Saṁyutta Nikāya 41.6

The Related Suttas Collection 41.6

1. Cittavagga

1. With Citta

Dutiyakāmabhūsutta

With Kāmabhū (2nd)

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā kāmabhū macchikāsaṇḍe viharati ambāṭakavane. Atha kho citto gahapati yenāyasmā kāmabhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho citto gahapati āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ etadavoca:

At one time Venerable Kāmabhū was staying near Macchikāsaṇḍa in the Wild Mango Grove. Then Citta the householder went up to Venerable Kāmabhū, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“kati nu kho, bhante, saṅkhārā”ti?

“Sir, how many processes are there?”

“Tayo kho, gahapati, saṅkhārā—kāyasaṅkhāro, vacīsaṅkhāro, cittasaṅkhāro”ti.

“Householder, there are three processes. Physical, verbal, and mental processes.”

“Sādhu, bhante”ti kho citto gahapati āyasmato kāmabhussa bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” Citta approved and agreed with what Kāmabhū said. Then he asked another question:

“katamo pana, bhante, kāyasaṅkhāro, katamo vacīsaṅkhāro, katamo cittasaṅkhāro”ti?

“But sir, what is the physical process? What’s the verbal process? What’s the mental process?”

“Assāsapassāsā kho, gahapati, kāyasaṅkhāro, vitakkavicārā vacīsaṅkhāro, saññā ca vedanā ca cittasaṅkhāro”ti.

“Breathing is a physical process. Placing the mind and keeping it connected are verbal processes. Perception and feeling are mental processes.”

“Sādhu, bhante”ti kho citto gahapati …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“kasmā pana, bhante, assāsapassāsā kāyasaṅkhāro, kasmā vitakkavicārā vacīsaṅkhāro, kasmā saññā ca vedanā ca cittasaṅkhāro”ti?

“But sir, why is breathing a physical process? Why are placing the mind and keeping it connected verbal processes? Why are perception and feeling mental processes?”

“Assāsapassāsā kho, gahapati, kāyikā. Ete dhammā kāyappaṭibaddhā, tasmā assāsapassāsā kāyasaṅkhāro. Pubbe kho, gahapati, vitakketvā vicāretvā pacchā vācaṁ bhindati, tasmā vitakkavicārā vacīsaṅkhāro. Saññā ca vedanā ca cetasikā. Ete dhammā cittappaṭibaddhā, tasmā saññā ca vedanā ca cittasaṅkhāro”ti.

“Breathing is physical. It’s tied up with the body, that’s why breathing is a physical process. First you place the mind and keep it connected, then you break into speech. That’s why placing the mind and keeping it connected are verbal processes. Perception and feeling are mental. They’re tied up with the mind, that’s why perception and feeling are mental processes.”

“Sādhu …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“kathaṁ pana, bhante, saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpatti hotī”ti?

“But sir, how does someone attain the cessation of perception and feeling?”

“Na kho, gahapati, saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpajjantassa bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti: ‘ahaṁ saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpajjissan’ti vā ‘ahaṁ saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpajjāmī’ti vā ‘ahaṁ saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpanno’ti vā. Atha khvassa pubbeva tathā cittaṁ bhāvitaṁ hoti yaṁ taṁ tathattāya upanetī”ti.

“A bhikkhu who is entering such an attainment does not think: ‘I will enter the cessation of perception and feeling’ or ‘I am entering the cessation of perception and feeling’ or ‘I have entered the cessation of perception and feeling.’ Rather, their mind has been previously developed so as to lead to such a state.”

“Sādhu …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpajjantassa pana, bhante, bhikkhuno katame dhammā paṭhamaṁ nirujjhanti, yadi vā kāyasaṅkhāro, yadi vā vacīsaṅkhāro, yadi vā cittasaṅkhāro”ti?

“But sir, which cease first for a bhikkhu who is entering the cessation of perception and feeling: physical, verbal, or mental processes?”

“Saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpajjantassa kho, gahapati, bhikkhuno vacīsaṅkhāro paṭhamaṁ nirujjhati, tato kāyasaṅkhāro, tato cittasaṅkhāro”ti.

“Verbal processes cease first, then physical, then mental.”

“Sādhu …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“yvāyaṁ, bhante, mato kālaṅkato, yo cāyaṁ bhikkhu saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpanno, imesaṁ kiṁ nānākaraṇan”ti?

“What’s the difference between someone who has passed away and a bhikkhu who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling?”

“Yvāyaṁ, gahapati, mato kālaṅkato tassa kāyasaṅkhāro niruddho paṭippassaddho, vacīsaṅkhāro niruddho paṭippassaddho, cittasaṅkhāro niruddho paṭippassaddho, āyu parikkhīṇo, usmā vūpasantā, indriyāni viparibhinnāni. Yo ca khvāyaṁ, gahapati, bhikkhu saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpanno, tassapi kāyasaṅkhāro niruddho paṭippassaddho, vacīsaṅkhāro niruddho paṭippassaddho, cittasaṅkhāro niruddho paṭippassaddho, āyu aparikkhīṇo, usmā avūpasantā, indriyāni vippasannāni. Yvāyaṁ, gahapati, mato kālaṅkato, yo cāyaṁ bhikkhu saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ samāpanno, idaṁ nesaṁ nānākaraṇan”ti.

“When someone dies, their physical, verbal, and mental processes have ceased and stilled; their vitality is spent; their warmth is dissipated; and their faculties have disintegrated. When a bhikkhu has attained the cessation of perception and feeling, their physical, verbal, and mental processes have ceased and stilled. But their vitality is not spent; their warmth is not dissipated; and their faculties are very clear. That’s the difference between someone who has passed away and a bhikkhu who has attained the cessation of perception and feeling.”

“Sādhu …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“kathaṁ pana, bhante, saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhānaṁ hotī”ti?

“But sir, how does someone emerge from the cessation of perception and feeling?”

“Na kho, gahapati, saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhahantassa bhikkhuno evaṁ hoti: ‘ahaṁ saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhahissan’ti vā ‘ahaṁ saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhahāmī’ti vā ‘ahaṁ saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhito’ti vā. Atha khvassa pubbeva tathā cittaṁ bhāvitaṁ hoti, yaṁ taṁ tathattāya upanetī”ti.

“A bhikkhu who is emerging from such an attainment does not think: ‘I will emerge from the cessation of perception and feeling’ or ‘I am emerging from the cessation of perception and feeling’ or ‘I have emerged from the cessation of perception and feeling.’ Rather, their mind has been previously developed so as to lead to such a state.”

“Sādhu, bhante …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhahantassa pana, bhante, bhikkhuno katame dhammā paṭhamaṁ uppajjanti, yadi vā kāyasaṅkhāro, yadi vā vacīsaṅkhāro, yadi vā cittasaṅkhāro”ti?

“But sir, which arise first for a bhikkhu who is emerging from the cessation of perception and feeling: physical, verbal, or mental processes?”

“Saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhahantassa, gahapati, bhikkhuno cittasaṅkhāro paṭhamaṁ uppajjati, tato kāyasaṅkhāro, tato vacīsaṅkhāro”ti.

“Mental processes arise first, then physical, then verbal.”

“Sādhu …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhitaṁ pana, bhante, bhikkhuṁ kati phassā phusanti”?

“But sir, when a bhikkhu has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, how many kinds of contact do they experience?”

“Saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhitaṁ kho, gahapati, bhikkhuṁ tayo phassā phusanti—suññato phasso, animitto phasso, appaṇihito phasso”ti.

“They experience three kinds of contact: emptiness, signless, and undirected contacts.”

“Sādhu …pe… uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” he asked another question:

“saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhitassa pana, bhante, bhikkhuno kiṁninnaṁ cittaṁ hoti, kiṁpoṇaṁ, kiṁpabbhāran”ti?

“But sir, when a bhikkhu has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, what does their mind slant, slope, and incline to?”

“Saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā vuṭṭhitassa kho, gahapati, bhikkhuno vivekaninnaṁ cittaṁ hoti vivekapoṇaṁ vivekapabbhāran”ti.

“Their mind slants, slopes, and inclines to seclusion.”

“Sādhu, bhante”ti kho citto gahapati āyasmato kāmabhussa bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ uttariṁ pañhaṁ apucchi:

Saying “Good, sir,” Citta approved and agreed with what Kāmabhū said. Then he asked another question:

“saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā pana, bhante, kati dhammā bahūpakārā”ti?

“But sir, how many things are helpful for attaining the cessation of perception and feeling?”

“Addhā kho tvaṁ, gahapati, yaṁ paṭhamaṁ pucchitabbaṁ taṁ pucchasi. Api ca tyāhaṁ byākarissāmi. Saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpattiyā kho, gahapati, dve dhammā bahūpakārā—samatho ca vipassanā cā”ti.

“Well, householder, you’ve finally asked what you should have asked first! Nevertheless, I will answer you. Two things are helpful for attaining the cessation of perception and feeling: serenity and discernment.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.