Mūlapariyāyasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 1

The Root of All Things · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ nevasaññānāsaññāyatanato sañjānāti;
nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ nevasaññānāsaññāyatanato saññatvā nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ maññati, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanasmiṁ maññati, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanato maññati, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ meti maññati, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception as the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. Having perceived the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception as the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, they conceive it to be the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Diṭṭhaṁ diṭṭhato sañjānāti;
diṭṭhaṁ diṭṭhato saññatvā diṭṭhaṁ maññati, diṭṭhasmiṁ maññati, diṭṭhato maññati, diṭṭhaṁ meti maññati, diṭṭhaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive the seen as the seen. Having perceived the seen as the seen, they conceive it to be the seen … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Sutaṁ sutato sañjānāti;
sutaṁ sutato saññatvā sutaṁ maññati, sutasmiṁ maññati, sutato maññati, sutaṁ meti maññati, sutaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive the heard as the heard. Having perceived the heard as the heard, they conceive it to be the heard … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Mutaṁ mutato sañjānāti;
mutaṁ mutato saññatvā mutaṁ maññati, mutasmiṁ maññati, mutato maññati, mutaṁ meti maññati, mutaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive the thought as the thought. Having perceived the thought as the thought, they conceive it to be the thought … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Viññātaṁ viññātato sañjānāti;
viññātaṁ viññātato saññatvā viññātaṁ maññati, viññātasmiṁ maññati, viññātato maññati, viññātaṁ meti maññati, viññātaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive the known as the known. Having perceived the known as the known, they conceive it to be the known … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Ekattaṁ ekattato sañjānāti;
ekattaṁ ekattato saññatvā ekattaṁ maññati, ekattasmiṁ maññati, ekattato maññati, ekattaṁ meti maññati, ekattaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive oneness as oneness. Having perceived oneness as oneness, they conceive it to be oneness … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Nānattaṁ nānattato sañjānāti;
nānattaṁ nānattato saññatvā nānattaṁ maññati, nānattasmiṁ maññati, nānattato maññati, nānattaṁ meti maññati, nānattaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive diversity as diversity. Having perceived diversity as diversity, they conceive it to be diversity … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Sabbaṁ sabbato sañjānāti;
sabbaṁ sabbato saññatvā sabbaṁ maññati, sabbasmiṁ maññati, sabbato maññati, sabbaṁ meti maññati, sabbaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

They perceive all as all. Having perceived all as all, they conceive it to be all … Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Nibbānaṁ nibbānato sañjānāti;
nibbānaṁ nibbānato saññatvā nibbānaṁ maññati, nibbānasmiṁ maññati, nibbānato maññati, nibbānaṁ meti maññati, nibbānaṁ abhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Apariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.
Puthujjanavasena paṭhamanayabhūmiparicchedo niṭṭhito.

They perceive extinguishment as extinguishment. Having perceived extinguishment as extinguishment, they conceive it to be extinguishment, they conceive it in extinguishment, they conceive it as extinguishment, they conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they approve extinguishment. Why is that? Because they haven’t completely understood it, I say.

Yopi so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sekkho appattamānaso anuttaraṁ yogakkhemaṁ patthayamāno viharati, sopi pathaviṁ pathavito abhijānāti;
pathaviṁ pathavito abhiññāya pathaviṁ mā maññi, pathaviyā mā maññi, pathavito mā maññi, pathaviṁ meti mā maññi, pathaviṁ mābhinandi.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Pariññeyyaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

A mendicant who is a trainee, who hasn’t achieved their heart’s desire, but lives aspiring to the supreme sanctuary from the yoke, directly knows earth as earth. Having directly known earth as earth, let them not conceive it to be earth, let them not conceive it in earth, let them not conceive it as earth, let them not conceive that ‘earth is mine’, let them not approve earth. Why is that? So that they may completely understand it, I say.

Āpaṁ …pe…

They directly know water …

tejaṁ …

fire …

vāyaṁ …

air …

bhūte …

creatures …

deve …

gods …

pajāpatiṁ …

the Progenitor …

brahmaṁ …

the Divinity …

ābhassare …

those of sublime luminosity …

subhakiṇhe …

those replete with glory …

vehapphale …

those of abundant fruit …

abhibhuṁ …

the Vanquisher …

ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ …

the dimension of infinite space …

viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ …

the dimension of infinite consciousness …

ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ …

the dimension of nothingness …

nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ …

the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception …

diṭṭhaṁ …

the seen …

sutaṁ …

the heard …

mutaṁ …

the thought …

viññātaṁ …

the known …

ekattaṁ …

oneness …

nānattaṁ …

diversity …

sabbaṁ …

all …

nibbānaṁ nibbānato abhijānāti;
nibbānaṁ nibbānato abhiññāya nibbānaṁ mā maññi, nibbānasmiṁ mā maññi, nibbānato mā maññi, nibbānaṁ meti mā maññi, nibbānaṁ mābhinandi.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Pariññeyyaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.
Sekkhavasena dutiyanayabhūmiparicchedo niṭṭhito.

They directly know extinguishment as extinguishment. Having directly known extinguishment as extinguishment, let them not conceive it to be extinguishment, let them not conceive it in extinguishment, let them not conceive it as extinguishment, let them not conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, let them not approve extinguishment. Why is that? So that they may completely understand it, I say.

Yopi so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu arahaṁ khīṇāsavo vusitavā katakaraṇīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojano sammadaññāvimutto, sopi pathaviṁ pathavito abhijānāti;
pathaviṁ pathavito abhiññāya pathaviṁ na maññati, pathaviyā na maññati, pathavito na maññati, pathaviṁ meti na maññati, pathaviṁ nābhinandati.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
‘Pariññātaṁ tassā’ti vadāmi.

A mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—directly knows earth as earth. Having directly known earth as earth, they do not conceive it to be earth, they do not conceive it in earth, they do not conceive it as earth, they do not conceive that ‘earth is mine’, they do not approve earth. Why is that? Because they have completely understood it, I say.