43. Questions and Answers 1 (MN43)

Thus I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

Then when it was evening, the venerable Mahā Kotthita rose from meditation, and went to the venerable Sāriputta and exchanged greetings with him. When the courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side. When he had done so, he said to the venerable Sāriputta:

Understanding

“‘Without understanding, without understanding’ is said, friend. With reference to what is that said?”

“‘Does not understand, does not understand’, friend, that is why ‘without understanding’ is said. Does not understand what? Does not understand: ‘This is suffering’, does not understand: ‘This is the origin of suffering’, does not understand: ‘This is the cessation of suffering’, does not understand: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering‘. ‘Does not understand, does not understand’, that is why ‘without understanding’ is said.”

Saying “Good friend”, the venerable Mahā Kotthita delighted in the venerable Sāriputta’s words, and after agreeing, he asked him a further question:

“‘Possessed of understanding, possessed of understanding’ is said, friend. With reference to what is that said?”

“‘Understands, understands’, friend. That is why ‘possessed of understanding’ is said. Understands what? Understands: ‘This is the origin of suffering‘, understands: ‘This is the cessation of suffering‘, understands: ‘This is the way leading to the cessation of suffering’. ‘Understands, understands’, that is why ‘possessed of understanding’ is said.”

(Consciousness)

“‘Consciousness, consciousness’ is said, friend. With reference to what is ‘consciousness’ said?”

“‘Cognizes, cognizes’, friend, that is why ‘consciousness’ is said. Cognizes what? Cognizes: ‘This is pleasant’, cognizes: ‘This is painful’, cognizes: ‘This is neither-painful-nor-pleasant’. ‘Cognizes, cognizes,’ that is why ‘consciousness’ is said.”

“This understanding and this consciousness, friend, are these dhammas conjoined or disjoined? And is it possible to separate each from each in order to describe the difference between them?”

“This understanding and this consciousness, friend, these dhammas are conjoined, not disjoined, and it is impossible to separate each from each in order to describe the difference between them; for what one understands, that one cognizes, and what one cognizes, that one understands. That is why these ideas are conjoined, not disjoined, and why it is impossible to separate each from each in order to describe the difference between them.”

“This understanding and this consciousness, friend, that are conjoined, not disjoined, what is the difference between them?”

“This understanding and this consciousness, friend, that are conjoined, not disjoined, the difference between them is this, namely, understanding can be developed, while consciousness can be fully known.”

Feeling

“‘Feeling, feeling’ is said, friend. With reference to what is that said?”

“‘Feels, feels’, friend, that is why ‘feeling’ is said. Feels what? Feels pleasure and feels pain and feels neither-pain-nor-pleasure. ‘Feels, feels’, that is why ‘feeling’ is said.”

Perception

“‘Perception, perception’, is said friend. With reference to what is ‘perception’ said?”

“‘Perceives, perceives’, friend, that is why ‘perception’ is said. Perceives what? Perceives blue and perceives yellow and perceives red and perceives white. ‘Perceives, perceives’, that is why ‘perception’ is said.”

“This feeling and this perception and this consciousness, friend, are these dhammas conjoined or disjoined? And is it possible to separate each from each in order to describe the difference between them?”

“This feeling and this perception and this consciousness, friend, these dhammas are conjoined not disjoined, and it is impossible to separate each from each in order to describe the difference between them; for what one feels, that one cognizes. That is why these dhammas are conjoined, and not disjoined, and why it is impossible to separate each from each in order to describe the difference between them.”

Knowable by Mind Alone

“Friend, what can be known by pure mind-consciousness disjoined from the five faculties?”

“Friend, by pure mind-consciousness disjoined from the five faculties the base consisting of space can be known thus: ‘Infinite space’, the base consisting of infinity of consciousness can be known thus: ‘Infinite consciousness’, and the base consisting of nothingness can be known thus: ‘There is nothing at all.’”

“Friend, with what does one understand a knowable dhamma?”

“A knowable dhamma, friend, one understands with the eye of understanding.”

“Friend, what does understanding have for its purpose?”

“Understanding, friend, has direct-knowledge for its purpose, it has full-knowledge for its purpose, and it has abandoning for its purpose.”

Right View

“Friend, how many conditions are there for the arising of right view?”

“Friend, there are two conditions for the arising of right view: another’s voice and wise attention. These are the two conditions for the arising of right view.”

“Friend, how many factors is right view assisted by when it has deliverance of the heart for its fruit, deliverance of the heart for its benefit, and has the deliverance by understanding for its fruit, the deliverance by understanding for its benefit?”

“Friend, right view is assisted by five factors when it has the deliverance of the heart for its fruit, the deliverance of the heart for its benefit, the deliverance by understanding for its fruit, the deliverance by understanding for its benefit. Here right view is assisted by virtue, by learning, by converse, by peace and by insight. Right view assisted by these five factors has the deliverance of the heart for its fruit, the deliverance of the heart for its benefit, the deliverance by understanding for its fruit, the deliverance by understanding for its benefit.”

Being

“Friend, how many kinds of being are there?”

“There are these three kinds of being, friend: being with sensual desire, being with form and being without form.”

“Friend, how is renewed being in the future generated?”

“Friend, renewed being in the future is generated for beings who, shut in by ignorance and fettered by craving, delight in this and that.”

“Friend, how is renewed being in the future not generated?”

“Friend, with the fading of ignorance, with the arising of true knowledge, and with the cessation of craving, renewed being in the future is thus not generated.”

The First Jhāna

“Friend, what is the first jhāna?”

“Here, friend, quite secluded from sensual desires, secluded from unprofitable dhammas, a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the first jhāna which is accompanied by initial and sustained application, with happiness and pleasure born of seclusion. This is called the first jhāna.”

“Friend, how many factors has the first jhāna?”

“Friend, the first jhāna has five factors. Here in a bhikkhu who has entered upon the first jhāna there is the occurrence of initial application and sustained application and happiness and pleasure and unification of mind. That is how the first jhāna has five factors.”

“Friend, how many factors does the first jhāna abandon and how many does it possess?”

“Friend, the first jhāna abandons five factors and possesses five factors.

“Here in a bhikkhu who has entered upon the first jhāna, desire for sensual pleasures is abandoned, ill-will is abandoned, lethargy and drowsiness are abandoned, agitation and worry are abandoned, and uncertainty is abandoned; and there is the occurrence of initial application and sustained application and happiness and pleasure and unification of mind. That is how the first jhāna abandons five factors and possesses five factors.”

The Five Faculties

“Friend, there are these five faculties each with a separate field, a separate resort, no one of them exploiting for its being another’s field and resort, that is to say, the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty and body faculty. Now these five faculties each with a separate field, a separate resort, no one of them exploiting for its being another’s field and resort: What is their homing-place, what exploits for its being their fields and resorts?”

“Friend, there are these five faculties each with a separate field, a separate resort, no one of them exploiting for its being another’s field and resort, that is to say, the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and body faculty. Now these five faculties each with a separate field, a separate resort, no one of them exploiting for its being another’s field and resort, have mind as their homing-place, mind exploits for its being their fields and resorts.”

“Friend, there are these five faculties, that is to say, the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, body faculty: These five faculties persist depending on what?”

“Friend, there are these five faculties, that is to say, the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and body faculty: These five faculties persist depending on life-span.”

“Life-span, friend, persists depending on what?”

“Life-span persists depending on heat.”

“Heat, friend, persists depending on what?”

“Heat persists depending on life-span.”

“Just now, friend, we understood the venerable Sāriputta to say: ‘Life-span persists depending on heat’, and now again we understand him to say: ‘Heat persists depending of life-span’. How should the meaning of these statements be regarded?”

“In that case, friend, I shall give you a simile, for some wise men understand by means of a simile the meaning of a statement. Just as, when an oil lamp is burning, its radiance is seen depending on the flame and its flame is seen depending on the radiance, so too life-span persists depending on heat, and heat persists depending on life-span.”

Life Processes

“Life-processes, friend, are they the same as states of feeling or are life-processes one and states of feeling another?”

“Life-processes, friend, are not states of feeling. Were life-processes states of feeling, then when a bhikkhu had entered upon the cessation of perception and feeling, his emergence could not be known. And it is because life-processes are one and states of feeling are another that when a bhikkhu has entered upon the cessation of perception and feeling his emergence can be known.”

“Friend, when this body is bereft of how many dhammas is it then dropped and forsaken so that it lies senseless like a log?”

“Friend, when this body is bereft of three dhammas, that is to say, life, heat and consciousness, it is then dropped and forsaken so that it lies senseless like a log.”

“Friend, one who is dead, who has completed his time, and a bhikkhu who has entered upon the cessation of perception and feeling, what is the difference between them?”

“Friend, in the case of one who has completed his time, his bodily processes have ceased and are tranquil, his verbal processes have ceased and are tranquil, his mental processes have ceased and are tranquil, his life-span is exhausted, his heat has subsided, and his faculties are quite broken up. In the case of a bhikkhu who has entered the cessation of perception and feeling, his bodily processes have ceased and are tranquil, his verbal processes have ceased and are tranquil, his mental processes have ceased and are tranquil, his life-span is unexhausted, his heat has not subsided, and his faculties are intact. One who is dead, who has completed his time, and a bhikkhu who has entered upon the cessation of perception and feeling, the difference between them is this.”

Deliverance of Mind

“Friend, how many conditions are there for attainment of the deliverance of mind that is neither-painful-nor-pleasant?”

“Friend there are four conditions for this: here with the abandoning of pleasure and pain and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the fourth meditation, which has neither-pain-nor-pleasure and has purity of mindfulness due to equanimity. These are the four conditions for attainment of the deliverance of mind that is neither-painful-nor-pleasant.”

“Friend, how many conditions are there for attainment of the deliverance of mind that is signless?”

“Friend there are two conditions for this: non-attention to all signs, and attention to the signless element. These are the two conditions for attainment of deliverance of mind that is signless.”

“Friend, how many conditions are there for persistence of the deliverance of mind that is signless?”

“Friend, there are three conditions for this: non-attention to all signs, attention to the signless element, and the prior determination of the length of the persistence. These are the three conditions for persistence of the deliverance of mind that is signless.”

“Friend, how many conditions are there for emergence from the deliverance of mind that is signless?”

“Friend, there are two conditions for this: attention to all signs, and non-attention to the signless element. These are the two conditions for emergence from the deliverance of mind that is signless.”

“Friend, the deliverance of mind that is measureless and that which is nothingness and that which is voidness and that which is signless: are these dhammas different in meaning and different in the letter, or are they one in meaning and only the letter is different?”

“Friend, the deliverance of mind that is measureless and that which is nothingness and that which is voidness and that which is signless: there is a way in which these dhammas are different in meaning and different in the letter, and there is a way in which they are one in meaning and only the letter is different.

“What is the way in which they are different in meaning and different in the letter? Here a bhikkhu abides with a mind endued with loving-kindness extending over one quarter, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth, and so above, below, around, and everywhere, and to all as to himself; he abides with an abundant, exalted, measureless mind of loving-kindness without hostility or affliction extending over the all-embracing world. He abides with a mind endued with compassion… He abides with a mind endued with gladness… He abides with a mind endued with equanimity… without hostility or affliction extending over the all-embracing world. This is called the deliverance of mind that is measureless.

“And what is the deliverance of mind that is nothingness? Here with the complete surmounting of the base consisting of infinity of consciousness, aware that: ‘there is nothing’, a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the base consisting of nothingness. This called the deliverance of mind that is nothingness as non-owning.

“And what is the deliverance of mind that is voidness? Here a bhikkhu, gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty hut, considers thus: ‘This is void of self or of what belongs to self’. This is called the deliverance of mind that is voidness.

“And what is the deliverance of mind that is signless? Here with non-attention to all signs a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the signless concentration of mind. This is called the deliverance of mind that is signless.

“Thus is the way in which these dhammas are different in meaning and different in letter.

“And what is the way in which they are one in meaning and only the letter is different?

“Lust is a making of measurements, hate is a making of measurements, delusion is a making of measurements. In a bhikkhu whose taints are exhausted, these are abandoned, made like a palm stump, done away with so that they are no more liable to future arising. Of all the kinds of deliverance of mind that are measureless, the unassailable deliverance of mind is pronounced the best. Now that unassailable deliverance of mind is void of lust, void of hate, and void of delusion.

“Lust is an owning, hate is an owning, delusion is an owning. In a bhikkhu whose taints are exhausted, these are abandoned, made like a palm stump, done away with so that they are no more liable to future arising. Of all the kinds of deliverance of mind that are nothingness as non-owning, the unassailable deliverance of mind is pronounced the best. Now the unassailable deliverance of mind is void of lust, void of hate, and void of delusion.

“Lust is a making of signs, hate is a making of signs, delusion is a making of signs. In one whose taints are exhausted, these are abandoned, made like a palm stump, done away with so that they are no more liable to future arising. Of all the kinds of deliverance of mind that are signless, the unassailable deliverance of mind is pronounced the best. Now that unassailable deliverance of mind is void of lust, void of hate, and void of delusion.

“That is the way in which these dhammas are one in meaning and the letter is different.”

That is what the venerable Sāriputta said. The venerable Mahā Kotthita was satisfied, and he delighted in the venerable Sāriputta’s words.

This is an excerpt from A Treasury of the Buddha's Words, a collection of suttas from the Majjhima Nikāya translated by Ven. Nyanamoli Thera and edited by Khantipalo Bhikkhu in 1977.

It was printed in Thailand by Mahāmakut Rājavidyālaya Press for free distribution.