8.4 Of Sense-Desires (KV8.4)

Controverted Point: Whether the subjective sense-desires or the objective five fields of sense constitute kāma's?

This paragraph is verbatim = Kv 8.3 PTS CS 8.3.1, and is verbatim = Kv 8.3 PTS CS 8.3.5, save for the substitution of “Hence sensuality consists in only the five fields of sense-object”.

Theravādin: But was it not also said by the Exalted One:

“There are these fivefold pleasures of sense, bhikkhus: which are the five? Objects desirable,… adapted to sense-desires (kāma), and seductive are cognizable by sight, hearing, etc.… five kinds of objects associated with sense-pleasure. Nevertheless, bhikkhus, these are not sense-desires; they are called in the Ariyan discipline objects of sense-pleasures (kāmaguṇā). For kāma is a man's lustful intention”;

“The manifold of objects in the world—
This in itself is not `desires of sense.’
Lustful intention is man's sense-desires.
That manifold of objects doth endure;
The will thereto the wise exterminate”?

Hence it is wrong to say that just the five kinds of sense-objects constitute sense-desires.

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

Letter-spacing with fixed spaces was replaced with bold font.

The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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