Many Elements · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
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Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:
“Yāni kānici, bhikkhave, bhayāni uppajjanti sabbāni tāni bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato; ye keci upaddavā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato; ye keci upasaggā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, naḷāgārā vā tiṇāgārā vā aggi mutto kūṭāgārānipi dahati ullittāvalittāni nivātāni phusitaggaḷāni pihitavātapānāni; evameva kho, bhikkhave, yāni kānici bhayāni uppajjanti sabbāni tāni bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato; ye keci upaddavā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato; ye keci upasaggā uppajjanti sabbe te bālato uppajjanti, no paṇḍitato. Iti kho, bhikkhave, sappaṭibhayo bālo, appaṭibhayo paṇḍito; saupaddavo bālo, anupaddavo paṇḍito; saupasaggo bālo, anupasaggo paṇḍito.
“Whatever dangers there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. Whatever perils there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. Whatever hazards there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. It’s like a fire that spreads from a hut made of reeds or grass, and burns down even a bungalow, plastered inside and out, draft-free, with doors fastened and windows shuttered. In the same way, whatever dangers there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. Whatever perils there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. Whatever hazards there are, all come from the foolish, not from the astute. So, the fool is dangerous, but the astute person is safe. The fool is perilous, but the astute person is not. The fool is hazardous, but the astute person is not.
Natthi, bhikkhave, paṇḍitato bhayaṁ, natthi paṇḍitato upaddavo, natthi paṇḍitato upasaggo. Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘paṇḍitā bhavissāma vīmaṁsakā’ti— evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.
There’s no danger, peril, or hazard that comes from the astute. So you should train like this: ‘We shall be astute, we shall be inquirers.’”
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, paṇḍito bhikkhu ‘vīmaṁsako’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Yato kho, ānanda, bhikkhu dhātukusalo ca hoti, āyatanakusalo ca hoti, paṭiccasamuppādakusalo ca hoti, ṭhānāṭhānakusalo ca hoti— ettāvatā kho, ānanda, paṇḍito bhikkhu ‘vīmaṁsako’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
When he said this, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha, “Sir, how is a mendicant qualified to be called ‘astute, an inquirer’?” “Ānanda, it’s when a mendicant is skilled in the elements, in the sense fields, in dependent origination, and in the possible and the impossible. That’s how a mendicant is qualified to be called ‘astute, an inquirer’.”
“Kittāvatā pana, bhante, ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Aṭṭhārasa kho imā, ānanda, dhātuyo— cakkhudhātu, rūpadhātu, cakkhuviññāṇadhātu; sotadhātu, saddadhātu, sotaviññāṇadhātu; ghānadhātu, gandhadhātu, ghānaviññāṇadhātu; jivhādhātu, rasadhātu, jivhāviññāṇadhātu; kāyadhātu, phoṭṭhabbadhātu, kāyaviññāṇadhātu; manodhātu, dhammadhātu, manoviññāṇadhātu. Imā kho, ānanda, aṭṭhārasa dhātuyo yato jānāti passati— ettāvatāpi kho, ānanda, ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
“But sir, how is a mendicant qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’?” “There are, Ānanda, these eighteen elements. The eye element, sight element, and eye consciousness element. The ear element, sound element, and ear consciousness element. The nose element, smell element, and nose consciousness element. The tongue element, taste element, and tongue consciousness element. The body element, touch element, and body consciousness element. The mind element, ideas element, and mind consciousness element. When a mendicant knows and sees these eighteen elements, they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’.”
“Siyā pana, bhante, aññopi pariyāyo, yathā ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Siyā, ānanda. Chayimā, ānanda, dhātuyo— pathavīdhātu, āpodhātu, tejodhātu, vāyodhātu, ākāsadhātu, viññāṇadhātu. Imā kho, ānanda, cha dhātuyo yato jānāti passati— ettāvatāpi kho, ānanda, ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
“But sir, could there be another way in which a mendicant is qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’?” “There could, Ānanda. There are these six elements: the elements of earth, water, fire, air, space, and consciousness. When a mendicant knows and sees these six elements, they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’.”
“Siyā pana, bhante, aññopi pariyāyo, yathā ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Siyā, ānanda. Chayimā, ānanda, dhātuyo— sukhadhātu, dukkhadhātu, somanassadhātu, domanassadhātu, upekkhādhātu, avijjādhātu. Imā kho, ānanda, cha dhātuyo yato jānāti passati— ettāvatāpi kho, ānanda, ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
“But sir, could there be another way in which a mendicant is qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’?” “There could, Ānanda. There are these six elements: the elements of pleasure, pain, happiness, sadness, equanimity, and ignorance. When a mendicant knows and sees these six elements, they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’.”
“Siyā pana, bhante, aññopi pariyāyo, yathā ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Siyā, ānanda. Chayimā, ānanda, dhātuyo— kāmadhātu, nekkhammadhātu, byāpādadhātu, abyāpādadhātu, vihiṁsādhātu, avihiṁsādhātu. Imā kho, ānanda, cha dhātuyo yato jānāti passati— ettāvatāpi kho, ānanda, ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
“But sir, could there be another way in which a mendicant is qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’?” “There could, Ānanda. There are these six elements: the elements of sensuality and renunciation, malice and good will, and cruelty and harmlessness. When a mendicant knows and sees these six elements, they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’.”
“Siyā pana, bhante, aññopi pariyāyo, yathā ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Siyā, ānanda. Tisso imā, ānanda, dhātuyo— kāmadhātu, rūpadhātu, arūpadhātu. Imā kho, ānanda, tisso dhātuyo yato jānāti passati— ettāvatāpi kho, ānanda, ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
“But sir, could there be another way in which a mendicant is qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’?” “There could, Ānanda. There are these three elements: the sensual realm, the realm of luminous form, and the formless realm. When a mendicant knows and sees these three elements, they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’.”
“Siyā pana, bhante, aññopi pariyāyo, yathā ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Siyā, ānanda. Dve imā, ānanda, dhātuyo— saṅkhatādhātu, asaṅkhatādhātu. Imā kho, ānanda, dve dhātuyo yato jānāti passati— ettāvatāpi kho, ānanda, ‘dhātukusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
“But sir, could there be another way in which a mendicant is qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’?” “There could, Ānanda. There are these two elements: the conditioned element and the unconditioned element. When a mendicant knows and sees these two elements, they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the elements’.”
“Kittāvatā pana, bhante, ‘āyatanakusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti? “Cha kho panimāni, ānanda, ajjhattikabāhirāni āyatanāni— cakkhu ceva rūpā ca sotañca saddā ca ghānañca gandhā ca jivhā ca rasā ca kāyo ca phoṭṭhabbā ca mano ca dhammā ca. Imāni kho, ānanda, cha ajjhattikabāhirāni āyatanāni yato jānāti passati— ettāvatā kho, ānanda, ‘āyatanakusalo bhikkhū’ti alaṁvacanāyā”ti.
“But sir, how is a mendicant qualified to be called ‘skilled in the sense fields’?” “There are these six interior and exterior sense fields: the eye and sights, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the body and touches, and the mind and ideas. When a mendicant knows and sees these six interior and exterior sense fields, they’re qualified to be called ‘skilled in the sense fields’.”
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