Saṁyutta Nikāya — The Connected Discourses

SN22: Connected Discourses on the Aggregates

SN22:46 Impermanent (2)

At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, form is impermanent … . Feeling is impermanent … . Perception is impermanent … . Volitional formations are impermanent … . Consciousness is impermanent. What is impermanent is suffering. What is suffering is nonself. What is nonself should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’

2"When one sees this thus as it really is with correct wisdom, one holds no more views concerning the past. When one holds no more views concerning the past, sn.iii.46 one holds no more views concerning the future. When one holds no more views concerning the future, one has no more obstinate grasping. [n.60] The two expressions, "views concerning the past" (pubbāntānudiṭṭhiyo) and "views concerning the future" (aparāntānudiṭṭhiyo), clearly allude to the Brahmajala Sutta (DN No. 1), which describes the famous sixty-two speculative views, eighteen about the past and forty-four about the future. Spk confirms this, and explains that at this point the first path has been shown (Spk-pṭ: by showing the complete abandonment of views). The following passage shows the three higher paths and fruits; or, alternatively, the former passage shows the abandoning of views by way of mere insight, the sequel the four paths along with insight.
For "obstinate grasping," Se thāmasā parāmāso seems superior to Be thāmaso parāmāso and Ee thāmaso parāmaso; that is the reading at MN I 130,34, 257,4, etc. Spk glosses "obstinate grasping" as the obstinacy of views (diṭṭhithāmaso) and the grasping of views (diṭṭhiparāmāso), apparently construing thāmasā, an instrumental used adverbially, as if it were an independent noun.
When one has no more obstinate grasping, the mind becomes dispassionate towards form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, and is liberated from the taints by nonclinging.

"By being liberated, it is steady; by being steady, it is content; by being content, one is not agitated. Being unagitated, one personally attains Nibbāna. One understands: ‘Destroyed is birth, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.’"

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. "Rūpaṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ. Yadaniccaṁ taṁ dukkhaṁ; yaṁ dukkhaṁ tadanattā; yadanattā taṁ ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya daṭṭhabbaṁ. Vedanā aniccā … saññā aniccā … saṅkhārā aniccā … viññāṇaṁ aniccaṁ. Yadaniccaṁ taṁ dukkhaṁ; yaṁ dukkhaṁ tadanattā; yadanattā taṁ ‘netaṁ mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attā’ti evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya daṭṭhabbaṁ.

2Evametaṁ yathābhūtaṁ sammappaññāya passato pubbantānudiṭṭhiyo na honti. Pubbantānudiṭṭhīnaṁ asati, aparantānudiṭṭhiyo na honti. Aparantānudiṭṭhīnaṁ asati, thāmaso parāmāso na hoti. Thāmase parāmāse asati rūpasmiṁ … vedanāya … saññāya … saṅkhāresu … viññāṇasmiṁ cittaṁ virajjati vimuccati anupādāya āsavehi.

Vimuttattā ṭhitaṁ. Ṭhitattā santusitaṁ. Santusitattā na paritassati. Aparitassaṁ paccattaññeva parinibbāyati. ‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī"ti.


Catutthaṁ.

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