The Related Discourses
5. Elements
| （四五二） 種種觸等 | 20 (452). The Variety of Contacts et al. |
|---|---|
| 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： 「緣種種界生種種觸。 緣種種觸生種種受。 緣種種受生種種愛。 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “A variety of contacts arise dependent on the variety of elements. A variety of feelings arise dependent on the variety of contacts. A variety of cravings arise dependent on the variety of feelings. |
| 「云何種種界？ 謂十八界： 眼界、色界、眼識界⋯乃至⋯意界、法界、意識界。 是名種種界。 | 3. “What is the variety of elements? They are the eighteen elements: the eye element, form element, and element of visual awareness … up to … the mind element, idea element, and element of mental awareness. These are called the variety of elements. |
| 「云何緣種種界生種種觸⋯乃至⋯云何緣種種受生種種愛？ 謂緣眼界生眼觸。 緣眼觸生眼觸生受。 緣眼觸生受生眼觸生愛。 耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意界緣生意觸。 緣意觸生意觸生受。 緣意觸生受生意觸生愛。 | 4. “How do the variety of contacts arise dependent on the variety of elements? … up to … How do the variety of cravings arise dependent on the variety of feelings? Visual contact arises dependent on the eye element. Feeling that arises from visual contact arises dependent on visual contact. Craving that arises from visual contact arises dependent on feeling that arises from visual contact. The ear … nose … tongue … body … mind element conditions the arising of mental contact. Feeling that arises from mental contact arises dependent on mental contact. Craving that arises from mental contact arises dependent on feeling that arises from mental contact.2 |
| 「諸比丘，非緣種種愛生種種受。 非緣種種受生種種觸。 非緣種種觸生種種界。 要緣種種界生種種觸。 緣種種觸生種種受。 緣種種受生種種愛。 是名比丘緣種種界生種種觸，緣種種觸生種種受，緣種種受生種種愛。」 | 5. “Monks, the variety of feelings don’t arise dependent on the variety of cravings. The variety of contacts don’t arise dependent on the variety of feelings. The variety of elements don’t arise dependent on the variety of contacts. The condition of the variety of elements is necessary for the variety of contacts to arise. The condition of the variety of contacts is necessary for the variety of feelings to arise. The condition of the variety of feelings is necessary for the variety of cravings to arise. This is called a monk’s variety of contacts arising dependent on the variety of elements, variety of feelings arising dependent on the variety of contacts, and variety of cravings arising dependent on the variety of feelings.” |
| 佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，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. 452 in the Taisho edition and no. 711 in Yinshun (T99.2.116a5-21, Y30.165a2-10). It’s parallel to SN 14.2-5.
This sūtra contains material that is spread out over several parallels in SN 14. SN 14.2 makes the point about contacts arising from the sensory elements. SN 14.3 makes the point that contacts arise from the elements, but the elements don’t arise from contacts. SN 14.4 makes the point that feelings arise from contacts. SN 14.5 includes the point that feelings arise from contacts, but contacts don’t arise from feelings. None of these SN parallels include the point about cravings arising from feelings that we find here. [back]
There are alternate readings in a couple editions of the Chinese Buddhist canon that remove the descriptions of feeling and craving as arising from sensory contact. However, these repetitions are indeed present in the Pali parallels, so I have preserved the Taisho readings. The removal was probably an effort to make this sūtra read in the way that the next sūtra does, but the two are different versions of the same teaching, as we shall see. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 8 February 2026
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