Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Related Discourses

5. Elements

（四四五）與界俱 2 (445). Elements of Association
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： 「眾生常與界俱，與界和合。 云何眾生常與界俱？ 謂眾生行不善心時與不善界俱。 善心時與善界俱。 勝心時與勝界俱。 鄙心時與鄙界俱。 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Sentient beings always associate with their elements, and those with those elements come together.2 How do sentient beings always associate with their elements? When sentient beings act on thoughts that aren’t good, they associate with elements that aren’t good. When their thoughts are good, they associate with good elements. When their thoughts are greater, they associate with greater elements. When their thoughts are lowly, they associate with lowly elements.
「是故，諸比丘，當作是學善種種界。」 3. “Therefore, monks, you should train yourselves in the various good elements.3 [Thus you should train yourselves.]”
佛說是經已，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

  1. This is sūtra no. 445 in the Taisho edition and no. 693 in Yinshun (T99.2.115a4-11). It’s parallel with SN 14.14. The main difference between this and the Pali parallel is that here there is no reference to the past, future, or present time frames. [back]

  2. Sentient beings always associate with their elements, and those with those elements come together. C. 眾生常與界俱，與界和合, P. dhātusova, bhikkhave, sattā saṁsandanti samenti. The P. parallel is more explicit in meaning that sentient beings associate and unite with each other according to the elements they have in common. Here, the literal meaning is instead that they go together and unite with their elements. As we shall see in the sūtras that follow, what this means in practice is that sentient beings associate with other sentient beings with whom that have something in common. What the term “element” represents is not specified here, but the sūtras that follow serve to fill out its meaning in a different ways. [back]

  3. you should train yourselves in the various good elements. C. 善種種界. A very similar conclusion occurs in SĀ 5.4 that reads 是故，諸比丘，當善分別種種諸界. It seems possible that here 作是學善種種界 should read 善分別種種諸界. I have preserved the Chinese as it is since it could have been intentionally written to refer to good elements, which would make sense for a monk’s training. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 11 January 2026

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