Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Related Discourses

6. Feelings

（四七〇） 毒箭 5 (470). Poison Arrows
如是我聞： 一時，佛住王舍城、迦蘭陀竹園。 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at Squirrels’ Bamboo Park of Rājagṛha.
爾時，世尊告諸比丘： 「愚癡、無聞凡夫生苦、樂受、不苦不樂受。 多聞聖弟子亦生苦、樂受、不苦不樂受。 諸比丘，凡夫、聖人有何差別？」 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Foolish, unlearned ordinary people give rise to painful feelings, pleasant feelings, and feelings that are not painful or pleasant. Well-versed noble disciples also give rise to painful feelings, pleasant feelings, and feelings that are not painful or pleasant. Monks, what’s the difference between an ordinary person and a noble person?”
諸比丘白佛： 「世尊是法根、法眼、法依！ 善哉，世尊！唯願廣說。 諸比丘聞已，當受奉行。」 The monks said to the Buddha, “The Bhagavān is the Dharma root, the Dharma eye, and the Dharma support! Excellent, Bhagavān! Please explain it in detail. After the monks hear this, they’ll accept and approve it.”
佛告諸比丘： 「愚癡、無聞凡夫身觸生諸受，苦痛逼迫乃至奪命。 憂愁、啼哭，稱怨號呼。」 3. The Buddha told the monks, “For foolish, unlearned ordinary people, physical contact gives rise to feelings, and they are harassed by pains until their lives are taken. Distraught and crying, they call out and lament the injustice of it.”
佛告諸比丘： 「諦聽，善思。 當為汝說。 諸比丘，愚癡、無聞凡夫身觸生諸受，增諸苦痛乃至奪命。 愁憂，稱怨啼哭號呼。 心生狂亂。 當於爾時，增長二受，若身受、若心受。 4. The Buddha told the monks, “Listen closely, and consider it well. I will explain this for you. Monks, for foolish, unlearned ordinary people, physical contact gives rise to feelings that are increasingly painful until their lives are taken. Distraught, they call out and lament the injustice of it. Their minds become maddened. At that point, two types of feeling grow, either physical feelings or mental feelings.
「譬如士夫身被雙毒箭，極生苦痛。 愚癡、無聞凡夫亦復如是。 增長二受，身受、心受，極生苦痛。 所以者何？ 5. “It’s like a man who’s been shot by a pair of poison arrows, which is excruciating. Foolish, unlearned ordinary people are likewise. The growth of these two feelings, physical feelings and mental feelings, is excruciating. Why is that?
「以彼愚癡、無聞凡夫不了知故，於諸五欲生樂受觸，受五欲樂。 受五欲樂故，為貪使所使。 苦受觸故，則生瞋恚。 生瞋恚故，為恚使所使。 於此二受，若集、若滅、若味、若患、若離不如實知。 不如實知故，生不苦不樂受，為癡使所使。 為樂受所繫終不離，苦受所繫終不離，不苦不樂受所繫終不離。 云何繫？ 謂為貪、恚、癡所繫。 為生、老、病、死、憂、悲、惱、苦所繫。 6. “Because those foolish, unlearned ordinary people don’t understand, contact with the five desires gives rise to contact with pleasant feelings, and they feel the pleasure of the five desires. Because they feel the pleasure of the five desires, they become inclined to craving them.2 Because of contact with painful feelings, dislike arises. Because dislike arises, they become inclined to dislike them. They don’t truly know the formation, cessation, enjoyment, danger, or escape of these two types of feeling. Because they don’t truly know them, they give rise to feelings that aren’t painful or pleasant and become inclined to delusion about them. They are bound to pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that aren’t painful or pleasant and never escape them. What binds them? They are bound by craving, dislike, and delusion. They are bound by birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and trouble.
「多聞聖弟子身觸生苦受，大苦逼迫乃至奪命。 不起憂悲稱怨、啼哭號呼。 心亂發狂。 當於爾時，唯生一受，所謂身受。 不生心受。 7. “For well-versed noble disciples, physical contact gives rise to painful feelings, and they’re harassed by great suffering until their lives are taken. They don’t become sorrowful and lament the injustice of it or cry out loud. Their minds aren’t maddened by it. At that point, they only have one feeling that arises, which is the physical feeling [of pain]. The mental feeling [of pain] doesn’t arise.
「譬如士夫被一毒箭，不被第二毒箭。 當於爾時，唯生一受，所謂身受。 不生心受。 8. “It’s like a man shot with a single poison arrow, not two poison arrows. At that point, he only has one feeling, which is the physical feeling [of pain]. He doesn’t have the mental feeling.
「為樂受觸，不染欲樂。 不染欲樂故，於彼樂受，貪使不使。 於苦觸受不生瞋恚。 不生瞋恚故，恚使不使。 於彼二使，集、滅、味、患、離如實知。 如實知故，不苦不樂受癡使不使。 於彼樂受解脫不繫，苦受、不苦不樂受解脫不繫。 於何不繫？ 謂貪、恚、癡不繫。 生、老、病、死、憂、悲、惱、苦不繫。」 9. “When they come into contact with pleasant feelings, they aren’t affected by desire and delight. Because they aren’t affected by desire and delight, they aren’t inclined to crave those pleasant feelings. When they come into contact with painful feelings, dislike doesn’t arise. Because dislike doesn’t arise, they aren’t inclined to dislike them. They truly know the formation, cessation, enjoyment, danger, and escape of those two inclinations. Because they truly know them, noble disciples aren’t inclined to delusion about feelings that aren’t painful or pleasant. They are freed and not bound by those pleasant feelings, and they are freed and not bound by painful feelings and feelings that aren’t painful or pleasant. They aren’t bound by what? They aren’t bound by craving, dislike, and delusion. They aren’t bound by birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and trouble.”
爾時，世尊即說偈言： 10. The Bhagavān then spoke in verse:
  • 「多聞於苦樂，
    非不受覺知，
    彼於凡夫人，
    其實大有聞。
  • “It’s not that well-versed disciples
    Don’t feel or understand pain and pleasure,
    But there really is a great chasm
    Between them and ordinary people.
  • 樂受不放逸，
    苦觸不增憂，
    苦樂二俱捨，
    不順亦不違。
  • They’re careful with pleasant feelings,
    And contact with pain doesn’t increase their sorrow.
    Detached from both pain and pleasure,
    They don’t follow or avoid them.
  • 比丘勤方便，
    正智不傾動，
    於此一切受，
    黠慧能了知。
  • When a monk applies this method,
    His right knowledge is unshaken.
    Regarding all these feelings,
    His intelligence comprehends them.
  • 了知諸受故，
    現法盡諸漏，
    身死不墮數，
    永處般涅槃。」
  • Because he comprehends these feelings,
    He ends the contaminants in the present life.
    When he dies, he doesn’t fall repeatedly;
    He abides forever in parinirvāṇa.”
佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 11. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Notes

  1. This is sūtra no. 470 in the Taisho edition and no. 733 in Yinshun (T99.2.119c28-20b14, Y30.193a13-5a4). It’s parallel with SN 36.6. [back]

  2. inclined. The Chinese literally reads: “They become inclined to the inclination of craving.” Inclination here is likely a translation of S. anuśaya, which is sometimes translated to English as “underlying tendency.” [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 14 March 2026

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