The Related Discourses
1. The Aggregates
| （五七） 我慢 | 1.169 (57). Self Pride |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住舍衛國、祇樹、給孤獨園。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī. |
| 爾時，世尊著衣持鉢，入舍衛城乞食。 還持衣鉢，不語眾，不告侍者。 獨一無二，於西方國土人間遊行。 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān put on his robe and took his bowl into Śrāvastī to solicit alms. He returned carrying his robe and bowl, but he didn’t speak to the assembly or address his attendant. He went alone and without another to the western lands and toured among the people there. |
| 時，安陀林中有一比丘遙見世尊不語眾，不告侍者，獨一無二。 見已，進詣尊者阿難所，白阿難言： 「尊者，當知世尊不語眾，不告侍者，獨一無二而出遊行。」 | 3. At the time, there was a monk in Andha Forest who saw the Bhagavān from afar as he left alone without speaking to the assembly or addressing his attendant. Seeing that, he proceeded to visit Venerable Ānanda and said to him, “Venerable, you should know that the Bhagavān left alone to go touring without speaking to the assembly or addressing his attendant.” |
| 爾時，阿難語彼比丘： 「若使世尊不語眾，不告侍者，獨一無二而出遊行，不應隨從。 所以者何？ 今日世尊欲住寂滅滅、少事故。」 | 4. Then, Ānanda said to that monk, “If the Bhagavān left alone to go touring without speaking to the assembly or addressing his attendant, then he shouldn’t be followed. Why is that? Because the Bhagavān wishes today to live in peace with few duties.” |
| 爾時，世尊遊行北至半闍國、波陀聚落。 於人所守護林中，住一跋陀薩羅樹下。 時，有眾多比丘詣阿難所，語阿難言： 「今聞世尊住在何所？」 | 5. Then, the Bhagavān wandered north to the village of Pada in Pañcāla. He stayed under a good sal tree in a forest that was guarded by wardens. Then, a group of monks went to Ānanda and said to him, “Have you heard lately where the Bhagavān is?” |
| 阿難答曰： 「我聞世尊北至半闍國、波陀聚落、人所守護林中跋陀薩羅樹下。」 | Ānanda replied, “I heard that the Bhagavān went north to the village of Pada in Pañcāla. He is staying under a good sal tree in a forest protected by wardens.” |
| 時，諸比丘語阿難曰： 「尊者知我等不見世尊已久。 若不憚勞者，可共往詣世尊哀愍故。」 阿難知時，默然而許。 | 6. Then, the monks said to Ānanda, “Venerable, you must know that we haven’t seen the Bhagavān for a long time. If people weren’t troublesome, they could go together to visit the Bhagavān because he is merciful.” Knowing it was time, Ānanda silently assented. |
| 爾時，尊者阿難與眾多比丘夜過晨朝。 著衣持鉢，入舍衛城乞食。 乞食已，還精舍，舉臥具，持衣鉢，出至西方人間遊行。 北至半闍國、波陀聚落、人守護林中。 時，尊者阿難與眾多比丘置衣鉢、洗足已，詣世尊所，頭面禮足，於一面坐。 | 7. Then, Venerable Ānanda and that group of monks rose early in the morning after the night had passed. They put on their robes and took their bowls into Śrāvastī to solicit alms. After soliciting alms, they returned to the monastery, put away their bedding, took their bowls, and headed west to tour among the people. They then went north to the village of Pada in Pañcāla and stayed in that forest that was protected by wardens. Once they had put away their robes and bowls and washed their feet, Venerable Ānanda and the group of monks then went to the Bhagavān, bowed their heads at his feet, and sat to one side. |
| 爾時，世尊為眾多比丘說法，示、教、利、喜。 | 8. The Bhagavān then taught the Dharma for that group of monks, making it plain, teaching, benefiting, and gladdening them. |
| 爾時，座中有一比丘作是念： 「云何知、云何見疾得漏盡？」 | 9. Then, one of the monks sitting there had the thought: “By knowing what and seeing what does one swiftly put an end to the contaminants.” |
| 爾時，世尊知彼比丘心之所念，告諸比丘： 「若有比丘於此座中作是念： 『云何知、云何見疾得漏盡？』者，我已說法言： 『當善觀察諸陰， 所謂四念處、四正勤、四如意足、五根、五力、七覺分、八聖道分。』 我已說如是法，觀察諸陰。 | 10. Then, the Bhagavān knew the thought in that monk’s mind. “If there’s a monk sitting here who is thinking, ‘By knowing what and seeing what does one swiftly put an end to the contaminants,’ I have taught this Dharma. I said, ‘One must observe the aggregates. That is to say, the four abodes of mindfulness, four right efforts, four psychic abilities, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of awakening, and eight factors of the noble path.’ After being taught the Dharma in this way, one then observes the aggregates. |
| 「而今猶有善男子不勤欲作、不勤樂、不勤念、不勤信，而自慢惰。 不能增進得盡諸漏。 若復善男子於我所說法，觀察諸陰，勤欲、勤樂、勤念、勤信，彼能疾得盡諸漏。 | 11. “But now there is still a good son who doesn’t diligently wish to do this, doesn’t diligently enjoy it, doesn’t diligently remember it, and doesn’t diligently believe it, but he is proud of himself. He’s unable to advance and put an end to the contaminants. If, again, a good son observes the aggregates with this Dharma I’ve taught, diligently desires to do so, diligently enjoys it, diligently remembers it, and diligently believes it, he can swiftly put an end to the contaminants. |
| 「愚癡、無聞凡夫於色見是我。 若見我者，是名為行。 彼行何因？何集？何生？何轉？ 無明觸生愛，緣愛起彼行。 彼愛何因？何集？何生？何轉？ 彼愛受因、受集、受生、受轉。 彼受何因？何集？何生？何轉？ 彼受觸因、觸集、觸生、觸轉。 彼觸何因？何集？何生？何轉？ 謂彼觸六入處因、六入處集、六入處生、六入處轉。 | 12. “A foolish and unlearned ordinary man sees form as his self. If someone sees a self, this is called an action. What causes that action? What forms it? What produces it? What develops it? Ignorant contact produces craving, and the condition of craving brings about that action. What causes that craving? What forms it? What produces it? What develops it? Feeling causes that craving, feeling forms it, feeling produces it, and feeling develops it. What causes that feeling? What forms it? What produces it? What develops it? Contact causes that feeling, contact forms it, contact produces it, and contact develops it. What causes that contact? What forms it? What produces it? What develops it? The six sense fields cause contact, the six sense fields form it, the six sense fields produce it, and the six sense fields develop it. |
| 「彼六入處無常、有為、心緣起法。 彼觸⋯受⋯行⋯愛亦無常、有為、心緣起法。 如是觀者而見色是我。 不見色是我而見色是我所⋯ 不見色是我所而見色在我⋯ 不見色在我而見我在色⋯ | 13. “Those six sense fields are impermanent, created, and things that dependently arise from the mind. That contact … feeling … craving … action2 is also impermanent, created, and something that dependently arises from the mind. One who contemplates in this way sees form as self. He might not see form as self but sees form as belonging to self … might not see form as belonging to self but sees form as present in self … might not see form as present in self but sees self as present in form … |
| 「不見我在色而見受是我⋯ 不見受是我而見受是我所⋯ 不見受是我所而見受在我⋯ 不見受在我而見我在受⋯ | 14. “He might not see self present in form but sees feeling as self … might not see feeling as self but sees feeling as belonging to self … might not see feeling as belonging to self but sees feeling as present in self … might not see feeling as present in self but sees self as present in feeling … |
| 「不見我在受而見想是我⋯ 不見想是我而見想是我所⋯ 不見想是我所而見想在我⋯ 不見想在我而見我在想⋯ | 15. “He might not see self as present in feeling but sees conception as self … might not see conception as self but sees conception as belonging to self … might not see conception as belonging to self but sees conception as present in self … might not see conception as present in self but sees self as present in conception … |
| 「不見我在想而見行是我⋯ 不見行是我而見行是我所⋯ 不見行是我所而見行在我⋯ 不見行在我而見我在行⋯ | 16. “He might not see self as present in conception but sees volition as self … might not see volition as self but sees volition as belonging to self … might not see volition as belonging to self but sees volition as present in self … might not see volition as present in self but sees self as present in volition … |
| 「不見我在行而見識是我⋯ 不見識是我而見識是我所⋯ 不見識是我所而見識在我⋯ 不見識在我而見我在識⋯ | 17. “He might not see self as present in volition but sees awareness as self … might not see awareness as self but sees awareness as belonging to self … might not see awareness as belonging to self but sees awareness as present in self … might not see awareness as present in self but sees self as present in awareness … |
| 「不見我在識，復作斷見、壞有見。 不作斷見、壞有見而不離我慢。 不離我慢者，而復見我。 見我者即是行。 彼行何因？何集？何生？何轉？ 如前所說乃至⋯我慢。 作如是知、如是見者，疾得漏盡。」 | 18. “He might not see self as present in awareness, but he makes views of termination and erodes views of existence.3 He might not make views of termination or erode views of existence, but he isn’t free of self pride. Someone who isn’t free of self pride will again see a self. Seeing a self is an action. What causes that action? What forms it? What produces it? What develops it? As was said before up to … self pride. Someone who thus knows and thus sees will swiftly put an end to the contaminants.” |
| 佛說經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 19. After he spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
This is sūtra no. 57 in the Taisho edition and no. 169 in Yinshun (T99.2.13c7-14b11). It’s parallel with SN 22.81.
Overall, this version of the sūtra is simpler and less verbose than SN 22.81. It mentions the views of termination and existence without defining them, which would correspond to annihilationism and eternalism. SN 22.81 ends with doubt and uncertainty instead of self pride. It also lacks the conclusion found here.
Finally, SN 22.81 connects its backstory to the incident at Kosambī when the Buddha abandoned the monks because they were squabbling with each other. The present version doesn’t do this and locates the sūtra at Śrāvastī instead of Kosambī. One detail that the two backstories share, however, is that the Buddha arrives at a “good sal tree” (C. 跋陀薩羅樹, P. bhaddasālamūla). There may have been an original story with this feature that has changed quite a bit. [back]
contact, feeling, craving, and action. C. 觸⋯受⋯行⋯愛. Yinshun points out that this order is incorrect: action should be last to reproduce the reverse order of the previous passage. I’ve followed his suggest to amend the passage to 觸⋯受⋯愛⋯行. [back]
makes views of termination and erodes views of existence. C. 作斷見、壞有見. In SN 22.81, two specific views are mentioned that may well be expanded definitions of these two views here. “The self and the cosmos are one and the same. After death I will be that, permanent, everlasting, eternal, and imperishable” (so attā so loko, so pecca bhavissāmi nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo) would be equivalent to “views of existence” here. “I might not be, and it might not be mine. I will not be, and it will not be mine” (no cassaṁ no ca me siyā nābhavissaṁ na me bhavissatī) would be equivalent to “views of termination” here. Traditionally, these two views refer to the view that a person is not reborn after death (“annihilationism”) and the view that a person has an eternal existence after this life (“eternalism”). [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 27 January 2025
Previous | Next |