The Related Discourses
2. The Sense Fields
| （二一一） 覺入處 | 95 (211). Become Aware of the Sense Fields |
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| 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： 「我昔未成正覺時，獨一靜處，禪思，思惟： 『自心多向何處觀察？』 自心多逐過去五欲功德。 少逐現在五欲功德，逐未來世轉復微少。 我觀多逐過去五欲心已，極生方便，精勤自護，不復令隨過去五欲功德。 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Before I became a correctly awakened one, I went alone to a quiet place and meditated. I thought, ‘What does my mind often turn to examine?’ My mind often chased after the virtues of the five desires from the past. It seldom chased after the virtues of the five desires in the present, and very seldom did it turn to chase them in the future. Noticing that my thoughts often chased the five desires from the past, I finally produced the methods to earnestly guard myself so that I wouldn’t continue following those virtues of the five desires from the past. |
| 「我以是精勤自護故，漸漸近阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。 汝等諸比丘亦復多逐過去五欲功德，現在、未來亦復微少。 汝今亦當以心多逐過去五欲功德故，增加自護。 亦當不久得盡諸漏。 無漏心解脫、慧解脫。 現法自知作證： 『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作。』 自知不受後有。 | 3. “Because I earnestly guarded myself, I eventually drew near the unsurpassed and complete awakening. You monks also often chase after the virtues of the five desires from the past, and very seldom do you chase after them in the present or future. Now, you too should increasingly guard yourselves because your thoughts often chase after the virtues of the five desires from the past. You too should reach the end of the contaminants before long. Without contamination, you will be liberated in mind and liberated in wisdom. Then you’ll realize for yourselves in the present: ‘My births have been ended, the religious life has been established, and the task has been accomplished.’ You yourselves will know that you won’t be subject to another existence. |
| 「所以者何？ 眼見色因緣生內受，若苦、若樂、不苦不樂。 耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意法因緣生內受，若苦、若樂、不苦不樂。 是故，比丘，於彼入處當覺知： 若眼滅，色想則離。 耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意滅，法想則離。」 | 4. “Why is that? Inner feelings arise as a result of the eye seeing forms, whether they are painful, pleasant, or neither painful nor pleasant. Inner feelings arise as a result of the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind … notions, whether they are painful, pleasant, or neither painful nor pleasant. Therefore, monks, you must realize this about those sense fields: If the eye ceases, perception of forms then is escaped. If the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind ceases, perception of notions then is escaped.”2 |
| 佛說： 「當覺六入處。」 言已，入室坐禪。 | 5. The Buddha said, “You should become aware of the six sense fields.” After saying that, he went to his room and sat in meditation. |
| 時，有眾多比丘，世尊去後，作此論議： 「世尊為我等略說法要，不廣分別，而入室坐禪。 世尊說言： 『當覺六入處。 若彼眼滅，色想則離。 耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意滅，法想則離。』 我等今日於世尊略說法中猶故不解。 今此眾中，誰有慧力能為我等，於世尊略說法中，廣為我等演說其義？」 | 6. There was then a group of monks who had a discussion after the Bhagavān was gone: “The Bhagavān gave us a brief teaching about the Dharma without discerning it fully, and then he went to his room to sit in meditation. The Bhagavān said, ‘You should become aware of the six sense fields. If the eye ceases, perception of forms then is escaped. If the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind ceases, perception of notions then is escaped.’ Today, we were given this brief teaching about the Dharma, but we still don’t understand it. Who here in the assembly has the power of wisdom to fully explain the meaning of the Bhagavān’s brief teaching about the Dharma for us?” |
| 復作是念： 「唯有尊者阿難。 常侍世尊，常為大師之所讚歎，聰慧梵行。 唯有尊者阿難堪能為我等於世尊略說法中演說其義。 我等今日皆共往詣尊者阿難所，問其要義。 如阿難所說，悉當奉持。」 | 7. Again, they thought, “There’s just Venerable Ānanda. He’s always attending to the Bhagavān, and he’s always praised by the great teacher as being astute in the religious life. There’s only Venerable Ānanda who’s capable of fully explaining the meaning of the Bhagavān’s brief explanation of the Dharma. Let’s go together to Venerable Ānanda today and ask him about this brief meaning. We’ll all accept what Ānanda teaches us.” |
| 爾時，眾多比丘往詣尊者阿難所。 共相問訊已，於一面坐，白尊者阿難言： 「尊者，當知世尊為我等略說法要⋯如上所說⋯ 具問阿難，當為我等廣說其義。」 | 8. That group of monks then went to Venerable Ānanda. After they had exchanged greetings, they sat to one side and said to Venerable Ānanda, “Venerable, you should know that the Bhagavān gave us a brief explanation of the Dharma … as was said before … We all request that Ānanda give us a full explanation of the meaning of this.” |
| 尊者阿難語諸比丘： 「諦聽，善思。 於世尊略說法中，當為汝等廣說其義。 世尊略說者，即是滅六入處有餘之說。 故言： 『眼處滅，色想則離。 耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意入處滅，法想則離。』 世尊略說此法已，入室坐禪。 我今已為汝等分別說義。」 | 9. Venerable Ānanda told the monks, “Listen closely, and well consider this. I will give you a full explanation of the Bhagavān’s brief explanation of the Dharma. The Bhagavān’s brief teaching was to cease the six sense fields, but there was more to say. Therefore, he said, ‘The eye sense field ceases, and perception of forms then is escaped. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind sense field ceases, and the perception of notions then is escaped.’ After the Bhagavān gave this brief explanation of this Dharma, he went into his room to sit in meditation. Now, I’ve given you an discerning explanation of this meaning.” |
| 尊者阿難說此義已，諸比丘聞其所說歡喜，奉行。 | 10. After he spoke this meaning, the monks who heard what Venerable Ānanda taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
This is sūtra no. 211 in the Taisho edition and no. 273 in Yinshun (T99.2.53a26-c6). Its closest parallel is SN 35.117.
SN 35.117 seems to be the more original version of this sūtra, but the difference is minor. Here, what appears to be an exegetical gloss is inserted into the Buddha’s brief teaching, and then Ānanda restates what he said by adding the word āyatana. See my note on the key passage below for more on this. In SN 35.117, the word āyatana was employed awkwardly by the Buddha, which confused the monks. This seems much more plausible as a reason for wanting a second opinion.
This sūtra is interesting, however, in that it might represent a time when the term āyatana was first introduced as a label for the six senses as “places” of experience. It may be that it did cause some confusion at first, which led to conversations like the one we find here. [back]
The comparable passage in SN 35.117 reads: “So you should understand that dimension where the eye ceases and perception of sights fades away. You should understand that dimension where the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind ceases and perception of ideas fades away” (Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, se āyatane veditabbe yattha cakkhu ca nirujjhati, rūpasaññā ca nirujjhati, se āyatane veditabbe …pe… yattha jivhā ca nirujjhati, rasasaññā ca nirujjhati, se āyatane veditabbe …pe… yattha mano ca nirujjhati, dhammasaññā ca nirujjhati, se āyatane veditabbe”ti). Sujato here translates P. āyatana as “dimension” because the Buddha appears to mean something other than the sense fields, which are also called āyatanas. This is what leads to the confusion for the monks in SN 35.117.
In this version here, that confusion is avoided by having the Buddha conclude with “you should become aware of the six sense fields” in the next paragraph, which is curiously added as a separate statement by the Buddha. This makes Ānanda’s explanation later appear to restate what the Buddha said. It seems that this version of the sūtra may have been rationalized by the insertion of an exegetical gloss, but the solution provided by Ānanda was left in place to restate the Buddha’s first statement with 入處 (āyatana) added after each sense. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 15 April 2025
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