The Related Discourses
2. The Sense Fields
| （一九三） 離欲 | 9 (193). Free of Desire (2) |
|---|---|
| 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： 「若於眼、色不離欲，心不解脫者，不堪任越生、老、病、死苦。 於耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意不離欲，心不解脫者，不堪任越生、老、病、死苦。 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “If someone doesn’t become free of desire for the eye and forms,2 their mind isn’t liberated, and they aren’t capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death. If someone doesn’t become free of desire for the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … their mind isn’t liberated, and they aren’t capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death. |
| 「諸比丘，若於眼、色離欲，心解脫者，堪任越生、老、病、死苦。 於耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意離欲，心解脫者，堪任越生、老、病、死苦。」 | 3. “Monks, if someone becomes free of desire for the eye and forms, their mind is liberated, and they’re capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death. If someone becomes free of desire for the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … their mind is liberated, and they’re capable of going beyond the suffering of birth, old age, illness, and death.” |
| 佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 4. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
- This is sūtra no. 193 in the Taisho edition and no. 187 in Yinshun (T99.2.49c21-9). At face value, this sūtra doesn’t appear to have a direct parallel in Pali sources, but it is parallel to SĀ 1.9. Comparing the two, it appears that the expression “know and understand” (知、明) prior to “become free of desire” (離欲) may have been inadvertently omitted. This omission is what leaves the sūtra without much in common with SN 35.26-27, though the basic meaning is the same: Suffering is overcome through dispassion towards the senses. [back]
- eye and forms. It’s not clear to me that “forms” should be included here since the sense objects aren’t listed with the other five senses in the next sentence. They would have been implied, though, as we shall see in the more verbose lists in the sūtras that follow this one, so I haven’t amended the text. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 16 March 2024
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