The Related Discourses
2. The Sense Fields
| （二一五） 世尊說 | 99 (215). The Bhagavān’s Teaching |
|---|---|
| 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，尊者富留那比丘往詣佛所。 稽首佛足，退住一面，白佛言： 「世尊說現法、說滅熾然、說不待時、說正向、說即此見、說緣自覺。 世尊，云何為現法，乃至緣自覺？」 | 2. It was then that the venerable monk Pūrṇa2 visited the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit at one side, and said to the Buddha, “The Bhagavān’s teaching is something presently seen, his teaching douses the burning fire, his teaching is independent of the occasion, his teaching is straightforward, his teaching is seen right here, and his teaching depends on one’s own realization. Bhagavān, how is it something presently seen … up to … depends on one’s own realization?”3 |
| 佛告富留那： 「善哉，富留那，能作此問。 富留那，諦聽，善思。 當為汝說。 | 3. The Buddha told Pūrṇa, “It’s good, Pūrṇa, that you’ve asked this question. Pūrṇa, listen closely and consider it well. I will explain this for you. |
| 「富留那，比丘眼見色已，覺知色、覺知色貪： 『我此內有眼識色貪，我此內有眼識色貪如實知。』 富留那，若眼見色已，覺知色、覺知色貪： 『我此內有眼識色貪如實知』者，是名現見法。 | 4. “Pūrṇa, a monk who has seen a form with his eye recognizes that form and recognizes greed for that form: ‘I have this greed for the inner visual awareness of form, and I truly know this greed for the inner visual awareness of form.’ Pūrṇa, suppose that after he sees a form with his eyes, he recognizes that form and recognizes the greed for that form. [When he thinks,] ‘I truly know this greed for the inner visual awareness of form,’ this is called something presently seen. |
| 「云何滅熾然？⋯ 云何不待時？⋯ 云何正向？⋯ 云何即此見？⋯ 云何緣自覺？ 富留那，比丘眼見色已，覺知色，不起色貪覺： 『我無有內眼識色貪，不起色貪覺，如實知。』 若，富留那，比丘眼見色已，覺知色，不起色貪覺，如實知色。 不起色貪覺如實知，是名滅熾然⋯不待時⋯正向⋯即此見⋯緣自覺。 耳、鼻、舌、身、意亦復如是。」 | 5. “How does [the teaching] douse the burning fire? … How is it independent of the occasion? … How is it straightforward? … How is it seen right here? … How does it depend on one’s own realization? Pūrṇa, a monk who has seen a form with his eye recognizes that form and that recognition doesn’t produce greed for the form: ‘I truly know that I don’t have greed for the inner visual awareness of form and that recognition doesn’t produce greed for the form.’ Suppose, Pūrṇa, that after he sees a form with his eyes, a monk recognizes that form, that recognition doesn’t produce greed for the form, and he truly knows the form. Truly knowing that recognition doesn’t produce greed for form is called [something] that douses the burning fire … that’s independent of the occasion … that’s straightforward … that’s seen right here … that depends on one’s own realization. The ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are likewise.” |
| 佛說此經已，富留那比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 6. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
This is sūtra no. 215 in the Taisho edition and no. 277 in Yinshun (T99.2.54b2-21, Y30.263a12-4a6). Its closest parallel is SN 35.70. The Pali version is simpler, not mentioning sensory awareness or depicting a monk thinking to himself in the analysis of experience and desire. It also has a different interlocutor, Upavāna instead of Puṇṇa. Otherwise, the two versions are remarkably similar. [back]
Pūrṇa. C. 富留那 (EMC. pɪəu-lɪəu-na), G. puṃna or purna, P. puṇṇa, S. pūrṇa. The C. translit. 留那 is likely an attempt to represent -rna. It supports the G. reading a little better then P. or S. because it lacks the retroflex n (ṇ). [back]
The Bhagavān’s teaching is something presently seen, his teaching douses the burning fire, his teaching is independent of the occasion, his teaching is straightforward, his teaching is seen right here, and his teaching depends on one’s own realization.. C. 世尊說現法、說滅熾然、說不待時、說正向、說即此見、說緣自覺, P. sandiṭṭhiko dhammo hoti, akāliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī. This list of descriptions of the Buddha’s teaching is very similar to the one in SN 35.70. Five of the six items in the list have close parallels.
It would seem, based on the Pali parallel in SN 35.70 and the passage that follows below, that 現法 should read 現見法, which would be equivalent to sandiṭṭhika dhamma (“something apparent” or lit. “presently seen”).
On the other hand, it’s notable that the C. translation of akālika means “not dependent on the occasion (or time)” rather than “immediate,” which is the way Pali translators have read the term.
“Douses the burning fire” (滅熾然) does not have a parallel in SN 35.70. The image of burning fire figures prominently in Sarvāstivāda interpretations of the first noble truth as a metaphor for suffering (cf. MĀ 31 and the Abhidharma Dharmaskandha commentary). That is the likely reference here.
“Straightforward” (正向) would be parallel to P. opaneyyika (“progressive, forward-leading”). 正向 usually means “to face squarely,” but it could also mean “properly headed.”
“Seen right here” (即此見) seems to be equivalent to P. ehipassika, which literally is an adj. meaning “come here and see” or perhaps “inviting” in English.
“Depends on one’s own realization” (緣自覺) would be equivalent to P. paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī. This P. has been translated as “personally experienced by the wise” (Bodhi) or “sensible people can know it for themselves” (Sujato). Sujato’s trans. is better in that he translates veditabba as “know.” In SĀ, this term was usually trans. as “realize, become aware of” (覺). An oddity here, however, is that the word 緣 lacks a P. parallel. It typically would be read to mean “dependently” or “depending on” in a dependent origination context. It might also mean “to cause or be a condition for.” [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 21 February 2026
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