The Related Discourses
1. The Aggregates
| （一三） 味 | 19 (13). Enjoyment |
|---|---|
| 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，世尊告諸比丘： 「若眾生於色不味者，則不染於色。 以眾生於色味故，則有染著。 如是眾生於受⋯想⋯行⋯識不味者，彼眾生則不染於識。 以眾生味受⋯想⋯行⋯識故，彼眾生染著於識。 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “If sentient beings didn’t enjoy form, then they wouldn’t be affected by it.2 It’s because they do enjoy form that sentient beings are affected and attached to it. Thus, when sentient beings don’t enjoy feeling … conception … volition … awareness, they aren’t affected by it. It’s because sentient beings do enjoy feeling … conception … volition … awareness that they are affected and attached to it. |
| 「諸比丘，若色於眾生不為患者，彼諸眾生不應厭色。 以色為眾生患故，彼諸眾生則厭於色。 如是受⋯想⋯行⋯識不為患者，彼諸眾生不應厭識。 以受⋯想⋯行⋯識為眾生患故，彼諸眾生則厭於識。 | 3. “Monks, if form weren’t trouble for sentient beings, then sentient beings wouldn’t become disillusioned with it. It’s because form is trouble for sentient beings that they do become disillusioned with it. Thus, if feeling … conception … volition … awareness wasn’t trouble for sentient beings, they wouldn’t become disillusioned with it. It’s because feeling … perception … volition … awareness is trouble for sentient beings that they do become disillusioned with it. |
| 「諸比丘，若色於眾生無出離者，彼諸眾生不應出離於色。 以色於眾生有出離故，彼諸眾生出離於色。 如是受⋯想⋯行⋯識於眾生無出離者，彼諸眾生不應出離於識。 以受⋯想⋯行⋯識於眾生有出離故，彼諸眾生出離於識。 | 4. “Monks, if sentient beings had no escape from form, then sentient beings wouldn’t escape from it. It’s because sentient beings have an escape from form that they do escape from it. Thus, if sentient beings had no escape from feeling … conception … volition … awareness, they wouldn’t escape from it. It’s because sentient beings have an escape from feeling … conception … volition … awareness that they do escape from it. |
| 「諸比丘，若我於此五受陰不如實知味是味⋯患是患⋯離是離者， 我於諸天，若魔若梵，沙門婆羅門，天，人眾中不脫，不出，不離，永住顛倒，亦不能自證得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。 | 5. “Monks, if I didn’t truly know the enjoyment of the five acquired aggregates to be enjoyment … trouble to be trouble … escape to be escape, I wouldn’t be freed, escaped, and parted with them. I would have forever stood in delusion among gods like Māra or Brahmā, ascetics and priests, or the assemblies of gods and humans, and I couldn’t have realized my attainment of the unsurpassed and complete awakening.3 |
| 「諸比丘，我以如實知此五受陰味是味⋯患是患⋯離是離故， 我於諸天，若魔若梵，沙門，婆羅門，天，人眾中，自證得脫，得出，得離，得解脫結縛，永不住顛倒，亦能自證得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。」 | 6. “Monks, it’s because I truly knew the enjoyment of the five acquired aggregates to be enjoyment … trouble to be trouble … escape to be escape that I was freed, escaped, parted, and liberated from bondage. I never again stood in delusion among gods like Māra or Brahmā, ascetics and priests, or the assemblies of gods and humans, and I could realize my attainment of the unsurpassed and complete awakening.” |
| 時，諸比丘聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。 | 7. When the monks heard what the Buddha taught, they rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
- This is sūtra no. 13 in the Taisho edition and no. 19 in Yinshun (T99.2.2b15-c10). It and the next sūtra correspond to SN 22.26-28, and this sūtra is closest to SN 22.27-28. The beginning matches SN 22.28 while the conclusion matches SN 22.27. [back]
- affected. C. 染. The parallel term in SN 22.28 is P. sārajjati (S. saṁrajyate). Interestingly, the S. equivalent of this word means “to dye, turn red, become affected by passion.” This matches 染, which normally means “to stain, dye, or color” things such as fabric. Psychologically, it can refer to people being influenced by something or someone else. All in all, I would say the word in this passage means “to be affected” or “impassioned.” The common reading of “to be defiled” would be an extension of the negative context of passages like this, not to mention that soiled fabric is often stained by dirt. But here the reading is psychological, not literal, so I have rendered it to English accordingly. [back]
- unsurpassed and complete awakening. C. 阿耨多羅三藐三菩提 (EMC. •a-nəu-ta-la sam-miɛu sam-bo-dei), G. anutara saṃma saṃboj̄a, P. anuttara sammā sambodhi, S. anuttara samyak saṃbodhi. This expression, which became quite common in later works, usu. only applies to the awakening of the Buddha, as is the case here. Lit., it means the “unsurpassed, correct, and complete awakening.” I’ve contracted the expression a bit for brevity. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 24 February 2024
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