The Related Discourses
2. The Sense Fields
| （一九九） 羅睺羅 | 49-56 (199). Rāhula (9-16) |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住王舍城、迦蘭陀竹園。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at the Squirrels’ Bamboo Grove of Rājagṛha. |
| 爾時，世尊告羅睺羅： 「云何知、云何見於此識身及外一切相無有我、我所、我慢使繫著？」 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed Rāhula, “How do you know and see [49] this body of awareness … [50] the outer sense fields of forms, sounds, odors, flavors, touches, and ideas … [51] visual awareness … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and mental awareness … [52] visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and mental contact … [53] feelings that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and feelings that arise from mental contact … [54] notions that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and notions that arise from mental contact … [55] intentions that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and intentions that arise from mental contact … [56] cravings that arise from visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and cravings that arise from mental contact and all external signs without having any binding attachments to self, what belongs to self, and the tendency of self pride?” |
| 羅睺羅白佛言： 「世尊是法根、法眼、法依。 善哉，世尊，當為諸比丘廣說此義！ 諸比丘聞已，當受奉行。」 | 3. Rāhula said to the Buddha, “The Bhagavān is the Dharma root, the Dharma eye, and the Dharma basis. It would be good, Bhagavān, if you would give a detailed discourse on this subject for the monks! After they hear it, the monks will accept and approve of it.” |
| 佛告羅睺羅： 「善哉！諦聽，當為汝說。 諸所有眼，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，彼一切非我、非異我、不相在如實正觀。 羅睺羅，耳、鼻、舌、身、意亦復如是。 | 4. The Buddha told Rāhula, “Good! Listen closely; I will explain it for you. Whether they are past, future, or present, internal or external, crude or fine, beautiful or ugly, distant or near, whatever eyes that exist and so on are all not self, not different than self, and neither are present in the other when truly and correctly observed. Rāhula, the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind and so on are likewise. |
| 「羅睺羅，如是知、如是見我此識身及外一切相，我、我所、我慢使繫著不生。 羅睺羅，如是比丘越於二。 離諸相，寂滅解脫。 羅睺羅，如是比丘斷諸愛欲，轉去諸結，究竟苦邊。」 | 5. “Rāhula, when you know and see this conscious body and so on and all external signs in this way, binding attachments to self, what belongs to self, and the tendency of self pride won’t arise. Rāhula, such a monk goes beyond both [of these internal and external signs]. Being free of these signs, he is tranquil and liberated. Rāhula, such a monk eliminates the craving of desires, turns away from the bonds, and reaches the final end of suffering.” |
| 佛說此經已，羅睺羅聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 6. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
| （如內入，如是外入⋯乃至⋯意觸因緣生受，亦如是廣說。） | As with the inner senses, the outer senses … up to … cravings that arise from mental contact2 are also thus explained in full. |
Notes
- This is sūtra no. 199 in the Taisho edition and nos. 227-34 in Yinshun (T99.2.50c7-1a14). This group of sūtras is directly parallel with SN 18.22. The same template also occurs in SN 22.92 and SĀ 1.30, where it’s applied to the aggregates rather than the senses. [back]
- cravings that arise from mental contact. The Taisho reads “feelings” (受) instead of “cravings” (愛) here. The abbreviation would logically refer to the list of items that served as keywords for the previous set of sūtras (i.e., SĀ 2.41-48), and these two words in Chinese are sometimes confused for each other. I’ve translated the passage assuming that 受 was a typo for 愛. If it wasn’t a typo, then this would only be a set of five sūtras, omitting notions, intentions, and cravings that arise from sensory contact that are found in the previous set of eight. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 17 March 2024
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