209. [Discourse on the Six Spheres of Contact] (SA209)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying at Vesālī in Jīvaka’s Mango Grove.

At that time the Blessed One said to the monks: “There are six spheres of contact. What are the six? They are the sphere of contact of the eye … the ear … the nose … the tongue … the body … the sphere of contact of the mind.

“[As for] recluses and brahmins who do not understand as it really is the arising of these six spheres of contact, their cessation, their gratification, their danger, and the escape from them, it should be known that these recluses and Brahmins depart from my teaching, are far from my discipline, just as the sky in regard to the earth.”

Then a certain monk rose from his seat, arranged his robes, paid respect to the Buddha and, with palms together, said to the Buddha: “I am endowed with understanding as it really is of the arising of these six spheres of contact, their cessation, their gratification, their danger, and the escape from them.”

The Buddha said to the monk: “I will now ask you, answer according to my question. Monk, do you see the sphere of contact of the eye as self, as distinct from the self [in the sense of being owned by it], as existing [within the self, or a self] existing [within it]?”

He replied: “No, Blessed One”.

The Buddha said to the monk: “It is well, it is well. The sphere of contact of the eye is not self, it is not distinct from the self [in the sense of being owned by it], it does not exist [within the self, nor does a self] exist [within it]. By not clinging the mind of one who knows and sees this as it really is will be undefiled by attachment, and his mind will be liberated from the influxes. This is called [one] who has abandoned the first sphere of contact, having understood it, abandoning it at the root like the cut off crown of a Palmyra tree, so that in future it will never again arise, that is, eye-consciousness and forms.

“Do you see the sphere of contact of the ear … the nose … the tongue … the body … the mind as self, as distinct from the self [in the sense of being owned by it], as existing [within the self, or a self] existing [within it]?”

He replied: “No, Blessed One”.

The Buddha said to the monk: “It is well, it is well. The sphere of contact of the ear … the nose … the tongue … the body … the sphere of contact of the mind is not self, it is not distinct from the self [in the sense of being owned by it], it does not exist [within the self, nor does a self] exist [within it]. By not clinging the mind of one who knows and sees this as it really is will be undefiled by attachment, and his mind will be liberated from the influxes. This is called a monk who has abandoned the six spheres of contact, having understood them, abandoning them at the root like the cut off crown of a Palmyra tree, so that in future they will never again arise, that is … mind-consciousness and mental objects.”

When the Buddha had spoken this discourse, hearing what the Buddha had said the monks were delighted and received it respectfully.

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.

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