SA 58（五八） 阴即受

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Deer Park Lecture Hall in the Eastern Garden of Shravasti.

At that time, the World-Honored One, having emerged from meditation in the afternoon, sat down in front of the bhikṣus, arranged his seat, and said to the bhikṣus, "There are five aggregates of grasping. What are the five? They are the form aggregate of grasping, the feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness aggregates of grasping."

At that time, a bhikṣu rose from his seat, arranged his robes, bared his right shoulder, touched his right knee to the ground, joined his palms, and said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! Are these five aggregates of grasping the form aggregate of grasping, the feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness aggregates of grasping?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "Sit down and ask. I will explain it for you."

At that time, the bhikṣu bowed to the Buddha, returned to his original seat, and said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! What is the root of these five aggregates of grasping? What is their accumulation? What is their arising? What is their contact?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "These five aggregates of grasping have desire as their root, desire as their accumulation, desire as their arising, and desire as their contact."

At that time, the bhikṣu, having heard the Buddha's teaching, rejoiced and said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! You have explained that the five aggregates are grasping. Excellent! Now I will ask further. World-Honored One! Are the aggregates grasping, or are the aggregates different from grasping?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "The five aggregates are not grasping, nor are the five aggregates different from grasping. Those who have desire and greed for them are the five aggregates of grasping."

The bhikṣu said to the Buddha, "Excellent! World-Honored One! I rejoice in this. Now I will ask further. World-Honored One! Are there two aggregates that are related?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "It is so, it is so. It is like a person who thinks like this: 'In the future, I will attain such form, such feeling, such perception, such volition, and such consciousness.' This is called, bhikṣu, the relatedness of the aggregates."

The bhikṣu said to the Buddha, "Excellent! I rejoice in what you have said."

He asked further, "World-Honored One! What is meant by 'aggregates'?" The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "All forms, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, good or bad, far or near, are collectively called aggregates. This is what is meant by 'aggregates.' Feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this. Thus, bhikṣu, these are called the aggregates."

The bhikṣu said to the Buddha, "Excellent! I rejoice in what you have said."

He asked further, "World-Honored One! What are the causes and conditions for the aggregate of form? What are the causes and conditions for the aggregates of feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "The four great elements are the causes and conditions for the aggregate of form. Why is that? All aggregates of form are all the four great elements, because they are produced from the four great elements. Contact is the cause and condition for the arising of feeling, perception, and volition, therefore they are called the aggregates of feeling, perception, and volition. Why is that? All feeling, perception, and volition arise from contact. Name and form are the causes and conditions, therefore they are called the aggregate of consciousness. Why is that? All consciousness arises from name and form."

The bhikṣu said to the Buddha, "Excellent! I rejoice in what you have said."

He asked further, "What is the taste of form? What is the suffering of form? What is the transcendence of form? What is the taste of feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness? What is the suffering of consciousness? What is the transcendence of consciousness?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "The joy and pleasure arising from form is called the taste of form; if form is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, this is called the suffering of form; if one subdues desire and greed for form, cuts off desire and greed, and transcends desire and greed, this is called the transcendence of form. The joy and pleasure arising from feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness is called the taste of consciousness; feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness are impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, this is called the suffering of consciousness; subduing desire and greed for feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, cutting off desire and greed, and transcending desire and greed, this is called the transcendence of consciousness."

The bhikṣu said to the Buddha, "Excellent! I rejoice in what you have said."

He asked further, "World-Honored One! How does one give rise to the conceit of self?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "A foolish, ignorant ordinary person sees the self in form, sees the self as different from form, and sees the self as existing in form. They see the self in feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness, see the self as different from consciousness, and see the self as existing in consciousness. This gives rise to the conceit of self."

The bhikṣu said to the Buddha, "Excellent! I rejoice in what you have said."

He asked further, "World-Honored One! How can one be free from the conceit of self?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "The learned noble disciple does not see me, other than me, or the characteristics of me in form, nor does he see me, other than me, or the characteristics of me in feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness."

The bhikṣu said to the Buddha, "Excellent! I have another question. What is known and seen to completely end the taints?"

The Buddha told the bhikṣu, "All forms, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, beautiful or ugly, far or near, are not the self, not different from the self, and not present in the self. Feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are also like this. Bhikṣu! Knowing and seeing in this way, one will quickly end the taints."

At that time, there was another bhikṣu in the assembly who was dull-witted and ignorant, giving rise to evil and wrong views in the shell of ignorance, thinking: "If there is no self, and one performs actions without a self, who will receive the retribution in the future?" At that time, the World-Honored One knew the thoughts in that bhikṣu's mind and told the bhikṣus: "In this assembly, if there are foolish people who are ignorant and unclear, and they think: 'If form is without self, and feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are without self, and one performs actions without a self, who will receive the retribution?' Such doubts should be explained first. How is it, bhikṣus! Is form permanent or impermanent?"

He replied, "Impermanent, World-Honored One!"

"If it is impermanent, is it suffering?"

He replied, "It is suffering, World-Honored One!"

"If it is impermanent and suffering, and subject to change, would the learned noble disciples see it as self, different from self, or as existing in self?"

He replied, "No, World-Honored One!"

"So it is with feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. Therefore, monks, all forms, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or fine, beautiful or ugly, far or near, are not self nor do they belong to self. Seeing this is right view. So it is with feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. The learned noble disciples, contemplating in this way, cultivate disenchantment. Having become disenchanted, they become detached. Having become detached, they are liberated. With liberation, they know and see: 'My birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been done, there is no more of this state.'"

When the Buddha spoke this sūtra, many bhikṣus were free from defilements and attained liberation of the mind. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the bhikṣus heard what he said and joyfully practiced it.

The aggregates, sense bases, and aggregates are the same as the aggregates. The two aggregates
are mutually related. Names, causes, and two flavors. Arrogance, and the swift exhaustion of taints.