7.
The Discourse on Being Devoured
79.
At Sāvatthī.
"Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, who recollecting manifold past lives, recollect, all of them recollect the five aggregates of clinging, or one or other of them.
Which five?
'I was of such matter in the past period of time' -
thus indeed, monks, recollecting, one recollects just matter.
'I was of such feeling in the past period of time' -
thus indeed, monks, recollecting, one recollects just feeling.
'I was of such perception in the past period of time'...
'I was of such activities in the past period of time'...
'I was of such consciousness in the past period of time' -
thus indeed, monks, recollecting, one recollects just consciousness."
"And why, monks, do you say 'matter'? Because it is transformed, monks, therefore it is called 'matter'. By what is it transformed? It is transformed by cold, it is transformed by heat, it is transformed by hunger, it is transformed by thirst, it is transformed by the contact of gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and serpents. Because it is transformed, monks, therefore it is called 'matter'.
"And why, monks, do you say 'feeling'? Because it feels, monks, therefore it is called 'feeling'. And what does it feel? It feels pleasure, it feels pain, it feels neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant. Because it feels, monks, therefore it is called 'feeling'.
"And why, monks, do you say 'perception'? Because it perceives, monks, therefore it is called 'perception'. And what does it perceive? It perceives blue, it perceives yellow, it perceives red, it perceives white. Because it perceives, monks, therefore it is called 'perception'.
"And why, monks, do you say 'activities'? Because they construct the conditioned, monks, therefore they are called 'activities'. And what conditioned do they construct? They construct matter as conditioned for the state of matter, they construct feeling as conditioned for the state of feeling, they construct perception as conditioned for the state of perception, they construct activities as conditioned for the state of activities, they construct consciousness as conditioned for the state of consciousness. Because they construct the conditioned, monks, therefore they are called 'activities'.
"And what, monks, do you call consciousness? It cognises, monks, therefore it is called 'consciousness'. And what does it cognise? It cognises sour, it cognises bitter, it cognises pungent, it cognises sweet, it cognises alkaline, it cognises non-alkaline, it cognises salty, it cognises unsalty. It cognises, monks, therefore it is called 'consciousness'.
"Therein, monks, a learned noble disciple considers thus: 'I am now being consumed by matter. In the past too I was consumed by matter in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present matter. And if I were to delight in future matter, in the future too I would be consumed by matter in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present matter.' He, having thus reflected, is without longing for past matter; he does not delight in future materiality; he is practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of present materiality.
"'I am now being consumed by feeling. In the past too I was consumed by feeling in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present feeling. And if I were to delight in future feeling, in the future too I would be consumed by feeling in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present feeling.' He, having thus reflected, is without longing for past feeling; he does not delight in future feeling; he is practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of present feeling.
"'I am now being consumed by perception, etc. I am now being consumed by activities. In the past too I was consumed by activities in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present activities. And if I were to delight in future activities, in the future too I would be consumed by activities in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present activities.' He, having thus reflected, is without longing for past activities; he does not delight in future activities; he is practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of present activities.
"'I am now being consumed by consciousness. In the past too I was consumed by consciousness in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present consciousness. And if I were to delight in future consciousness, in the future too I would be consumed by consciousness in just the same way as I am now being consumed by present consciousness.' He, having thus reflected, is without longing for past consciousness; he does not delight in future consciousness; he is practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of present consciousness.
"What do you think, monks, is materiality 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." "Feeling... perception... activities... consciousness 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." "Therefore, monks, whatever materiality, past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, whether far or near, all materiality - 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom. Whatever feeling... whatever perception... whatever activities... whatever consciousness, past, future, or present... etc. whether far or near, all consciousness - 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self' - thus this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom."
"This is called, monks, a noble disciple who diminishes, does not accumulate; abandons, does not cling; scatters, does not heap up; extinguishes, does not kindle. And what does he diminish, not accumulate? He diminishes materiality, does not accumulate; feeling... perception... activities... he diminishes consciousness, does not accumulate. And what does he abandon, not cling to? He abandons materiality, does not cling; feeling... perception... activities... he abandons consciousness, does not cling. And what does he scatter, not heap up? He scatters materiality, does not heap up; feeling... perception... activities... he scatters consciousness, does not heap up. And what does he extinguish, not kindle? He extinguishes materiality, does not kindle; feeling... perception... activities... he extinguishes consciousness, does not kindle.
"Seeing thus, monks, a learned noble disciple becomes disenchanted with materiality, becomes disenchanted with feeling, becomes disenchanted with perception, becomes disenchanted with activities, becomes disenchanted with consciousness. 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.'
"This is called, monks, a monk who neither accumulates nor diminishes, having diminished, standing firm, neither abandons nor clings, having abandoned, standing firm, neither scatters nor heaps up, having scattered, standing firm, neither extinguishes nor kindles. Having extinguished, standing firm, what does he neither accumulate nor diminish? Having diminished, standing firm, he neither accumulates nor diminishes materiality; having diminished, standing firm, feeling... perception... activities... he neither accumulates nor diminishes consciousness. Having diminished, standing firm, what does he neither abandon nor cling to? Having abandoned, standing firm, he neither abandons nor clings to materiality; having abandoned, standing firm, feeling... perception... activities... he neither abandons nor clings to consciousness. Having abandoned, standing firm, what does he neither scatter nor heap up? Having scattered, standing firm, he neither scatters nor heaps up materiality; having scattered, standing firm, feeling... perception... activities... he neither scatters nor heaps up consciousness. Having scattered, standing firm, what does he neither extinguish nor kindle? Having extinguished, standing firm, he neither extinguishes nor kindles materiality; having extinguished, standing firm, feeling... perception... activities... he neither extinguishes nor kindles consciousness. Having extinguished, standing firm, monks, the gods with Indra, including the Brahmā realm, with Pajāpati, venerate from afar a monk with a mind thus liberated -
We do not directly know that in dependence on which you meditate." The seventh.