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- Anguttara Nikaya III.61
- Tittha Sutta
- Sectarians
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
"Monks, there are these three sectarian guilds that -- when
cross-examined, pressed for reasons, & rebuked by wise people -- even though they may
explain otherwise, remain stuck in [a doctrine of] inaction. Which three?
"There are priests & contemplatives who hold this teaching, hold this view:
'Whatever a person experiences -- pleasant, painful, or neither pleasant nor painful --
that is all caused by what was done in the past.' There are priests & contemplatives
who hold this teaching, hold this view: 'Whatever a person experiences -- pleasant,
painful, or neither pleasant nor painful -- that is all caused by a supreme being's act of
creation.' There are priests & contemplatives who hold this teaching, hold this view:
'Whatever a person experiences -- pleasant, painful, or neither pleasant nor painful --
that is all without cause & without condition.'
"Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold that...whatever a
person experiences...is all caused by what was done in the past,' I said to them: 'Is it
true that you hold that...whatever a person experiences...is all caused by what was done
in the past?' Thus asked by me, they admitted, 'Yes.' Then I said to them, 'Then in that
case, a person is a killer of living beings because of what was done in the past. A person
is a thief...unchaste...a liar...a divisive speaker...a harsh speaker...an idle
chatterer...greedy...malicious...a holder of wrong views because of what was done in the
past.' When one falls back on what was done in the past as being essential, monks, there
is no desire, no effort [at the thought], 'This should be done. This shouldn't be done.'
When one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should & shouldn't be done, one
dwells bewildered & unprotected. One cannot righteously refer to oneself as a
contemplative. This was my first righteous refutation of those priests & contemplative
who hold to such teachings, such views.
"Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold that...whatever a
person experiences...is all caused by a supreme being's act of creation,' I said to them:
'Is it true that you hold that...whatever a person experiences...is all caused by a
supreme being's act of creation?' Thus asked by me, they admitted, 'Yes.' Then I said to
them, 'Then in that case, a person is a killer of living beings because of a supreme
being's act of creation. A person is a thief...unchaste...a liar...a divisive speaker...a
harsh speaker...an idle chatterer...greedy...malicious...a holder of wrong views because
of a supreme being's act of creation.' When one falls back on creation by a supreme being
as being essential, monks, there is no desire, no effort [at the thought], 'This should be
done. This shouldn't be done.' When one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should
& shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered & unprotected. One cannot righteously
refer to oneself as a contemplative. This was my second righteous refutation of those
priests & contemplative who hold to such teachings, such views.
"Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold that...whatever a
person experiences...is all without cause, without condition,' I said to them: 'Is it true
that you hold that...whatever a person experiences...is all without cause, without
condition?' Thus asked by me, they admitted, 'Yes.' Then I said to them, 'Then in that
case, a person is a killer of living beings without cause, without condition. A person is
a thief...unchaste...a liar...a divisive speaker...a harsh speaker...an idle
chatterer...greedy...malicious...a holder of wrong views without cause, without
condition.' When one falls back on lack of cause and lack of condition as being essential,
monks, there is no desire, no effort [at the thought], 'This should be done. This
shouldn't be done.' When one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should &
shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered & unprotected. One cannot righteously refer
to oneself as a contemplative. This was my third righteous refutation of those priests
& contemplative who hold to such teachings, such views.
"These are the three sectarian guilds that -- when cross-examined, pressed for
reasons, & rebuked by wise people -- even though they may explain otherwise, remain
stuck in inaction.
"But this Dhamma taught by me is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by
knowledgeable priests & contemplatives. And which Dhamma taught by me is unrefuted,
undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives? 'There
are these six properties' is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled,
blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives. 'There are these six
media of sensory contact' is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled,
blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives. 'There are these
eighteen explorations for the intellect' is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,
undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives. 'There
are these four noble truths' is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled,
blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives.
"'"There are these six properties" is a Dhamma
taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests
& contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to what was it said? These are
the six properties: earth-property, liquid-property, fire-property, wind-property,
space-property, consciousness-property. '"There are these six properties" is a
Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable
priests & contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.
"'"There are these six media of sensory contact" is
a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by
knowledgeable priests & contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to what
was it said? These are the six media of sensory contact: the eye as a medium of sensory
contact, the ear as a medium of sensory contact, the nose as a medium of sensory contact,
the tongue as a medium of sensory contact, the body as a medium of sensory contact, the
intellect as a medium of sensory contact. '"There are these six media of sensory
contact" is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not
faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference
to this was it said.
"'"There are these eighteen explorations for the
intellect" is a Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not
faulted by knowledgeable priests & contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference
to what was it said? Seeing a form via the eye, one explores a form that can act as the
basis for happiness, one explores a form that can act as the basis for unhappiness, one
explores a form that can act as the basis for equanimity. Hearing a sound via the
ear...Smelling an aroma via the nose...Tasting a flavor via the tongue...Feeling a tactile
sensation via the body...Cognizing an idea via the intellect, one explores an idea that
can act as the basis for happiness, one explores an idea that can act as the basis for
unhappiness, one explores an idea that can act as the basis for equanimity. '"There
are these eighteen explorations for the intellect" is a Dhamma taught by me that is
unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests &
contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.
"'"There are these four noble truths" is a Dhamma
taught by me that is unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests
& contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to what was it said?
"Sustained by/clinging to the six properties, there is an alighting of an embryo.
There being an alighting, there is name-&-form. From name-&-form as a requisite
condition come the six sense media. From the six sense media as a requisite condition
comes contact. From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. To one experiencing
feeling I declare, 'This is stress.' I declare, 'This is the origination of stress.' I
declare, 'This is the cessation of stress.' I declare, 'This is the path of practice
leading to the cessation of stress.'
"And what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stress, aging is stress, death is
stress; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stress; association with
what is not loved is stress, separation from what is loved is stress, not getting what is
wanted is stress. In short, the five aggregates for clinging/sustenance are stress. This
is called the noble truth of stress.
"And what is the noble truth of the origination of stress?
"From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications.
From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness.
From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form.
From name-&-form as a requisite condition come the six sense media.
From the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact.
From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling.
From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.
From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging/sustenance.
From clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition comes becoming.
From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth.
From birth as a requisite condition, then old age & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, & despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass of
stress & suffering.
"This is called the noble truth of the origination of stress.
"And what is the noble truth of the cessation of stress?
"From the remainderless fading & cessation of that very ignorance comes the
cessation of fabrications.
From the cessation of fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness.
From the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of name-&-form.
From the cessation of name-&-form comes the cessation of the six sense media.
From the cessation of the six sense media comes the cessation of contact.
From the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling.
From the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving.
From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of clinging/sustenance.
From the cessation of clinging/sustenance comes the cessation of becoming.
From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of birth.
From the cessation of birth, then old age & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, & despair all cease. Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress
& suffering.
"This is called the noble truth of the cessation of stress.
"And what is the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of
stress? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is
called the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.
"'"There are these four noble truths" is a Dhamma taught by me that is
unrefuted, undefiled, blameless, not faulted by knowledgeable priests &
contemplatives': Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said."