226. [First Discourse on Conceiving] (SA226)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

At that time the Blessed One said to the monks: “I will now teach you the abandoning of all conceiving. Listen and pay proper attention to what I shall teach you. What should not to be conceived of? That is, do not conceive of a self in the seeing of forms, do not conceive of the eye as belonging to the self, do not conceive of it as belonging to another. Also do not conceive of and delight in forms, eye-consciousness, eye-contact, and feeling arisen in dependence on eye-contact and experienced within, be it painful, pleasant, or neutral, as a self, as belonging to the self, and do not conceive of and delight in it as belonging to another.

“Do not conceive of the ear … the nose … the tongue … the body … the mind is also like that.”

“For one who does not conceive in this way, there is nothing in the world to cling to as permanent. Because of not clinging to anything, he is not attached to anything. Because of not being attached to anything, he personally realizes Nirvāṇa, [knowing]: ‘Birth for me has been eradicated, the holy life has been established, what had to be done has been done, I myself know that there will be no receiving of any further existence.’”

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

As spoken above on not conceiving the eye, etc., not conceiving all things is also [to be recited] in this way.

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.