The Related Discourses
2. The Sense Fields
| （二〇九） 觸入處 | 93 (209). The Sense Fields of Contact |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住毘舍離、耆婆拘摩羅藥師、菴羅園。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at Doctor Jīvaka Kumāra’s Mango Park of Vaiśālī. |
| 爾時，世尊告諸比丘： 「有六觸入處。 云何為六？ 眼觸入處⋯耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意觸入處。 沙門、婆羅門於此六觸入處集、滅、味、患、離不如實知。 當知是沙門、婆羅門去我法、律遠，如虛空與地。」 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān told the monks, “There are six sense fields of contact. What are the six? The sense field of visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and the sense field of mental contact. Suppose an ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly know the formation, cessation, enjoyment, trouble, and escape from these six sense fields of contact. You should know that this ascetic or brahmin is as far away from my Dharma and Vinaya as the sky is from the Earth.” |
| 時，有異比丘從坐起。 整衣服，為佛作禮，合掌白佛言： 「我具足如實知此六觸入處集、滅、味、患、離。」 | 3. There was then a certain monk who rose from his seat. He adjusted his robes, bowed to the Buddha, and saluted him with his palms together. He said to the Buddha, “I fully and truly know the formation, cessation, enjoyment, trouble, and escape from these six sense fields of contact.” |
| 佛告比丘： 「我今問汝，汝隨問答我。 比丘，汝見眼觸入處是我、異我、相在不？」 | 4. The Buddha asked this monk, “Now, I will ask you a question, and you answer that question. Monk, do you see the sense field of visual contact as self, different than self, or either as being present in the other?” |
| 答言：「不也，世尊。」 | He answered, “No, Bhagavān.” |
| 佛告比丘： 「善哉，善哉！於此眼觸入處非我、非異我、不相在。 如實知見者，不起諸漏、心不染著、心得解脫。 是名初觸入處已斷、已知。 斷其根本，如截多羅樹頭，於未來法永不復起所謂眼識及色。 | 5. The Buddha told the monk, “Good, good! This sense field of visual contact is not self, not different than self, and neither is present in the other. When someone truly knows and sees this, they don’t produce the contaminants, their mind isn’t affected by attachments, and their mind becomes liberated. This is called the first sense field of contact having been ended and known. Its root being cut like a palm tree chopped down at its base, it will never again produce what is called visual awareness and forms in the future. |
| 「汝見耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意觸入處是我、異我、相在不？」 | 6. “Do you see the sense field of auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … mental contact as self, different than self, or either as being present in the other?” |
| 答言：「不也，世尊！」 | He answered, “No, Bhagavān.” |
| 佛告比丘： 「善哉，善哉！於耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意觸入處非我、非異我、不相在。 作如是如實知見者，不起諸漏、心不染著，心得解脫。 是名比丘六觸入處已斷、已知。 斷其根本，如截多羅樹頭，於未來世永不復生，謂意識、法。」 | 7. The Buddha told him, “Good, good! The sense field of auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … mental contact is not self, not different than self, and neither is present in the other. When someone truly knows and sees this, they don’t produce the contaminants, their mind isn’t affected by attachments, and their mind becomes liberated. This is called the sixth sense field of contact having been ended and known. Its root being cut like a palm tree chopped down at its base, it will never again produce what is called mental awareness and notions in the future.” |
| 佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。 | 8. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
This is sūtra no. 209 in the Taisho edition and no. 271 in Yinshun (T99.2.52c17-3a10). Its closest parallel is SN 35.71, but it’s also similar to the variants SN 35.72-73.
The main difference is that here the monk who comes forward claims to understand the formation, cessation, enjoyment, trouble, and escape from the six types of sensory contact. In SN 35.71-3, he says that he doesn’t understand them. Beyond that, this version is a bit more verbose than the Pali suttas. We could consider this sūtra as a fourth variant of the same discourse. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 13 April 2025
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