sn.22.44 Saṁyutta Nikāya (Linked Discourses)

The Way

At Savatthi. “Bhikkhus, I will teach you the way leading to the origination of identity and the way leading to the cessation of identity. Listen to that….

“And what, bhikkhus, is the way leading to the origination of identity? Here, bhikkhus, the uninstructed worldling … regards form as self … feeling as self … perception as self … volitional formations as self … consciousness as self … or self as in consciousness. This, bhikkhus, is called the way leading to the origination of identity. When it is said, ‘The way leading to the origination of identity,’ the meaning here is this: a way of regarding things that leads to the origination of suffering.

“And what, bhikkhus, is the way leading to the cessation of identity? Here, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple … does not regard form as self … nor feeling as self … nor perception as self … nor volitional formations as self … nor consciousness as self … nor self as in consciousness. This, bhikkhus, is called the way leading to the cessation of identity. When it is said, ‘The way leading to the cessation of identity,’ the meaning here is this: a way of regarding things that leads to the cessation of suffering.”

- Translator: Bhikkhu Bodhi

- Editor: Blake Walsh

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Practice

At Sāvatthī.
“Mendicants, I will teach you the practice that leads to the origin of identity and the practice that leads to the cessation of identity.
Listen …
And what is the practice that leads to the origin of identity?
It’s when an unlearned ordinary person has not seen the noble ones, and is neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve not seen good persons, and are neither skilled nor trained in the teaching of the good persons.
They regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.
They regard feeling as self …
They regard perception as self …
They regard choices as self …
They regard consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.
This is called the practice that leads to the origin of identity.
And that’s why it’s called a way of regarding things that leads to the origin of suffering.

And what is the practice that leads to the cessation of identity?
It’s when a learned noble disciple has seen the noble ones, and is skilled and trained in the teaching of the noble ones. They’ve seen good persons, and are skilled and trained in the teaching of the good persons.
They don’t regard form as self, self as having form, form in self, or self in form.
They don’t regard feeling as self …
They don’t regard perception as self …
They don’t regard choices as self …
They don’t regard consciousness as self, self as having consciousness, consciousness in self, or self in consciousness.
This is called the practice that leads to the cessation of identity.
And that’s why it’s called a way of regarding things that leads to the cessation of suffering.”