Buddhist Sutras

Chabbisodana Sutta("The Six-fold Examination")

I heard thus.

At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anathapindika in Jeta's grove in Savatthi. The Blessed One addressed the Bhikkhus from there.

'Bhikkhus, the Bhikkhu declares perfection. "Birth is destroyed, the holy life is lived, what should be done is done. I know, there is nothing more to wish." The words of that Bhikkhu should not be approved, nor disapproved. He should be questioned. Friend, there are these four ways of defining, declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees and is rightfully enlightened. What are the four? Defining the seen as the seen, the heard as the heard, the sensed as the sensed and the cognized as the cognized. Out of these four ways of defining, through which is the venerable one's mind released without holdings? It is lawful that a Bhikkhu who has, destroyed desires, lived the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to the highest good, destroyed the desire 'to be' and is rightfully released should explain it. Friend, seeing it an error to fall for the seen, not settling, unbound, released, unyoked and with an unrestricted mind I abide. Friend, seeing it an error to fall for the heard, not settling, unbound, released, unyoked and with an unrestricted mind I abide. Friend, seeing it an error to fall for the sensed, not settling, unbound, released, unyoked and with an unrestricted mind I abide. Friend, seeing it an error to fall for the cognized, not settling, unbound, released, unyoked and with an unrestricted mind I abide. Friend, knowing and seeing these four ways of defining, my mind is released from desires without holdings. His words should be accepted as good words and a further question should be asked Friend, these five holding masses are declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees and is rightfully enlightened. What are the five? They are the holding mass of matter, the holding mass of feelings, the holding mass of perceptions, the holding mass of determinations and the holding mass of consciousness. Knowing what and seeing what in the five holding masses, is the venerable one's mind released from desires without holdings. It is lawful that a Bhikkhu who has destroyed desires, lived the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to the highest good, destroyed the desire 'to be' and is rightfully released should explain it. Friend, seeing that matter is weak, my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed ceased, gave up and released my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding matter. [1] Seeing that feelings are weak, my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding feelings. Seeing that perceptions are weak, my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding perceptions .Seeing that determinations are weak, my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding determinations. Seeing that consciousness is weak, my interest waned and dissatisfied, I destroyed, ceased, gave up and released my mind from the latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding consciousness. Friend, knowing and seeing these five holding masses my mind is released from desires without holdings. His words should be accepted as good words and a further question should be asked Friend, these six elements are declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees and is rightfully enlightened. What are the six? They are the elements of earth, water, fire, air, space and consciousness.

Knowing what and seeing what in these six elements is the venerable one's mind released from desires without holdings It is lawful that a Bhikkhu who has, destroyed desires, lived the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to the highest good, destroyed the desire 'to be' and is rightfully released should explain it. Friend, the earth element is void of a self. The self has no settlements in matter. The latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding settlements in matter destroyed, ceased, given up, I know that the mind is released. I realized that the water element...fire element...air element...space element...re...and the consciousness element is void of a self. The self has no settlements in consciousness. The latent tendencies of falling for and firmly holding settlements in consciousness destroyed, ceased, given up I know that the mind is released. Friend, knowing and seeing these six elements in this manner, my mind is released from desires without holdings. His words should be accepted as good words and a further question should be asked. Friend, these six internal and external spheres are declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees and is rightfully enlightened. What are the six? Eye and forms, ear and sounds, nose and smells, tongue and tastes, body and touches and mind and ideas. Knowing what and seeing what in these six internal and external spheres is the venerable one's mind released from desires without holdings It is lawful that a Bhikkhu who has, destroyed desires, lived the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to the highest good, destroyed the desire 'to be' and is rightfully released should explain it. The latent tendencies of following up erroneously with interest, greed and craving, eye consciousness, forms and things cognizable by eye consciousness, are destroyed, ceased and given up, I know my mind is released. The latent tendencies of following up erroneously with interest, greed and craving ear consciousness, sounds and things cognizable by ear consciousness...nose consciousness, smells and things cognizable by nose consciousness...tongue consciousness, tastes and things cognizable by tongue consciousness... body consciousness, touches and things cognizable by body consciousness and mind consciousness, ideas, and things cognizable by mind consciousness are destroyed, ceased and given up, I know my mind is released. Friend, knowing and seeing these six internal and external spheres in this manner, my mind is released from desires without holdings. His words should be accepted as good words and a further question should be asked. Friend, knowing and seeing what in this six-fold conscious body and all external signs are the latent tendencies of conceited measuring of me and mine completely destroyed. It is lawful that a Bhikkhu who has destroyed desires, lived the holy life, done what should be done, dismissed the weight, come to the highest good, destroyed the desire 'to be' and is rightfully released should explain it.