near, the correct view in the light of the highest knowledge is as follows: 'This is not mine; this am I not; this is not my Ego.' "Perceiving this, brother Yamaka, the learned and noble disciple conceives an aversion for the corporeal form, conceives an aversion for sensation, conceives an aversion for perception, conceives an aversion for the activities of the mind, conceives an aversion for consciousness. And in conceiving this aversion he becomes divested of the influences, and by the absence of the influences he becomes free; and when he is free, he becomes aware that he is free. "What think you, brother Yamaka? Do you consider the corporeal form as the Perfected One?" "Nay, verily, brother." "Do you consider sensation-perception-the activities of the mind-consciousness, as the Perfected One?" "Nay, verily, brother." "What think you, brother Yamaka? Do you consider the Perfected One as comprised in the corporeal form?" "Nay, verily, brother." "Do you consider the Perfected One as separated from the corporeal form?" "Nay, verily, brother." "Do you consider the Perfected One as comprised in sensation... in perception... in the activities of the mind... in consciousness?" "Nay, verily, brother." "Do you consider the Perfected One as separated from sensation ... from perception ... from the activities of the mind... from consciousness?" "Nay, verily, brother." "What think you, brother Yamaka? Are the corporeal form, sensation, perception, the activities of the mind, and consciousness unitedly the Perfected One?" "Nay, verily, brother." "What think you, brother Yamaka? Do you consider the Perfected One to be without body, without sensation, without perception, without activities of the mind, without consciousness?" "Nay, verily, brother.”* "Considering now, brother Yamaka, that you fail to make out and establish the Perfected One even in the present existence, is it reasonable for you to say: 'Thus do I understand the doctrine taught by the Blessed One, that on the dissolution of the body the monk who is delivered from the influences, is annihilated, perishes, and is no more after death'?" "Brother Sariputta, it was because of my ignorance that I held this wicked view; but now that I have listened to the doctrinal instruction of the venerable Sariputta, I have abandoned that wicked view and completely understood the doctrine." "But if others were to ask you, brother Yamaka, as follows: 'Brother Yamaka, the monk, who is a saint and delivered from the influences, what becomes of him on the dissolution of the body, after death?' what would you reply, brother Yamaka, if you were asked that question?" "Brother, if others were to ask me thus, then I would reply, as follows: 'Brethren, the corporeal form was transitory and that which was transitory was painful and that which was painful has ceased and disappeared. The sensation... perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness was transitory, and that which was transitory was painful, and that which was painful has ceased and disappeared.' Thus would I reply, brother, if I were asked that question." "Well said! well said! brother Yamaka. Come now, brother * Of course the five groups, as long as we adhere to them, are qualities belonging to us, but not essential qualities. They have nothing to do with our real essence. Accordingly there results the following: As long as I adhere to them I am of course not without them, but if I let them go, I am thereby not touched in my essence. — Later on, we shall speak more at length about this. Yamaka, I will give you an illustration that you may still better comprehend this matter. "Suppose, brother Yamaka, there were a householder, or a son of a househoulder, rich, wealthy, and affluent, and thoroughly well guarded, and some man were to become unfriendly, inimical and hostile to him, and were to wish to kill him. And suppose it were to occur to this man as follows: 'This householder, or son of a householder, is rich, wealthy, and affluent, and thoroughly well guarded. It would not be easy to kill him by violence. What if now I were to ingratiate myself with him and then kill him? And suppose he were to draw near to that householder, or son of a householder, and say as follows: 'Lord, I would fain enter your service.' And suppose the householder, or son of a householder, were to admit him into his service; and the man were to be his servant, rising before him and retiring after him, willing and obliging and pleasant spoken. And suppose the householder, or son of a householder, were to treat him as a friend, a friend, were to treat him as a comrade, and repose confidence in him. And suppose then, brother, that when that man judged that the householder, or son of a householder, had acquired thorough confidence in him, he were to get him into some secluded spot and kill him with a sharp weapon. "What think you, brother Yamaka? When that man drew near to that householder, or son of a householder, and said. as follows: 'Lord, I would fain enter your service,' was he not a murderer, though not recognized as such?" "And also when he was his servant, rising before him and retiring after him, willing and obliging and pleasant spoken, was he not a murderer, though not recognized as such? "And also when he got him into a secluded spot and killed him with a sharp weapon, was he not a murderer, though not recognized as such?" "Even so, brother." "In exactly the same way, brother, the ignorant, unconverted man, who is not a follower of noble disciples, not conversant with the Noble Doctrine, not disciplined in the Noble Doctrine, not a follower of good people, not conversant with the Doctrine held by good people, not trained in the Doctrine held by good people, not disciplined in the Doctrine held by good people, considers the corporeal form as the Ego, or the Ego as of the nature of the corporeal form, or the corporeal form as comprised in the Ego, or the Ego as comprised in the corporeal form. He considers the sensation ... perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness as the Ego, or the Ego as consisting in them, or themselves as comprised in the Ego, or the Ego as comprised in them. "He does not recognize the fact that the corporeal form is transitory. He does not recognize the fact that sensation... perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness are transitory. "He does not recognize the fact that the corporeal form ... sensation... perception... the activities of the mind...consciousness are painful. "He does not recognize the fact, that the corporeal form ... sensation. perception the activities of the mind... consciousness are not the Ego. ... ... "He does not recognize the fact, that the corporeal form ... sensation, perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness are due to causes. "He does not recognize the fact, that the corporeal form ... sensation perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness are murderers.* ... * This means, in regard to the illustration given before, he takes the five groups of grasping to be his friend, whereas they are in truth his enemy, bringing death to him. ... ... "And he seeks after the corporeal form, attaches himself to it, and makes the affirmation that it is his Ego. And he seeks after sensation perception the activities of the mind ... consciousness, attaches himself to them, and makes the affirmation that it is his Ego. And these five groups of grasping, sought after and become attached, long inure to his detriment and misery. “But the learned and noble disciple, brother, who is a follower of noble disciples, conversant with the Noble Doctrine, disciplined in the Noble Doctrine, a follower of good people, conversant with the Doctrine held by good people, disciplined in the Doctrine held by good people, does not consider the corporeal form as the Ego, nor the Ego as of the nature of the corporeal form, nor the corporeal form as comprised in the Ego, nor the Ego as comprised in the corporeal form. He does not consider sensation... perception the activities of the mind... consciousness as the Ego, nor the Ego as consisting in them, nor themselves as comprised in the Ego, nor the Ego as comprised in them. ... "He recognizes the fact, that the corporeal form. . . sensation. perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness are transitory. ... "He recognizes the fact, that the corporeal form . . . sensation... perception the activities of the mind... consciousness are painful. ... "He recognizes the fact, that the corporeal form... sensation...perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness are not the Ego. "He recognizes the fact, that the corporeal form... sensation... perception... the activities of the mind...consciousness are due to causes. "He recognizes the fact, that the corporeal form . . . sensation... perception... the activities of the mind... consciousness are murderers. |