The Related Discourses
1. The Aggregates
| （五三） 薩羅 | 165 (53). Sālā |
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| 如是我聞： 一時，佛在拘薩羅國人間遊行，於薩羅聚落村北、申恕林中住。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was wandering among the people of Kosala and stayed in the rosewood tree grove north of the village of Sālā.2 |
| 爾時，聚落主、大姓婆羅門聞： 「沙門釋種子於釋迦大姓剃除鬚髮，著袈裟衣，正信非家，出家學道。 成無上等正覺，於此拘薩羅國人間遊行。 到婆羅聚落村北申恕林中住。 | 2. It was then that the lord of the village and the great clan of brahmins heard this: “An ascetic who was a son of the Śākya tribe and from a great clan of the Śākyas shaved off his hair and beard, put on the reddish-brown robes, had proper faith in homelessness, and left home to train on the path. Having achieved the unsurpassed and complete awakening, he is wandering now among the people here in Kosala. He has arrived here and is staying in the rosewood grove north of Sālā. |
| 「又，彼沙門瞿曇如是色貌、名稱、真實、功德，天、人讚歎，聞于八方。 為如來、應、等正覺、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛世尊。 於諸世間、諸天、魔、梵沙門、婆羅門中，大智能自證知： 『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作。』 自知不受後有。 為世說法，初、中、後善，善義、善味。 純一滿淨，梵行清白，演說妙法。」 | 3. “Moreover, that ascetic Gautama has such an appearance, fame, truth, and virtue that praises of him from both gods and humans are heard in all eight directions. He is the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Completely Awakened One, the One Complete in Insight and Conduct, the Well Gone One, the Understander of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Trainer of Men, and the Teacher of Gods and Humans who is the Buddha and Bhagavān. He is the great sage in the world with its gods like Māra and Brahmā and ascetics and brahmins. He knows by his own realization: ‘My births have been ended, the religious practice has been established, and the task has been accomplished.’ He himself knows that he won’t be subject to a later existence. He teaches for the world a Dharma that is good in the beginning, middle, and end, and it’s good in its content and good in its expression. Being consistent, complete, and pure, it explains the wondrous Dharma of the clean religious practice.” |
| 「善哉應見！善哉應往！善應敬事！」 作是念已，即便嚴駕，多將翼從，執持金瓶、杖枝、傘蓋。 往詣佛所，恭敬奉事。 | 4. “It would be excellent to see him! It would be excellent to visit him! It would be excellent to pay our respects to him!” After having this thought, they then prepared their horses and led many of their followers while carrying golden vases, golden batons, and parasols. They went to the Buddha to pay their respects and offer service. |
| 到於林口，下車步進。 至世尊所，問訊安不，却坐一面。 白世尊曰： 「沙門瞿曇，何論，何說？」 | 5. When they reached the entrance of the grove, they dismounted and proceeded on foot. When they reached the Bhagavān, they asked if he was doing well and withdrew to sit to one side. They then said to the Bhagavān, “Ascetic Gautama, what is your theory and what is your teaching?” |
| 佛告婆羅門： 「我論因，說因。」 | 6. The Buddha told the brahmins, “My theory is causation, and I teach causation.” |
| 又白佛言： 「云何論因？ 云何說因？」 | 7. Again, they asked the Buddha, “What is your theory of causation? What causation do you teach?” |
| 佛告婆羅門： 「有因、有緣集世間，有因、有緣世間集。 有因、有緣滅世間，有因、有緣世間滅。」 | 8. The Buddha told the brahmins, “There are causes and conditions that bring about the world and causes and conditions that are the formation of the world. There are causes and conditions that cease the world and causes and conditions that are the cessation of the world.” |
| 婆羅門白佛言： 「世尊，云何為有因、有緣集世間，有因、有緣世間集？」 | 9. The brahmins asked the Buddha, “Bhagavān, what are the causes and conditions that form the world, and what causes and conditions are the formation of the world?” |
| 佛告婆羅門： 「愚癡、無聞凡夫色集、色滅、色味、色患、色離，不如實知。 不如實知故，愛樂於色，讚歎於色，染著心住。 彼於色愛樂故取。 取緣有，有緣生，生緣老、死、憂、悲、惱、苦。 是則大苦聚集。 受、想、行、識亦復如是。 婆羅門，是名有因、有緣集世間，有因、有緣世間集。」 | 10. The Buddha told the brahmins, “The foolish and unlearned ordinary man doesn’t truly know the formation of form, cessation of form, enjoyment of form, trouble of form, or escape from form. Not truly knowing them, he takes delight in form, praises form, is affected by it, and his mind abides there. He grasps it because he takes delight in form. Grasping is a condition for existence, existence is a condition for birth, birth is a condition for old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, trouble, and pain. This then forms a great mass of suffering. Feeling, conception, volition, and awareness are likewise. Brahmins, these are called the causes and conditions that form the world and the causes and conditions that are the formation of the world.” |
| 婆羅門白佛言： 「云何為有因、有緣滅世間，有因、有緣世間滅？」 | 11. The brahmins asked the Buddha, “What are the causes and conditions that cease the world, and what causes and conditions are the cessation of the world?” |
| 佛告婆羅門： 「多聞聖弟子於色集、色滅、色味、色患、色離如實知。 如實知已，於彼色不愛樂、不讚歎、不染著、不留住。 不愛樂、不留住故，色愛則滅。 愛滅則取滅。 取滅則有滅。 有滅則生滅。 生滅則老、死、憂、悲、惱、苦滅。 受、想、行、識亦復如是。 婆羅門，是名有因、有緣滅世間，是名有因、有緣世間滅。 婆羅門，是名論因，是名說因。」 | 12. The Buddha told the brahmins, “The well-versed noble disciple truly knows the formation of form, cessation of form, enjoyment of form, trouble of form, and escape from form. Truly knowing them, he doesn’t take delight in form, praise form, become affected by it, or remain there. His craving for form ceases because he doesn’t take delight or remain in it. When craving ceases, grasping ceases. When grasping ceases, existence ceases. When existence ceases, birth ceases. When birth ceases, old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, trouble, and pain cease. Feeling, conception, volition, and awareness are likewise. Brahmins, these are called the causes and conditions that cease the world and the causes and conditions that are the cessation of the world. Brahmins, this is called my theory of causation and my teaching of causation.” |
| 婆羅門白佛言： 「瞿曇，如是論因，如是說因。 世間多事，今請辭還。」 | 13. The brahmins said to the Buddha, “Gautama, such is a theory of causation; such is a teaching of causation. The world has its many duties; now we request to return to them.” |
| 佛告婆羅門： 「宜知是時。」 | The Buddha told the brahmins, “You may go when you’re ready.” |
| 佛說此經已，諸婆羅門聞佛所說歡喜，隨喜。 禮足而去。 | 14. After he spoke this sūtra, those brahmins who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and were gladdened. They bowed at his feet and departed. |
Notes
This is sūtra no. 53 in the Taisho edition and no. 165 in Yinshun (T99.2.12c4-3a16). This sūtra does not appear to have a direct parallel in the Pali suttas, but it consists of common elements brought together in a particular way. First, it belongs to a genre of sūtras in which the inhabitants of a brahmin village go to question the Buddha after hearing about his fame and virtue. Second, it presents a shortened form of dependent origination and cessation that proceed from grasping or craving to suffering. Third, it identifies the acceptance and delight in the aggregates as leading to rebirth. Thus, there is no unique innovation here other than using the five aggregates as a substitute for the first half of the full chain of dependent origination. [back]
Kosala. C. 拘薩羅國 (EMC kɪu-sat-la + “country” = Pr. kosala), G. kosala, P. kosala, S. kausala or kauśala. This was the country bordering Magadha and Kāśī and ruled by King Pasenadi (S. Prasenajit). The capital city was Śrāvastī, where the Buddha spent the majority of his time as a teacher.
village of Sālā. C. 薩羅聚落 (EMC sat-la + “village” = Pr. salagama), G. salagrama, P. sālā brāhmaṇagāma. The transliteration of this village’s name was confused in this sūtra and in the summary verse after SĀ 1.168 (56). That is, 薩 (EMC sat) was confused with 婆 (EMC bua). 婆 was often a typo for 娑 (EMC sa). Perhaps the original text read 娑羅, which was a common way of writing Indic sala. This may have been corrupted to 婆羅 and later corrected to 薩羅 (which was used for this village name in other texts), but not all the occurrences were found and fixed.
rosewood grove. C. 申恕林 (EMC ʃɪĕn-ʃɪo + “forest” = Pr. śiṃśa[pa]vana), G. ?, P. sīsapāvana, S. śiṃśapāvana. This was the name of the Indian rosewood tree, often called the śiśu tree today. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 10 January 2025
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