Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Related Discourses

1. The Aggregates

(一四) 味 20 (14). Enjoyment (2)
如是我聞: 一時,佛住舍衞國、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: 「我昔於色味有求,有行。 若於色味隨順覺,則於色味以智慧如實見。 如是,於受⋯想⋯行⋯識味有求,有行。 若於受⋯想⋯行⋯識味隨順覺,則於識味以智慧如實見。 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “In the past, I had pursued and practiced the enjoyment of form. When I realized the enjoyment of form as a result,2 I truly saw it with wisdom. Thus, I had pursued and practiced the enjoyment of feeling … conception … volition … awareness. When I realized the enjoyment of feeling … conception … volition … awareness as a result, I truly saw it with wisdom.
「諸比丘,我於色患有求,有行。 若於色患隨順覺,則於色患以智慧如實見。 如是,受⋯想⋯行⋯識患有求,有行。 若於識患隨順覺,則於識患以智慧如實見。 3. “Monks, I pursued and practiced the trouble of form. When I realized form’s trouble as a result, I truly saw it with wisdom. Thus, I pursued and practiced the trouble of feeling … conception … volition … awareness. When I realized the trouble of awareness as a result, I truly saw it with wisdom.
「諸比丘,我於色離有求,有行。 若於色隨順覺,則於色離以智慧如實見。 如是,受⋯想⋯行⋯識離有求,有行。 若於受⋯想⋯行⋯識離隨順覺,則於受⋯想⋯行⋯識離以智慧如實見。 4. “Monks, I pursued and practiced the escape from form. When I realized the escape from form as a result, I truly saw it with wisdom. Thus, I pursued and practiced the escape from feeling … conception … volition … awareness. When I realized the escape from awareness as a result, I truly saw it with wisdom.
「諸比丘,我於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,天人衆中不脱,不離,不出,永住顛倒,不能自證得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。 5. “Monks, had I not truly known 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.
「諸比丘,我以如實知五受陰味是味⋯患是患⋯離是離,我於諸天人若魔、若梵、沙門、婆羅門、天人衆中以脱,以離,以出,永不住顛倒。 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,諸比丘聞佛所説歡喜,奉行。 7. When the monks heard what the Buddha taught, they rejoiced and approved.
Summary Verse
  • 過去四種説,
    厭離及解脱,
    二種説因縁,
    味亦復二種。
  • [11-14] The past explained in four ways,
    [15] Disillusionment and [16] liberation,
    [17-18] Two ways of explaining causes and conditions,
    [19-20] And two kinds of enjoyment.

Notes

  1. This is sūtra no. 14 in the Taisho edition and no. 20 in Yinshun (T99.2.2c11-3a5). It’s a variant of the previous one (SĀ 1.19). Both correspond to SN 22.26-28, with this sūtra being closest to SN 22.27. [back]
  2. realized … as a result. Ch. 隨順覺. The parallel word in SN 22.27 is P. tadajjhagama (“found that”), which combines a relative pronoun with a form of P. adhigacchati. The C. appears to translate a different word in Prakrit that meant something like “consequently realized.” Of course, “realized” in the sense of discovering something is similar to the meaning of “found” that P. adhigacchati can have. I wonder if the Prakrit here might have been equiv. to anugacchati. It would explain the prefix 隨順, which often translated anu- in Indic words. While S. gacchati has meanings like the P. word (“to go, obtain, pass away”), it can also mean “to understand” or “perceive,” which matches 覺 much better than P. adhigacchati. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 24 February 2024