4.
The Shorter Discourse on Series of Questions and Answers
460. Thus have I heard - On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Feeding Ground. Then the lay follower Visākha approached the nun Dhammadinnā; having approached, he paid respect to the nun Dhammadinnā and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the lay follower Visākha said this to the nun Dhammadinnā - "'Identity, identity,' lady, it is said. What, lady, is identity as spoken of by the Blessed One?" "These five aggregates of clinging, friend Visākha, are identity as spoken of by the Blessed One, as follows - the aggregate of clinging to matter, the aggregate of clinging to feeling, the aggregate of clinging to perception, the aggregate of clinging to activities, the aggregate of clinging to consciousness. These, friend Visākha, are the five aggregates of clinging that are identity as spoken of by the Blessed One."
"Good, lady," the lay follower Visākha, having delighted in and given thanks for what the nun Dhammadinnā had said, asked the nun Dhammadinnā a further question - "'The origin of identity, the origin of identity,' lady, it is said. What, lady, is the origin of identity as spoken of by the Blessed One?" "It is this craving, friend Visākha, which leads to rebirth, accompanied by delight and lust, finding delight here and there, as follows - sensual craving, craving for existence, craving for non-existence; this, friend Visākha, is the origin of identity as spoken of by the Blessed One."
"'The cessation of identity, the cessation of identity,' lady, it is said. What, lady, is the cessation of identity as spoken of by the Blessed One?"
"That which, friend Visākha, is the complete fading away and cessation of that very craving without remainder, the giving up, the relinquishment, the freedom, the non-attachment; this, friend Visākha, is the cessation of identity as spoken of by the Blessed One."
"'The practice leading to the cessation of identity, the practice leading to the cessation of identity,' lady, it is said. What, lady, is the practice leading to the cessation of identity as spoken of by the Blessed One?"
"Just this noble eightfold path, friend Visākha, is the practice leading to the cessation of identity as spoken of by the Blessed One, as follows - right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration."
"Is that clinging the same as those five aggregates of clinging, lady, or is clinging something apart from the five aggregates of clinging?" "That clinging, friend Visākha, is not the same as those five aggregates of clinging, nor is clinging something apart from the five aggregates of clinging. Whatever desire and lust there is in the five aggregates of clinging, that is the clinging therein."
461. "But, lady, how does identity view exist?" "Here, friend Visākha, an ignorant worldling, who does not see the noble ones, who is not skilled in the noble teaching, who is undisciplined in the noble teaching, who does not see good persons, who is not skilled in the teaching of good persons, who is undisciplined in the teaching of good persons, regards matter as self, or self as possessing matter, or matter as in self, or self as in matter. Feeling... etc. perception... activities... he regards consciousness as self, or self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in self, or self as in consciousness. Thus, friend Visākha, identity view exists."
"But, lady, how does identity view not exist?"
"Here, friend Visākha, a learned noble disciple, who sees the noble ones, who is skilled in the noble teaching, who is well disciplined in the noble teaching, who sees good persons, who is skilled in the teaching of good persons, who is well disciplined in the teaching of good persons, does not regard matter as self, nor self as possessing matter, nor matter as in self, nor self as in matter. Not feeling... etc. not perception... not activities... etc. he does not regard consciousness as self, nor self as possessing consciousness, nor consciousness as in self, nor self as in consciousness. Thus, friend Visākha, identity view does not exist."
462. "But what, lady, is the noble eightfold path?"
"It is just this noble eightfold path, friend Visākha, as follows - right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration." "But, lady, is the noble eightfold path conditioned or unconditioned?"
"The noble eightfold path, friend Visākha, is conditioned."
"Now, lady, are the three aggregates included by the noble eightfold path, or is the noble eightfold path included by the three aggregates?"
"The three aggregates, friend Visākha, are not included by the noble eightfold path; but the noble eightfold path, friend Visākha, is included by the three aggregates. Whatever is right speech, friend Visākha, and whatever is right action and whatever is right livelihood, these mental states are included in the aggregate of morality. Whatever is right effort and whatever is right mindfulness and whatever is right concentration, these mental states are included in the aggregate of concentration. Whatever is right view and whatever is right thought, these mental states are included in the aggregate of wisdom."
"But what, lady, is concentration, what mental states are the signs of concentration, what mental states are the accessories of concentration, what is the development of concentration?"
"Whatever is unified focus of mind, friend Visākha, this is concentration; the four establishments of mindfulness are the signs of concentration; the four right strivings are the accessories of concentration. Whatever is the practice, the development, the cultivation of those very mental states, this here is the development of concentration."
463. "But, lady, how many activities are there?"
"There are these three activities, friend Visākha - bodily activity, verbal activity, mental activity."
"But what, lady, is bodily activity, what is verbal activity, what is mental activity?"
"In-breath and out-breath, friend Visākha, is bodily activity, applied and sustained thought is verbal activity, perception and feeling is mental activity."
"But why, lady, is in-breath and out-breath bodily activity, why is applied and sustained thought verbal activity, why is perception and feeling mental activity?"
"In-breath and out-breath, friend Visākha, these are bodily mental states connected to the body, therefore in-breath and out-breath is bodily activity. First, friend Visākha, having applied thought and having sustained thought, afterwards one breaks into speech, therefore applied and sustained thought is verbal activity. Perception and feeling are mental, these are mental states connected to consciousness, therefore perception and feeling is mental activity."
464. "But how, lady, does the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling come about?"
"Indeed, friend Visākha, for a monk attaining the cessation of perception and feeling, it does not occur thus - 'I shall attain the cessation of perception and feeling' or 'I am attaining the cessation of perception and feeling' or 'I have attained the cessation of perception and feeling.' Rather, his mind has been previously developed in such a way that it leads him to that state."
"But, lady, for a monk attaining the cessation of perception and feeling, which mental states cease first - whether bodily activity, or verbal activity, or mental activity?" "For a monk attaining the cessation of perception and feeling, friend Visākha, verbal activity ceases first, then bodily activity, then mental activity."
"But how, lady, does emergence from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling come about?"
"Indeed, friend Visākha, for a monk emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, it does not occur thus - 'I shall emerge from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling' or 'I am emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling' or 'I have emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling.' Rather, his mind has been previously developed in such a way that it leads him to that state."
"But, lady, for a monk emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, which mental states arise first - whether bodily activity, or verbal activity, or mental activity?" "For a monk emerging from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, friend Visākha, mental activity arises first, then bodily activity, then verbal activity."
"But, lady, how many contacts touch a monk who has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling?" "Friend Visākha, three contacts touch a monk who has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling - empty contact, signless contact, desireless contact."
"But, lady, for a monk who has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, towards what does the mind slant, towards what does it slope, towards what does it incline?" "For a monk who has emerged from the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, friend Visākha, the mind slants towards seclusion, slopes towards seclusion, inclines towards seclusion."
465. "But, lady, how many feelings are there?"
"Friend Visākha, there are these three feelings - pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling, neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling."
"But, lady, what is pleasant feeling, what is unpleasant feeling, what is neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling?"
"Whatever, friend Visākha, bodily or mental pleasure, comfort, is felt - this is pleasant feeling. Whatever, friend Visākha, bodily or mental pain, discomfort, is felt - this is unpleasant feeling. Whatever, friend Visākha, bodily or mental feeling that is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable - this is neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling."
"But, lady, pleasant feeling - in what way is it pleasant, in what way is it unpleasant? Unpleasant feeling - in what way is it pleasant, in what way is it unpleasant? Neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling - in what way is it pleasant, in what way is it unpleasant?"
"Friend Visākha, pleasant feeling is pleasant in its presence and unpleasant in its change; unpleasant feeling is unpleasant in its presence and pleasant in its change; neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling is pleasant when known and unpleasant when not known."
"But, lady, what underlying tendency underlies pleasant feeling, what underlying tendency underlies unpleasant feeling, what underlying tendency underlies neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling?"
"Friend Visākha, the underlying tendency to lust underlies pleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion underlies unpleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to ignorance underlies neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling."
"But, lady, does the underlying tendency to lust underlie all pleasant feeling, does the underlying tendency to aversion underlie all unpleasant feeling, does the underlying tendency to ignorance underlie all neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling?"
"No indeed, friend Visākha, the underlying tendency to lust does not underlie all pleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion does not underlie all unpleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to ignorance does not underlie all neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling."
"But, lady, what is to be abandoned regarding pleasant feeling, what is to be abandoned regarding unpleasant feeling, what is to be abandoned regarding neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling?"
"Friend Visākha, the underlying tendency to lust is to be abandoned regarding pleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion is to be abandoned regarding unpleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to ignorance is to be abandoned regarding neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling."
"But, lady, is the underlying tendency to lust to be abandoned regarding all pleasant feeling, is the underlying tendency to aversion to be abandoned regarding all unpleasant feeling, is the underlying tendency to ignorance to be abandoned regarding all neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling?"
"No indeed, friend Visākha, the underlying tendency to lust is not to be abandoned regarding all pleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion is not to be abandoned regarding all unpleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to ignorance is not to be abandoned regarding all neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling. Here, friend Visākha, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome mental states, enters and dwells in the first meditative absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion. By that he abandons lust, the underlying tendency to lust does not underlie there. Here, friend Visākha, a monk considers thus - 'When indeed shall I enter and dwell in that plane which the noble ones now enter and dwell in?' Thus for one who sets up longing for the unsurpassed deliverances, displeasure arises conditioned by that longing. By that he abandons aversion, the underlying tendency to aversion does not underlie there. Here, friend Visākha, a monk, with the abandoning of pleasure and with the abandoning of pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and displeasure, enters and dwells in the fourth meditative absorption, which has neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity. By that he abandons ignorance, the underlying tendency to ignorance does not underlie there."
466. "But, lady, what is the counterpart of pleasant feeling?"
"Friend Visākha, unpleasant feeling is the counterpart of pleasant feeling."
"But, lady, what is the counterpart of unpleasant feeling?"
"Friend Visākha, pleasant feeling is the counterpart of unpleasant feeling."
"But, lady, what is the counterpart of neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling?"
"Friend Visākha, ignorance is the counterpart of neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling."
"But, lady, what is the counterpart of ignorance?"
"Friend Visākha, true knowledge is the counterpart of ignorance."
"But, lady, what is the counterpart of true knowledge?"
"Friend Visākha, liberation is the counterpart of true knowledge."
"But, lady, what is the counterpart of liberation?"
"Friend Visākha, Nibbāna is the counterpart of liberation."
"But, lady, what is the counterpart of Nibbāna?" "Friend Visākha, you have gone beyond the question, you were not able to grasp the limit of questions. For, friend Visākha, the holy life is grounded upon Nibbāna, has Nibbāna as its ultimate goal, has Nibbāna as its final goal. And if you wish, friend Visākha, having approached the Blessed One, you should ask about this matter, and as the Blessed One answers you, so you should remember it."
467. Then the lay follower Visākha, having delighted in and given thanks for what the nun Dhammadinnā had said, rose from his seat, paid respect to the nun Dhammadinnā, circumambulated her keeping her on his right, and approached the Blessed One; having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the lay follower Visākha reported to the Blessed One all the friendly conversation he had with the nun Dhammadinnā. When this was said, the Blessed One said this to the lay follower Visākha - "Wise, Visākha, is the nun Dhammadinnā, of great wisdom, Visākha, is the nun Dhammadinnā. If you, Visākha, had asked me about this matter, I too would have answered it in exactly the same way as it was answered by the nun Dhammadinnā. This indeed is its meaning. And thus you should remember it."
This is what the Blessed One said. Delighted, the lay follower Visākha rejoiced in what the Blessed One had said.
The Discourse on the Shorter Series of Questions and Answers is concluded as fourth.