Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 1 (15)

Original text:比丘。若随使使者。即随使死。若随死者。为取所缚。比丘。若不随使使。则不随使死。不随使死者。则于取解脱。比丘白佛。知已。世尊。知已。善逝。

佛告比丘。汝云何于我略说法中。广解其义。比丘白佛言。世尊。色随使使．色随使死。随使使．随使死者。则为取所缚。如是受．想．行．识。随使使．随使死。随使使．随使死者。为取所缚。

世尊。若色不随使使．不随使死。不随使使．不随使死者。则于取解脱。如是受．想．行．识。不随使使．不随使死。不随使使．不随使死者。则于取解脱。如是。世尊。略说法中。广解其义。佛告比丘。善哉。善哉。比丘于我略说法中。广解其义。

所以者何。色随使使．随使死。随使使．随使死者。则为取所缚。如是受．想．行．识。随使使．随使死。随使使．随使死者。则为取所缚。比丘。色不随使使．不随使死。不随使使．不随使死者。则于取解脱。如是受．想．行．识。不随使使．不随使死。不随使使．不随使死者。则于取解脱。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Bhikṣu, if a person follows along with his own afflictive fetters (saṃyojana) in performing bodily, verbal, and mental actions, he will undergo birth and death, transmigrating in saṃsāra along with these afflictive fetters. If he undergoes birth and death along with the afflictive fetters, he will be bound by his own grasping and will not attain liberation. Bhikṣu, if a person does not follow along with his own afflictive fetters in performing bodily, verbal, and mental actions, he will not transmigrate through birth and death along with the fetters. If he does not transmigrate through birth and death along with the afflictive fetters, he will be liberated from his own grasping at the dharmas of the three realms. The bhikṣu said to the Buddha: I understand, World-Honored One, I understand, Sugata.

The first "fetter" (使) means afflictive fetters; there are roughly nine kinds of afflictive fetters, and in fine detail, countless kinds. The second "fetter" means to use or to employ. To grasp at any dharma is to cling to affliction, is a kind of fetter, is following along with the fetters, and is transmigration through birth and death. Each fetter, if expanded, includes countless afflictions, manifested in one's own bodily, verbal, and mental actions in the worldly realm. The key point is to observe and examine them, and through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the non-self of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha), to be able to subdue and eliminate them. The fruits of cultivation are manifested in each person's bodily, verbal, and mental actions in the worldly realm, manifested in the actions of the body of the five aggregates. If the bodily, verbal, and mental actions have not been purified, it shows that cultivation has not yet been accomplished, that progress on the Path has not been made, and that one's practice is not yet effective. The examination of the fruits of cultivation must be done on the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the body of the five aggregates, on the mental factors (caittas) of the seven consciousnesses—that is, on the mental activities of the seven consciousnesses. There is no other place to examine them. No one can examine the workings of their own true suchness mind, for the workings of true suchness are forever pure, forever without ignorance, forever without afflictions, without any fetters or bonds. Moreover, everyone's true suchness nature is identical and requires no cultivation.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣu: How is it that you can broadly understand the meaning of the dharma within my briefly spoken essential points of the method? The bhikṣu said to the Buddha: World-Honored One, when the aggregate of form (rūpa) is employed by the afflictive fetters, the aggregate of form will transmigrate through birth and death along with the afflictive fetters. If one is employed by one's own afflictive fetters, follows along with the afflictive fetters in performing bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and transmigrates through birth and death along with the afflictive fetters, one is bound by one's own grasping and does not attain liberation. Likewise, if feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), formations (saṃskāra), and consciousness (vijñāna) follow along with the afflictive fetters and are employed by the afflictive fetters, then feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness will transmigrate through birth and death along with the afflictive fetters. Those who are employed by the afflictive fetters to perform bodily, verbal, and mental actions and thereby transmigrate through birth and death are bound by their own grasping and do not attain liberation.

World-Honored One, if the aggregate of form is not employed by the afflictive fetters, it does not transmigrate through birth and death along with the afflictive fetters. If one is not employed by the afflictive fetters, does not follow the afflictive fetters in performing bodily, verbal, and mental actions and transmigrating through birth and death, one will attain liberation from one's own grasping and will no longer grasp at the world of the five aggregates. Likewise, if feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are not employed by the afflictive fetters, they will not transmigrate through birth and death along with the afflictive fetters; if feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are not employed by the afflictive fetters and do not transmigrate through birth and death along with the afflictive fetters, then one attains liberation from grasping. World-Honored One, it is just so: within the essential dharma you briefly taught, I have broadly understood its meaning.

The Buddha told the bhikṣu: Excellent, excellent! Bhikṣu, you can broadly understand the meaning within the essential dharma I briefly taught. Why is this said? Because if the aggregate of form is employed by the fetters, it will transmigrate through birth and death along with the fetters; if one follows along with the employment of the fetters, performing bodily, verbal, and mental actions and transmigrating through birth and death along with the fetters, one will be bound by one's own grasping and will not attain liberation. Likewise, if feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness follow along with the employment of the fetters, they will perform bodily, verbal, and mental actions along with the fetters and transmigrate through birth and death without attaining liberation. Those who follow along with the employment of the fetters and transmigrate through birth and death will be bound by their own grasping at the three realms and will not attain liberation.

Bhikṣu, if the aggregate of form is not employed by the afflictive fetters, it can avoid transmigrating through birth and death along with the fetters. If one is not employed by the fetters and does not transmigrate through birth and death along with the fetters, one will attain liberation from grasping. Likewise, if feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are not employed by the afflictive fetters, they will not transmigrate through birth and death along with the fetters. If one is not employed by the fetters and does not transmigrate through birth and death along with the fetters, one will attain liberation from grasping at the world of the five aggregates.