6.
The Discourse on Bāhiya
89.
Then the Venerable Bāhiya approached the Blessed One, etc.
Seated to one side, the Venerable Bāhiya said this to the Blessed One -
"It would be good, venerable sir, if the Blessed One would expound to me the Teaching in brief, so that having heard the Teaching from the Blessed One, I might dwell alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and resolute."
"What do you think, Bāhiya, is the eye permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir."
"But what is impermanent, is that suffering or happiness?"
"Suffering, venerable sir."
"But what is impermanent, suffering, subject to change, is it proper to regard that - 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?"
"No, Venerable Sir."
"Are forms permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir." Etc. Eye-consciousness... etc. Eye-contact... etc. Whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition - whether pleasant or unpleasant or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant - is that too permanent or impermanent?"
"Impermanent, venerable sir."
"But what is impermanent, is that suffering or happiness?"
"Suffering, venerable sir."
"But what is impermanent, suffering, subject to change, is it proper to regard that - 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?"
"No, Venerable Sir."
"Seeing thus, Bāhiya, a learned noble disciple becomes disenchanted with the eye, becomes disenchanted with forms, becomes disenchanted with eye-consciousness, becomes disenchanted with eye-contact, etc. becomes disenchanted with whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition - whether pleasant or unpleasant or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant. Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate; through dispassion, he becomes liberated; when liberated, there is the knowledge: 'Liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being.'"
Then the Venerable Bāhiya, having delighted in and given thanks for what the Blessed One had said, rose from his seat, paid respect to the Blessed One, circumambulated him keeping him on his right, and departed. Then dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and resolute, the Venerable Bāhiya soon realised for himself, with direct knowledge, in this very life, that unsurpassed consummation of the holy life for the sake of which sons of good family rightly go forth from home into homelessness; and, having entered upon it, he dwelt in it. He directly knew: "Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being." And the Venerable Bāhiya became one of the Worthy Ones. The sixth.