8.
The Discourse on the Exposition of the Burning
235.
"I will teach you, monks, an exposition of the Teaching on the blazing.
Listen to that.
And what, monks, is the blazing exposition, the exposition of the Teaching?
Better, monks, for the eye-faculty to be destroyed by a red-hot iron rod, blazing, in flames, aglow, than grasping the sign by features regarding forms cognisable by the eye.
Or, monks, consciousness, when remaining, might remain bound by the gratification of the sign, or bound by the gratification of the features; if at that time one were to die, this possibility exists, that one might go to one of two destinations -
either hell or the animal realm.
Having seen this danger, monks, I say thus.
"Better, monks, for the ear-faculty to be destroyed by a sharp iron spike, blazing, in flames, aglow, than grasping the sign by features regarding sounds cognisable by the ear. Or, monks, consciousness, when remaining, might remain bound by the gratification of the sign, or bound by the gratification of the features; if at that time one were to die, this possibility exists, that one might go to one of two destinations - either hell or the animal realm. Having seen this danger, monks, I say thus.
"Better, monks, for the nose-faculty to be destroyed by a sharp nail-cutter, blazing, in flames, aglow, than grasping the sign by features regarding odours cognisable by the nose. Or, monks, consciousness, when remaining, might remain bound by the gratification of the sign, or bound by the gratification of the features; if at that time one were to die. This possibility exists, that one might go to one of two destinations - either hell or the animal realm. Having seen this danger, monks, I say thus.
"Better, monks, for the tongue-faculty to be destroyed by a sharp razor, blazing, in flames, aglow, than grasping the sign by features regarding flavours cognisable by the tongue. Or, monks, consciousness, when remaining, might remain bound by the gratification of the sign, or bound by the gratification of the features; if at that time one were to die. This possibility exists, that one might go to one of two destinations - either hell or the animal realm. Having seen this danger, monks, I say thus.
"Better, monks, for the body-faculty to be destroyed by a sharp spear, blazing, in flames, aglow, than grasping the sign by features regarding tangible objects cognisable by the body. Or, monks, consciousness, when remaining, might remain bound by the gratification of the sign, or bound by the gratification of the features; if at that time one were to die. This possibility exists, that one might go to one of two destinations - either hell or the animal realm. Having seen this danger, monks, I say thus.
"Better, monks, is sleep. But sleep, monks, I call barren for life, I call fruitless for life, I call sheer delusion for life, rather than one should think such thoughts as, having come under the control of which thoughts, one would break the Community. Having seen this danger of barrenness for life, monks, I say thus.
"Therein, monks, a learned noble disciple considers thus: 'Let alone the eye-faculty being rubbed with a red-hot iron spike, blazing, in flames, aglow. Come, let me attend to just this: Thus the eye is impermanent, forms are impermanent, eye-consciousness is impermanent, eye-contact is impermanent, whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition - whether pleasant or unpleasant or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant - that too is impermanent.'
Let alone the ear-faculty being rubbed with a sharp iron spike, blazing, in flames, aglow. Come, let me attend to just this: Thus the ear is impermanent, sounds are impermanent, ear-consciousness is impermanent, ear-contact is impermanent, whatever feeling arises with ear-contact as condition - whether pleasant or unpleasant or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant - that too is impermanent.
Let alone the nose-faculty being rubbed with a sharp nail-cutter, blazing, in flames, aglow. Come, let me attend to just this: Thus the nose is impermanent, odours are impermanent, nose-consciousness is impermanent, nose-contact is impermanent, whatever feeling arises with nose-contact as condition, etc. that too is impermanent.
Let alone the tongue-faculty being rubbed with a sharp razor, blazing, in flames, aglow. Come, let me attend to just this: Thus the tongue is impermanent, flavours are impermanent, tongue-consciousness is impermanent, tongue-contact is impermanent, whatever arises with tongue-contact as condition, etc. that too is impermanent.
Let alone the body-faculty being rubbed with a sharp spear, blazing, in flames, aglow. Come, let me attend to just this: Thus the body is impermanent, tangible objects are impermanent, body-consciousness is impermanent, body-contact is impermanent, whatever feeling arises with body-contact as condition, etc. that too is impermanent.
Let alone sleep. Come, let me attend to just this: Thus the mind is impermanent, mental phenomena are impermanent, mind-consciousness is impermanent, mind-contact is impermanent, whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition - whether pleasant or unpleasant or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant - that too is impermanent.'
"Seeing thus, monks, 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.' This, monks, is the exposition on burning, the exposition of the Teaching." The eighth.