Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Related Discourses

2. The Sense Fields

(一八九) 正思惟 5 (189). Correctly Contemplated
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: 「於眼當正思惟,觀察無常。 所以者何? 於眼正思惟,觀察無常故,於眼欲貪斷。 欲貪斷故,我說心正解脫。 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “One should correctly contemplate the eye, observe that it’s impermanent[, and truly know it].1 Why is that? Because the eye is correctly contemplated, observed to be impermanent, [and truly known,] one’s desire and greed for the eye stops. I say one’s mind is correctly liberated because they’ve stopped desire and greed.
「耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意,正思惟,觀察⋯故⋯欲貪斷。 欲貪斷者,我說心正解脫。 3. “Because one correctly contemplates and observes … the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind, they stop desire and greed … I say one’s mind is correctly liberated because they’ve stopped desire and greed.
「如是,比丘,心正解脫者能自記說: 『我生已盡,梵行已立,所作已作。 自知不受後有。』」 4. “Thus, monks, someone who’s mind is correctly liberated can declare about themselves: ‘My births have been ended, the religious practice has been established, and the task has been accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.’”
佛說此經已,諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜,奉行。 5. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Notes

  1. This is sūtra no. 189 in the Taisho edition and no. 183 in Yinshun (T99.2.49b17-25). It’s parallel to SN 35.158-9 and SĀ 1.5. [back]
  2. and truly know it. I’ve restored this phrase because it occurs in both SĀ 1.5 (“於色當正思惟,觀色無常,如實知”) and SN 35.158 (“cakkhuṁ, bhikkhave, yoniso manasi karotha, cakkhāniccatañca yathābhūtaṁ samanupassatha”). I place restored passages in [] to indicate that they aren’t present in the CBETA or Taisho editions. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 15 March 2024