The Related Discourses

2. The Sense Fields

124 (230). Samṛddhi (2)

1. Thus I have heard:[1] One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.

2. There was then a monk named Samṛddhi who went to the Buddha, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, and withdrew to sit at one side. He said to the Buddha, “Bhagavān, there’s what’s called ‘a sentient being.’ What is it that’s called ‘a sentient being’?”

3. The Buddha told Samṛddhi, “It refers to the eye, form, visual consciousness, visual contact, feelings that dependently arise from visual contact, and inner experiences that are painful, pleasant, or neither painful nor pleasant. It refers to the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, notions, cognitive consciousness, cognitive contact, and feelings that dependently arise from cognitive contact, and inner experiences that are painful, pleasant, or neither painful nor pleasant. This is called ‘a sentient being.’ Why is that? The six sense fields form, and then contact forms … The whole mass of suffering forms.

4. “Samṛddhi, suppose there’s no eye, no form, no visual consciousness, no visual contact, no feelings that dependently arise from visual contact, and no inner experiences that are painful, pleasant, or neither painful nor pleasant. There’s no ear … nose … tongue … mind, notions, cognitive consciousness, cognitive contact, feelings that dependently arise from cognitive contact, or inner experiences that are painful, pleasant, or neither painful nor pleasant. Then, there’s no sentient being, nor what’s supposed to be a sentient being. Why is that? When the six sense fields cease, then contact ceases … The whole mass of suffering ceases.”

5. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Notes

1. This sūtra has been reconstituted based on the variant note at T99.2.56b10, which substitutes “sentient being” for “world” in SĀ 2.123. It’s parallel to SN 35.66. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 16 October 2022