to Rāhula: “Understand it as it really is that the eye, whether past, future or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, sublime or repugnant, far or near, all that is not self, not distinct from the self [in the sense of being owned by it], does not exist [within the self, nor does a self] exist [within it].

“The ear … the nose … the tongue … the body … the mind is also like this.

“Rāhula, engaging in knowing like this and seeing like this, in this body of mine with consciousness within and all external signs [the sense of] ‘I’, ‘mine’, and the underlying tendency, fetter, and attachment to the I-conceit are not caused to arise. Rāhula, in this way one does not give rise to [the sense of] ‘I’, ‘mine’, and the underlying tendency, fetter, and attachment to the I-conceit. Rāhula this is called abandoning craving and murky views by rightly comprehending the unsurpassed transcendence of dukkha.”

When the Buddha had spoken this discourse, hearing what the Buddha had said the venerable Rāhula was delighted and received it respectfully.

As for the internal sense-spheres, in the same way also for the external sense-spheres of forms, sounds, odours, flavours, tangibles, mental objects, for eye-consciousness … ear- … nose- … tongue- … body- … and mind-consciousness, for eye-contact … ear- … nose- … tongue- … body- … and mind-contact, for feeling arisen from eye-contact … ear- … nose- … tongue- … body- … and feeling arisen from mind-contact, for perception arisen from eye-contact … ear- … nose- … tongue- … body- … and perception arisen from mind-contact, for intention arisen from eye-contact … ear- … nose- … tongue- … body- … and intention arisen from mind-contact, for craving arisen from eye-contact … ear- … nose- … tongue- … body- … and craving arisen from mind-contact, [discourses] are also to be recited as above.

Translated by Bhikkhu Anālayo. Originally published in "On the Six Sense-spheres (1) ―A Translation of Saṁyukta-āgama Discourses 188 to 229 (Fascicle 8)", Dharma Drum Journal of Buddhist Studies, 2016, vol. 18 pp. 1–61.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.