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<td id='p2'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “The eye in the past and future is [81] impermanent … [82] painful … [83] empty … [84] not self. Wouldn’t that be the case for the eye in the present, too? The well-versed noble disciple who contemplates in this way doesn’t look back at the eye in the past, doesn’t anticipate the eye in the future, and becomes disillusioned with the eye in the present. They don’t enjoy it, become free of desire for it, and are disillusioned with the eye. <em>The ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are likewise.</em>”</td>
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<td id='p2'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “The eye in the past and future is [81] impermanent … [82] painful … [83] empty … [84] not self. Wouldn’t that be the case for the eye in the present, too? The well-versed noble disciple who contemplates in this way doesn’t look back at the eye in the past, doesn’t anticipate the eye in the future, and becomes disillusioned with the eye in the present. They don’t enjoy it, become free of desire for it, and turn towards its cessation.<sup id="ref2"><a href="#n2">2</a></sup> <em>The ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are likewise.</em>”</td>
<td id='p5'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Form in the past and future is [85] impermanent … [86] painful … [87] empty … [88] not self. Wouldn’t that be the case for form in the present, too? The well-versed noble disciple who contemplates in this way doesn’t look back at form in the past, doesn’t anticipate form in the future, and becomes disillusioned with form in the present. They don’t enjoy it, become free of desire for it, and are disillusioned with it. <em>Sound, odor, flavor, touch, and ideas are likewise.</em>”</td>
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<td id='p5'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Form in the past and future is [85] impermanent … [86] painful … [87] empty … [88] not self. Wouldn’t that be the case for form in the present, too? The well-versed noble disciple who contemplates in this way doesn’t look back at form in the past, doesn’t anticipate form in the future, and becomes disillusioned with form in the present. They don’t enjoy it, become free of desire for it, and turn towards its cessation. <em>Sound, odor, flavor, touch, and ideas are likewise.</em>”</td>
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<td id='p8'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “The eye and form in the past and future are [89] impermanent … [90] painful … [91] empty … [92] not self. Wouldn’t that be the case for the eye and form in the present, too? The well-versed noble disciple who contemplates in this way doesn’t look back at the eye and form in the past, doesn’t anticipate the eye and form in the future, and becomes disillusioned with eye and form in the present. They don’t enjoy them, become free of desire for them, and are disillusioned with them. <em>The ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and flavor, body and touch, and mind and ideas are likewise.</em>”</td>
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<td id='p8'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “The eye and form in the past and future are [89] impermanent … [90] painful … [91] empty … [92] not self. Wouldn’t that be the case for the eye and form in the present, too? The well-versed noble disciple who contemplates in this way doesn’t look back at the eye and form in the past, doesn’t anticipate the eye and form in the future, and becomes disillusioned with eye and form in the present. They don’t enjoy them, become free of desire for them, and turn towards its cessation. <em>The ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and flavor, body and touch, and mind and ideas are likewise.</em>”</td>
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<liid="n1"><p>This is <em>sūtra</em> no. 208 in the <cite>Taisho</cite> edition and nos. 259-270 in Yinshun (<ahref="https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/T02n0099_p0052c07"target="_blank">T99.2.52c7-16</a>). The variant notes at the end describe three sets of four <em>sūtra</em>s, so I have partially reconstituted them as three <em>sūtra</em>s with an abbreviation embedded in each.</p>
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<p>These <em>sūtra</em>s are parallel to <ahref="https://suttacentral.net/sn35.186"target="_blank">SN 35.186-194</a> and <ahref="https://suttacentral.net/sn35.7"target="_blank">SN 35.7-12</a>. SN 35.7-12 match the template better, but that set of <em>sutta</em>s doesn’t combine inner and outer sense fields. SN 35.186-194 only treat the impermanence of the inner and outer sense fields and has separate <em>sutta</em>s for the past, future, and present, respectively. Those <em>sutta</em>s belong to a group that begins at SN 35.160 that were located at Jīvaka’s Mango Grove, so it seems likely that there is a direct relationship with SĀ 2.81-92. They may all form a large group of variations of a few older <em>sūtra</em>s. [<ahref="#ref1">back</a>]</p></li>
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<liid="n2"><p><em>turn towards its cessation</em>. C. <spanclass="ch">向厭</span>. Yinshun amended <spanclass="ch">向厭</span> to <spanclass="ch">向滅</span>, and I concur after reviewing similar passages. Disillusionment leads to freedom from desire for something (e.g. one of the aggregates) and ends with cessation or inner peace. [<ahref="#ref2">back</a>]</p></li>
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<pclass="translator">Translator: Charles Patton</p>
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<pclass='revised'>Last Revised: 6 February 2025</p>
<td id='p1'>1. Thus I have heard:<sup id="ref1"><a href="#n1">1</a></sup> One time, the Buddha was staying at Doctor Jīvaka Kumāra’s Mango Park of Vaiśālī.</td>
<td id='p2'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān told the monks, “There are six sense fields of contact. What are the six? The sense field of visual contact … auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … and the sense field of mental contact. Suppose an ascetic or brahmin doesn’t truly know the formation, cessation, enjoyment, trouble, and escape from these six sense fields of contact. You should know that this ascetic or brahmin is as far away from my Dharma and Vinaya as the sky is from the Earth.”</td>
<td id='p3'>3. There was then a certain monk who rose from his seat. He adjusted his robes, bowed to the Buddha, and saluted him with his palms together. He said to the Buddha, “I fully and truly know the formation, cessation, enjoyment, trouble, and escape from these six sense fields of contact.”</td>
<td id='p4'>4. The Buddha asked this monk, “Now, I will ask you a question, and you answer that question. Monk, do you see the sense field of visual contact as self, different than self, or either as being present in the other?”</td>
<td id='p5'>5. The Buddha told the monk, “Good, good! This sense field of visual contact is not self, not different than self, and neither is present in the other. When someone truly knows and sees this, they don’t produce the contaminants, their mind isn’t affected by attachments, and their mind becomes liberated. This is called the first sense field of contact having been ended and known. Its root being cut like a palm tree chopped down at its base, it will never again produce what is called visual awareness and forms in the future.</td>
<td id='p6'>6. “Do you see the sense field of auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … mental contact as self, different than self, or either as being present in the other?”</td>
<td id='p7'>7. The Buddha told him, “Good, good! The sense field of auditory … olfactory … gustatory … somatic … mental contact is not self, not different than self, and neither is present in the other. When someone truly knows and sees this, they don’t produce the contaminants, their mind isn’t affected by attachments, and their mind becomes liberated. This is called the sixth sense field of contact having been ended and known. Its root being cut like a palm tree chopped down at its base, it will never again produce what is called mental awareness and notions in the future.”</td>
<td id='p8'>8. After the Buddha spoke this <em>sūtra</em>, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.</td>
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<liid="n1"><p>This is <em>sūtra</em> no. 209 in the <cite>Taisho</cite> edition and no. 271 in Yinshun (<ahref="https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/T02n0099_p0052c17"target="_blank">T99.2.52c17-3a10</a>). Its closest parallel is <ahref="https://suttacentral.net/sn35.71"target="_blank">SN 35.71</a>, but it’s also similar to the variants <ahref="https://suttacentral.net/sn35.72"target="_blank">SN 35.72</a>-<ahref="https://suttacentral.net/sn35.73"target="_blank">73</a>.</p>
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<p>The main difference is that here the monk who comes forward claims to understand the formation, cessation, enjoyment, trouble, and escape from the six types of sensory contact. In SN 35.71-3, he says that he doesn’t understand them. Beyond that, this version is a bit more verbose than the Pali <em>sutta</em>s. We could consider this <em>sūtra</em> as a fourth variant of the same discourse. [<ahref="#ref1">back</a>]</p></li>
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<pclass="translator">Translator: Charles Patton</p>
<td id='p1'>1. Thus I have heard:<sup id="ref1"><a href="#n1">1</a></sup> One time, the Buddha was staying at Doctor Jīvaka Kumāra’s Mango Park of Vaiśālī.</td>
<td id='p2'>2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “Don’t be pleased and don’t suffer. Why is that? There is a hell of six sense fields of contact. The sentient beings who are born in that hell see undesirable forms with their eyes, but they don’t see desirable forms. They see unthinkable forms, but they don’t see thinkable forms. They see forms that aren’t good, but they don’t see good forms. For this reason, they experience nothing not sorrow and pain. Ear and sounds … nose and odors … tongue and flavors … body and touches … notions of which their mind is aware are undesirable, but they don’t experience desirable [notions]. They experience unthinkable [notions], but they don’t experience thinkable [notions]. They experience [notions] that aren’t good, but they don’t experience good notions. For this reason, they experience sorrow and pain for a long time.</td>
<td id='p3'>3. “Monks, there is [a heaven of] six sense fields of contact. Sentient beings who are born there see desirable forms with their eyes, but they don’t see undesirable forms. They see thinkable forms, but they don’t see unthinkable forms. They see good forms, but they don’t see forms that aren’t good. For this reason, they experience nothing but joy and pleasure. Ear and sounds … nose and odors … tongue and flavors … body and touches … notions of which their mind is aware are desirable, and they don’t experience undesirable [notions]. They experience thinkable [notions], and they don’t experience unthinkable [notions]. They experience good [notions], and they don’t experience [notions] that aren’t good.”</td>
<td id='p4'>4. After the Buddha spoke this <em>sūtra</em>, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.</td>
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<liid="n1"><p>This is <em>sūtra</em> no. 210 in the <cite>Taisho</cite> edition and no. 272 in Yinshun (<ahref="https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/T02n0099_p0053a11"target="_blank">T99.2.53a11-25</a>). Its closest parallel is <ahref="https://suttacentral.net/sn35.135"target="_blank">SN 35.135</a>.</p>
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<p>Comparing this text with SN 35.135, we notice a couple important textual issues: First is that the second case omits a “heaven” of six sensory contacts as the contrast to the hell of six sensory contacts, making the paragraph read strangely. Second, the three descriptions of sensory experience as “desirable” (可愛) “thinkable” (可念) and “good” (善) correspond to P. <em>iṭṭha</em> (“desirable”), <em>kanta</em> (“lovely”), and <em>manāpa</em> (“agreeable”). I wonder if 可念 might’ve been an overly literal attempt at translating a word like <em>manāpa</em>. Usually, the C. word for “agreeable” would be 可意, so it may be a case of awkward wording in Chinese. [<ahref="#ref1">back</a>]</p></li>
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<pclass="translator">Translator: Charles Patton</p>
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