Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in Jeta‘s Grove, at Anāthapiṇḍika‘s Park. There the Blessed One addressed the monks: “Monks!” “Auspicious sir,” those monks replied to the Blessed One. “Monks, I will teach you a great discourse on the six sense bases. Listen to this and carefully pay attention; I will speak.” “Yes, Bhante,” those monks replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this:
“Monks, when one does not accurately know and see the eye, visible objects, eye-consciousness, eye-contact, and whatever feeling arises from eye-contact – whether pleasant, painful, or neutral – then one becomes infatuated with the eye, with visible objects, with eye-consciousness, with eye-contact, and with whatever feeling arises from eye-contact – whether pleasant, painful, or neutral.
“When one remains infatuated, bound, confused, and focused on gratification, then in the future there will be further accumulation of the five aggregates affected by clinging1. One‘s craving – which leads to further existence, is accompanied by delight and passion, and seeks delight here and there – also increases. One‘s physical distress increases. One‘s mental distress increases. One‘s physical torment increases. One‘s mental torment increases. One‘s physical fever increases. One‘s mental fever increases. One experiences physical suffering and mental suffering.
“Monks, when one does not accurately know and see the ear… the nose… the tongue… the body… the mind, mental objects, mind-consciousness, mind-contact, and whatever feeling arises from mind-contact – whether pleasant, painful, or neutral – then one becomes infatuated with the mind, with mental objects, with mind-consciousness, with mind-contact, and with whatever feeling arises from mind-contact – whether pleasant, painful, or neutral. When one remains infatuated, bound, confused, and focused on gratification, then in the future there will be further accumulation of the five aggregates of clinging… one experiences physical suffering and mental suffering.
“Monks, when one accurately knows and sees the eye… the ear… the nose… the tongue… the body… the mind, mental objects, mind-consciousness, mind-contact, and whatever feeling arises from mind-contact – whether pleasant, painful, or neutral – then one does not become infatuated with the mind, with mental objects, with mind-consciousness, with mind-contact, and with whatever feeling arises from mind-contact – whether pleasant, painful, or neutral.
“When one remains uninfatuated, unbound, unconfused, and focused on drawbacks2, then in the future there will be diminution of the five aggregates affected by clinging. One‘s craving – which leads to further existence, is accompanied by delight and passion, and seeks delight here and there – is left behind. One‘s physical distress is left behind. One‘s mental distress is left behind. One‘s physical torment is left behind. One‘s mental torment is left behind. One‘s physical fever is left behind. One‘s mental fever is left behind. One experiences physical pleasure and mental pleasure.
“The perspective of such a person is right perspective. The thought of such a person is right thought. The effort of such a person is right effort. The mindfulness of such a person is right mindfulness. The concentration of such a person is right concentration. Furthermore, that person‘s speech, actions, and livelihood were already well-purified. Thus this leads to that person‘s fulfillment of the Noble Eightfold Path by development.
“For one who develops the Noble Eightfold Path in this way, the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, the Four Right Strivings, the Four Paths to Success, the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, and the Seven Enlightenment Factors also reach fulfillment by development.
“For that person, these two phenomena progress together: tranquility and insight3. That person understands with higher knowledge those phenomena which are to be understood by higher knowledge. That person abandons those phenomena which are to be abandoned. That person develops those phenomena which are developed. That person realizes with higher knowledge those phenomena which are to be realized by higher knowledge.
“And, monks, what phenomena are to be understood by higher knowledge? ‘The five aggregates affected by clinging’ is to be said – that is, the body-aggregate affected by clinging, the feeling-aggregate affected by clinging, the recognition-aggregate affected by clinging, the thought-aggregate affected by clinging, and the consciousness-aggregate affected by clinging. These phenomena are to be understood by higher knowledge.
“And, monks, what phenomena are to be abandoned? Ignorance and the desire for existence – these phenomena are to be abandoned.
“And, monks, what phenomena are to be developed? Tranquility and insight – these phenomena are to be developed.
“And, monks, what phenomena are to be realized? Knowledge and liberation – these phenomena are to be realized.”
This is what the Blessed One said. Satisfied, those monks delighted in the Blessed One‘s speech.
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus.”—“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Bhikkhus, I shall teach you a discourse on the great sixfold base. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say.”—“Yes, venerable sir,” the bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Bhikkhus, when one does not know and see the eye as it actually is, when one does not know and see forms as they actually are, when one does not know and see eye-consciousness as it actually is, when one does not know and see eye-contact as it actually is, when one does not know and see as it actually is the feeling felt as pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant that arises with eye-contact as condition, then one is inflamed by lust for the eye, for forms, for eye-consciousness, for eye-contact, for the feeling felt as pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant that arises with eye-contact as condition.
“When one abides inflamed by lust, fettered, infatuated, contemplating gratification, then the five aggregates affected by clinging are built up for oneself in the future; and one’s craving—which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that—increases. One’s bodily and mental troubles increase, one’s bodily and mental torments increase, one’s bodily and mental fevers increase, and one experiences bodily and mental suffering.
“When one does not know and see the ear as it actually is…When one does not know and see the nose as it actually is…When one does not know and see the tongue as it actually is…When one does not know and see the body as it actually is… When one does not know and see the mind as it actually is…one experiences bodily and mental suffering.
“Bhikkhus, when one knows and sees the eye as it actually is, when one knows and sees forms as they actually are, when one knows and sees eye-consciousness as it actually is, when one knows and sees eye-contact as it actually is, when one knows and sees as it actually is the feeling felt as pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant that arises with eye-contact as condition, then one is not inflamed by lust for the eye, for forms, for eye-consciousness, for eye-contact, for the feeling felt as pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant that arises with eye-contact as condition.
“When one abides uninflamed by lust, unfettered, uninfatuated, contemplating danger, then the five aggregates affected by clinging are diminished for oneself in the future; and one’s craving—which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this or that—is abandoned. One’s bodily and mental troubles are abandoned, one’s bodily and mental torments are abandoned, one’s bodily and mental fevers are abandoned, and one experiences bodily and mental pleasure.
“The view of a person such as this is right view. His intention is right intention, his effort is right effort, his mindfulness is right mindfulness, his concentration is right concentration. But his bodily action, his verbal action, and his livelihood have already been well purified earlier. Thus this Noble Eightfold Path comes to fulfilment in him by development. When he develops this Noble Eightfold Path, the four foundations of mindfulness also come to fulfilment in him by development; the four right kinds of striving also come to fulfilment in him by development; the four bases for spiritual power also come to fulfilment in him by development; the five faculties also come to fulfilment in him by development; the five powers also come to fulfilment in him by development; the seven enlightenment factors also come to fulfilment in him by development. These two things—serenity and insight—occur in him yoked evenly together. He fully understands by direct knowledge those things that should be fully understood by direct knowledge. He abandons by direct knowledge those things that should be abandoned by direct knowledge. He develops by direct knowledge those things that should be developed by direct knowledge. He realises by direct knowledge those things that should be realised by direct knowledge.
“And what things should be fully understood by direct knowledge? The answer to that is: the five aggregates affected by clinging, that is, the material form aggregate affected by clinging, the feeling aggregate affected by clinging, the perception aggregate affected by clinging, the formations aggregate affected by clinging, the consciousness aggregate affected by clinging. These are the things that should be fully understood by direct knowledge.
“And what things should be abandoned by direct knowledge? Ignorance and craving for being. These are the things that should be abandoned by direct knowledge.
“And what things should be developed by direct knowledge? Serenity and insight. These are the things that should be developed by direct knowledge.
“And what things should be realised by direct knowledge? True knowledge and deliverance. These are the things that should be realised by direct knowledge.
“When one knows and sees the ear as it actually is… These are the things that should be realised by direct knowledge.
“When one knows and sees the nose as it actually is… These are the things that should be realised by direct knowledge.
“When one knows and sees the tongue as it actually is…These are the things that should be realised by direct knowledge.
“When one knows and sees the body as it actually is… These are the things that should be realised by direct knowledge.
“When one knows and sees the mind as it actually is… These are the things that should be realised by direct knowledge.”
That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
