4.
The Discourse on the Round of Clinging
56.
At Sāvatthī.
"These are the five aggregates of clinging, monks.
Which five?
The aggregate of clinging to matter, the aggregate of clinging to feeling, the aggregate of clinging to perception, the aggregate of clinging to activities, the aggregate of clinging to consciousness.
As long as I, monks, did not directly know as it really is these five aggregates of clinging with their fourfold turning, I did not acknowledge, monks, in the world with its gods, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, among the generation with its ascetics and brahmins, with its gods and humans, that I had fully awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.
But when I, monks, directly knew as it really is these five aggregates of clinging with their fourfold turning, then I, monks, in the world with its gods, etc.
with its gods and humans, acknowledged that I had fully awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment."
"And how is there a fourfold turning? I directly knew matter, I directly knew the origin of matter, I directly knew the cessation of matter, I directly knew the practice leading to the cessation of matter; feeling... perception... activities... I directly knew consciousness, I directly knew the origin of consciousness, I directly knew the cessation of consciousness, I directly knew the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness.
"And what, monks, is matter? The four primary elements and the materiality derived from the four primary elements. This is called, monks, matter. From the origin of nutriment is the origin of matter; from the cessation of nutriment is the cessation of matter. It is just this noble eightfold path that is the practice leading to the cessation of matter, as follows - right view, etc. right concentration.
"Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having directly known matter thus, having directly known the origin of matter thus, having directly known the cessation of matter thus, having directly known the practice leading to the cessation of matter thus, are practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of matter, they are practising well. Those who are practising well, they gain a foothold in this Teaching and discipline.
"And whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having directly known matter thus, etc. having directly known the practice leading to the cessation of matter thus, through disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of matter, are liberated by non-clinging, they are well liberated. Those who are well liberated, they are consummate ones. Those who are consummate ones, for them there is no round of rebirths to be declared.
"And what, monks, is feeling? There are, monks, these six classes of feeling - feeling born of eye-contact, feeling born of ear-contact, feeling born of nose-contact, feeling born of tongue-contact, feeling born of body-contact, feeling born of mind-contact. This is called, monks, feeling. From the origin of contact is the origin of feeling; from the cessation of contact is the cessation of feeling. It is just this noble eightfold path that is the practice leading to the cessation of feeling, as follows - right view, etc. right concentration.
"Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having thus understood feeling, having thus understood the origin of feeling, having thus understood the cessation of feeling, having thus understood the practice leading to the cessation of feeling, are practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of feeling, they are well practising. Those who are practising well, they gain a foothold in this Teaching and discipline.
"But whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having thus understood feeling, etc. having thus understood the practice leading to the cessation of feeling, etc. for them there is no round of rebirths to be declared.
"And what, monks, is perception? There are, monks, these six classes of perception - perception of visible form, perception of sound, perception of odour, perception of flavour, perception of tangible object, perception of mental phenomena. This is called, monks, perception. From the origin of contact is the origin of perception; from the cessation of contact is the cessation of perception. It is just this noble eightfold path that is the practice leading to the cessation of perception, as follows - right view, etc. right concentration, etc. for them there is no round of rebirths to be declared.
"And what, monks, are activities? There are, monks, these six classes of volition - volition regarding visible form, volition regarding sound, volition regarding odour, volition regarding flavour, volition regarding tangible object, volition regarding mental phenomena. These are called, monks, activities. From the origin of contact is the origin of activities; from the cessation of contact is the cessation of activities. It is just this noble eightfold path that is the practice leading to the cessation of activities, as follows - right view, etc. right concentration.
"Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having thus understood activities, having thus understood the origin of activities, having thus understood the cessation of activities, having thus understood the practice leading to the cessation of activities, are practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of activities, they are well practising. Those who are practising well, they gain a foothold in this Teaching and discipline.
"But whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having thus understood activities, having thus understood the origin of activities, having thus understood the cessation of activities, having thus understood the practice leading to the cessation of activities, through disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of activities, are liberated by non-clinging, they are well liberated. Those who are well liberated, they are consummate ones. Those who are consummate ones, for them there is no round of rebirths to be declared.
"And what, monks, is consciousness? There are, monks, these six classes of consciousness - eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness. This is called, monks, consciousness. From the origin of mentality-materiality is the origin of consciousness; from the cessation of mentality-materiality is the cessation of consciousness. It is just this noble eightfold path that is the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness, as follows - right view, etc. right concentration.
"Whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having understood consciousness thus, having understood the origin of consciousness thus, having understood the cessation of consciousness thus, having understood the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness thus, are practising for disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of consciousness, they are well practising. Those who are practising well, they gain a foothold in this Teaching and discipline.
"But whatever ascetics or brahmins, monks, having understood consciousness thus, having understood the origin of consciousness thus, having understood the cessation of consciousness thus, having understood the practice leading to the cessation of consciousness thus, through disenchantment, dispassion, and cessation of consciousness, are liberated by non-clinging, they are well liberated. Those who are well liberated, they are consummate ones. Those who are consummate ones, for them there is no round of rebirths to be declared." The fourth.