Saṃyuktāgama, Volume 1 (24)

Original text:如是我闻。一时。佛住王舍城伽兰陀竹园。尔时。世尊告罗睺罗。比丘。云何知。云何见。我此识身及外境界一切相。令无有我我所见。我慢使系着。罗睺罗白佛言。世尊为法主。为导为覆。善哉。世尊当为诸比丘演说此义。诸比丘从佛闻已。当受持奉行。

佛告罗睺罗。谛听。谛听。善思念之。当为汝说。罗睺罗白佛。唯然。受教。佛告罗睺罗。当观诸所有色。若过去．若未来．若现在。若内．若外。若粗．若细。若好．若丑。若远．若近。彼一切非我．不异我．不相在。如是平等慧如实观。

如是受．想．行．识。若过去．若未来．若现在。若内．若外。若粗．若细。若好．若丑。若远．若近。彼一切非我．不异我．不相在。如是平等慧如实观。

比丘。如是知如是见。我此识身及外境界一切相。令无有我我所见，我慢使系着。罗睺罗。比丘如是识身及外境界一切相。无有我．我所见．我慢使系著者。超越疑心。远离诸相。寂静解脱。是名比丘断除爱欲。转去诸结。正无间等。究竟苦边。时。罗睺罗闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。

Explanation: The World-Honored One said to the Venerable Rāhula: Bhikṣu, how should one know and how should one see so that within this body of consciousnesses composed of the seven consciousnesses and all the marks of external realms there is no self and no possession by self, so that one does not allow oneself to be bound by the fetters of the view of self, the view of possessions by self, and the conceit of self? Rāhula said to the Buddha: World-Honored One, You are the master of the Dharma, the guide and leader of sentient beings, able to shelter and protect sentient beings; therefore, World-Honored One, You should expound this meaning to the bhikṣus. After the bhikṣus hear Your teaching of the Dharma, they will receive, uphold, and practice it.

Why is the Buddha the master of the Dharma? The master of the Dharma means the owner of the Dharma; the Buddha has already realized all dharmas and possesses all dharmas, and is thus the master of the Buddha-Dharma. All dharmas flow forth from the Buddha's own mind; there is not a single dharma He does not know, not a single dharma He has not realized, and He is at ease with all dharmas—therefore He is called the master of the Dharma. The view of self and the conceit of self are two kinds of fetters that firmly bind sentient beings, causing them to sink and drift through birth and death, unable to attain liberation. Because there is the view of self, there is the conceit of self; the view of self also includes the view of possessions by self.

The Buddha said to Rāhula: To sever the bondage of the fetters of the view of self and the conceit of self, one should contemplate the aggregate of form, including that of the past, the future, and the present, that within the physical body and that outside the physical body; these dharmas include the coarse and the subtle, the beautiful and the ugly, the relatively distant from the present and the relatively close to the present. All these forms of material form are not the self, nor are they possessions of the self, and moreover the self and the possessions of self do not exist within each other. Only this is the wisdom of equanimity, the contemplation in accordance with reality.

Likewise with feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, including those of the past, the future, and the present, the feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness pertaining to within the physical body and those pertaining to outside the physical body, including the coarse feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness and the subtle ones, the wholesome ones and the unwholesome ones, those distant from the present and those close to the present—all of these are not the self, nor are they possessions of the self; the self and the possessions of self do not exist within each other. Contemplating in this way is the contemplation of the wisdom of equanimity, the contemplation in accordance with reality.

The Buddha said: A bhikṣu should know and see thus: this body of my seven consciousnesses and all the marks of external realms are not the self and are not possessions of the self, without the bondage of the fetters of the conceit of self. Rāhula, one who has realized that the body and mind of the five aggregates are without self and without possessions of self, and who is not bound by the conceit of self, has transcended the doubting mind, has severed the doubt-view that takes the five aggregates as the self, has inwardly distanced himself from all the marks of the five aggregates, and his mind has attained tranquility and liberation. Such a bhikṣu can then sever sensual desire, remove all the fetters of afflictions, maintain right awareness in every thought, reach the far shore of the suffering of birth and death, and ultimately attain complete liberation.