The Related Discourses
1. The Aggregates
| （三〇） 輸屢那 | 36 (30). Śroṇa |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住王舍城迦蘭陀竹園。 爾時，尊者舍利弗在耆闍崛山中。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 The Buddha was staying at the Squirrels’ Bamboo Grove of Rājagṛha. At the time, Venerable Śāriputra was on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa. |
| 時，有長者子名輸屢那，日日遊行。 到耆闍崛山，詣尊者舍利弗。 問訊起居已，却坐一面。 語舍利弗言： 「若諸沙門、婆羅門於無常色、變易、不安隱色言： 『我勝、我等、我劣。』 何故沙門、婆羅門作如是想，而不見真實？ 若沙門、婆羅門於無常、變易、不安隱受⋯想⋯行⋯識而言： 『我勝、我等、我劣。』 何故沙門、婆羅門作如是想，而不見真實？ | 2. There was then a prominent man’s son named Śroṇa2 who went for walks every day. He went to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa and visited Venerable Śāriputra there. Once they had exchanged greetings and asked how they were doing, he withdrew to sit at one side. He said to Śāriputra, “Suppose ascetics and priests say this, despite the impermanence, change, and insecurity of form: ‘I am better,’ ‘I am equal,’ or ‘I am inferior.’ Why would an ascetic or priest conceive of this, not seeing truly? Suppose an ascetic or priest says despite the impermanence, change, and insecurity of feeling … conception … volition … awareness: ‘I am better,’ ‘I am equal,’ or ‘I am inferior.’ Why would an ascetic or priest conceive of this, not seeing truly? |
| 「若沙門、婆羅門於無常色、不安隱色、變易言： 『我勝、我等、我劣。』 何所計而不見真實？ 於無常、變易、不安隱受⋯想⋯行⋯識言： 『我勝、我等、我劣。』 何所計而不見真實？」 | 3. “Suppose an ascetic or priest says despite the impermanence, change, and insecurity of form: ‘I am better,’ ‘I am equal,’ or ‘I am inferior.’ How do they imagine that, not seeing truly? Suppose they say despite the impermanence, change, and insecurity of feeling … conception … volition … awareness: ‘I am better,’ ‘I am equal,’ or ‘I am inferior.’ How do they imagine that, not seeing truly?” |
| 「輸屢那！於汝意云何？色為常、為無常耶？」 | 4. “Śroṇa, what do you think? Is form permanent or impermanent?” |
| 答言： 「無常。」 | He replied, “Impermanent.” |
| 「輸屢那！若無常，為是苦耶？」 | 5. “Śroṇa, if something is impermanent, is that painful?” |
| 答言： 「是苦。」 | He replied, “It’s painful.” |
| 「輸屢那！若無常、苦，是變易法。 於意云何？ 聖弟子於中見色是我、異我、相在不？」 | 6. “Śroṇa, if something is impermanent and painful, it’s subject to change. What do you think? Would a noble disciple see form as self, different than self, or either being present in the other?” |
| 答言： 「不也。」 | He replied, “No.” |
| 「輸屢那！於意云何？ 受⋯想⋯行⋯識為常、為無常？」 | 7. “Śroṇa, what do you think? Is feeling … conception … volition … awareness permanent or impermanent?” |
| 答言： 「無常。」 | He replied, “Impermanent.” |
| 「若無常，是苦耶？」 | 8. “If something is impermanent, is that painful?” |
| 答言： 「是苦。」 | He replied, “It’s painful.” |
| 「輸屢那！識若無常、苦，是變易法。 於意云何？ 聖弟子於中見識是我、異我、相在不？」 | 9. “Śroṇa, if awareness is impermanent and painful, this is something that’s subject to change. What do you think? Would a noble disciple see awareness as self, different than self, or either present in the other?” |
| 答言： 「不也。」 | He replied, “No.” |
| 「輸屢那！當知色，若過去、若未來、若現在，若內、若外，若麁、若細，若好、若醜，若遠、若近，彼一切色不是我、不異我、不相在。 是名如實知。 | 10. “Śroṇa, you should know that whatever forms there are, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, or distant or near, all those forms are not self, not different than self, and neither are present in the other. This is called truly knowing it. |
| 「如是受⋯想⋯行⋯識，若過去、若未來、若現在，若內、若外，若麁、若細，若好、若醜，若遠、若近，彼一切識不是我、不異我、不相在。 是名如實知。 | 11. “Thus, whatever feelings … conceptions … volitions … instances of awareness there are, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, or distant or near, all those instances of awareness are not self, not different than self, and neither is present in the other. This is called truly knowing it. |
| 「輸屢那！如是於色、受、想、行、識生厭，離欲、解脫，解脫知見： 『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作。自知不受後有。』」 | 12. “In this way, Śroṇa, one becomes disillusioned, becomes free of desire for, and becomes liberated from form, feeling, conception, volition, and awareness. Being liberated, they know and see: ‘My births have been ended, the religious life has been established, and the task has been accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.’” |
| 時，舍利弗說是經已，長者子輸屢那遠塵離垢，得法眼淨。 時，長者子輸屢那見法得法，不由於他，於正法中，得無所畏。 從坐起，偏袒右肩，胡跪合掌，白舍利弗言： 「我今已度，我從今日歸依佛、歸依法、歸依僧，為優婆塞。 我從今日已，盡壽命，清淨歸依三寶。」 | 13. After Śāriputra taught this sūtra, that prominent man’s son Śroṇa became free of dust and defilement and purified his Dharma eye. Śroṇa then saw and attained the Dharma, and he became confident in the correct Dharma without relying on someone else. He rose from his seat, adjusted his robes to bare his right shoulder, and crouched with his palms together. He said to Śāriputra, “I’ve been freed today! From this day on, I take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, and take refuge in the Saṅgha as a layman. From today until the end of my life, I will be pure in my devotion to these three jewels.” |
| 時，長者子輸屢那聞舍利弗所說，歡喜踊躍，作禮而去。 | 14. When the prominent man Śroṇa heard what Śāriputra had taught, he rejoiced and celebrated. He then bowed and departed. |
Notes
- This is sūtra no. 30 in the Taisho edition and no. 36 in Yinshun (T99.2.6a24-c3). It’s parallel to SN 22.49 and a Sanskrit fragment (SF 89). The discourse presented by these parallels is essentially the same, but here and in the S. fragment, it’s taught by Śāriputra rather than by the Buddha.
The next two sūtra are variants of this one. In the next sūtra, Śāriputra gives Śroṇa a teaching that analyzes the aggregates along the lines of the four truths (e.g., form, its formation, its cessation, and the path to its cessation). In SĀ 1.38, the path to cessation is replaced with enjoyment, trouble, and escape. In both variants, the argument found here about the impermanence, painfulness, and selflessness of the aggregates is repeated as well. Thus, the variation in both cases is to replace of Śroṇa’s initial question with a brief teaching by Śāriputra. [back] - Śroṇa. C. 輸屢那 (EMC ʃɪu-lɪu-na), G. Ṣona or Śroṇa, P. Soṇa, S. Śroṇa. Interestingly, the BHS fragment sometimes spells his name chroṇa. The C. translit. includes the -r- sound, so it appears to match the usu. S. pronunciation that’s also found in a G. attestation. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 01 March 2024
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