Tipitaka » Sutta
Pitaka » Samyutta Nikaya » Context
of this sutta
- Samyutta Nikaya XXII.85
- Yamaka Sutta
- To Yamaka
- For free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma
I have heard that on one occasion Ven. Sariputta was staying
near Savatthi at Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's
monastery. Now, at that time this evil supposition had arisen to Ven.
Yamaka: "As I understand the Teaching explained by the Blessed One, a monk with
no more (mental) effluents, on the break-up of the body, is annihilated, perishes, &
does not exist after death." A large number of monks heard, "They say that this
evil supposition has arisen to Ven. Yamaka: 'As I understand the Teaching explained by the
Blessed One, a monk with no more effluents, on the break-up of the body, is annihilated,
perishes, & does not exist after death.'" So they went to Ven. Yamaka and on
arrival exchanged courteous greetings. After an exchange of friendly greetings &
courtesies, they sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they said to Ven. Yamaka,
"Is it true, friend Yamaka, that this evil supposition has arisen to you: 'As I
understand the Teaching explained by the Blessed One, a monk with no more effluents, on
the break-up of the body, is annihilated, perishes, & does not exist after death.'
"Yes, friends. As I understand the Teaching explained by the Blessed One, a monk
with no more effluents, on the break-up of the body, is annihilated, perishes, & does
not exist after death."
"Don't say that, friend Yamaka. Don't misrepresent the Blessed One. It's not good
to misrepresent the Blessed One, for the Blessed One would not say, 'A monk with no more
effluents, on the break-up of the body, is annihilated, perishes, & does not exist
after death.'"
But even though Ven. Yamaka was thus rebuked by those monks, he -- from stubbornness
& attachment -- maintained his adherence to that evil supposition: 'As I understand
the Teaching explained by the Blessed One, a monk with no more effluents, on the break-up
of the body, is annihilated, perishes, & does not exist after death.'
When those monks could not pry Ven. Yamaka loose from his evil supposition, they got up
from their seats and went to Ven. Sariputta. On arrival they said to him: "Friend
Sariputta, this evil supposition has arisen to Ven. Yamaka: 'As I understand the Teaching
explained by the Blessed One, a monk with no more effluents, on the break-up of the body,
is annihilated, perishes, & does not exist after death.' It would be good if you would
go to Ven. Yamaka out of sympathy for his sake."
Ven. Sariputta consented by remaining silent.
Then in the evening Ven. Sariputta left his seclusion, went to Ven. Yamaka, and on
arrival exchanged courteous greetings. After an exchange of friendly greetings &
courtesies, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to Ven. Yamaka, "Is
it true, my friend Yamaka, that this evil supposition has arisen to you: 'As I understand
the Teaching explained by the Blessed One, a monk with no more effluents, on the break-up
of the body, is annihilated, perishes, & does not exist after death.'
"Yes, my friend Sariputta. As I understand the Teaching explained by the Blessed
One, a monk with no more effluents, on the break-up of the body, is annihilated, perishes,
& does not exist after death."
"How do you construe this, my friend Yamaka: Is form constant or inconstant?"
"Inconstant, my friend."
"And is that which is inconstant easeful or stressful?"
"Stressful, my friend."
"And is it proper to regard what is inconstant, stressful, subject to change as:
'This is mine. This is my self. This is what I am'?"
"No, my friend."
"Is feeling constant or inconstant?"
"Inconstant, my friend."...
"Is perception constant or inconstant?"
"Inconstant, my friend."...
"Are fabrications constant or inconstant?"
"Inconstant, my friend."...
"Is consciousness constant or inconstant?
"Inconstant, my friend."
"And is that which is inconstant easeful or stressful?"
"Stressful, my friend."
"And is it proper to regard what is inconstant, stressful, subject to change as:
'This is mine. This is my self. This is what I am'?"
"No, my friend."
"How do you construe this: Do you regard form as the Tathagata?"
"No, my friend."
"Do you regard feeling as the Tathagata?"
"No, my friend."
"Do you regard perception as the Tathagata?"
"No, my friend."
"Do you regard fabrications as the Tathagata?"
"No, my friend."
"Do you regard consciousness as the Tathagata?"
"No, my friend."
"How do you construe this: Do you regard the Tathagata as being in
form?...Elsewhere than form?...In feeling?...Elsewhere than feeling?...In
perception?...Elsewhere than perception?...In fabrications?...Elsewhere than
fabrications?...In consciousness?...Elsewhere than consciousness?"
"No, my friend."
"How do you construe this: Do you regard the Tathagata as
form-feeling-perception-fabrications-consciousness?"
"No, my friend."
"Do you regard the Tathagata as that which is without form, without feeling,
without perception, without fabrications, without consciousness?"
"No, my friend."
"And so, my friend Yamaka -- when you can't pin down the Tathagata as a truth or
reality even in the present life -- is it proper for you to declare, 'As I understand the
Teaching explained by the Blessed One, a monk with no more effluents, on the break-up of
the body, is annihilated, perishes, & does not exist after death'?
"Previously, my friend Sariputta, I did foolishly hold that evil supposition. But
now, having heard your explanation of the Dhamma, I have abandoned that evil supposition,
and have broken through to the Dhamma.
"Then, friend Yamaka, how would you answer if you are thus asked: A monk, a worthy
one, with no more mental effluents: what is he on the break-up of the body, after death?
"Thus asked, I would answer, 'Form is
inconstant...Feeling...Perception...Fabrications...Consciousness is inconstant. That which
is inconstant is stressful. That which is stressful has ceased and gone to its end."
"Very good, my friend Yamaka. Very good. In that case I will give you an analogy
for the sake of taking your understanding of this point even further. Suppose
there were a householder or householder's son -- rich, wealthy, with many possessions
-- who was thoroughly well-guarded. Then suppose there came along a certain man, desiring
what was not his benefit, desiring what was not his welfare, desiring his loss of
security, desiring to kill him. The thought would occur to this man: 'It would not be easy
to kill this person by force. What if I were to sneak in and then kill him?'
"So he would go to the householder or householder's son and say, 'May you take me
on as a servant, lord.' With that, the householder or householder's son would take the man
on as a servant.
"Having been taken on as a servant, the man would rise in the morning before his
master, go to bed in the evening only after his master, doing whatever his master ordered,
always acting to please him, speaking politely to him. Then the householder or
householder's son would come to regard him as a friend & companion, and would fall
into his trust. When the man realizes, 'This householder or householder's son trusts me,'
then encountering him in a solitary place, he would kill him with a sharp knife.
"Now what do you think, my friend Yamaka? When that man went to the householder or
householder's son and said, 'May you take me on as a servant, lord': wasn't he even then a
murderer? And yet although he was a murderer, the householder or householder's son did not
know him as 'my murderer.' And when, taken on as a servant, he would rise in the morning
before his master, go to bed in the evening only after his master, doing whatever his
master ordered, always acting to please him, speaking politely to him: wasn't he even then
a murderer? And yet although he was a murderer, the householder or householder's son did
not know him as 'my murderer.' And when he encountered him in a solitary place and killed
him with a sharp knife: wasn't he even then a murderer? And yet although he was a
murderer, the householder or householder's son did not know him as 'my murderer.'"
"Yes, my friend."
"In the same way, an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person -- who has no regard for
noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men
of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma -- assumes form (the body)
to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in
form.
"He assumes feeling to be the self...
"He assumes perception to be the self...
"He assumes (mental) fabrications to be the self...
"He assumes consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness,
or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness.
"He does not discern inconstant form, as it actually is present, as 'inconstant
form.' He does not discern inconstant feeling, as it actually is present, as 'inconstant
feeling.' He does not discern inconstant perception...He does not discern inconstant
fabrications...He does not discern inconstant consciousness, as it actually is present, as
'inconstant consciousness.'
"He does not discern stressful form, as it actually is present, as 'stressful
form.' He does not discern stressful feeling...He does not discern stressful
perception...He does not discern stressful fabrications...He does not discern stressful
consciousness, as it actually is present, as 'stressful consciousness.'
"He does not discern not-self form, as it actually is present, as 'not-self form.'
He does not discern not-self feeling...He does not discern not-self perception...He does
not discern not-self fabrications...He does not discern not-self consciousness, as it
actually is present, as 'not-self consciousness.'
"He does not discern fabricated form, as it actually is present, as 'fabricated
form.' He does not discern fabricated feeling...He does not discern fabricated
perception...He does not discern fabricated fabrications...He does not discern fabricated
consciousness, as it actually is present, as 'fabricated consciousness.'
"He does not discern murderous form, as it actually is present, as 'murderous
form.' He does not discern murderous feeling...He does not discern murderous
perception...He does not discern murderous fabrications...He does not discern murderous
consciousness, as it actually is present, as 'murderous consciousness.'
"He gets attached to form, clings to form, & determines it to be 'my self.' He
gets attached to feeling...He gets attached to perception...He gets attached to
fabrications...He gets attached to consciousness, clings to consciousness, &
determines it to be 'my self.' These five aggregates of clinging --
attached to, clung to -- lead to his long-term loss & suffering.
"Now, the well-instructed, noble disciple -- who has regard for noble ones, is
well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma; who has regard for men of integrity, is
well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma -- does not assume form to be the self, or
the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form.
"He does not assume feeling to be the self...
"He does not assume perception to be the self...
"He does not assume fabrications to be the self...
"He does not assume consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing
consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness.
"He discerns inconstant form, as it actually is present, as 'inconstant form.' He
discerns inconstant feeling...He discerns inconstant perception...He discerns inconstant
fabrications...He discerns inconstant consciousness, as it actually is present, as
'inconstant consciousness.'
"He discerns stressful form, as it actually is present, as 'stressful form.' He
discerns stressful feeling...He discerns stressful perception...He discerns stressful
fabrications...He discerns stressful consciousness, as it actually is present, as
'stressful consciousness.'
"He discerns not-self form, as it actually is present, as 'not-self form.' He
discerns not-self feeling...He discerns not-self perception...He discerns not-self
fabrications...He discerns not-self consciousness, as it actually is present, as 'not-self
consciousness.'
"He discerns fabricated form, as it actually is present, as 'fabricated form.' He
discerns fabricated feeling...He discerns fabricated perception...He discerns fabricated
fabrications...He discerns fabricated consciousness, as it actually is present, as
'fabricated consciousness.'
"He discerns murderous form, as it actually is present, as 'murderous form.' He
discerns murderous feeling...He discerns murderous perception...He discerns murderous
fabrications...He discerns murderous consciousness, as it actually is present, as
'murderous consciousness.'
"He does not get attached to form, does not cling to form, does not determine it
to be 'my self.' He does not get attached to feeling...He does not get attached to
perception...He does not get attached to fabrications...He does not get attached to
consciousness, does not cling to consciousness, does not determine it to be 'my self.'
These five aggregates of clinging -- not attached to, not clung to -- lead to his
long-term happiness & well-being."
"Even so, my friend Sariputta, are those who have people
like you as their fellows in the holy life, teaching them, admonishing them out of
sympathy, desiring their welfare. For now that I have heard this explanation of the Dhamma
from you, my mind -- through lack of clinging/sustenance -- has been released from the
effluents."